Waiting...Sucks!

Waiting sucks. When you are waiting for an answer it can be excruciatingly painful. Alright, that might be a slight exaggeration. But when that one decision is all you can think about, there is a bit of an aching feeling thinking about waiting for it. 

When I applied to college I was not too concerned. I applied to some random schools that I was not too passionate about. I was not too sure what I was doing with my life or what path I was headed down. Once I got into a college I knew that it would all work out. It didn't really matter what college I went to, so long as I went to college. When I was applying to colleges most of the people around me where as well. We all applied to colleges together and we all had to wait for the decisions. I even when to look at a school with some of my classmates. Everyone applying to college was sitting in the same boat, all playing the waiting game together.

The next step is a whole different ball of wax. This time around I care. I know what I want out of life. I know what direction I want to go in. I know which rabbit hole I want to fall down. This time around, I care about where I go to school. This time around I am not applying to a bunch of random schools. This time around, getting into a school doesn't matter...it's about getting into THE school. I am applying to three Seminaries: Princeton Theological Seminary, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Iliff School of Theology. I care about all three schools and am interested in them for different reasons. So far I have applied to Princeton (they had the earliest deadline) and I am working on my applications to the other two.

Waiting for a response from Princeton has been exhausting. I check their website daily to see if I can find out the answer. I think about it at night, and everytime someone on campus asks me about the future, they are asking about Princeton. I got a letter in the mail this past week, from Princeton. My boyfriend's mom called to let me know it arrive. My question for her was "Big envelope or small envelope?" When she told me it was a small envelope I immediatly got discouraged. In my mind a small envelope equals rejection. It turns out that it wasn't a rejection or an acceptance, but rather they were informing me that my file was complete and that their admissions committee would now be reviewing it. I was so excited, only to be told to wait some more.

Today I told my friend Alexander that I recived a letter from Princeton and he got excited. I told him it was a small envelope, he got depressed. I told him what it said, he felt bad for me. Alexander understands what I am currently going through and where I am coming from because he is experiencing the same thing. The difference is is that he has already gotten accepted by his first choice school. Alexander now knows that he will be studying at Springfield College for his masters in psychology in the fall. I feel bad talking to most people about this situatuion because they aren't experiecing the same thing. There is a very few number of my graduating class that is applying to programs for further education. I know of three people definitivly (myself- Master of Divinity, Alexander- Masters of Psychology, Francisco- Masters in Music) and there are a few people that may or may not apply to the Adventist seminary, if they do not get job offers after graduation. While my close friends do not seem to mind me complaining about the process adn the waiting period I feel that everyone else doesn't understand.

Waiting sucks. I have reached the point where whether it is yes or no (PLEASE be Yes!) I just want an answer. The waiting is killing me!

That All May Freely Serve Webinar

Tonight I participated in a webinar hosted by Lisa Larges of That All May Freely Serve and our former moderator Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow. The webinar started by asking us participants where we think the church currently is, on a scale from 1 – 5, 1 being life support and 5 being freaking awesome. I gave it a 3. I do not currently think that the church is dying, however I know that there are many things that our denomination needs to work on. The second question was “On a scale of 1-5 (1 being low, 5 being high) how passionate are you about the Presbyterian church? 4 out of the 12 participants responded with a 5 and only 1 responded with a 1. I put a 5. I am passionate about the PCUSA and cannot see myself in any other denomination; I do however wish that there were more chances for me to show how passionate I am about the church. When asked “why do you think people remain dedicated or connected to the PC(USA) in the midst of this on going strife?” the most common response was “people love their local congregation”, followed by “have hope for the church”. My three responses to this question were 1) people love their local congregation, 2) believe in connectional church, and 3) have hope for the church.

Some of the interesting parts of the conversation focused on what we should put our energies into once the Amendment 10-A discussion are over. As Larissa said in the chat, “I wonder if we can even fathom putting our energy to something else?  And if we can, will we put energy behind the positive or something else we can disagree on?” Sometimes it is hard to live without opposition when it becomes a part of our daily lives. Most people said we should just wait and let the Holy Spirit guide us but I also feel that economic justice will be an aspect to look into. Many agree that we need to focus on church development and nurturing our leadership.

