It has been such a long time since I have posted! For the 1.5 of you that read this blog, my apologies. I hate it when people take forever to post.
Lost has happened since April. Thus a brief overview:
1.Survived a Lai Ling Oral final. Also I lucked out. If you don't know the story ask me about it.
2.Finished semester 4 of seminary. 4 more to go.
3. Read 5 books for fun. Currently on my 6th.
4. Said good-bye to two good friends...saying good-bye to a third at the end of next week.
5.Finished season 2 of the West Wing. I have been watching it since January. Ash and I did watch the first episode of this season on New Years day.
6. I moved into a new house.
7. Said good-bye to Julie Pennington Russell as the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church as the left for a fortunate Church in Georgia.
This may be among one of the most significant things that has happened since I have started seminary. I started attending Calvary at the end of my Junior year of college. Previous to this I attended another Baptist church in Waco. I liked it okay, but it never felt like home. I never got involved save my consistent attendance on Sunday mornings and the occasional Wednesday. While attending this Church I began to explore my journey with Christ at a deeper level. This exploration took me on a road full of doubt, astonishment, sadness, comfort and ultimately peace. I began to realize that the Church that I had been attending did not coincide with some beliefs that I was beginning to hold on to so dearly. I decided that it was time to look elsewhere. I had heard many wonderful things about Calvary and I decided to check it out the second Sunday of my Church search. The first Sunday that I was there I knew that it was the Church for me. It felt like home. In a way that I cannot explain. The Churches that I had attended in the past had felt like home over time...but this instant feeling of comfort and peace was overwhelming. I loved the presence of modern and anciet Liturgy, the mixture of Old and Modern Hymns, the concern for the poor in Waco and around the world and so much more. Over time I began to see that this was also a Church that was uncomfortable with the staus quo. This group of people is continually seeking how far it can go out onto the Limb of the kingdom of God. The group of people is not interested in committees, or status, or the newest trend in ministry. The people of Calvary are interested in ushering in the Kingdom of God into everyday life. They are interested in unwavering love, unconditional acceptance. They understand that the cross is foolishness. When I began attending Calvary until up to June 24th Julie Pennington Russell was the leader of this passionate community of Christ Followers. She wasn't a leader by standing in front and telling the people where they should go. She stood beside and walked in step with the heart beat of the Church. She was truly a shepard. She was not interested in purposefully causing a stir, although many times as she followed what she calls "nudges from the spirit" she often did. She followed a nudge of the spirit from San Francisco to Waco Texas. She walked past protesers on her first Sunday. She was the first female pastor of a Baptist Church in Texas and now she will pastor the largest Baptist Church that a female has led in Baptist History. She blazed the trail, but she lives and pastors as if she is simply walking down a well worn path. With Julie as my pastor I truly began to learn that the worship on Sunday morning was not simply the music...I knew this..but listening to her preach so eloquently and passionately, I began to worship not simply during hymns but during the proclimation of the gospel from the pulpit. Julie is the first pastor that I truly trusted to not stand up and give me recycled illustrations or worn out Christian Colloquialisms. She speaks from the depths of her study and of her heart. She mixes intelliegence with rough edges. Her example taught me that in order to Change things we don't always need to cause a stir or wave our hands in the air saying "look at me! I am being radical" but to simply live the way that you want things to be.
At the beginning of my senior year of college, Julie came to my apartment and ate pasta with my me and my roommate Becky. She asked us about our spiritual journeys. I told her about great influences in my life, and the way that these people have formed me. Next time I sit over pasta and talk about my spiritual Journey I will mention Julie Pennington Russell.
