The Path
I am obvious not as good a blogger as other people, in stead of taking time to blog about the holidays, I went and enjoyed them with my wife and daughter. It's late on Tuesday the 27th and I'm am taking time to finally catch all of you up on what I've been doing, getting, and thinking about during this holiday season.
We've just spent three very hecktic days traveling around the country side visiting family and friends. Olivia was completely worn out by the time we arrived home at midnight last night, so we had to put off opening the presents we got for each other until the morning. I feel like I made out like a bandit. I recived so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts that I almost choked up several times in the process of opening them. The list runs from a dvd of U2's Virtigo tour, hard back copies of "Walden," and "Time Machine," a cast iron Duch Oven, saucier, new kitchen knife, and yes my most prized gift from my wife and daughter, a cast iron tea pot. I know I don't seem like the cooking type but where some people constantly work on building their blogs I cook and play around in the kitchen. Katie also made out well by reciving a Columbia brand jacket from Olivia and I, as well as several seasons of "Friends" (I detest the show but she loves it). Olivia made out the best, she recived so many new outfits and toys, that we hardly have the place to put them. She has already begun to play with all of the toys and her progress on what to do with what toy is astounding. She also seems to have decided to skip crawling and move straight into walking. Every where we go she wants to stand on the floor holding our hands, and take very shaky steps. She is so big now, I can hardly belive it.
For those of you that read semi-consistently here, you know that I have been struggling with where I will best fit in for ministry. The question for me has not been "do I want to be in the ministry," but "what denomonation will best fit my view for how ministry is to be practiced?" When I came to Lancaster Theological Seminary (LTS) I was United Methodist (UM), and had been for 12 years, being that I am only 24 that is a sizable chunk of my life. I switched to the United Church of Christ (UCC) and have been frustrated ever since. I struggle openly with doctrine but there seems to be no binding principle within the UCC. Now I do know the classic replys for that particular statment, but what I mean is there is no bed rock underneath on which a person can stand. Everything about Christianity is undermined but no unified vision of the future is presented. Because of that growing feeling I began to look at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). There are many endearing factors that I love about the UUA, and some of my best friends are UUA's. I have decided that I can't go to the UUA, partly because of the time it would take to become a minister, but also because I have not reached the point where I can shake my evangelical leanings. There is a constant struggle just beneath my skin where doctrins I say I don't believe in swell up and drown my "liberal relgious sense" of religion. I can never go back to my most conservative of day's and believe that they are condemed to hell. I will always appriciate what the UUA is striving for, and God willing will join and support them in creating a better world.
What it seems I end up with is that at heart I am still UM. I am not rushing in my decision of whether I will stay in the UCC or go back to the UM. I am going on a trip for 3 weeks in January and will take time to contemplate where I am, and for lack of a better way to put it, who I will be. I know if I go back to the UM I will have to go back to being religiously conservative, even though I can be politically liberal. The conservative religion will be a struggle for me but I would rather have something to struggle with doctrine and learn to believe and interact, than be stiffled into doing ministry in a way that is not me. For those that read this blog please keep me in your prayers/meditations. I was not always as indicive as this and I mean to come back from my trip with a bit more of a clearer vision of where I am and where I'm going, as well as be more concrete in what I believe even if cost me. I hope and pray that my path will become more clear than it has been...
We've just spent three very hecktic days traveling around the country side visiting family and friends. Olivia was completely worn out by the time we arrived home at midnight last night, so we had to put off opening the presents we got for each other until the morning. I feel like I made out like a bandit. I recived so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts that I almost choked up several times in the process of opening them. The list runs from a dvd of U2's Virtigo tour, hard back copies of "Walden," and "Time Machine," a cast iron Duch Oven, saucier, new kitchen knife, and yes my most prized gift from my wife and daughter, a cast iron tea pot. I know I don't seem like the cooking type but where some people constantly work on building their blogs I cook and play around in the kitchen. Katie also made out well by reciving a Columbia brand jacket from Olivia and I, as well as several seasons of "Friends" (I detest the show but she loves it). Olivia made out the best, she recived so many new outfits and toys, that we hardly have the place to put them. She has already begun to play with all of the toys and her progress on what to do with what toy is astounding. She also seems to have decided to skip crawling and move straight into walking. Every where we go she wants to stand on the floor holding our hands, and take very shaky steps. She is so big now, I can hardly belive it.
For those of you that read semi-consistently here, you know that I have been struggling with where I will best fit in for ministry. The question for me has not been "do I want to be in the ministry," but "what denomonation will best fit my view for how ministry is to be practiced?" When I came to Lancaster Theological Seminary (LTS) I was United Methodist (UM), and had been for 12 years, being that I am only 24 that is a sizable chunk of my life. I switched to the United Church of Christ (UCC) and have been frustrated ever since. I struggle openly with doctrine but there seems to be no binding principle within the UCC. Now I do know the classic replys for that particular statment, but what I mean is there is no bed rock underneath on which a person can stand. Everything about Christianity is undermined but no unified vision of the future is presented. Because of that growing feeling I began to look at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). There are many endearing factors that I love about the UUA, and some of my best friends are UUA's. I have decided that I can't go to the UUA, partly because of the time it would take to become a minister, but also because I have not reached the point where I can shake my evangelical leanings. There is a constant struggle just beneath my skin where doctrins I say I don't believe in swell up and drown my "liberal relgious sense" of religion. I can never go back to my most conservative of day's and believe that they are condemed to hell. I will always appriciate what the UUA is striving for, and God willing will join and support them in creating a better world.
What it seems I end up with is that at heart I am still UM. I am not rushing in my decision of whether I will stay in the UCC or go back to the UM. I am going on a trip for 3 weeks in January and will take time to contemplate where I am, and for lack of a better way to put it, who I will be. I know if I go back to the UM I will have to go back to being religiously conservative, even though I can be politically liberal. The conservative religion will be a struggle for me but I would rather have something to struggle with doctrine and learn to believe and interact, than be stiffled into doing ministry in a way that is not me. For those that read this blog please keep me in your prayers/meditations. I was not always as indicive as this and I mean to come back from my trip with a bit more of a clearer vision of where I am and where I'm going, as well as be more concrete in what I believe even if cost me. I hope and pray that my path will become more clear than it has been...
Comments