wasteland theology

new name...Jen Hale Christy

2006-03-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

We haven't gotten the official photos yet, but here's one Kim took.
More posts to come...

Sparkling News

2005-11-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

So, I admit I'm horrible at this whole blogging thing. I can always come up with some excuse about why I'm too busy to write, but I think this time it's a pretty good one. On October 1, Dave Christy asked me to be his wife! :) We're getting married on March 11 in the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
I hope to get better at blogging at some point, but can't make any guarantees for the next several months (or years...). But I'll give it a fighting chance.

Happy November!

Breaking the Silence...

2005-06-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so maybe this is just how I roll...I'm good about posting for several days or a week or so, then I get insanely busy and decide I have no time to write. No time to write? You say. Well, ok. So I have been writing, but I haven't been posting. For what it's worth, and for whoever's interested, here are some of my recent thoughts:

So, the maymester class is over, my internship has begun, I'm in So. Cal for the next 2 months, and all of this means I'm away from Abilene and people that I care about (ok, 1 in particular...). But that's beside the point...And when I say 'beside the point,' I mean I'm in deep miss but will continue to assume a casually detached stance to maintain dignity (whatever shred remains), because that's not really what this blog is all about anyway. Ok, ok. I'm not gonna lie...I am anything but 'casually detached...' but anyway, I promise I'll try to avoid any appearance of sappiness.

Some exciting things have been happening around here...my brother and I have been enjoying the benefits of living in So. Cal, such as free movie screenings, close proximity to the beach, Coffee Bean, awesome shows,... And, living with the rents also has its benefits--pool, hot tub, workout room, enough video games and movies to keep one occupied for at least 6 or 7 years straight, the home theater, free room and board (which of course includes succulent delicacies), and of course, spending time with the fam.

Ok, now to the really exciting stuff--the internship. I've just completed the second week of my internship here at the Conejo Church of Christ, and I love it! It's been a happy adjustment from barren wasteland to beautiful Cali (but again, missing Abilene friends), and a challenging adjustment from seminary to ministry. I'm finding myself in situations where my MDIV training has left me up in the theological clouds unable to locate life on planet earth. So, it's been tough, but...suprisingly upbeat! I've gotten to work closely with Andy, the preacher, learning tons from him, joining him in meetings and for sermon planning. He's fantastically inclusive and has a depth and wisdom that I've already benefitted from greatly.

I've felt like a sponge the last two weeks, just soaking it all in (new surroundings, tons of new info, advice, new people, etc.), and the second week was a bit more burdensome than the first just as far as feeling a little overwhelmed with all the newness and the demands of the online class I'm teaching. Yeah, so I'm 'teaching' this online class through ACU which demands on average about 20 hours a week of my time, which just happens to be more than I had expected. So between that, the internship (which is of course top priority), and the late-night phone calls, there's definitely not time for a social life to speak of, and really not much time for relaxing (you know, doing any of those alleged hobbies). But, I can't complain. When I can drag my butt out of bed early enough, I get to walk Sammy (our dog) with my mom, down to Starbuck's (now THAT, I can get out of bed for). And, I've gotten to swim several days a week. For the rest of this month (until the online class ends), I suppose I'm ok with those being my two extra-curricular activities. But next month,...things will be different...starting with a trip to Dallas...

Who are you and what have you done with my dad?

2005-05-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last night my dad and I went to hear Jeff Walling speak at the Pepperdine Lectures. On the way over he asked me if I would share with him what I had shared earlier in the week with the ladies at the conference. He didn’t know it, but he was asking me to share with him my calling to ministry, which might include preaching some day. What ensued was a three hour conversation full of emoting (ok, certainly mostly or only on my part) and childhood events remembered and forgotten. I shared my sentiments about growing up in the churches of Christ, how I felt like a second-class citizen and did not receive the instruction or encouragement that I wish I would have received. I invited him to imagine what it must have been like (and still is, in many places) for a young girl growing up in our tradition—not being taught how to pray or speak (ok, we probably did this in cradle roll, but we were never really ‘taught’ as adolescents or young adults), generally not having your value or worth in the Kingdom expressed or reinforced, not having female role models in the church to learn from about ministry (this is an overstatement, I did see women baking casseroles, taking care of children, delivering food—but these were not the types of ministry I felt drawn or called to—I didn’t see women doing what I subconsciously felt like God wanted me to do).
I talked about my relationship with him—his emotional distance and general unavailability and how that impacted me and continues to eat away at me. Only in the last few years have I begun to uncover and address the scars left by our heritage, feeling rejected and neglected by my dad, and how those have hugely influenced my relationship with God. I realize it may not seem altogether appropriate to lump issues with my dad and churches of Christ together, but they have both been with me all my life and are inseparable in my mind. Anyway, that’s all another talk for another day. The thing I wanted to share today was the outcome of our conversation last night. I’m sure I was not talking to the same dad from my youth, and even now I didn’t really recognize him. When I told him in a terribly round-about way that I think I might have been blessed the gift of preaching, he didn’t freak out. He wasn’t angry, he didn’t condemn, and I don’t think he judged. We talked a lot about women’s roles in the church, what scripture says and doesn’t say, what the ramifications of chalking certain things up to ‘culture,’ the validity of scripture as a whole, what changes when we interpret single bits of scripture in light of the overall message of Christ… etc. We certainly didn’t agree on everything, but he surprised me with his overall response. He said that I have to do what is right for me, I have to go where I feel like God is leading me…there are things that he may not feel are right for him, but he’s not going to say they’re not right for someone else. I guess it sounds more than a bit pluralistic to say that everyone has to do what’s right ‘for them;’ and there certainly have to be some universals out there…I don’t know if this is how he would see it, he was having a hard time expressing himself. He said that he is still very unsure about gender issues in the church, but regardless of whether he approves, he will always support me. “If one day you are preaching at a church, I will definitely come and listen,” he said. That totally blew me away. Here I was attempting to prepare myself for the condemnation and sermons about the lakes of sulfur, and he tells me that he’ll willingly go hear me preach!—and this, without my asking! I totally couldn’t believe it. Now I’m sure this isn’t the response I’ll get from much of my extended family, but it was unbelievably comforting and encouraging. I still have very mixed feelings, but our conversation last night was a huge step towards healing.

