Yes!!!!

So my last class on Friday afternoons is Liturgics Practicum, when we get to pretend we're actually doing the services of the church. Today was my day to do a wedding. It's hard to avoid giggling a little bit when two utterly mismatched but charming classmates are serving as bride and groom, but I held it together.

Nice discovery: I'm good at this stuff. I stay calm, I have a good speaking voice that I know how to use, I am intentional in my choices, I know how to use my hands and why.

Gratifying to find something practical that I'm good at (besides baking bread).

Of course, the true high point of the class was when one of my other classmates was to preside, and since our other guy in the class was out sick(there are only four of us in this practicum group, two males, two females), he had to preside over a same-sex faux-wedding. Even in jest, he (a somewhat conservative guy) found it a tad uncomfortable. Nancy and I, on the other hand, had a blast.

It was good for him.

Friday Five: Dental Edition

friday five: dental edition
1. Are you a regular patron of dentists’ offices? Or, do you go
a) faithfully, as long as you have insurance, or
b) every few years or so, whether you need it or not, or
c) dentist? what is this “dentist” thing you speak of?

I'm definitely (a). Had bad teeth as a child, and have various and sundry issues these days. I go because I fear that if I don't, the issues will become major instead of just annoying. Bah.

2. Whatever became of your wisdom teeth?
Two out in college, two out in grad school. Not pleasant, but not intolerable. Actually had the first two out with local anesthesia, which I would not recommend. The noises are hard to listen to.

3. Favorite thing to eat that’s BAAAAAD for your teeth.

As with RM, all things sugary. I got a sugar jones, for sure.

4. Ever had oral surgery? Commiserate with me.

Teeth pulled. Wisdom teeth removed. Tissue grafts.

5. “I’d rather have a root canal than _________________.”

...liposuction? Simply because the lipo would take a whole heck of a lot longer, and would cost more, and wouldn't be paid for by insurance.

Bonus: Does your dentist recommend Trident?
Never asked. I'm not a big chewing gum person anyway. On the other hand, I KNOW she wouldn't recommend marshmallow Peeps. Dang.

Out of the Closet

So I let people know at Big Old Seminary that I have MS. It was something I was in the closet about for a while, since I wanted my classmates to learn to deal with me as mibi, not as a medical case. I'm fortunate. My disabilities are very minor and virtually invisible to the world, and for the time being my MS is well-managed with disease-modifying drugs.

I came out of the closet by soliciting their contributions to PH's MS150 bike ride from the Capitol of the Confederacy to Rockefeller's Imitation Colonial City and back.

Reactions have been interesting. A couple of folks said, "Boy, that's a surprise." One person asked an interesting question: what am I most afraid of? I said it was losing my sight again. I had a bout of optic neuritis and lost most of my vision, which - fortunately - mostly came back with treatment with IV steroids. One person, a very wise femme d'une certain age like me, said, "I wonder how many people in this place have some medical issue they're not telling about." I wonder, too. I hope my talking about my thing will make others feel safe.

Most folks are silent. Either it's a non-issue for them (I'm still the same old mibi), and that's fine with me, or they don't know what to say, and so say nothing.

If it's the latter, and they want to be clergy, they'd better learn how to figure that one out. A heartfelt "gee whiz" would do.

In any case, I'm sure glad to sweep that secret out of the closet. There be monsters!

Easter Monday

The Powers That Be have given us today off. Part of it is mercy on those students who are in Field Ed, who worked continuously since last Thursday, part is mercy on those faculty members who serve as priest associates and who have also been working continuously through the various Holy week activities.

Though I'm not in Field Ed this year, I also had a steady stream of church commitments from here to next year's Field Ed placement 35 miles away over the past several days. Plus we had dinner for PH and me, PH's cousins, and a seminarian buddy, AKA Master Dishwasher.

By 8: 30 everyone had gone home, the house was cleaned up, the dishwasher was running and I was in my jammies reading a book (Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," which will definitely put you off your Big Macs and Eggo waffles). The phone rang, and it was Stepson # 2, father of the Cowboy Prince and the Little Master of the Universe, just calling to say happy Easter, to thank me for the birthday coffee we had sent him (he turned 30!), and to see what we were up to. He apologized for calling so late (8:30??!!?? What kind of old poop does he think I am??!!??). Also talked to Strong Opinions and conveyed recipes - she's become quite the cook, and left messages for StoneMason, who was probably at his girlfriend's house, and Litigator, who was on a plane headed back to LaLaLand and school. By 9:30 I was asleep, which proves I really am an old poop.

So this morning, I'm procrastinating about writing the OT exegesis. At lunchtime I'll go to the movies to see "Reign Over Me." I never would see anything with Adam Sandler in it, but it's a class requirement. Ah well, I'll comfort myself with the fact that the brilliant Don Cheadle is in it.

..can..procrastinate...no...longer.....

Good Friday

I spent part of this morning singing the Vittoria "Improperia" in a quartet of wonderful singers in our Seminary chapel. This series of reproaches for what was done to Christ this day alternates lines of chant with brief choral settings of the Trisagion and the Populi Mei. Performing a piece like this is very intense - no room for error, though some minor twitches are inevitable. We sang from the balcony, and it was good, twitches and all.

It causes me to meditate a bit on the "performance" nature of what we do as clergy, especially in an emotionally fraught time such as Holy Week. I suspect all of us have a bit of the performer in us; why else would we participate in such work? Yes, yes, I know it's not about the performance, but to some extent we must be aware of that aspect, to preside over a service that gives the most to those who attend.

I think of my one of my profs, who struggles with a terrible stammer, but when he lectures and preaches, he prepares intensely, and delivers his words smoothly and beautifully. Is that a form of performance? Perhaps.

Can we create meaningful worship without an awareness of this element? I'd like to believe that we can be inspired by God's Word and that will carry it through. I've been to an awful lot of uninspired services, though. Was the presider uninspired, or was the preparation inadequate? In contrast, I've been to some over-emoted, painfully self-conscious services. Where is the middle ground?

How much do we get by tapping into our hearts and souls, and how much is preparatory work that recognizes the need for performance in the celebration of God's word?

Just asking...

Remind me there's a Resurrection coming...

I'm sitting on the couch feeling like cwap because I overdid it exercising (doing too much in the heat when you've got MS is a no-no, but it was such a beautiful afternoon).

In Liturgics today, we discussed the Rite of Marriage, and the church's response to remarriage for people who were divorced, and it seemed to me that some of the young single people and young marrieds were being very quick to judge those who were remarrying after divorce. Yes, those of us who have been divorced and remarried DO understand what the vows say, and we DON'T enter into marriage lightly, and sometimes ugliness happens that is beyond our control (like a husband who strays, not once but repeatedly, or a husband who beats his wife)...don't sit there all pious and say that marriage is forever when you haven't lived in the real world. Yes, it's forever, and that's what we all try for and hope for and pray for. But sometimes the bad stuff happens, and then what a person needs is not judgment but pastoral counseling and support and recognition that God forgives and loves us. Sometimes God also gives us someone worthy to try and love again. And that is a great gift of grace.

Alright, I'll get down off my soapbox now.

Deeply sad because a dear friend just a couple of years older than me has just been diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. She's got young adult triplets and a daughter who's a senior in college. She and her husband just bought a vacation/possible retirement home that they have been fixing up over the past few months.

This. Sucks.

I've got papers that I have to gear up for, but tonight, I just don't feel up to it.

I'm looking ahead to Wednesday, when a wonderful preacher will be at Big Old Seminary to celebrate MLK Jr's birthday; Friday morning, when I get to sing with a heavenly quartet, doing the Vittoria Improperia for our Good Friday service; and Friday night, when I'll be a ringer in the choir for my Field Ed parish, doing a Tenebrae service at a senior citizen community. I need music right now. When I have trouble praying, I sing.

I need a little spiritual edification right now. I know the Resurrection is coming. I'm just facing Good Friday a little early tonight.

Oh, and the Nats tanked on Opening Day...

Back to School

I'm having New Testament withdrawal. After three quarters of intensive NT twice a week, with some great lectures, it seems odd to be without them. Still haven't gotten the final exegesis paper from him, though. Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose.

Fourth quarter Hebrew, despite being advertised as a reading course, will be half a reading course, half a finish-the-textbook and memorize more vocab course. Bah.

Lesson learned in another course: do not take a new course the first time it is offered. It's like buying a car in its first model year: they haven't shaken the kinks out yet. My grousing is around an assignment that fully half the class missed the mark on. Pedagogical hiccup, anyone? I love this prof but, as a dear friend said tonight, he can be rather opaque. Yoda-like.

Tomorrow in OT we get to take a newspaper article of our choice and turn it into a prophetic oracle...that's one way to teach us the form. I'm already thinking about the second exegesis paper for her, but I think I may only do some preliminary work until I get the first one back. No point in going all the way down the wrong path if I didn't do what she wanted in the first one.

