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theological high.

9 Nov

[A politically correct title?  Likely not.  Oh well.]
Fall theological conference for pastors, baby!
Paige and I left Owatonna Sunday afternoon bound for Rochester where we would meet up with jD.  Not due to arrive to pick up the missing third of the triple threat, Paige and I stopped for lunch.  Here.  It’s kind of a classy place; a place that most of the people in the area know about and have been.  I’m fairly certain we walked in and lowered the average age of restaurant guests by about 40 years.  It was the Sunday-after-church-older crowd.  We stopped for chocolates at the chocolate shoppe across the street and then were off again, ready and poised for more adventures.
Once we were three in the car, we began discussing how we wished the car ride was longer.  I was looking forward to going off with friends but I just wasn’t sure that I was prepared for a two-day conference with stodgy pastors.  Alas, we arrived, checked into our hotel rooms and took a deep breath as we entered the reception area and cash-bar-with-the-bishop before dinner and the official start of the conference.  
To recap: We enjoyed the journey.  We were uncertain of the actual conference and reason for travel.  Would it be enjoyable or just boring as all get out?  These fears were real.
It turned out our uncertainties were not actualized.  Hooray!  While there certainly are some stodgy pastors [you can’t tell me everyone at a dentist convention is full of fun either], I met some awesome colleagues.  Both nights we were there included pastor hang out sessions in various hotel rooms.  It felt comfortable to be with other pastors who understand, who can also take off their ‘pastor hat,’ and who can have a good time.  One particular pastor – who shall remain nameless – made his way into my heart with his rebellious side and cursing mouth.  We’re just people, people.
I got to see dear Karen of Stillwater – the one who now works on the synod staff – and she invited Paige and I to the secret seventh floor appetizer parties.  I met other first call friends and had lunch with the bishop.  It was, however, eventually time to leave.  jD, Paige, and I piled back into Sprocket, bound for Chinese food before leaving LaCrosse.  The resulting restaurant find was not overly pleasant and none of us were brave enough to try the number five.  
There is a price to pay for the crazy faith-filled fun of clergy.  Hot tea is now my best friend as I nurse a sore throat and icky nose deal.  Lack of sleep and that darn sleep-number bed that would not cooperate I will blame.  [We tried to figure out our sleep number but the remotes were too advanced for our kind.]  I will conclude, however, that fall theological conference ranked quite high in my book.  It was a high I needed and a renewal that came at the right time.  I feel – at least a little – rejuvenated for ministry back in the grove.  

off to lacrosse.

6 Nov
I blogged here today.

And now I’m off for the southeastern Minnesota synod fall theological conference until Tuesday.
Translation: Paige, jD, and I are going to LaCrosse.  [Together, of course.]  We will listen to a key speaker, worship with all other SE MN synod pastors, stay in a hotel, and go pastor crazy.  For us, that might mean a board game and a couple large cranberry juices.  Watch out.
Mabel is being boarded for the first time while I’m away.  This pastor may shed a tear or two if the parting is full of sorrow.  But I think she may have fun.
And now I leave you with the text I preached on today for All Saint’s Sunday:

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.  What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.  And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.  [1 John 3:1-3]

week one.

3 Nov
Be thankful on paper, week the first.
I sent out two thank you notes yesterday addressed to three people.  [It’s almost like a riddle!]
One thank you was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. jD and Lauren and the second to Ms. Paige.  The thank you notes were simplicity at its finest and said only the following:

I am fairly certain that first call would be miserable without you.  Thank you for being my friend(s)!

True story.  I think that sums it up.
My first call as a single pastor in rural Minnesota would be incredibly lonely, filled with despair, and miserable without these three friends [exaggeration noted] who were wonderfully already in place when I arrived to Austin.   But seriously, if I didn’t have these colleagues in the form of such wonderful friends, things would be so incredibly different.  We can call each other at any point to discuss certain situations, possible sermon topics, and the unique aspects of our congregations.  They’re up for coffee dates, afternoon lunches, and television viewing on Sunday evenings.  We can be brutally honest with each other, say naughty words [except for Paige. she doesn’t swear.], and simply be ourselves without our pastor hats on.  We go to pumpkin patches, synod functions, and might polar plunge.  We’re that cool.
And for that and for them I am so incredibly thankful.

lutefisk.

