Monday, October 18, 2010

Well overdue update....

It is hard to believe but the semester is already half over!  I will admit that there are times that it seems that the days are just rushing by and other seminarians have told me that this will continue to speed up as the years go by.  I will admit that I am excited that things are going fast because then I will be back home with Matthew and I will be on to where God is calling me.

This last week I was asked to read a reading in Spanish at the installation of the new Dean at CDSP.  The liturgy was beautiful. I was even mentioned in the sermon by the new dean.  Many of you know the story but for those of you that don't here it goes.  When I was little I would use a blanket and turn it into a chasuble and run around the house screaming "Give till it hurts!"  I would then hand out Eucharist (tortilla chips and iced tea) to my dog and others (stuffed animals) that were present.  There were three fellow seminarians mentioned and I was the last one and it was received with great laughter.  After the service I did have some people come to me and share their stories of how they used to play church.  I think it was the Holy Spirit working through the story to be able to help others remember their childhood.

This weekend was a bit of a challenge for me.  Since I have been here at CDSP I always had something going on for the weekend and this weekend I did not.  I also did not have my regular friends around to try to do something.  It hit me that I was feeling lonely, I really was missing home and my community back in Minnesota.  However, I was forced to be ok with just being with myself and thanks to my co-president Elizabeth was able to go for a drive into the neighboring towns as well as going to a church that I would not have been able to get to since I do not have a car here in Berkeley.  For this weekend, I felt that I was a regular person again, not worrying about school and church but just being a normal person out in the world.  I know that there are more days like this in the future and this is when I turn to those things that remind me of home to make the distance between here and Minnesota seem less.

This Friday I do get to come home to Minnesota for a week.  I am so looking forward to getting a break from the routine here at school and just play with the dogs and spend some time with Matthew.  I know that this time with him will be short but I just am going to love to be with him and go through the normal everyday routines that we had before I left on this adventure.  I hope that when I am home I am able to see some of you. 

While in Minnesota I will also be talking with hospitals about their CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) programs.  Since there are not many hospitals the spots are really few and I needed to get ahead of this before June.  I will be working with people in the hospitals and from what I have heard it offers me the ability to see ministry from every angle possible; from births to deaths and everything in between.  I will admit that i am a little nervous about this but I know that God will be with me during the process. 

I think that is about it for now, please remember that each of you are in my prayers and I ask that you please keep me in yours.

Peace,

Jason Lucas