I've got six more weeks of classes and then my first year in seminary is done. That's a shocking thought. I'm feeling rather like a horse a few miles from the stable, and I'm trying to resist the urge to race toward the stable door, and savor the experience a bit. Some days I feel more savory than others, though. Today I'm mildly salty, I think.

It will be StoneMason's 21st birthday this week. How did this happen? Where did 21 years go?

Looks Like Our Prayers Have Been Answered

We just heard that my father-in-law has just boarded a plane at the airport in Kinshasa and should be back in the States at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. He has nothing but his passport (his suitcase preceded him to the airport nad we don't know if it made it out or was stolen, and his wallet and its contents were taken by militia) but he has his life, and for that we're grateful for God's protection. He says his hearing has been affected by the close gunfire and mortar fire, and he's pretty dirty from spending a night lying out in the dirt of the road, but otherwise fine.

God is faithful. Praise God!

I'll post when he's gotten home (my sister-in-law is planning on confiscating his passport the moment he lands, so he doesn't travel anymore!)

Many thanks for your prayers. We are all so grateful.

Prayers, Please

My father-in-law, a surgeon who spent most of his life in Congo as a medical missionary, recently went back with a team to do hospital assessments. They are stuck right now in Kinshasa, in the midst of fighting between forces loyal to President Kabila and forces supporting his opponent, Bemba. They are in a safe place right now, after a hair-raising night, but we don't know when and how they will get out. They haven't been able to get a response from the local UN office yet, nor, I believe, the US Embassy.

Please keep R, the rest of the team, and the families of all in your prayers.

Break Time Rocks

I probably should have been more diligent about doing stuff during my spring break, but somehow doing nonlinear fun and creative things seemed more necessary.

I did a presentation on icons at a RevGal's church. Great fun and very responsive attendees!

I cooked a monster dinner for some friends from old church and from seminary. Laughed, drank some amazing wine, ate way too much. Remarkably, the house was clean for this adventure.

Drove four hours north to visit with dear L, who is pastoring a church in the lovely exurbs. I miss her! Not good having her so far away!

Had a lovely get-together with an incoming seminarian, another second-career person. She will be a great addition to the community.

Got one of the sleeves done for my green sweater (the first I've knitted for myself in two decades).

Went on a bead-hunting and yarn-hunting expedition with two classmates who are so much fun.

Made an Anglican Rosary with the results of the bead-hunting trip.

Cooked a bunch of Indian food. Yum! It's all gone now. Drat!

Slept a lot.

Got through Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, and Ezekiel.

So this afternoon I will take the Spooky-cat to have her anal glands expressed (yes, I know, TMI) and tonight I'll go rehearse with the choir from my next-year Field Ed site. They're doing a Tenebrae service at the SeniorWorld community nearby to them, and are in need of sopranos.

Tomorrow is doctor day: neurologist at 8:30 am (I'm having a little problem that we hope is not another MS flare-up) and oral surgeon at 11 (the biopsy didn't show lichen planus, although it looks like lichen planus, so now we've got to go to plan B, since the problem is still there). Then off to the airport to pick up a classmate.

Since RevGal's church was so generous with the honorarium for the icon class, PH and I will go out to dinner this weekend. All in all, a proper spring break!

Friday Five: Whatcha Doin'

Here's what's been done:

1. Hebrew final exam
2. Served as lector for eucharist at noon
3. Liturgics final exam
4. Library pilgrimage (see below)
5. Dinner

Here's what's left to be done:
6. Luxurious bath
7. Reading and/or sleep

There should be something in there about cleaning up my house, but tomorrow's another day.

It Is Finished

At the risk of being blasphemous, I quote the Gospel of John in the title. It's in honor of the New Testament final, which focused primarily on Hebrews and the Johannine corpus.

All three exams are done. I already know my grade on the Hebrew one, since our Hebrew prof is an adjunct and doesn't have the pathological inability to get papers back to us in a timely fashion that the tenured folk do. It was a good grade. He was generous. I am grateful.

I think I did reasonably well on the other two, plus the courses that had papers in lieu of exams, but I probably won't find out for a while.

I did my usual thing when I was done, in anticipation of a week's break...

I went to the library and got an armload of non-school books:

The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and was Paralyzed for Life
A new translation of Teresa of Avila's The Book of My Life
Jimmy Carter's Palestine: Peace not Apartheid
Prisoners: A Muslim and Jew Across the Middle East Divide

plus I've got two books sitting alongside the bed waiting to be finished:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Wizard of the Crow, by Ngugi Wa Thiongo.

What a pleasure to read non-school books for a few days!

I'm going to see my friend L on Monday, and got the OT Prophets on CD, so I can get ahead on my OT reading in the car 4 hours up and four hours back.

We were going top go out for an end-of-quarter dinner, PH and I, but we are in the midst of an icy, sleety, icky storm, and when we stepped outside the house, we dang near slipped on our hinders. Sanity reigned, we stayed home, and PH cooked me a dinner of Swedish pancakes (plattar, with an umlaut over the first "a") with lingonberries.

Exams finished, non-school books to read, and Swedish pancakes.

Life is good.

Procrastinating

Anything but study for the Hebrew final that will occur tomorrow morning.

NT was fine, I think. I was satisfied with what I did on the essay and on the "hot quotes" section.

Two more exams and I'm done for a week.

My brain is full...and Towanda, I haven't got my act together on infinitives yet... maybe I'll get lucky as you did and the prof won't include them.

Just want to sleep and eat chocolate. I have promised myself a "Gray's Anatomy" break at 9 pm, so I'd better get back to work.

Slowly she turns...

Spring Fever

It's something like 75 degrees outside, maybe warmer, and the air is redolent with new growth and the hint of flowers.

Since I have 3 exams over the next couple of days, I don't get to enjoy it. Studying trumps sniffing the air.

I had a get-together with my NT study group - a bunch of extraordinary women with minds like steel traps, a major ability to laugh out loud (esp. at ourselves), and a sense of God amongst us. What a joy! Nice to have a group of friends with whom I can be thoroughly myself. It kept me sane today. I know I will pass the exam, it's just a question of whether I will sound like a seminarian or a fourth-grader.

I'm about to throw up my hands in despair over the Hebrew exam. It seems as soon as I learn a new conjugation or a passel of new words, the old stuff falls out of my brain. Again, I expect to pass, I would just like to feel more of a sense of mastery.

The third exam is liturgics, and I've reviewed the relevant pastoral rites and some of the writing on them. It's open book (the books being the Book of Common Prayer, the Book of Occasional Services, and Enrishing Our Worship2) and there will be some factual stuff plus an essay on the theology of something therein. Not really something one can study for, but I think I'll be fine.

Then...a week off! Or at least sort of. I'll be editing a paper for submission to a publication, so it won't all be fun.

Dinner with friends and a performance of "Joseph and the Amazing etc. etc." at home church with 80 plus kids over the weekend, a trip north to see dear L whom I miss terribly now that she's working 3 hours away, various lunches and get-togethers with friends.

Somewhere in there I really should clean the house. I figure once a semester, whether it needs it or not.

Now if I could only get my danged exams out of the way!

I want to take a nap.

Tired

Nine pages into the ten page Adult Ed paper. If I count the excel spreadsheet of curricula, it gets to ten, but that doesn't feel legit. I know I've got some more footnoting to do. If I had another month to work on it, I'd be able to do it right. It's material I'm really jazzed by, so I wish I could. For now, I'll just have to settle for just getting it done. Bah.

I survived the Hebrew quiz (60 new words). I forgot one word, and got one of the extra-credit parsings half-wrong. I guess I'll stick out the fourth quarter, even though I'm so very tired of memorizing 60 words a week. I think my ego may be getting the better of me, or else I'm just so bonded to my fellow Hebrew warriors in the class that I can't let them go, or I'm hoping the flame will alight on my head and I'll suddenly get it.

Every now and then, we get a transcendent moment in one of my classes. The lecture on ministry to the sick in Liturgics today was one of those moments. That's what happens when you've got a prof whose PhD is in English, but whose theology is equally deep and thoughtful. I've got intellectual chops envy.

Three exams this week: Hebrew, New Testament, Liturgics. I'd be scared if I weren't so dang tired.

Oh.

It's 10:30, almost.

I can go to sleep now.

G'night. (Only a few days til Spring Break. Can't you tell?)

Wading Through

So today I finished the OT exegesis paper. PH read it and helped me make it make sense (sort of). It's not exactly an exciting piece of verbiage, but I think it will do.

I spent the morning
first getting the car through its emissions exam (it passed),
then to the Center for the Ministry of Teaching to go through a bunch of curricula for my Adult Ed paper that's due on Thursday.
Then I came home,
did an accounting for my grant for the Qatar trip,
did a load of laundry,
did five chapters of Hebrew glossary,
made dinner and
am now baking raspberry squares for Coffee Hour tomorrow.

I think I'm overcommitted.

If I survive this week (one paper and three exams), I get to have a week off...but for a presentation for RM's Adult Ed class next Sunday, which will be sheer pleasure.

