Snow Day

Today was a snow day. School was canceled all day. In other words it was almost the perfect day, with the mixture of snow on the ground, the ability to crawl back into bed, and the feeling of just being like a kid today. I did have a session meeting for class that I had to attend tonight, and I did do some reading, but for the most part I just allowed myself to waste the day. I really think you need to do that sometimes, though I may do that a little too much, but I digress.
Right now I'm just sitting back at my computer listening to the new John Denver CD that I got for Valentines Day (Sunshine On My Shoulders does not seem to fit the snow day theme, but again I digress), and being mellow. I think I have managed to get over the syllabus shock from the first couple weeks of school, and have reverted back to my reading by triage methodology. I have a few friends who manage to keep up on their reading, and if I ever learn their secrets it may be a miracle, but I guess I manage ok.
I have applied for what is called a Supervised Practice of Ministry position (imagine a church internship for college credit) and I have an interview Friday. I'm really excited for this, but I think that excitement is tempered a bit by the fact that the church is about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive from here. I'm driving up for the interview Friday, so I will get to see the church and see how the drive will be. When I was in Colorado for my Psych exam this is one of the things that was recommended to me. I have been involved with the church on and off again for some time, but I have never actually been involved with the church on a daily basis as a member of staff. This practical experience is something that I'm really longing for. It should be a great experience.
I've been real bad at writing over the last few weeks. I think a lot of that had to do with a feeling of spiritual dryness, mixed with the syllabus shock, but I think I have managed to work through both of that a little bit. I skipped out of my pastoral care class Thursday and drove down to a nature area on the Mississippi river. Even though it was about 15 degrees, I climbed down a hill and went for a short walk along the railroad track running along the river. Stopping just short of a bridge spanning a creek as it joins the river, I had a seat to watch a group of bald eagles as they soared above me, and fished the river. I think I sat there by the tracks and just listed for God's voice as I watched the incredible ballet of the great majesty of his creation take place above me. The gift of grace almost has new meaning as you see the powerful grace present in the flight of an Eagle. Two different meanings of the same word, and yet they both seem to transcend each other in a single moment. I think I could have sat there all night had the word hypothermia not been a very real concern by the time I left (I may be exaggerating a bit there).
A couple of weeks ago I also got another step toward ordination out of the way as I took the Bible Content Exam required by the Presbyterian Church. While I won't know the official results of the test for probably another month, I'm pretty confident that I did ok on it. I took the question sheet and sat down with some friends following the test and we went over each answer on the test. I won't say what I think my score is, but it is well above the passing level.
Last week and this week I have been responsible for leading the discussion in my spiritual formation group here. Last week our topic was on the discipline of hospitality. I king of laughed at my volunteering for this topic because I don't normally feel very hospitable. I know some people who are the greatest host's in the world, who are thinking of their guests constantly. After our discussion though, I don't know if I have more work to do toward being hospitable, or accepting one's hospitality. I think it goes back to having that strong American view of independence; of being able to do anything I need to do by myself. I have had such a great deal of hospitality given to me in my life though, and still have problems knowing how to show my gratefulness. I lived with friends in Loveland for 3 weeks last August, and stayed with them again for another 3 weeks in December. They basically set me up with a little basement apartment and gave me free run of their house. I think I thanked them every bit I could, but I still feel a need to try and pay them back. Tonight I got home from my meeting and realized that my bread in the pantry was all moldy. I called my girlfriend and asked if I could take her up on an offer for some dinner. I went over, chatted with her a little while I ate her food, and then left. In a sense I really felt like a freeloader doing that. In his Grace, God has justified me by Faith in him. Without this incredible gift and act of hospitality I would be lost. I don't deserve it, and wish that I could pay it back, but I will never be able to. All three of these are various acts of hospitality offered in my life that sometimes I just need be willing to accept as a gift and say Thank You.