goodbye sweet butterscotch . . .

Well, butterscotch isn't completely off limits, but I've apparently been neglecting the greener side of things for the starchy and fatty side of things. Not a huge surprise, I've just got to be disciplined about what I'm eating from now on. So I've got to pull off some protein and fruits for breakfast, have half of my plate filled with vegetables at each meal, and cut down on the "fatty tasty stuff." blah. maybe I'll go ahead and lose some weight and get rid of this reflux crap so I don't have to worry so much. Or I could actually start exercising (another thing that was cited). We'll see how that works out, but travelling around for the holidays sure won't help me much. Why I can't I just be a teenager in body forever and eat all kinds of crap and not worry? I shouldn't have consequences for my lack of health concerns, I just shouldn't.

kind of a letdown

Well, last night was my last exam of the semester for which I only had to show up, listen to two presentations, and participate in the "closing ritual." Well, there actually wasn't a "closing ritual" besides finishing up the sex video we had started in the last class period. Yes, I did say sex video. This being a class on Christian Communalism, we looked at the various alternative sexual practices of some of the communities. During the last class period we got the guy saying "I've always dreamed of having a bevy of young, attractive girls to have sex with, so that's why I started this commune." Last night, we got the folks who were talking about how wonderful it is that their child would have two fathers and a mother, not knowing which of the fathers they are biologically linked to.

It's always kind of sad to think about how the bizarre decisions that parents make effect their children. I guess that's part of the whole parenting deal, but I just hate thinking about how my decisions might cripple my potential child's development. I guess we all screw up our offspring in some way or another, and we survive and grow despite ourselves.

Anyway, we didn't have any real "closing ritual" other than the professor asking us to let him know if we saw a new commune, started one, or joined one. That's just fine in some ways, but I was kind of looking forward to something bizarre. Oh well, I've gotten plenty to make fun of out of that class already.

I've been declared to have acid reflux, which really sucks because now I can't have caffeine, peppermint candy, carbonation, and chocolate. I had SO much trouble at Robert and Heather's rehearsal dinner and on the way back not getting Milo's sweet tea. I pulled it off somehow, but it was very, very difficult. They've got me taking prevacid in hopes that my esophogas can heal and then I won't be burping up food and having a burning sensation most of the time. Here's hoping. We're going to see a nutritionist this afternoon, so maybe she'll have something to contribute.

where will we go

So I've got a semester left to go and I have absolutely no idea where within North Alabama I will end up. Sylacauga? Huntsville? Reform? Gu-win? New Site? Downtown Birmingham? Turkeytown? I've heard various reports of how the process goes, from District Superintendents brokering trades to the Bishop just randomly deciding that you'd be a good fit at a certain church. We should get some idea around February where we might go, then another idea around March, and hopefully by April we'll actually know where we'll be spending the next few years.

It's sort of unsettling for both of us, and I'm sure it'll only get more nerve-wracking as it gets closer to June when we'll have to move. I do know that the official pronouncement will be made on June 3rd, so we'll definitely know by then. Until then, I guess it'll just be wait and see, occasionally hearing random rumors from those who are actually in Alabama and talking to other people. Oh well, just another joy of being a Methodist.

Sportsnight

Anyone remember Sportsnight, the TV show from 1998-2000 that featured Felicity Huffmann (currently of Desperate Housewives), Josh Charles (of Dead Poets Society fame), Josh Molina (of West Wing), and Sabrina Lloyd (most recently of Numb3rs)? Amanda got me the DVD of the 2 seasons it was on the air last Christmas, and I'm currently making her watch it for a second time. It's great. The producer, Aaron Sorkin, also created and produced The West Wing. Anyway, it's entertaining, and I like it. Hooray for DVDs of old TV shows that didn't stay on the air as long as they should have.

finals be gone

I just completed my last real final, a full four days before finals week is even supposed to start. Hooray! I say "last real final" since I have to show up in a week for a final, but it will actually just be a few folks presenting on a commune and then a "closing ritual." I'm not sure what that'll involve, but I guess I'll find out in a week.

It was kind of weird turning in my project today and actually feeling like I did a good job on it. It's not too often that a slacker like myself actually puts significant work into an assignment, so when I do so it's kind of surreal. I go from "it'd be sweet if I got an a" to "i'll be kind of mad if I don't get an a." I guess that's one reason I'm usually such a slacker, adopting the mindset that it's better to be nicely surprised than to be disappointed.

I had forgotten before my Discipline final what it's like to memorize long lists of items that I probably won't remember for a week, but it jogged my memory. I think I did reasonably well on that, too, so that's nice. Now I'll take a short break and then work on my thesis (no really, I'm serious this time).

last week of classes

It's kind of hard to believe that this semester is almost over. It's particularly hard to believe when I think about how much work I haven't done on my thesis, as well as how close I am to being done with several of my classes. I'll only have 2 exams, both of which I'll have finished in a week. Well, I say only 2, there'll be one more that we're required to go and hear 2 groups presenting and have a "closing ritual." Not sure what that's gonna be, but if it doesn't involve food, I'm not sure I'm gonna stick around for long.

My communalism class had us pick a commune to study, and my group chose The Family. They're really, really bizarre. Looking at their website, you wouldn't think they were anything out of the ordinary, but when you look at former members, you start to see a completely different picture. Sex for evangelism, sex for fundraiser, sex with kids. Not a very appetizing picture.

In other news, Amanda's cooking some very attractive desserts. There's a reason I keep gaining weight, but I'll keep blaming it on my lack of exercise rather than my overactive eating for a little longer.

order of elders meeting

So today I went to a meeting for the order of elders of the North Alabama Conference. It was basically a big meeting of ministers trying to figure out how to clarify our identity as elders and how to help the church in its mission. We spent about a third of the time talking about what we saw as the most urgent need facing our mission, about a third talking about the redistricting plan, and the last third in a worship service.

One thing that I noticed throughout this meeting was how poorly we communicate. It seemed like every person had a different idea of what the original question was, like the presentation about redistricting emphasized trust without providing much information, and that we can't even make a powerpoint slide that has all the words. I felt really bad for Denise, who was leading a prayer, because we got lost on the powerpoint, then the person switched back to the previous slide so absolutely no one was following along. She had the whole prayer in front of her, so she kept reading even when no one else could see the words. In all three sections, it seemed like we communicated either insufficiently or ineffectively, which undermines what I'm starting to see as one of the most central aspects of being a pastor: trust. Bishop White said yesterday that "pastors don't have great power, they have great trust." We identified trust as one of the things that congregations are losing with the annual conference, and I think it's one of the central things in our role as pastors as well. Developing trust in each other, in Christ, and in our mission as a global church is one of the hardest things we'll be faced with as pastors, but I think it'll be one of the most important.