Then I get to have a week off...but for the editing of the Qatar paper for submission for publication.

Of course, one of my classmates has just finished his doctoral dissertation in another subject area (doing an MDiv while finishing a dissertation must be a sign of insanity). The mighty document, a thing of beauty, is over 900 pages long.

Suddenly, I feel like a slacker.

Humility. It's a good thing.

I'm rehearsing...

,,,for those times when I have to preach on a lectionary text that doesn't light me up at all. Or when I'm so dry that nothing is happening on the page.

The exercise is an Old Testment exegesis paper that's due next week.

It's a passage I know well and love dearly (II Kings 2.1-15), and I've done a bunch of work on it (word study, historical analysis, literary analysis, reading commentaries). I've got a dozen pages of notes and disjointed draft paragraphs in the laptop, but everything I write reads like a Jif peanut butter ad.

So now I'm waiting for the Holy Spirit to drop some great ideas on my sorry head.

Sometime before the paper is due would be nice.

I wonder what kind of grade I'd get for a Jif peanut butter ad?

How Many Trees Were Sacrificed for this Moment?

I should be working on my OT exegesis paper, which, at this point, is a jumble of notes and word study with no discernible theological thought. I should be reading for my Adult Ed paper, on curricula and other tools for congregations relating to conflict and change. That one's a pile of notes right now, too. Both papers are due at the end of next week.

I could also be memorizing the 60 new Hebrew words Mark assigned for next week, or working on my Hebrew glossary of all the words in our textbook. I could also be reading the enormous quantities of Scripture and commentaries our profs have assigned.

Instead, I'm copying stuff. To be precise, I'm making copies of my 20+ page paper on the Qatar trip to give to the committee at St P's (which kindly gave me a nice check to help cover the costs of the trip), and will soon drive over there (25 minutes away) to give a ten minute presentation on what I did on my January vaca...oops, mission trip. So many trees will die whilst I make about 150 pages worth of stuff that may or may not be read, but I guess it's a reasonable thing for me to meet with them...

...despite the fact that I made a 45-minute Adult Forum presentation (complete with pictures) a week ago to a larger group which included the folks who will be there tonight.

Oh well, it's only trees. And it's only time.

Thanks. I feel better. I'll stop whining now.

And the Answer Is...

Seems like many of us in ECUSA are arguing over the "homosexual question." Arguing over whether those whose sexual orientation is toward a partner of the same sex means they are "fundamentally disordered." Arguing over whether to consecrate gay bishops, or ordain gay priests, or only ordain celibate gay priests, or whether gay people need reparative therapy to change back to "normal," whatever that is.

It's really very simple. We go back to Christ, who said, "Love one another."

We seem to have forgotten that.

To me, healthy, normative relationships aren't defined by genitalia.

They are defined by maturity, mutual respect, equal partnership, care through good times and bad.

I've seen good and bad gay relationships and good and bad straight relationships. Why are we being so childish about all this?

Could it, at its heart, be about fear, or power, or money?

I wonder.

Friday Five: Artsy Craftsy

A day late, but...
1. Would you call yourself “creative”? Why or why not?
Somewhat. I'm a musician, but I don't write my own music, I simply perform what others have written. I'm an iconographer, but that's not a form that calls for creativity, it's one that calls for accuracy in copying and praying about what I'm copying. I'm a wanna-be writer, but I doubt I'm breaking any new ground. I have fun with interior design on a miserable budget, and knitting from other folks' patterns.
2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you’d like to develop further.
I'd like to write more, design some of the knitting projects, and write more. It will all have to wait until I graduate from seminary, or retire from ministry, or something.
3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.
When?
4. Complete this sentence: “I am in awe of RM's writing, Irena's icons, StrongOpinions' sculptures and blown glass and charcoal drawings, my sister-in-law L's quilts.”
5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has “called you to your best self.” (I’m pretty sure that’s from the Gospel of Oprah.)
Oh, definitely PH, who cheers me on no matter what I try, and only winces occasionally.

Of course, as I mentioned above, my time for creative endeavors is limited by my hours of classwork these days. PH asked me last night if I had done any creative writing on my time in Qatar. Um, no. The 20 page paper sort of took it all out of me. I did get a wee bit creative on my NT exegesis paper on Luke 14: 15-24 (The Parable of the Great Banquet). Got on a riff about call-and-response music and the call and response motif in the invitation and refusal/accpetance of the invitation to the eschatological banquet. Of course, my NT prof will probably just raise his eyebrows. Maybe that's the limit of my creaitivity these days.

Snowy Days and Sundays Always Get Me Down

Here I sit in Your Nation's Capitol, safe and sound in my little townhouse with a warm laptop on my lap, a warm cat on my legs, and the all-news, all-traffic, all-weather, all-cancellations station on the radio (why, I don't know - I should switch to the all-classical-music station, now that t has been resurrected from the dead). I went to my home church this morning, about 9 miles away, because I was scheduled to do the Adult Forum on my trip to Qatar today. It was a scary ride there, because we are having a Weather Event (ice and snow). I left quite early, so I attended the 9 a.m. Eucharist and then did the Adult Forum. It was surprisingly well-attended given the weather. I wore a traditional djellabiya (similar to the one at right). An odd dissonance between wearing something from the land of sun and sand in the midst of a snowstorm. Folks asked good questions and seemed to appreciate the talk.

Then - home again. By then, the snow and ice was much scarier. I was driving PH's Volvo, which is usually quite good in winter weather, but it was still very slippery. Of course, people were not always driving sensibly. Accidents all over the place. I got to a half-mile from home, and there was a twenty-car pileup on the road. I managed to get around it and to the house. Thank you, Jesus! It was exhausting.

I had some lunch and sat down on the couch, where I promptly fell asleep. I've been very sleepy for the past week or so. I don't know what that's about - hopefully just the winter blahs - but I do need to get some studying and writing done, so I wish I could snap out of it.

PH is in the Windy City for his dad's big birthday party. He was supposed to fly back this afternoon but his flight was cancelled. Not rebooked until tomorrow afternoon. I miss him...

A Lovely Bit of News on Ash Wednesday

My paper on the January term in Qatar awaited me in my box this morning. My advising professor was quite pleased with my work, had some wonderful and thought-provoking comments on the paper, and suggested I condense it for submission to a scholarly journal. After the past three weeks of feeling like I'm just sort of doggy-paddling along with my nose above the water line, it was nice to get an attagirl saying I do good work. Maybe my whole head is up above the water line (at least for this week).

Thanks, Holy Spirit!

15 seconds of fame

This weekend was the Conference on Ministry at Big Old Seminary. A whole lotta folks from around the country and the world came to see if our place would be the right place for seminary for them. I was co-chair of the off-campus housing tours, which showed about 40 folks the usual options for those who for one reason or another don't want or can't live in dorms. All went well with our little fleet of volunteer drivers and tour guides...except for moi. Leaving our last stop, I got my car stuck on a hump of ice sitting on a speed bump. The two front tires were suspended in the air - no traction at all. Mortifying for someone who lived in New england for twenty-five years. I just didn't get enough momentum up in a car filled with people to get it up and over. Fortunately, a classmate ran my folks back to the seminary, and PH and the classmate then chipped the ice out from under my car and freed it. A little humiliation is good for the soul.

Last night we had our Variety Show...various and sundry acts, including a 10-year-old doing Seinfeld's Halloween bit impeccably, a two-year old dressed up in a band major's costume marching across the stage and then melting down, a movie about General Ordination Exams called "The End Times," and a couple of very funny skits. I sang a song about Hebrew class, to the tune of "If I Loved You," from the musical Carousel:

Aleph Beth Gimmel Dalt, He and Yod and Chet
Don't forget Vav but Mark insists it's waw.
Vocabulary lists are longer every week
Ayin aleph, kaph and qof, tet and taw.
Hebrew Studies! I don't think I'll get through BL102.

Hebrew Studies. Day after day I memorize all they want me to know.
Hebrew studies, strong dagesh, chain constructs, Hithpael, BDB is just hell.

I try to read aloud, afraid and shy.
I know the quiz is coming; Why oh why
Did I take it? Wouldn't the Greek have been much more fun?
Now I never will know. Hebrew Studies; Hebrew Studies.

Hebrew Studies. I conjugate verbs in a tongue No one speaks anymore.
Tense or aspect; chattering on 'bout poetic forms, I've become a Hebrew bore!

I want to exegete by reading verse In the original language - what is worse
Is, I love it. Hard as it is, I wouldn't trade Hours spent parsing those words.
I'm in love with Hebrew Studies.

No one threw rotten tomatoes or catcalled, so I guess I survived. Wasn't as difficult as getting the car off the ice.

Weather

I know that Oscar Wilde said that conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative, but here in Your Nation's Capital, we are in the midst of a highly unimaginative conversation. It beats the more imaginative but also more depressing conversation about politics and the war.

