This class I'm taking

Every Tuesday night I walk into a classroom at 6pm anticipating the learning process that will last until we leave at 9pm. This class is called "Biblical Global Justice". Basically, we discuss the issues of social and Biblical justice while trying to develop an understanding of what scripture has to say about justice and in time, we develop a theology and practice of Biblical justice. The people that make up this class are from all over the world, which is unique to a class at Gordon-Conwell. There is a man from Zimbabwe, a woman from Kenya, several from Korea, a few from China, a man from India, and the list continues. This is quite possibly the most diverse class I have taken in seminary and I love how much it adds to my learning, particularly in this area of study. In doing the reading and listening to the discussion on social justice issues in the world and our role as Christians, based on scriptures mandates to care for the oppressed, I have felt convicted, disappointed in the Church, and encouraged to do my part. Living in the city so far this semester has caused me to be so much more aware of people from other socio-enomic and culture backgrounds. Even today on the bus, I witnessed the business professionals on their way to work paradoxicallly sitting next to the poor and disinfranchised. Holding these issues in balance calls me to remain content that God has placed me in middle class America while requiring me to have a heart for the poor, widowed, and oppressed. How in the world am I supposed to be content knowing I am about to go buy a new TV when the woman next to me on the train doesn't even have lunch today? I am not sure how it all works but I know it often seems overwhelming. So my professors encourages us to sit in the tension between the rich and the poor, to enjoy what we have been blessed with while having a heart for and an awareness of those who have nothing emotionally and physically. While that is a liberating concept for me to consume and digest, I still feel caught in the middle of these issues. I am then called to wait on the day when:

Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:4-5

Oh, Jerusalem...

Yael Naim - Toxic

Okay, So I came to discover this artist through the new Apple MacBook Air commercial that features her song, "New Soul". However, upon doing further research....I love her stuff! She's totally weird and creative and I like it! This video is a remake she did of Britney Spears' song "Toxic". Listening to it in this remake makes me realize how ridiculous some hip-hop/pop lyrics are and how much they can be cries for help. Anyhow, just thought this was an interesting remake and comparing it to the original makes it even more amazing. If you do decide to look up Britney's video of the song on YouTube, do yourself a favor and only listen to the first 20 seconds. Oh, and one more awesome thing I discovered is that Yael Naim is Israeli!! Crazy! Hope you all enjoy!

P.S. this is what I do when I'm procrastinating....look for new music! I should get back to my reading now!

The Superbowl

Well friends....it's been a while since I posted...I've been a busy girl getting started on the new semester, getting classes squared away, and figuring out how to get around without a GPS while driving in Boston. At any rate, it has been an eventful day with the big game for the New England Patriots. My roommate and I went to a house of a few friends from church to watch the big game. It was a room full of overzealous football fans and passion New England sports fans. One thing to learn about Boston is their loyalty to their sports teams and there emotional involvement in the lives of the players! This we have learned from their infinity (and mine) for the Red Sox. My roommate is pretty sure she's dating Tom Brady. However, upon eating our fill of football junk food and watching the Patriots lose after a perfect season, these fans turn from extreme enthusiasts to depressed, full of junk food, and feeling sick from both the intake of calories and disgust at the loss of what could have been THE FIRST PERFECT NFL SEASON!! I better go help my roommate get nursed back to sports fan health by watching a few episodes of "Friends" and forgetting the game ever happened. By the way, she says she's dumping Tom Brady....should be an interesting conversation. :)

P.S. For those interested, I changed my degree program from Masters of Divinity to a dual program. I'll end up with a masters of arts in religion and a masters of arts in theology when all is said and done. I'll graduate in the same time (May 2009) and get to focus on more specific interests. My concentration will be in Biblical worship and how the use of media and arts impact spiritual formation. Anyhow, it makes me excited to continue on this educational journey!!