Then out conversation turned to the youth. Obviously as a youth this is of great importance to me and it is something I care a great deal about. Sometimes as a youth in the church it feels as if we often go overlooked. All too often it seems impossible to get involved with things because we lack the years of experience that those, decades older than us, possess. When there are so few youth in the church it is hard to make people take notice of us and make them listen to our ideas and hear what we truly care about. As I said in the chat, during the webinar, it is things like this, the ability to take part in a webinar with other members of the denomination, on a topic I care deeply about, and be taken seriously, even though I am a youth, that keeps me in love with our church. I love the Presbyterian Church (USA) and I appreciate all of he opportunities that I have been afforded thus far, I just hope that there will be a swing in the church, when our congregations realize the amount of youth we are losing, that will places a greater light on the youth and the role that we are more than capable of playing given the chance. Only in the PCUSA can people so far apart in age be considered young adults. One member of our webinar is the youngest at his presbytery meetings, and he’s forty. I thought I had it bad. Someone said that “young people just aren't feeling engaged by the church and many of them don't find it relevant to their lives”. It is a valid point. As a denomination we need to focus more on the youth, bringing youth into the church, and keeping youth in the church. We put too much stock in experience and do not provide youth the opportunity to gain the experience. As a youth in the church, things like this (the webinar) are what keep me passionate about our church.

Talking about youth in the church reminds me of the letter I wrote at the Synod of The NorthEast meeting back in October, which was distributed to the stated clerks of the presbyteries in our synod. 

Here is the letter:

Dear Presbytery Moderators and Stated Clerks,

My colleagues and myself are continuously told that we are the future of the church. I was under the impression that this was a good notion but more and more it seems that what you really mean by the future of the church it means “you are the future therefore I do not have to deal with you now.” I do not want to be a cynic so I hope that that is not what The Church has meant for all these years. And yet, you say we are the future of the church but you continue to deprive us of the opportunity to prove ourselves.

We are the future of the church so wouldn’t it be best to provide us the opportunity to begin to take on responsibilities now and gain experience now rather than to have us lead the church twenty years from now without any experience whatsoever? The synod is comprised of ministers and elders from different walks of life with very different experiences. Sounds like an environment that would be conducive to learning. It seems that synod would give us the experience that we so desperately need to learn.

The Synod assembly of 2009 had a total of 3 YADs. The Synod assembly of 2010 has a grand total of 1 YAD. This saddens me immensely! Last year was a learning experience for me. I met and learned form the Vice-Moderator of the General Assembly. I met and networked with pastors and elders from across the synod. I learned what a synod is and what it does and I learned how to moderate a meeting. I should not be the only Youth in the Synod that is provided the opportunity to have this experience.

Presbyteries need to make youth representation a priority. Presbyteries need to ask youth to come to Synod meetings. The Youth are the future of the church and we need a voice in the church. Furthermore I believe that the Youth of the church need to have a voice and representation on the Synod Council. If the future of the church is at all a priority action need to be taken now.

Yours In Christ,

Devin Berry

Thoughts from a Cynical Religion Major

As a religion major we learn who wrote what, when they wrote, it and occasionally why they wrote it. For instance, in my New Testament Epistles class on Tuesday we discussed the Epistle to Titus. We spent a great deal of time discussing when Titus was written and who it was written by. Word to the wise, never debate the canonical books with these Adventist professors. I may have brought up, in class, that the canon of numerous books is constantly being debated and brought into question. My professor was none too keen on that. (Though his response was not as bad as when I mentioned modalism and I thought he might literally have a heart attack) But I digress, We spent most of the class on whether or not Paul truly wrote Titus, defining terms used, like Πρεσβυτερος (presbyteros) which means elder. (A few were shocked to see that my denomination is based in the bible). But not enough time was spent on WHY the epistle was written. The class ultimately proposed that it was written to guide the leadership of the church. 


One of my friends asked me today "Who the f*** cares who wrote what? It was written? It was written. Isn't that enough?" That's got me thinking. Should it be enough? I think that one of the problems with formal higher theological education is that we spend so much time paying attention to who wrote it and when it was written. Don't get me wrong, these are all very important details, but we should pay more attention to what it is about. What is more important, the fact that Paul wrote the letters to the Romans or that " The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. " I personally believe that the part we ought to be paying attention to is what the letter is saying, not when it was written. So often we have students in college who are studying religion that concern themselves with who wrote it and when it was written but not with the content. Sure, they know what is in the content and they can translate it back to the original Greek and provide exegesis, but they do not truly understand the content because in their theological education the emphasis is not put on understanding the Word on a PERSONAL level. 
 