We got a wee bit of snow, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch, but now freezing rain and ice have been forecast for the evening and night, into tomorrow morning. The seminary, which NEVER closes (when most of the students and all the faculty are right on campus, why close?) has shut down. I don't know if we will have classes in the morning since there may be a good inch of ice on the roads.

A seminary classmate mentioned at lunch how, on a gray day like today, she just wanted to go home and take a nap. I must be very suggestible, because I came home with grand intentions of getting a lot of reading done, and I promptly fell asleep on the couch with one of my books open in my hands. Serves me right putting my feet up on the couch while reading.

PH is seeing clients downtown, and will have a nasty 8-mile commute home later this evening. He's an excellent driver, but I still worry.

I hate driving in bad weather, especially on ice. I'm glad I'm home, with a nice warm laptop computer and fuzzy slippers on my feet, and a pot of chili on the stove.

It's been a good week at school. I did well on my scary Hebrew quiz yesterday, and I think I also did well on the infamous OT map quiz this morning. Several papers are coming due fairly quickly, I'm doing a presentation at my home church about the trip to Qatar in two weeks, I'm doing a presentation on icons as a spiritual practice at RM's place in three weeks, and there are not enough hours in the day. This weekend is Big Old Seminary's Conference on Ministry. I'm co-chairing the Off-Campus Housing Tours, hosting a dinner for some of our guests, and doing two acts in the Talent Show.

I should be exhausted. I AM in fact exhausted. Why, then, am I so darned happy?

Friday Five: American Idol Version

1) If I could sing like anyone, it would be soprano Anna Netrebko.
2) I would love to sing Anne Truelove's "No Word from Tom" aria from Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress," but that requires reliable high C's, and my days of reliable high C's ...well, they never were...Give me a B flat, however, and I'm your gal.
3) It would be really cool to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. Not La Scala. La Scala operagoers are too mean.
4) If I could sing a dream duet it would be with baritone Bryn Terfel. (sigh....)
5) If I could sing on a TV or radio show, it would be the Saturday afternoon Met broadcast.

Yes, yes, I'm an opera junkie. I admit that I am powerless over it.

Hat Tip: RM

Back in the Semi-real World

I've pretty much processed being back in the States, and being back in Eastern Standard Time.

Getting back into the rhythm of seminary life, however, is a different thing entirely.

True to form, our profs have assigned several hundred pages of reading for this week (yes, I know, it's only bad if I try to read it all). I've just come back from 24 hours away in the woods for the Junior Class retreat, so I'm feeling a compulsion to get a ton of reading done tonight.

Here's what I've learned.

1) Read the assigned Scripture. Make notes on the readings on a chapter-by-chapter basis.

2) Skim the other articles and see if anything leaps out. Otherwise, don't worry about them.

3) Start outlining written assignments as soon as I get them, knowing that the prof will undoubtedly give further guidance that will modify the outline later on in the game.

4) Do the work, but trust that the Holy spirit will descend at the appropriate time to fill in the gaps.

5) Know that this is not a measure of my worthiness for the priesthood, it is simply equipping myself for the work.

6) Pray.
I'm working to live into this.

The retreat was a wonderful break of thoughtful quiet time and fun friendship with my classmates. It was deep in the woods and I was crabby getting there, because it was so far away, but I was glad we had gone there this morning as we saw a pair of bald eagles looping above us on thermal drafts. Of course, the younger crew stayed up way late. I, being an old fart and a morning person, crashed a little after 10 p.m. Just as well, since then I could awaken at 5:30 and watch the sunrise over the Chesapeake Bay.

Good news on the various and sundry practica: I got accepted into my first choice for Clinical Pastoral Ed (chaplaincy training at a local hospital) as well as my first choice for Field Ed (working in a parish). Feels good to get those settled. I'll be doing CPE at the Children's Hospital in DC and Field Ed at a new church plant about 35 miles away.

I'm about a third of the way through my paper for the Qatar experience. It's going slower than I'd like, and I'm worried I'll get swamped by the other classes before it is done. I can tie myself into knots better than anyone I know...

And PH is downstairs crowing because his beloved Chicago Bears have returned the opening kickoff with a TD. It's going to be a long night (and that's before I start working on our taxes).

Time Zones

It's 5 a.m. I'm awake.

This is better than yesterday, when I was down at Diocesan Council and sharing a room with my dear buddy C. It was 3 a.m. when I woke up, wide awake and ready to rock and roll. I lay in bed planning out the required paper for the trip to Qatar (well, at least I got one great paragraph done in my head) until 6 a.m., when I got up, quietly showered and dressed, and went downstairs in search of breakfast.

We elected a bishop coadjutor. For those of us who love and support our present bishop, it was a bittersweet reminder that his work as diocesan bishop will be drawing to a close in a couple of years.

We also voted in favor of a trial period for parishes, if they so choose, to perform same-sex unions. It passed with little discussion, great calm, and quiet joy for those of us who have viewed this as a civil rights/justice issue.

The Archbishop of Auckland NZ, also head of the Anglican Consultative Council, was the chaplain and was a thoughtful and moving preacher.


At Council, I got to reconnect with a priest friend who had been in Qatar, and a number of my seminary classmates. When I got home, I went to school to see what awaited in my mailbox. I was surprised at how emotional it felt to be back home on the Holy Hill. Mirabile dictu, a number of exams and papers were there in my mailbox. Medium to good grades and thoughtful comments. Still no exegesis papers (turned in several months ago).

Then I got home and checked for reading lists, syllabi, etc. for my new classes that start tomorrow. Several hundred pages await me already. Gack.

I think I should go back to sleep now...

Home again

I got back to the USA after 22 hours in transit. Dinner in Qatar (delicious steak), midnight snack in Bahrain(so undistinguished I can't remember what it was), breakfast over London (awful airplane omelet), coffee in Heathrow(Costa coffee is much better than Starbucks as chain coffee houses go), lunch over the Atlantic (awful airplane penne bolognese), afternoon snack over Boston (awful airplane mystery sandwich), dinner back in VA with PH and StrongOpinions (pretty good BBQ pork). I'm not sure what species I am, much less what time zone I'm in, but I slept from 9 pm until now, so that's not bad. I am afraid, however, to step on the bathroom scale. I fear the number may be horrendous.

Suddenly going from an airport where the men are mostly in long white robes with scarves on their head and the women are mostly all covered up, to an airport with everyone mostly in jeans and various types of much more body-revealing clothing, is a shock to the system.

I'm off in a couple of hours to diocesan council (100 miles down the road), where I'll work as a teller. We are electing a bishop coadjutor, and we will have lots of talk, I would guess, about the Episcopal churches in the diocese who left and what we should do about property and such. Lively stuff.

I think I'll be able to stay awake.

I'll check back in with y'all on Sunday.

Doing the Religion Thing

I preached (see it in all its verbose glory below) on Friday morning, when Rishan was baptized (c'est moi at left with the wonderful baby and his parents, Dr. Suresh and Dr. Annu), and last night for the Sunday Evening Prayer Service.

Note to self: when preaching at a pulpit this high, wear high heels and make sure there is a riser to stand on.

Once every few weeks, the Sunday service is the prayer service rather than Eucharist. A lovely peaceful time. The congregation gave me a book about Qatar as a going-away present. They also made a number of kind comments about the sermon. A little scary preaching before I've had any formal homiletics training. Then again, fools rush in...







I've been blessed to be here and to have this experience. I still have a few more interviews to conduct (an excellent one today at lunch with an American couple who are quite insightful folks). How do I begin to put this experience down on paper?

I Know I'm Not At Home Because

..although a skating rink in a shopping mall with a kids' hockey practice going on is a little unusual,

seeing Arabic numerals on the backs of the kids' jerseys is not the norm.

Pedestrian crossings reflect the difference in common dress:

and Girl Scouts on a field trip look a little different:

but some things are the same no matter what the language on the sign.

Saying what we think people want to hear

It is a common belief amoung Westerners in the Arab world that often our hosts do not speak what they really think, but in the interest of hospitality say what they think we want to hear. I've seen it in action here and in conversation, but I find myself reflecting that it is true of Westerners as well.

Do we do it when we tell the preacher "Great sermon!" as we leave the church, when we thought it was a dud? Do we do it when we tell our children that the brownies they made were scrumptious when they were, in fact, little inedible bricks? Do we do it when we tell a friend of another religion that we're really theologically alike?

Where does friendship end if we speak truth as we see it? Is our truth in fact accurate? Does kindness or love require that we temper truth?

Or are we called to listen more than to speak?

Stranger in a Strange Land

My role is an odd one in this place. I'm not yet clergy, but I am performing some clerical tasks. I am not a resident, but I'm here long enough to be familiar with the ethos of the place, the challenges that the parishioners face, and the quirks of personality. I'm here long enough so I'm familiar enough - or unfamiliar enough - that parishioners unburden themselves when we do interviews for my research.

I guess I'm viewed as safe, for all sorts of reasons that may or may not be true.