New Beginnings.....again

Well, as much as I have been so blessed and enjoyed the comings and goings of the past few years of my life, I'm sort of wondering when the changes and transitions will be over. The more I think about it, the more I realize that life is all about change, transitions, and new beginnings. I have been officially moving into my apartment the past week and a half and it seems as if even when I have put everything in it's proper place, the refrigerator has food in it again, and the internet is working, I still am yet to feel settled. I know I have blogged about this before, but I am almost convinced that I am never really supposed to get "settled" anywhere. If I didn't have change or transition, I wouldn't meet new people or discover more about myself, both the put together and the messy parts of me. Sometimes, in trying to put together a new apartment, dorm room, or my new living space I am almost hoping I'll get put together with it. Those moments are the ones that remind me I can't put myself together. That I'll only be on this earth for a fleeting moment and if I worry about trying to fix myself or get things just right, I'll miss the whole point of being someone in need of God. I'm dependent, totally and completely in need. I'm learning I have nothing to prove to the world, to my friends, and family and that I have everything to lay down and give to the one truly in control. So, if you're feeling like me....a little alone, a little not perfect, and little needy, you're exactly where you need to be to fall into the arms of the one who never misses a catch.

Psalm 16
A MIKTAM OF DAVID.
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

NYC for the weekend!

Mamma Mia!

Upon returning to Boston a few days ago a greeting a friend that I met in Jerusalem, Adria, along with my friend Anna who also studied with us in Jerusalem (Anna and I go to school together at Gordon-Conwell). Anyhow, the three of us boarded into my little Honda Civic on Friday morning and drove down to Stamford, Ct where my aunt and uncle live. We then got on a train and went into NYC for the day. We took Adria to all the tourist sites and decided to get to the city early the next day to get tickets to a broadway show. We got lucky!! On Saturday morning we got in line at the discount ticket booth and struck gold in finding three remaining tickets to Mamma Mia! It was awesome. I'm not sure if you're a fan of broadway type shows but this was fantastic, fun, and very well done theater! If you're in NYC and need to go to a show (and can't get Wicked tickets) go for Mamma Mia! After seeing it, I'm pretty sure I'm destined to one day play on broadway.....probably not but one never knows!

Egpyt Pics.....Finally!

Well, I have finally posted pictures from my trip to Egypt. I apologize for the length of the post with all the pictures, but wanted to give you an idea of all the things we got to see while there. This is just a small sampling of pictures from the trip but it highlights some great parts of the trip. It was a wonderful trip and we experienced so many new things. In one day we traveled from sleeper train to bus to boat to camel. It was such a worth while endeavor! Hope you enjoy!


The Step Pyramid near Cairo

Friends in front of one of the pyramids in Giza
(from left: Adria, Me, Natalie, Ashley, and Jenna)

The Famous Giza Pyramids - and Natalie, Jenna, and Me

The Sphinx from a little distance with one of the pyramids in the background

Sleeper Train!!

Train Station in Giza

The Temple of Philea

We took a boat ride down the Nile to a little Nubian village

Israel city names carved in a Ancient Egyptian temple - communicated Egypt's connection to Israel in ancient times

Camel ride up to St. Simon Monastery - they are smelly animals!

Luxor Temple at Night

Luxor Temple at Night

We took jeeps off-roading in the Sinai....it was great fun!

The Sinai Desert

Sunrise on Mt. Sinai - worth the hike at 3am!

Out of Egypt and on the way home!

It's about two-thirty in the morning Israel time and I have now been up for 24 hours and have a full day of travel before me. We woke up last night in the wee hours of the morning to hike up Mt. Sinai to catch the sunrise. It was an incredible way to finish up such a rich semester. I am so thankful for the things I've been able to learn and experience while in Jerusalem these past few months. Being that I have 20 hours of flight ahead of me and do not anticipate much internet access.....here is a picture of the sunrise on Sinai and I'll blog about Egypt once I get home! Also in the mean time, here are some reflections on my semester in Jerusalem that I jotted down a week or so ago.

I will not forget waking up to the bells

The abbey billows from behind
Waking up to the sun over the Mt. of Olives
In triumphal procession over the valleys below.

Dwarfed by the walls that seemingly protect
The record of what has been and what is to come.
I will not read your words the same
They speak so differently now
Rich like the moon over the citadel of David
Deep like the tightly knit valleys and streaming rivers.

I will not forget how your voice sounded against St Anne’s walls
Grand waves of sound sensation, melodically moving
Speaking bravery into insecurity
Painting my soul with dreams and trust, wiping away any trace of trembling.

I will not forget that you have been my portion
I will not forget but rejoice that the boundary lines of my life have fallen in pleasant places
I will not forget that you are the God who dwells in the very crevices of my soul
Yet commands a place of honor in the promise land.
Oh, I will not forget
I will only remember the every shape of this Holy land
How You’ve fought for Your children
And still you captured me, enraptured me,
You tell me the epic story of who You have been, who You are, and all that You will ever be