The site we thought we would be at for Jon’s Internship backed out on us. I’m disappinted but not as much as I had thought I would be if this were to happen. They were really nice about it and explained that it was nothing to do with either of us — they were administratively swamped. I’m thankful that they discerned this before accepting us and then dropped us later on because of problems with finding an associate pastor.

I just ordered my copy of Daily Texts since I accidentally left my other one in California. I know that I can get it online but I really like having a hard copy of the book. I’m also not a user of their devotional method but I can usually get some really good prayer for the day out of it. I haven’t been able to really get into my prayer or devo times since I left California and I think it’s because I’m so used to using the specific book. They give you two verses (one Old Testament and one New Testament) and then a prayer. I usually can build my prayers for the day around the prayers they give.

Brian seems to be doing better. I cannot imagine his pain right now and I’m thankful that he’s reaching outward. I’m also thankful for the messages he’s left in my Livejournal. Brian was one of my best friends at UCSC and I am really thankful to be in more constant communication with him.

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My friend Brian just called me and told me that his brother died. It’s been two weeks and he’s finally been able to get in touch with me. Words do not accurately convey the amount of shock that I am in and how awful I feel for Brian and his family. I wish I could be in California sitting there hugging him right now and after I yelled at him for not calling me sooner (which I am allowed to do because I am a mere pipsqeak compared to him), we talked about God stuff. I prayed with him which made me feel like I could do something other than simply be present. Yet, isn’t that what we ask of God — that He simply be present with us in our time of trial? It’s the best gift we can receive from our Heavenly Father and it is the only gift I can give right now. I just pray that it is enough.

While listening to the music for Choral Evensong while trying to fall asleep tonight (which failed miserably — read the entry for April 16 which was up for all of…. 3 hours?), tears started rolling down my face, especially as I was listening to the Randall Thompson Alleluia and the arrangement of Precious Lord Take My Hand. The Gospel Mass that we are doing was also convicting, especially the Credo which is basically repetition of “I believe in the Holy Spirit/And the Holy Catholic Church/I believe in one baptism for the remision of sin and rebirth/ I believe in the resurrection and the communion of saints on this earth/ I believe when my life is over, I’m going home just to live with my God!/ I believe, I believe, I believe in God/ I believe, I believe in God.” I am so thankful that I know that my Redeemer lives and that with my eyes, I will see God when I pass from this world to the next.

Please pray for Brian and his family. Please pray for his brother Kevin.

I haven’t been able to update lately because FrontPage has been spazzing because of the picture files.. My spiritual life has also been pretty crazy. I’m doing OK spiritually but I’m just exhausted. I haven’t been sleeping well and my asthma is getting really bad. This means that my prayer times at night have been shorter and I’ve been a lot more panicky.

We had Consortium Day on Thursday so I got to hang out with the men from the Josephinum (the Pontifical College in Columbus — apparently you have to graduate from one of these colleges to be a pope). We had a few lectures on Islam which were fascinating, some discussion, and then some worship. It was strange having my voice stand out above everyone else’s and I’m thankful that it was at least a hymn that I knew.

I am also helping to lead Holden Evening Prayer this quarter on Wednesday evenings. I have a very patient co-leader so I’ve been slowly getting used to singing it. I sang some of the intercessions on my own last week and am doing part of the Magnificat this week. In Ministry of Worship, we watched a video on the catechuminate at a Catholic Church in Dallas on Monday and it was fascinating. They baptized by immersion and were very lavish in the chrism. They poured a bunch on peoples’ heads and made the sign of the cross over the whole head. They also sang the Celtic Alleluia after each baptism. When the newly baptized went to change, the priest invited everyone up to the baptismal pool to renew their vows. It was amazing to hear people describe the process. Only I and one other person had baptism experiences like that. It made me think of my favorite neophyte Laura (though she wasn’t baptized on Easter Vigil).

Today, I went to church with Imani, one of my classmates. She attends Love Zion Missionary Baptist Church here in town and it was a fun service. I went to Sunday School with her and then went to the service which was 3.5 hours. It was wonderful worship and the music was really fun — I think it’s the first time I’ve been able to really get down and party in church for a long time! The sermon was on three words in John 20:19: “then Jesus came”. Pastor Woods asked us where we would be if Jesus had not come. It was the stereotypical Baptist sermon, making it powerful and enjoyable. It was nice to be able to “Amen” things.

Jon preaches on Tuesday and I am looking forward to it. His sermon will be on Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was martyred for taking part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. (The Nazi’s were as brutal to the church as they were in many other ways.) In two weeks, I get to supply preach in northern Ohio and I am REALLY looking forward to it.

Well… I’m back from Cali, I’m married, and I’m in the process of moving out of my dorm. I’ll be updating infrequently for a while. Here’s a lovely graphic from Victoria for the time being….

I am starting to get back into liturgical mode, I think. I went to the traditional (liturgical) service at my church last Sunday and it fed me well. The contemporary service was good today but I think I would have gotten just as much out of liturgy. Wednesday night is sort of liturgical but not quite what I need so I am really thankful for chapel these days where I can do Morning Prayer communally.

I am starting to think that I might have to start doing Compline on my own at night or go to Compline next quarter. Jane and I are leading Holden Evening Prayer on Wednesdays and Jane is doing Compline that night as well. I will also have to start going to LBW Evening Prayer with Jon on Tuesday nights. It’s crazy — Jon is super liturgical and it’s hard for us to do devotions together because we are so different; but I’m really starting to become like him now.

We did the litany last Friday in chapel and it wasn’t as good as it was on September 12 when we did it acapella before Eucharist because of September 11th. It was still meaningful however and I honestly would not mind chanting it more frequently. (For those who are wondering, it’s a litany based on the Kyrie which is the prayer in which we say in Koine Greek “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy”. (The Greek is Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison.) It is especially good during Lent because this is when we are atoning for our sins.

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