As has been my experience at home, people talk to me. I have heard the phrase "I probably shouldn't be saying this" a number of times here, as I have back in the States in all sorts of contexts. It served me well as a lobbyist; it continues to serve me well today.

I suppose, then, that my mission here is to listen, and to be a trusted pair of ears for those who feel the need to vent, or to ask a hard question, or to try and work through all the changes that this parish faces in the coming months.

Some things here are very different. Nevertheless, some parish behavior is perfectly consistent with a growing church anywhere in the world facing a change of pastor after 20-plus years. I'm reminded once again of the universality of the human condition. Odd that it continues to surprise me.

These people will make it work. Not without some pain and misunderstandings, not without some losses, but they will make it work.

Being a stranger in a strange land has sharpened my senses and made me a better listener and observer. I hope it has also made me better at offering ideas and comfort, but that's a very minor part of the equation. I hope, too, that when I get back to my familiar surroundings, the clarity of perception doesn't fade entirely.

Sermon for this weekend (this post is a bit long).

Sermon for Friday, 19 January 2007 and Sunday, 21 January 2007

“Who Am I?”

1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27-30
Luke 4: 14-21

Who am I?

It’s a question we all ask ourselves.

Teenagers, in particular, seem to focus on this question. Where should I go to university? What should I study? What am I meant to do with my life?

Who am I?

My daughter has changed majors in college twice already, and is still considering adding minor courses of study to the mix. My older son has changed from film production to screenwriting, and I suspect that once he graduates from college this year, his life will twist and turn and he will redefine himself once again. My niece Hannah has pondered five different majors in her first semester.

Some of us revisit the question later in life. Perhaps seeking the answer to that question is what brought you to Qatar. Perhaps you hadn’t even thought of the question until you found yourself here. It’s true that a mid-life question brought me to this place. I left a career in business and government after more than 25 years to study at seminary in preparation for ordination to the priesthood.

It’s easiest to think of this question within the context of work. All of the examples I’ve just mentioned have to do with career choices of one sort or another. What I’d like us to think about today, though, is how we face this question as Christians, as members of the Body of Christ, as members of this church.

It’s a question that’s repeated over and over again in both the Old Testament and the New.

So it’s not just a question of the 21st Century, this pondering of our basic identity. It intrigues us, challenges us, sometimes haunts us.

Contrast the troublesome nature of the question, then, with Jesus in our gospel reading this morning. In Luke’s gospel, this story is in the early days of Jesus’ ministry. He’s just come back in from forty days in the desert and a duel of wills with Satan. He’s begun to teach in the synagogues in the Galilee, and word of the power of his teaching is beginning to spread. So he comes home to Nazareth, and as is the custom, he’s invited to read the Scripture and to preach on it.

What was it like to be in the synagogue that day?

Here he comes into the synagogue, a local boy, the son of Joseph the carpenter. We watched him growing up. We’ve heard that he’s developed quite the reputation.

He stands, reads the Scripture. It’s a powerful text from the prophet Isaiah

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Familiar words to us; we’ve heard them before. What will he say when he preaches on them?

He sits down, as we expect, for the time of teaching. He says “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

That’s all. He’s just said “It’s me. I’m the one Isaiah is talking about.”

We’re shocked. We’re excited, because we’ve been waiting for a Messiah, an anointed one, for a long time and through a lot of trouble. We’re a bit proud that it’s one of our own. We’re doubtful that it could be one of our own. And yet he seems so utterly sure, so completely convinced and convincing.

He isn’t asking that hard question of Who am I? He’s absolutely unambiguously telling us that He is the fulfillment of the prophecy. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be so clear on who we are?

Very few of us are ever that clear about our own identity.

That’s true of Roshan, who was baptized this morning. We look into his beautiful eyes and wonder what he will be like, the person he will become as he grows in the loving embrace of his mother and father and as a part of this, his church family. All we know is that he will be unique, and in his uniqueness are the gifts that he will bring to life in the world and as a Christian.

Who am I?

That’s certainly the problem for some of the members of the church at Corinth, a church of primarily Gentile membership that Saint Paul founded. They are worried about all sorts of things and have sent Paul a letter asking for guidance. As Father Ian told us last week, some people have been misbehaving, and some have been trying to establish a pecking order of who’s more spiritual than the other.

That never happens in churches today does it? Of course it does. So how does Paul address the issue? Just as Jesus taught by painting a picture through parables, Paul paints a picture for the Corinthians, using a metaphor, that of the human body. He says, “Listen, you’ve all been given gifts, talents, from God. They’re all different. They’re all important. This is not a competition about which gift is the best. They’re all the best, because they all come from God, and you’d best set about using them to do God’s work.”

He talks about the human body, how it is made up of different parts, how each part, even the lowliest, has an important function that the other parts rely upon. One can’t exist without the other. Then he takes that metaphor one step further, and speaks of each of us as a part of the body…the Body of Christ. For the human body to function at its best, all parts have to function well. For the Body of Christ to function at its best, all of its members, with all of their varied gifts, have to be honored as well as put to good use. One part of the human body is no more important than another. One person’s gifts are no important than another as we live in Christian community. All these gifts are important, to our life and Christ and to each other. None can be dismissed.

So it is not only in Corinth, but here at the Church of the Epiphany in Doha. I have been here this month working with Father Ian and visiting with you all to help understand how a community of members from so many different nations, and so many traditions, become a family of faith and nurture each other and support each other. I’d be foolish if I didn’t recognize that a large part of it is Father Ian, who has served as pastor, friend, teacher and advocate for so many of us. But it is also you. It is you who do the music and you who serve as acolytes. It is you who bring blankets out to the work camps and you who bring food for after Friday morning services. It is you who lay out the fair linens and you who reach out a hand to someone who is sick in hospital. It is you who smiles at the person who is occasionally unlovable and you who reads the Lessons. It is you who sweeps up and you who puts things away. It is you who preaches and it is you who works in the crèche. All your gifts, given to you by God, are put to good use for the work of God’s people in this place.

So this is the lesson I have learned here, so far away from home, the answer to that question; “Who am I?” I am, we all are, members of the Body of Christ. We are all the recipients of gifts, of talents, from God, who has given these gifts out of love for us. We all have something to offer another, and our Lord wants us to freely offer that which we have been given.

This community, even when Father Ian moves on to the next phase of his life, will still be a community of people with a myriad of gifts. And you are called, as you have always been called, to use those gifts to support and love and nurture each other as members of the Body of Christ.

Who are you? You are unique, with gifts given to you by God. You are a part of a community of faith here in Doha, and you are part of a much larger community of faith wherever you go in the world. You have been transformed by these gifts, and by the way you put them to good use. Your gifts will strengthen the community of faith and the world, if you dare to use them. Be strong. Be brave. Know that the Lord is always with you. And never forget, you are beloved members of The Body of Christ.

Cultural Dissonance Pt III

Not my own picture, but the person who gave it to me swears it isn't just something that was PhotoShopped!
It would have to be a pretty young camel, though...and those are not Qatar license plates...hmmm...

Cultural Dissonance Pt. II

At the International Islamic Bank, there is a men's branch and a separate ladies' branch right alongside it.

The dean of the Shari'a department at Qatar University may be a woman, the wife of the Emir may be the driving force behind the Education City initiative, the Director of the gazillion-rial new Museum of Islamic Art may be a woman, but there is still a separate ladies' branch at the bank.

Some women say that having a separate ladies' branch, or floor at the mall, or other such facility, gives them a way to conduct their business without being bothered by men, and they can remove their face scarf without the possibility of molestation. It still feels (in my Western mind) a tad odd to me.

I guess I haven't been here long enough...

Cultural Dissonance

...an Iraqi assistant to the producer at Al Jazeera, wearing an Icehouse Brewery t-shirt in this Muslim country where alcohol is forbidden.

Museum of Islamic Art

This museum is in progress. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year. A $15 Billion project, it was designed by I.M. Pei and is enormous. We had the privilege of visiting it even though it's under construction. These pictures will give you an idea of the size and magnificence of the space.

The woman standing in the center of the picture of the exterior is the Executive Director of the Museum, Dr. Saidegh. She is from Tunisia.

This is the main staircase from the ground level up to the first gallery level (there are five levels). Across from the staircase, facing the bay, is a wall of glass extending up the five levels. There is a fountain which echoes the traditional ablutions fountain in a mosque in the shape of the star of Islam, with eight points.

Here we look up 60 meters to the top of the dome. Like Brunelleschi's Dome in the Duomo in Florence, it essentially supports the whole structure. It is the equivalent of the keystone in an arch. Before the dome and window were inserted, there was a steel infrastructure to prevent the building from collapsing in on itself.

Looking down from the fifth level. Definitely a work in progress. When work was most intense, there were 1500 laborers onsite.

A courtyard between the main museum and the education wing. There will be pools of water and fountains here.

This open gallery leads to the education wing. It reminds me of Cordoba.