Senior Class Meeting

Oh the string of expletives I would like to use...but alas I shall keep this rant as PG as I can. Why am I so annoyed you may be asking. It isn't merely annoyed, there is frustration tinted with anger and thrown into a blender with a bit of disbelief. Between my senior class meeting this morning and my encounter with the assistant Dean today I want to rip my hair out.

Let's start with the Senior class meeting. Ordinarily, Commencement ceremonies start at 10:00 AM. Well, the class of 2011 doesn't actually want to wake up that early, so the May 2011 graduation will be at 11:00. Seriously people? Most of you have classes earlier than that during the semester! That means it will overlap with the lunch time hour which will mess up the planning of celebrations. You're parents have to drive from New York? Leave early or come up the night before and stay in a hotel. Parents have been doing it for YEARS!! Additionally, if it is hot out and we get to have it outside we will be in our shiny black graduation gown under the hot sun at noon, not very smart. Graduation has always been at 10, let's just leave it there. Time to rework the invitations!

Hey class of 2011, is it possible to agree on anything? We want a DJ, no we want a band. Well let's argue about it, take 20 votes, and still not have a real agreement. That sounds like a phenomenal idea. Those of you who won't come to the events any ways do not suggest things. You suggest things, we make changes, you still don't come. So silence! Hey if you are a senior but aren't graduating...same thing applies to you. And everyone who is suggesting things, here's a tip: let's turn that filter on in our brains and think about what you are suggesting before it comes out of your mouth.

Seminary Criteria

I was just think that this probably should have been my first blog post as I was contemplating seminary. That may have helped with all of the indecisiveness. I think a question I never truly asked myself was "What am I looking for in a Seminary?" I have visited schools and decided  that is or that wasn't what I am looking for, and I have talked to people from different schools and thought, "well that interests me". however I never came up with a list of exactly what I am looking for in a seminary/divinity school/ school of theology etc.

Things I want:

• Racial/ethnic diversity- I don't want the campus to be a sea of white faces. I've visited some schools where it seemed the student body was primarily white and that is very foreign to me.
• Multiple faith groups- I do not care what the denominational affiliation of the school is. I want there to be many different denominations represented in the students and staff.
• Non-christian students- Having Jewish and Muslim students adds to the learneing experience. one of my interests is interfaith dialogue and in order to make this better you need other faiths.
• A commitment to social justice- classes that are focused on our role as Christians within our world, a focus in classes, in spirital life and in social life on hunger, LGBTQ issues, economic exploitation, etc.
• A concern for the environment- I like the environment...my current school doesn't. I want a school that cares about recycling and preserving our planet and our roles as stewards of God's creation.
• Classes in topics that interest me- classes on feminist theology, war studies, interreligious dialogue, polity, sex, the theology in other cultures, liberation theology, LGBTQ issues within the church
• Welcoming churches in the area- They don't have to be PCUSA (though that is prefered), but I need a church that I can go to for three years where I can feel comfortable and feel at home.
• Reformed theology- I need a school where the beliefs align somewhat with my own. I'm think catholicism and Adventism are out, sorry guys!
• Active campus life (clubs, events etc)- I want to attend clubs. I haven't had a real chance to in my undergraduate career. clubs on LGBTQ issues, denominational, for things I care about. I want to attend events hosted by faculty, and different clubs. plays, preformances, things that give you the real seminary/ a graduate school experience.
• A city- I grew up in the city and as much as I love the rural life I still love the city. Seminary in the city makes it easier to get around, easier to attend events, easier to interact with people.
• Easy to get around the neighboring places- this really means I a place with public transportation. Yes, I have a car but I hate to drive. If I want to go out to a movie or to grab a bite to eat I don't want to have to drive all the time.
• On-campus housing- It's preferable, but not absolutely necessary
• Faculty and students interacting- I want to learn from faculty that actually know who I am. I do not want to be just a number to them. I want them to know my name and where I come form and I want to know the same about them.

I guess this is a rough list of what I am looking for in a semiary. Even with just this list I feel that my search is more focused. I do wish that there was a collegeboard type search engine for seminaries. Just put in the info I care about and it pops up with which semianries to look at. But now that I have this list of what I care about maybe my decision making will become easier?