18 Oct
The day arrived – First Lutheran’s annual lutefisk dinner.  
I wore my white shirt, black pants, and donned my red apron before the noon-time rush.  I received instructions for how to set the tables, when to get the lutefisk from the kitchen, and where to find the lefse.  I helped a few tables and then it was time – a table of my own.
It was fun.  I poured water, carried bowls of corn, and wore this [“I’m the new gal, and I’ve never tasted lutefisk!”] paperclipped to my shirt, courtesy of Pastor Charlie [of First in Blooming – formerly of Salem in Montevideo] –

jD served the noon rush as well and Pastor Charlie made him a little label too, something to the tune of “I’m the new guy.  What does it taste like?”  Once we were done serving the lunch crew, the workers got to dine.  And this girl had to try lutefisk.  It was time to prove the paper on my shirt wrong. The white substance between the cranberry salad and the mashed potatoes.  This was my lunch time plate:

[suspense builds]  I went to the lutefisk supper tonight too.  A couple from ROG had invited me as their guest and when a congregation member invites me somewhere, I get excited and hate to turn it down.  And so I ate another meal in Blooming.
People asked me lots, “Well.  How was it?”
“I tried some at noon.  And didn’t have any more tonight.”

Enough said.

The texture was funky.  Not quite fish jello but not quite appetizing either.  I didn’t even eat the entire piece that you see in the photo, which is quite pathetic to the strong Lutherans who filled their plates – literally filled their plates – with the white questionable stuff.  
But I tried it.  Check that off the forced bucket list.

to rochester and back.

15 Sep
Forgetting the fact that I need to walk home [across the parking lot] and write two sermons, today was a good day.  A good, good day and positive ending to – frankly – a crappy week.
I’ve felt completely under water this week.  Completely.  No way around it – transition is hard.  I finally broke yesterday and cried in Marilyn’s office.  While part of me shames myself for showing such emotion, people should know that I’m not a rock.  I’m not void of feeling.  I cry too.  And so the church admin assistant now knows.
Today was a good day likely because I let myself breathe and it was a day of reflection.  [In a phone call I just made to another local pastor, she reminded me that I must take time to process and reflect.  That, in itself, is a way of working and necessary, especially as an internal processor.]  I picked jD and Paige up in Owatonna at 8am this morning and we headed to the synod offices in Rochester for a first-call theological event.  Today’s topic: taxes and pensions.  [Just knowing that makes you wish you were there, right?]  It was actually quite interesting and good stuff to learn in these first couple weeks.  
But really, what was awesome about the day was the conversation to and from and the conversation there.    The southeastern MN synod staff is beyond awesome, and the other first-call colleagues seem pretty top drawer too.  Bishop Huck led us in devotions and during that time, I felt my anxiety melt.  He has such a way of speaking and of comfort that those were words of gospel I needed to hear.  He reminded us that we don’t need to have all the answers.  Thank you.
Delicious red pepper soup for lunch and more laughing and conversation with colleagues was great.  Paige and I also signed up for the Bishop’s Open.  Yes, a golf tournament.  We’re not going to golf but rather put our names in to be caddies.  We’re not sure they will accept us as caddies but we think it will be a fun place to be on Monday, September 26th.  It’s an event only for clergy, hosted by the bishop, so it will be a day of collegiality and dinner if nothing else.  jD is going to do it too but I think he’ll actually golf.  The synod must think the three of us go everywhere and do everything together.  [I celebrate that fact!]  We should probably have a gang name.
Speaking of our gang, it seems jD and Paige have also met some young morticians in their local funeral homes.  Plans of a new pastor and mortician game night are in the works.  Pastors and funeral people make great friends, or so I’m told.

the internet and I meet again.

6 Sep
Hi.
I’m here!
But that doesn’t mean I have internet at my house or the church.  Let me rephrase –
I’m at Caribou!
It’s been too long and I need the connection … and to pay an online bill.
So, hey.  I moved to Austin!  As I mentioned last night in the mobile post [it was like writing the longest text of my life], congregation members graciously helped me move my life into my new home.  There were many points when I was embarassed at what they had to carry inside.  A. My dish tub of gnomes, topped off by the banana dog.  B. A pile of string.  [my hammock.  but they didn’t know.]  C. etc.  They were great and didn’t ask too many questions, nor did they ask me to leave on the spot.  They’ll learn I’m quirky.  It’s all part of my charm.  [Right?]  They left after getting me settled in with keys and a garage door opener, phone numbers on the fridge and requests to let them know if I need anything.  They’re taking good care of me.  
My family had to leave quite quickly after getting everything inside so I was left to unpack and bask in the square footage of a house that is far more than I currently need.  It’s wonderful.  I didn’t get too many boxes emptied before jD, Lauren, and Paige came over with pizza and beer.  I lack a kitchen table so we sat on the living floor and just talked about life, about how great it is that we are finally all together, and about Harry Potter robes.  Monday was more unpacking, shopping for the basics, and coffee with Mandy, Lori’s daughter who teaches and lives in Austin.  
Today, I went to the office.  [dramatic cue music]  More about that next.
No photos of my house yet – lo siento.  Know that the kitchen is a dream, the dining room is empty except for my gnomes that occupy the built-in curio cabinet [so serious], and the living room looks pretty pathetic too.  My craft room is coming together and my tiny upstairs bathroom is cute as a button.  My favorite thing about my house thus far?  No, not the freaky noises the ice maker makes at night.  I watch the sun rise over a corn field from my bedroom window [though I don’t always think this is so great at six in the morning] and watch it set over a corn field on the other side.  I’m surrounded by corn.   As long as I don’t think about the horror movies that take place in corn fields, I love it.