At Qatar University's College of Shari'a and at the Georgetown Univ School of Foreign Service at Education City

We visited the Shari'a school, which is the theological college in Doha, and met with the dean and a number of professors, as well as a student representative. Interestingly, the dean is a woman, the first female to hold such a post in the Arab world. QU hosts the annual interfaith dialgue conference, which will have its fifth meeting in April. For the past two years, Jews have also been a part of the dialogue, a remarkable thing and a risky one in this part of the world. We are looking at ways to partner with them in the States and perhaps the UK.


The dean, Dr Aisha, is sitting in the middle with the white skirt. The woman sitting to her left is the head of what would be the equivalent of the systematic theology department at QU. What I wouldn't give to bring these two women to the US to speak to our seminary!


Then we met with one of the profs, an American Jesuit priest, and a number of sophomore students (3 women, two men) at Georgetown's School of Foriegn Service. The women were Qatari Muslims. One of the men was a Christian from Lebanon, the other was a Muslim from Bosnia. The women were very progressive in their outlook; they see themselves as the future political movers and shakers of the country. Although they wear headscarves and abaya, their abayas were open from the waist down and we could see their (designer) jeans and their (Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo) shoes. The guys were a tad more conservative, but as Fr. Ryan from Georgetown said, the students really self-select to apply to this school; you are going to see the kids who were brought up with a British style education (the girls were in an IB program at Qatar Academy) and who are the most progressive in their viewpoints applying to a school like this. They seemed very bright and mature beyond their years. I hope the government will take advantage of their training and intelligence.

Just another one of the amazing adventures of the last few days.

At Al Jazeera

One of the group of visiting clergy, Bill Sachs of the Center for Reconciliation and Mission, was interviewed on Al Jazeera (the Arabic station, not the English one) on the group's trip and their work on building Christian-Muslim dialogue. Some of the questions were somewhat political in nature, but it wasn't bad. And getting the message out to Al Jazeera's 42 million Arabic-speaking viewers that Christians don't think of Muslims as "the enemy" was a good thing.

Meeting with Imams at the American Ambassador's Residence

Chase Untermeyer, the American Ambassador, and his wife Diana couldn't have been more gracious, and the embassy staff was wonderful making arrangements for many of our activities. We went to the ambassador's residence and had a fascinating and frank discussion about Christian/Muslim dialogue with some imams. The British Ambassador, Simon Collis, was also in attendance. A common theme was the need for face-to-face interaction; when we meet and talk as human beings together, the conversation is very different. We need to learn more about each other's religion and culture.

Amazing Moment

As I was standing outside the door after our Sunday evening service (packed tonight with two hundred people), one of the Sri Lankan families came up with their cutie-pie three year old and adorable 18 month old. All the SoutheastAsian kids shake your hand. So I hunkered down, extended my hand to the little one, and instead of shaking, she kissed it.

Words fail me.

Assorted Pictures of Modes of Transportation

Too much is happening with our visiting American and Cantabrigian deans to write right now, but I thought I'd share some fun pictures of me on a Segway riding around Education City, and StrongOpinions and me on our camels. More to come, including the picture of me with the visitors at the American Ambassador's residence with the British Ambassador and a bevy? myriad? gaggle? of imams. Back at you later.

Sunday on Friday

As I mentioned before, the main church service at Epiphany is Friday morning, so today was our big family Eucharist. Most folks have now returned from their holidays either in their home countries or in another exotic place (this is the norm for expats). The children have returned to school. The church was packed, including new baby Roshan, who is 5 days old, and just adorable. None of the acolytes showed up (teenagers are the same everywhere in the world, it seems), so I served as acolyte. Every priest does something a little different, so I was a bit graceless in serving Father Ian, but I was glad to help. I even got to distribute the bread at communion, a first for me. I also did Prayers of the People. A number of members have agreed to be interviewed for my project, which is a blessing.

What a variety of people we have in this church! A Danish engineer, a Nigerian neurosurgeon, a Sri Lankan chauffeur, an American professor, an Indonesian nurse, a Canadian stay-at-home mom, a Ghanaian accountant, an Indian maxillofacial surgeon... such interesting, welcoming people.

Today will be a quiet day. The boys' school behind the house, normally alive with the sound of soccer-playing little guys, is silent. My brother-in-law should be coming back from India tonight. We may go exercise in the afternoon. The next three days will be rock-'em sock'em with the American and British visitors. I need to write up my first interviews before I forget what is in my mind in between the cracks of the notes I've written. I can't believe I'm almost at the halfway point of the trip!

Minarets and other things

This gives you a taste of the variety of minarets on mosques around the city. The first one is at the Islamic Cultural Center, which has a mosque at the center. It's in the ziggurat style, and is enormous. The one in the center is on the mosque called the Green Mosque, where the Emir goes. Sorry for the odd angle of the shots, but they were taken from the car.

As you drive around, you see minarets everywhere, of every color, shape and size. When the call to prayer is broadcast through all the loudspeakers (you can see the speakers on the last minaret quite well), I am told that what we hear is not a recording, but a real muezzin chanting.

That's a lot of muezzins.

I drove all by myself across town to Father Ian's house (three roundabouts, one fly-over, the TV roundabout by Al Jazeera, five traffic lights). I didn't get lost, I didn't hit anything, I didn't get hit, I even got there early. We spent several hours going through my questions, then went out on errands to the Industrial Zone. We even stopped at the fish market and the fruit and vegetable market. On the way home, I stopped at a few shops on Al Mirqab Street. I considered being really adventurous and going down Grand Hamad to the old souq, but I didn't think I'd get there before the mid-day hiatus, so I'll save that for next week. PH forgot our jars of gift honey, and needs another for his administrative assistant, so I need to go there for that, plus I want to look for a couple more odds and ends of gifts for people. The good news is that most shopkeepers speak better English than I do Arabic, so we can negotiate. I've figured out the Arabic numbering system (which is a good deal easier than the Hebrew numbering system) by looking at the license plates, which carry both Arabic and English numbers.

The weekend will be very busy indeed, with a group of nine visitors from the US and England to talk about Christian-Muslim relations under the auspices of a new organization called the Center for Reconciliation and Mission. Visits to Qatar University's Department of Shari'a Law, Al Jazeera, meeting the deputy at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, meetings with the US and British Ambassadors, seeing the new Islamic Museum which isn't open to the general public yet, receptions and such. I will get to meet people and do things that I wouldn't otherwise get to do while here. A wonderful opportunity. Next week I'll go out to the guest-worker work camps in Al Wakra to deliver food and blankets. I'll also be interviewing parishioners and will continue to shadow Father Ian (still wondering if I'll get to the morgue).

Meanwhile, I've written a first draft of my sermon for next week, and now I've got to compose the Prayers of the People for tomorrow morning's service - we don't use a standard form but make new ones each week. I'm missing PH and StrongOpinions, but they had a good trip home, with a brief stopover and sightseeing for a couple of hours in Munich.

I'll check in later.

Various and Sundry Pictures in the Old Souq

This little boy on a donkey was too cute for words. After I snapped the shot, he went trotting down the street. It's a little difficult to see in this dark view through the souq, but the ceiling is a bunch of wood beams with thatched reeds going across. If you wondered how they lowered the man through the roof so that Jesus could heal him in Mark 2:1-12, you can see how it was done. The thatch was pulled away and the roof beams slid out to make an opening. You'll also notice the men with wheelbarrows in this shot. There are no shopping carts in the souq. If you have something large to bring to the car, or many bundles, you hire one of these men, who are usually from Afghanistan, to ferry the goods in the wheelbarrow.

The colorful dresses on the right in this picture is what the women often wear beneath their abayas. You can see a couple of the black-clad women to the left of my brother-in-law and PH in this picture.

How I Know I'm Not Home, Pt. II

Camel crossing signs on the road out to the beach.

Speaking of camels, I actually got to ride one yesterday while we were out on the Arabian Penninsula yesterday. They're not called ships of the desert for nothing - you sway from side to side as they walk. They get up rear end first, so you have to hold tight to the saddle pommel when they get up. They get down again front first, so once again you hold on, this time to the back of the saddle, so you don't get pitched forward over the head. My camel was named Sheikha, and she was the mellower of the two camels we had to choose from. Sarah, the other camel, whined and complained even when no one was riding her...she must have been having a bad day.

StrongOpinions was happy because she found some cats to play with. Qatari cats are smaller than US cats, but much more vocal. She was ecstatic petting the cats, who were busy looking for some easy food. She, PH and my brother-in-law rode quad ATVs over the dunes. My sister-in-law and I rested in the majlis (a tented area with cushions in a sofa-like conformation) and read and napped, before we came back into town.















This morning we went to the gold souq. Much beautiful and exotic 22-carat jewelry, but much too fancy and bright for me. Then we went to an odd little second-hand store where I found a beautiful red embroidered pashmina scarf. Less expensive than the gold and more useful to me.