My brain is a scary place

I'm not sure if I mentioned this when I first started blogging but I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in the tenth grade. You see, when I was younger my teachers suggested that there was something wrong but my parents never had me tested. So my teachers, not knowing quite what to do with me, would have me sit in the corner with a book. I wasn't the ADHD kid that would run around, but rather the one who needed something to do. I would finish my work so fast and if left idle I would run around and be crazy, but if they kept giving me stuff to do I was alright. When my sister brought me to the neurologist he asked me how I managed to live life thus far. He was amazed that no one had put me on drugs before. I spent 10th-12th grade on an amazing cocktail of narcotics. At different points I was on concerta, Aderall, Ritalin and Strattera. They all had their own very interesting side effects. Straterra was a special drug in particular because it gave me narcolepsy.
When I went off to college I decided that I was going to stop taking meds. I decided that I didn't want to be dependent on narcotics...even if they were prescribed and even if they helped me. Over the past three and a half years I have reconsidered many many times. I am currently at the point where I want to go back on Aderall. That was the drug that helped the best. I was actually able to concentrate when I was taking that.
Right now I can feel it when I lose concentration. Literally, it's as if I can feel the chemicals in my brain change. Some one asked me what it feels like and it's very hard to describe. I suppose the best way to describe it would almost be like having something crawl on your skin except it is in my brain. That sounds really wrong but I think it is the only way to even come close to putting the feeling into words. Describing the symptoms is easy (the racing thoughts, the many different unrelated thoughts, the desperate need to do something, the need to move physically), but describing how I think it feels when the chemicals change is something I do not even understand myself.
The point of saying that I have ADHD was to apply it to my blog. You may have noticed that my posts jump around a lot and that I change my mind a lot. For instance, the last post I had was about the possibility of doing an M.Div and law. I'm not sure that's the route I want to go down now. It was only a few days ago and yet I've changed my mind. One of the symptoms of ADHD is a lack of impulse control. I make decisions quickly and then they change. one day I'm deciding that law is the route I want to go down and then the next day it's changed completely. I'm not a fan.
I suppose this is all to say that I am impulsive. My blog posts will contradict themselves. I will make up my mind only to change it later. The odd thing is I can normally control it when it applies to other people. When I have to make a decision that involves other people and has an impact on other people I can think things through and come to a proper decision and stick with it, but when it comes to my own life that is unheardof.  If you cannot deal with my crazy unpatterned and unorganized thoughts I would stop reading now. Things might get better when I go back on meds or when I finally get into a seminary (the biggest life decison will not be looming over me at that point). I would love for you to stick around, but honestly I understnad. heck i don't even want to be stuck in my head with my thoughts most of the time.

Masters of Divinity and Juris Doctor

As you know, figuring out what to do with my life has been a huge issue right now. Luckily I have earned that some of my friends are having similar but not as extreme sentiments as myself. I received some interesting advice today  but let's do an overview.

Things I know:

• I want my Masters of Divinity
• I want to be ordained
• I do not see myself as a Pastor in the pulpit every Sunday
• I want to work for ecumenism
• I want to strengthened Christian/Muslim relations
• I want to stand up for the oppressed
• I want to be a voice for the voiceless
• I want to end social inequalities
• I want to fight for equal rights for all
• I care about hunger, same-sex marriage, gay rights, gender rights, the environment and other associated topics

Okay, now that we've covered the things I know, let's get back to the question: what am I doing with my life. I want to accomplish so many things but I do not know how. As of late I have been feeling that simply going to seminary and getting an M.Div is not enough, and if I just did that, what would I do after graduation? One of my friends, when I told her that I want to stand up for the oppressed and want to been an advocate for those that can't fight for themselves, she told me to study social work. I don't think that is what I want to do. Social workers are needed and they often do serve as advocates for their cases but social workers don't get anywhere near gay right and ecumenism and the other things that I have on my heart and in my conscious.

When I was explaining all of this to my boss today I told her that I was getting frustrated trying to figure this out. She looked at me and said one word: LAW. In her opinion, I should study law in conjunction with theology. Honestly it makes sense. I can learn to advocate for people, I can go to bat for people. I can fight for the cause. I started thinking about it. I could work for an organization like The Human Rights Campaign, or one of our amazing Presbyterian organization. Rev. Jean Southard appeared before the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Committee to face charges and I could defend people when things like that happen. I can combine my interest in Ecumenism and interfaith relationships with a knowledge of law and help in diplomatic issues.