It was good.

24 Aug
[But now I need some major introvert Lindsay time.]
I’ve spent the last two days visiting my future congregation in Austin.  It was at the suggestion of the council that I visit and get a grip on a few things before diving in and beginning in September.  Wanting to make good on the council’s suggestion and come in on a good foot, I agreed to meet with the current interim, see what he had to say, and stay in the community for a few nights.
The interim showed me points of interest in the surrounding towns and gave me a few tips that he has learned as a pastor at Red Oak Grove.  A few things that he showed me were very helpful. [And a few … well.]  We had some good theological conversation with two very different perspectives – he as a pastor on the brink of retirement and me as one who is just beginning of another generation.  There were moments when I was really excited and moments when I was really terrified about what in the world I have gotten myself into …
A really good moment – despite the surprise of it – was the meet and greet that was planned for Tuesday night.  [I was not made aware that this would even be happening until Monday night – surprise!]  It was at the local pizza place and members knew that they could stop in and meet me – the new pastor – between 5:30 and 7.  Many members took advantage of it and I meeted and greeted until I was exhausted.  [I’m still exhausted!  Four hours in the car alone will be awesome to recharge.]  I got many flicks of the hand with “You’ll fit right in here.  I can already tell!” and only a few comments about my age.  [Unlike the interim who liked to add, “And that was only last year!” to my line of “We sold the farm when I was 16.”]  I think they are right – I think I’ll fit in.  They seem like a really great crew.
Who’s excited?  This girl.  
Now onward to Dawson for a night of gnome friends!  
Who’s excited for that?  This girl.

Up next.

21 Aug
I arrived home and promptly went to bed on Saturday.  I still haven’t recovered in the sleep/rest department, and I don’t think life is going to let me.
I hit the road bright and early tomorrow morning for Austin.  For Red Oak Grove to be specific.  I’ll spend the next three days catching up with the current interim, seeing what he has to say.  The goal is not for him to teach me his way of doing things so I can continue, but rather for me to get a grasp on where the congregation has been and the direction they are currently heading.  I’m hoping it’s a good experience and educational for the future ministry as I step in come September.  I’m not entirely sure what we’ll talk about/do for Monday afternoon, all of Tuesday, and Wednesday morning … but we’ll see.
While in Austin, I’ll be staying the night with jD and Lauren in Owatonna, including a dinner one evening with Paige, another seminary colleague.  I’m pretty darn excited to catch up with these friends and spend time with them.  It will be good.
From there, because I’ll already be halfway and I have the time so why not, I’m going to continue onto Dawson to take in the Taste of Grace, an annual supper held at Grace, on Wednesday night.  It may be the last time in a long while I’ll have the opportunity to visit and after driving to Alaska [remember that?], what is eight more hours?  Take note, Dawson friends, because I hope to see you there!  
After that, I’ll likely drive home through the Cities and make a few stops there, both city and friend-wise.    I’ll return home Thursday?  Friday?  Eh.  It doesn’t really matter.  Until I move on labor day weekend, I have nothing much on my calendar except to pack and prepare for the move.  It will keep me busy enough but to put it off in exchange for seeing far-off friends I am more than willing to do.  On the road again!

Itching.

5 Aug
Pinterest has me itching for my own place.  For a blank slate.  I’m looking forward to putting my creative urges to work come September, especially because of these photos …
Cover bricks in pretty paper for bookends.

Use a small tension rod in the cupboard to hold small spices.

I will paint a wall gray.  

Crates!

acceptance.

21 Jul
I received my oh-so-very official letter of call to Red Oak Grove in the mail a few days ago.  It has a gold seal and everything.  By putting a letter of acceptance in the mail tomorrow, I accept the call to serve as their pastor.  This is my job description:
“To preach and teach the Word of God in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions; to administer Holy Baptism and Holy Communion; to lead in worship; to proclaim the forgiveness of sins; to provide pastoral care; to speak justice in behalf of the poor and oppressed; to encourage persons to prepare for the ministry of the Gospel; to impart knowledge of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American and its wider ministry; to endeavor to increase support given by our congregation to the work of our whole church; to equip the congregation for witness and service; and guide the congregation in proclaiming God’s love through word and deed.”
I love it.
Game on.
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