PH and StrongOpinions leave tonight, and I'll get down to more work. I'm hoping to also fit in a mosque tour, if it can be arranged. The minarets of the mosques are everywhere, in all sizes and designs. In our little nieghborhood, if I turn 360 degrees, I see four within easy walking distance. Islam sees itself as a part of every aspect of life, not a religious practice held apart for a special day. Thus, having so many mosques makes it easier for Muslims to go to prayer at the mosque, where it's easier to do the ritual washing-up, at the five times of day that prayer is required. The university has special prayer rooms for men and women as well.

Enough for now...more later!

How I Know I'm Not Home

...gas is 80 cents a gallon, and the veterinarian advertises his services not only for cats and dogs, but also for horses and camels. Falconry is also very popular here.

It's 7 a.m. on Monday morning and I'm the first one awake in the house. So I'm downstairs in the office visiting with you.

Last night was the Sunday night service at church (http://www.stchcathedral.com.bh/chaplain/qatar.htm). Here's a picture of me with Father Ian . A much quieter and more traditional service than the Friday morning one. The American ambassador was there, with several very large Qatari bodyguards waiting outside. It turns out he and I have several mutual friends from the days when I was a political appointee in a prior administration. As a result of a number of conversations with folks at that service and the Friday one, I'm setting up some meetings with key people in the church to discuss their perceptions of Epiphany and what works there. I suspect that for many the answers to all questions will be "we come because Father Ian has made us so welcome." The congregation includes Anglicans, Episcopalians, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterians, Covenanters, Baptists, you name it. So I did the reading from Ephesians (nothing like endless participial phrases to keep one on one's toes) and served the chalice at the Eucharist. A baby was born to one family in the congregation, and he will be baptized the day that I'm preaching, so I will be figuring out how to work that into the sermon as well.

This morning we'll probably go to the souq to look at ouds (Syrian lutes) and see if it's possible for StrongOpinions to buy one for the boyfriend, and to pick up some incense for a high-church friend. This afternoon we may go out to the desert. I doubt that I'll ride a camel, but you never know...

Driving in Doha

...is not for the faint of heart. Thirty years ago, people got around primarily via camels (and there is still a camel-racing facility outside of town). Now, with the oil and gas wealth of the past few decades, most folks drive very large SUVs and luxury vehicles. There are few streelights; most major intersections are roundabouts (what some of us know as traffic circles). Entering one is an opportunity for prayer, since aggressive driving is the norm. There are signs at most intersections: "Your family is waiting for you at home. Please drive safely." Although Muslim women are permitted to drive here; they are usually driven around by male relatives or drivers, who epitomize the machismo driving style of other large cities such as Boston or Rome. Waiting for another driver to enter an intersection is unheard of. The problem is compounded by the large presence of foreign guest workers (usually from the Phillipines or Sri Lanka), who may be drivers for a construction company and whose prior driving experience is minimal and driver education nonexistent. There are 10 to 15 accidents per day.

So it was that I ventured onto the B Ring road this morning to meet with Father Ian and plan my work for the next three weeks. PH served as navigator, a particularly challenging task because there are very few road signs ("okay, we go down three roundabouts to the TV roundabout, by Al Jazeera's headquarters, and we go 3/4s of the way around, then turn right, and go right after the Hardee's - yes, there is a Hardee's here - to turn onto Al Mirqaba, then go down to the Family Market, the one with the big neon sign with three check marks and turn right. That's Father Ian's street. His house is on the left, with the flowering wines over the wall. No there's no street number"). Because it was the weekend, and Eid al Ramallah festival, the traffic wasn't too bad. We had a lovely chat with Ian, and I will be preaching on the 19th, and I'll be shadowing him all over the place, including the blanket and food ministry to the guest worker camps, and probably also a trip to the morgue if there are any deaths. He pointed out that the Christians who are here are here to work, so you don't get deaths due to old age and natural causes. Father Ian, as the only Protestant minister recognized by the Qatari government, is often called when such a tragedy occurs to help if there are local relatives, and often when there are not. Should be an interesting education.

I got to participate in a wedding of two Australian nationals today (just the two of them and their two Indian witnesses) in the little chapel that Father Ian has in his little villa. Quite touching. He's the only licensed Protestant clergyperson for weddings, too, so he does a lot fo them.

In the afternoon my sister-in-law, StrongOpinions and I went for stroll along the Corniche, had some chai, and went to the big mall with the hockey rink on the ground level to look for a food processor, then home for a quiet dinner en famille.
















Tomorrow night I'll participate in the Sunday evening informal service. Beyond that, I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. PH is getting a haircut with his brother, yet another adventure.

Ah, well, enough for today. More to come.

Greetings from Qatar

PH, StrongOpinions and I arrived here late last night. We flew separately (the vagaries of arranging flights at different times, with some coverage by frequent flyer miles, some by a grant from the Seminary, some by Mibi's American Express card. The flights were uneventful, although it is a bit disconcerting knowing one is getting here by flying directly over Baghdad. L and I caught a taxi home to their place, while C waited for PH and StrongOpinions, whose flight from Frankfurt was an hour later than ours.

Since last year, Qatar has hosted the Asian Games, and the amount of new construction for that event, as well as ongoing new construction, is staggering. Towers and construction cranes everywhere you look. We were shocked by surprisingly cold weather - the coldest in memory - and since houses aren't fitted with heating systems, it made for a rather cold night last night. I only brought one fleece top with me, and I'm wishing I'd brought more sweaters.

One sign of the cold weather is the garb of the men, who, instead of wearing their traditional crisp white thobes, are wearing winter-weight grey or brown ones. The women, as always, are head-to-toe in black hijab. Some of the women's robes (called abeyas) are dressed up with sequins and stones in patterns. I saw several butterfly patterns and some gorgeous embroidered flowers. Another variation is in the face scarves (niqab). Some women wear none, some wear a soft black cloth that hooks across and covers the nose and lower half of the face, some wear scarves that merely have slits to see out of, some have an odd metal piece that attaches to the scarf and covers the nose and mouth.

Going to the supermarket is another cultural shift: in addition to chocolate and almond croissants, you can buy savory ones dusted with zaatar, the spice mix of sumac and sesame and oregano and other good things. American foods are in the foreign foods section. In the produce department, okra is labeled as "lady fingers." There are no pork products.

We dined at a favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, Turkey Central. No, there were no turkey dishes; the original owners were from Turkey. Freshly baked lavash and pita bread. Hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, grilled meats, freshly squeezed fruit juices. We had a friendly argument with our waiter over whether to order the 30 rial or 40 rial mezze platter. He won. He was right. The mid-size platter was more than enough.

Then, on to the souqs. These traditional storefront markets were restored in recent years. Walking through them is like going back 2000 years, except for the stores that have small appliances in them. The spice markets are the most wonderful, with open bins of fragrant cinnamon and cardamon and pepper and cumin. I could just sit and take in the aroma for hours.
We got some honey at a store that had different honeys from Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman and Qatar. Pricey but good. We'll see if we can get them through in our checked luggage.

StrongOpinions is feeling jet-lagged and homesick. I'm hoping she'll perk up a bit tomorrow. We're all a bit tired. Eight hours time difference is a challenge.

Because the Muslim weekend is Friday and Saturday, we had church this morning at the english Speaking School. Around 100 attendees from a broad variety of nationalities. A lovely liturgy crafted from elements of the CofE "Our Common Worship" but tweaked to have more biblical references and some features of liturgical traditions of the various nationalities of the people who attend. I'll be meeting with a number of the members as part of my research. I've got meetings tomorrow with Father Ian about my work here - today in church he said something about preaching - oh my!

More to come, hopefully with some pictures. Salaam aleikum!

Waiting

We are getting ready for our trip to the Persian Gulf on Wednesday. Trying to pack for three weeks (including books and knitting) is a challenge.

I did some prep work, including getting the mail held while PH and StrongOpinions are there with me, getting the newspaper stopped, getting Hebrew homework done, getting bills paid. I don't think I've been away from home for this long in many a year (I'm thinking not since 1986 when I did some summer coursework out at Stanford).

StrongOpinions, who's not crazy about planes, is starting to get antsy about the flights. She and PH are on a different itinerary than me, and will have an 8-hour layover in Frankfurt - they'll go into the city and wander around to amuse themselves. Hopefully the melatonin will keep her calmed down. She'll have PH with her, who absolutely adores travel and will keep her calm. I'll be flying through Heathrow and meeting my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in the (ahem) First Class Lounge. 'Twill be nice seeing how the other half lives. I wish I had time on either end to visit my London friends, but that's not happening this trip.

I'm trying to not stress out about getting the independent study work done while there. The priest with whom I'll be working is a dear, but pinning him down is not easy. Yes, I know. all will be well. I'd just like it to be 20 pages of substance, not fluff. Enough whining for now.

A delightful diversion on Sunday: we went to Super-High Anglo-Catholic Church downtown for their 11:15 solemn mass. Beautiful! Great music well done, lots of smells and bells, and a great sermon by (surprise!) my NT professor. I'm not into the High Church thing, but you have to admire the skill with which it was done, and getting to hear the prof preach was a real joy.