Sure, I am being idealistic now. I am imagining all of the possibilities. Yes, I know that most of them won't happen but I would rather be overly optimistic than be the pessimist that I have been lately. So no longer am I plotting which street corner to take up residence on in my new life as a hobo, but rather I am starting to research seminaries that offer dual degrees (Masters of Divinity and Juris Doctor). Things are looking up!

Neither Male Nor Female

The sermon I preached in class. I am not sure it actually sunk it because there was no response. Apparently when a woman preaches it is silent but when a man preaches there are plenty of  "Amen!" and "Mercy!"

Some of you know that I spent a portion of my break in Cameroon. It is a country in western Africa, bordering on Chad, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. It is a conservative country with the majority of citizens being either Christian or Muslim. You either go to a church or to a mosque, but EVERYONE practices something. One of the interesting things while in country was watching the social status of different people. Ordinarily, as a young woman I would have been at the bottom of the totem pole. And yet, here I was a white woman, an ordained elder, and studying to be a pastor. Evermore the pastor I was with was a young female pastor who had left her husband at home to come on this trip. We confused them.

You see, Cameroon and the majority of western Africa is very conservative. They still hold to the ideals that women need to stay at home and take care of the children and be completely submissive to their husband. They follow teachings that are male centric and while yes, Paul did say "As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches.  They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?" (1 Cor. 14:33b-36 NIV). That was not all he had to say on the matter and yet this is what conservative Christianity focuses on.

In the letter to the Galatians, chapter 3, verse 28, Paul writes  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (NIV) This verse makes us all equal. We are all on the same level. Race, nationality, gender, socio-economic class, with this verse, all of those things is thrown away. Paul states that we are all one in Christ. Like the verse in first Corinthians, this is taken from a letter written by Paul, and yet it contains a very different message. No longer is he keeping women silent and making them submissive but rather he is putting them on the same level as men.
Throughout his numerous letters Paul makes examples of different women. 

In his letter to the Romans, he makes an example of Phoebe (of the church of Cenchrea). In the same letter he makes an example of Priscilla. In his letter to the Philippians Euodia and Syntyche are the women he makes an example of. And in Philemon it is Apphia he chooses to mention. These women are not made example of for their wrongdoing. Paul does not choose to talk about them because they are not submissive enough, but rather he selects these women as an example for the great work they are doing for the church and in the church. Phoebe is pointed out as the diakonos of the church. This translates from the Greek to mean minister or deaconess. Pretty high position for a woman, if women are meant to be submissive. Priscilla is referred to as his synergoi, or co-worker in the church. Euodia and Syntyche are evangelists, spreading the good news in the area. Apphia is addressed as one of the three leaders of the church in Philemon. All of these women are honored and mentioned by Paul as serving the church.

In New Testament times most of the leaders, immersed in the male-centered Graeco-Roman culture, simply took male dominance for granted. Not Jesus! Jesus embraced those that it was uncommon to embrace. One of the groups he recognized and gave respect to was the woman. Whether it was touching a menstruating woman  as he does in  Mark 5:25, or talking to the Samaritan woman (John 4:7-30) or welcoming women as the first witnesses of His resurrection, He always treats women with dignity, as a fully human person. At times, Paul reflects Jesus’ pattern, but unfortunately for the most part he was a man of his culture, enjoining women to keep silent and wear veils to show their submission.

Our goal as Christians is to live as Jesus lived. The role of women in the New Testament is a varied one. They go from being the submissive property of their husbands to being ministers, deaconesses and church leaders. If we, as Christians, are to live as Jesus did, if we are to mimic His actions then we are to lead lives that respect all. We are to live in such a way that we respect the dignity of all people, as Paul said to the Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

What Am I Doing With My Life?

Today I freaked out! I don't really know what happened. One second I was working on seminary applications and looking at different seminaries' websites, and the next I was freaking out and thinking that there is no point in going to seminary and I would be better off becoming a hobo.

Applying for seminary has been so stressful. There are so many different factors to consider. My list has also been shortened dramatically because of the cost of applications. Princeton's application deadline is February 15th and I am hoping to get the finances together so that I can submit the application by that date. The only thing stopping me is the fees. My back up is Andover Newton Theological School. Part of me wants to go there because it is comfortable. I've spent a lot of time at Andover Newton over the years and it isn't far away. I plan to apply to Iliff School of Theology in Denver. It doesn't have an application fee is I apply prior to March 31. While on their website today I saw that they have a program in conjunction with the University of Denver for the Doctor of Philosophy in Religious and Theological Studies degree program. The concentration that truly interests me is Religion and Social Change. But can I picture myself with a doctorate? Dr. Devin. That's weird. They also offer a Social Change concentration with their M.Div.

I do not think that I want to be a pastor in the pulpit every Sunday. While I enjoy working with youth I do not see myself as a youth pastor either. The thing that I am truly interested in and would like to, somehow, work with is equality. Economic equality, gender equality, all different types of equality. Organizations like That All May Freely Serve and The Morelight Presbyterians are amazing! I could see myself being involved with groups like these and other groups that address other equality issues. Social Justice is a huge concern of mine. I guess I just want to help the world, as cliche as that sounds. But I suppose there is reasoning behind why my friends have nicknamed me Dix (as in Dorothea Dix).

I can also see myself working with groups like my beloved World Communion of Reformed Churches or maybe the World Council of Churches. I think ecumenical work is cool! Volunteering for the World Communion of Reformed Churches was one of the best ideas I have ever had. So social justice, equality, ecumenism, theology, social change, world religions. These are my interests, but how do I turn those into a career? How do I sustain myself? How do I prove to my family that I am not wasting my life by studying religion and by trying to help others?

United States Army

Om nom nom, nom nom nom


Filling up on the chocolate and bad for you foods tonight and tomorrow. After tomorrow's super bowl extravaganza I am completely changing my lifestyle. No junk food, cutting down the soda, limiting sugar intake, counting calories, working out every day...you get the picture.

In addition to wanting to look better (yes I can be vain) I have other reasons for the change. I have decided that I want to join the Army. The United States Army has the Chaplain Candidate Program and I think it sounds good. You train to be an Army Chaplain throughout seminary during summers and winters, they help pay for seminary and you are a reserve chaplain for two years after seminary.

Many different people have been pointing me towards this. My Pastor did this with the Navy when she was in seminary. When my grandmother died we had a get together at a cousin's house. One of my father's cousins was telling me about what the Navy has to offer and how I should consider joining as a chaplain. David's uncle is a Colonel in the Army and his aunt is a Lt. Colonel.  They are career military and seem to have benefited from it. I am not saying that I plan on being career military, but the benefits of becoming a chaplain candidate is great. Tuition, housing allowance, and health are just a few benefits. There is also the serving my country and working with soldiers.

I have been considering it for some time. When I was in Cameroon during break and had the experience with the dying woman it solidified my desire. I want to be there for families while their loved ones are deployed, I want to be there for soldiers when they come back from war, and while it frightens me part of me wants to be with deployed soldiers.

Right now I cannot pass the physical aspect of the entrance requirements. That is one of the biggest reasons for the wanting to change my lifestyle. I want to lower my BMI, I want to become physically fit, I want to be able to meet the requirements to becoming a Unites States Army Chaplain Candidate. I have not told many people yet, the general reaction at first has been laughter. Apparently the liberal who is against war cannot also desire to serve her country and help our soldiers. I was against us invading Iraq, but I am 100% in support of our troops. So yes, the super liberal wants to join the army and I am going to change my entire lifestyle, starting Monday morning, to do so.

The Joys of Blogs

Lately I have been finding numerous blogs by other members of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The majority of the blogs I have found are being produced by pastors within the church. Many of the posts have been thought provoking and I am enjoying reading all of them. The log I have found most recently has been Shuck and Jive, a blog by Rev. John Shuck of Tennessee.

I'm not sure what I would do without access to blogs. Yes, that is a bit of an exaggeration...but still. The blogs that I find make em think. They can reaffirm my views or make me think about things I believe in a new light. They provide me with new resources and "evidence" to make my arguments.

A lot of people who blog have been blogging about Amendment 10A because it is such a hot topic in our denomination right now. In Shuck and Jive he posted his own beliefs on Amendment 10A and then provided other resources as well. There is the vote count front he presbyteries, the Morelight Presbyterians Blog post, a link to Bruce Reyes-Chow's Presbymeme, youtube videos, and other sites relating to the debate over Amendment 10-A.

I love the Internet and social media. it allows us to connect with people all over the country and the world. In seconds you can get your views to people everywhere. And you can learn some one's opinion on a topic in the amount of time it takes you to read a blog post.