I may try to check in once more before I go, and I expect to blog from Qatar...

Post-Christmas Recovery

I spent the day running errands, replenishing the refrigerator (a natural result of having two 20-something young men over for a few days), doing laundry, straightening up. I should be doing my Hebrew homework, since I doubt I'll have time to do it in the Middle East, and I should be doing more preliminary reading for the trip, but it seems like the thing I need to do most is to chill out. It was great having Litigator and StoneMason here (StrongOpinions is still here, since she'll be going with us on the trip.)

My sister-in-law called to give me some logistics. Only one carry-on bag, not to exceed 56 cm x 45 cm x 35 cm. No separate purse (it will need to fit into the carry-on, along with my meds and laptop and book and knitting and make-up). Guess I'm going to have to figure out how to travel a bit lighter than my norm. Of course, it's never clothes, it's always books and such.

I'm sleeping a lot, another natural result of holidays and family and such. I should be working out a lot, given my eating habits over the past week, but I won't worry about it. Yet.

Why Mothers Have Gray Hair

The airborne figure is StoneMason, doing what he loves best, competing on his snowboard.

NEWS FLASH!

Just found out that Princess Granddaughter is going to be a Big Sister. Her little brother or sister will arrive late in July, and will bring my grandkid count up to four. Since Princess Granddaughter is approaching five years old, I had doubted whether they'd have another one, but I guess they need another child to use some of the eight zillion toys PG has or has outgrown...(giggling madly, since I'm responsible for a bunch of them).

Ever so much more fun to talk about than NT exams!

Home Stretch

Survived the Hebrew mid-term today. Survived the Liturgics final and the Old Testament mid-term yesterday. Survived the Church Music take-home final last week. Only the New testament final awaits. Tomorrow morning. All Paul, all the time. Since we have yet to receive ANY of our written work back from this prof - didn't get our mid-term back either - we are all shooting in the dark in rpeparing for this examination. If I didn't love his lectures so much, I'd really be ticked.

I've worked with a wonderful study group on this material, but I still feel somewhat lost on preparing for it. The possible essay questions are so broad-ranging I hardly know where to begin. Oh, well, in another day it will all be past me, and then I'll be on to the next thing.

On a less stressful note, I've got all the gifts wrapped except for the hom-knit ones, and I'll get the last of them done within 48 hours (Litigator's skullcap). I think I am ready for a rest.

Then again, the Hebrew prof gave us homework...

Global Warming, or at least Local Warming

It will be in the mid-70's today in Your Nation's Capital. About 30 degrees higher than normal. My pocketbook likes it - lower heating bill - but my daffodil bulbs are way confused and all my non-winter clothes are stored away. Mebbe I should go naked....

No.

Never mind.

Bad idea.

It would scare horses and small children.

Back to studying...

My weekend with no one (well, not quite)...

Done this weekend:

1) outlined Genesis and Exodus in preparation for the OT exam. Still working on Leviticus. How much of it have I retained? I haven't a clue.

2) reviewed 500 Hebrew words, 5 different conjugations or paradigms, rules for all sorts of Hebrew grammar. How much of it have I retained? I haven't a clue.

3) did an analysis of Romans for my NT study group and organized and shared my class notes with my fellow students. How much of it have I retained? I haven't a clue.

4) organized all my materials for my open-book liturgics exam (I'll re-read the key articles tomorrow night). How much of it have I retained? I haven't a clue.

5) noted with sadness the decision by several Episcopal churches in my diocese to leave ECUSA to become part of the Church of Nigeria. Does this mean the end of ECUSA? Hardly. Does this mean the end of the debate? Hardly, but dialogue is better than picking up one's marbles and walking away. Jesus weeps.

6) started my new icon - turns out I'll be doing Saint Matthew, since I couldn't find a model icon for Sophia that spoke to me. It was soothing to pray and work on this project, although I won't put my hands on it again until mid-February after my research trip to the Persian Gulf, diocesan council and class retreat. I'll miss working on it. I had hoped my Saint Peter would be back - my teacher is varnishing it now - but he wasn't quite ready yet. I'll see him when I get back from my travels.

7) finished the first Woodsman Sock for StoneMason, and am periodically taking a break from studying to knit Sock Number Two, which I expect will be done in a day or two. Feels good to do something tactile and finite. I'm going to try and get a skullcap done for Litigator by Christmas...it'll be tight. I'd like to give something knitted to each kid (made a shawl/scarf thing for StrongOpinions already).

8) did four loads of laundry. How do we get so many things dirty in the course of a week?

9) went to a former Senior Warden's party. Good to be with friends, but the introvert in me can only take so much of that before I want to go for a walk in the woods, or take a nap.

10) visited a potential Field Ed site that I really liked. I'll talk with the vicar again at diocesan council.

Our OT professor, noting our jumpiness last week, said, "You know, you wouldn't be here if God didn't want you to be here, and God will help you. You know more than you think you do. Trust the Spirit." Wise words. I need to keep saying them to myself at least 2000 more times until Thursday noon, when the exams are done.

PH has been a prince, cooking for me. I am blessed!

I covet your prayers for this coming week, for focus, calm, and good memory.

Coming Up For Air One of These Days

I sang as soprano soloist at another Messiah last night, this one at the home parish. I'm hip deep in finishing the semester. Last session of the Liturgical Music class this evening, along with prep for the online exam. The Hebrew prof is driving us full throttle so we get through Chapter 15 before the final (gack). Piel verb forms. We finished the Pauline corpus in NT, and tomorrow we tackle more OT (scary looking forward toward THAT test). Last Liturgics class and practicum tomorrow (another exam that fills me with dread). Plus I've got to work on the study notes for my study group on Romans. Seems I'm the only one in the group who actually read the book that the prof assigned for Romans...

So I got back a small paper - one-pager - from the OT prof, who felt I should have gone deeper, and gave me a 3 out of 5. Gee whiz, how deep can you go on a one-page paper? 'Twas a small comfort that the others in the class also got 3's. The next paper for her is due tomorrow. Suffice to say it is three pages.

Five exams await, two online. I know I will survive, but it will be a busy week and a half. Plus I'm interviewing for a CPE placement on Wednesday. Plus I've been visiting different churches every Sunday scoping out potential Field ed placements for next year.

I think I need chocolate.

Or Valium.

At least I got my icon of Saint Peter done on Saturday. If Irena gets it varnished for me by next week, I'll take a picture and post it for you. He came out better than I thought he would. Saint Matthew will be next.

Knitting when I've got a moment here or there. Another pair of socks (probably for strong Opinions) will be done by tomorrow; then I'll start a pair of heavyweight socks for Stonemason, who's working this winter on chimney repairs in the North Country.

Maybe Thorazine.

Or sleep.

Whatcha think?

Ah, Saturday Night!

We did reasonably well at our Seminary Choir Messiah sing-along last night. It was a full house in the chapel. My singing of the soprano solos was well-received. Given that the other soloists were our choir director ( a tenor with an international reputation in his younger days as a specialist in early music) and two young people with vocal performance degrees from two of the best conservatories in the country, I was grateful to have not embarrassed myself. It was somewhat disconcerting to look up and see several of my professors in the audience. . .

Today was a whirlwind of various and sundry errands, but I got to icon-writing in the midst of it. St. Peter is two or three weeks away from being done. I'll post a pic of him when he's finished. I'd like to get him done before I go to the Middle East for January term and my independent study project. I'm trying to decide which icon I'll do next. I'd like to do a St Paul, but I'm also intrigued by the possibility of doing a Sophia. We shall see.

I was pleased to finish phase two of my NT exegesis paper. This part was word study. I was grateful to have studied Greek before getting to seminary - it made the research much more understandable. it was supposed to be five pages, but I barely kept the text of the paper to eight. It actually was something of a gas to do. Am tunring into an exegesis geek?

I'm up ten pounds since I started seminary, whch is annoying. It's mostly due to a lack of exercise. I'm lucky to get seven hours of sleep, much less add in 30-40 minutes of exercise. I suppose I should make the time. I'm not able to get all of the reams of reading assignments done (I'm not alone amongst my classmates in that regard) so it feels strange to be thinking of trying to fit exercise in as well.

I got brave and went to Costco for some household odds'n'ends, plus winter socks for StrongOpinions out in the cold and snow of Colorado, and gifts for the grandbabies. The crowds were not too bad, and I got out without buying anything stupid or ridiculously self-indulgent. I even got StrongOpinions' package mailed (including rolls of quarters for the laundromat - why she can't get to the bank herself, I don't know, but that aspect of living on her own hasn't quite settled yet).

Short ribs are braising on the stove, and I'm just about ready to crash for the night. Tomorrow I'll go check out another possible field ed site, and in the evening go to a showing of "The Ten Commandments." Believe it or not, it's an assignment for my OT class...

...and maybe somewhere in there, my dear usband and I will get to actually sit and talk to each other. What a concept!