comment-posting not working...here's a response to you guys

2005-05-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, no excommunications yet! Thanks for your powerful words of encouragement guys--it is truly a blessing to have the support of peers in any undertaking, but especially for women going into ministry, having the support of men is priceless. In the Women in Ministry conference I've been attending the last few days, we talked about men like you who are our supporters and those who go to bat for us, more specifically, those who make clear the way for us...We talked about how as women we can't burst in and demand increased roles, there have to be men who advocate for us in this delicate situation, and I am so grateful to you guys. Thank you for taking the time to read, and for caring enough to respond :)

humble, frightening beginnings...

2005-05-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whether or not I'll actually publish this post...I guess if you're reading it, you know what I decided. All my life really, but definitely in the last few years and most markedly in the last few months, I've been fighting to suppress the words and the passion within me that are dying to break forth. With great fear and trepidation, for the first time today I voiced in a very real and raw way, my passion and excitement for preaching. Some of you are aware that I took a preaching class this semester and it was like something inside me was tapped into that had been dormant all my life. I was shaking with nerves when I stood up to preach, but after a prayer from the podium, something (looking back, most certainly it was the Holy Spirit) absolutely overtook me and the words of God just poured out of me with excitement and deep emotion. I was absolutely on a spiritual high that day and for several days afterward--not knowing how to feel about this experience or what to do with this passion. I've told several people the story recently about when I was a small child in church and was horribly troubled at the thought of preaching--I remember listening, in awe, to the man on stage--I didn't know how he could possibly remember all those words and sentences, and I was panicked and anxious about how in the world I would be able to do that one day. At some point shortly after that however, I realized--wait a second, I'm a girl--only boys get to do anything at church, I don't ever have to worry about that. I'm not sure what brought me to that realization, but it certainly soothed my fears about the daunting task of preaching...little did I know I would in fact, preach one day.
The majority of my life has been lived saying no to God. Despite the subtle discouragement and overt repression I've experienced in the churches of Christ, I have also been strongly encouraged--my spiritual gifts have been identified by others who have tried to gently push me into ministry. In retrospect, I can acknowledge that I have always felt a deep calling to ministry, but for one reason or another, I have always managed to diminish, discard, or deny that calling. At various points throughout my life, I thought seriously about foreign missions (which is still a possibility) but I have acknowledged now what I only subconsciously knew then--I wanted to be a missionary because in our heritage, it was the only way for a woman to be involved in full-time ministry. In the last few years however, I've realized that missions, while obviously invaluable, are not the only way in which women can be involved in the service of the Lord. I started exploring other options--youth ministry, campus ministry...volunteer ministry on-the-side... But I kept returning to a strong resistance to the call, and deep down, I know this resistance comes from a place of internalized inferiority...from growing up in a heritage that told me I was to keep silent and be submissive. While I have come a long way from the child in the pew who said she would never have to preach, I still struggle intensely with the traditions and the indoctrination of the churches of Christ. You might be wondering why I don't just go to another denomination. That would certainly be the easy route in a lot of ways, but the fact is, I was born into this heritage and it is inextricably linked to the very core of my being. I love this faith tradition and I see an incredible renewal sweeping across our churches. Yes, I'll admit it's not going on everywhere--but in many churches of Christ there is a sort of 'great awakening' in which we've realized that we're not the only 'true' Christians, we're not the only ones going to heaven, and maybe the way we've done things in the past isn't necessarily the only or best way to do things. This renewal is something I am so excited about being a part of, though I have no idea what my role in it will be. Like I said before, I've resisted the calling for so long...I didn't want to make waves, nor did I want to deal with the very real and ugly consequences of disturbing the waters. But to suppress this calling and deny God's gifts any longer would be a grave display of ingratitude and cowardice. And, I know myself better than to let myself get carried away in rebelliousness--I'm too good at that. So I need a healthy dose of discernment, tact, wisdom, and the blessing of mentors and others who can confirm God's call and help me pick battles--know where to speak up and perhaps more importantly, know where to keep silent. I'm definitely still too scared to claim a call to preaching...I'm afraid I would be disowned by relatives, and the rejection by friends and those I don't even know is more than I can think about bearing. And yet, I cannot deny that God has given me powerful words of exhortation that I cannot keep inside--he keeps putting strong, loud messages on my heart that scream to be given voice to. D'Esta Love said tonight that stepping into the pulpit for the first time felt like home to her,...and this really resonated with me. There is something mysterious and beautiful in the whole process of developing a sermon that culminates in the passion-filled performance of the Word in the midst of the gathered body of believers. In my preaching class, when I actually began to speak the words given to me by God, I wasn't scared or nervous, I was excited and filled with zeal.
I want so desperately for this to end on a happy note, but the excitement I feel about ministry is weighed down with anxieties about what others will think, and the fear of parental disapproval especially, but also the disapproval of extended family members and friends. I know it is still a very uncommon thing in our heritage for women to publicly claim a calling to preach, and an individual who does this would surely be ostracized and marginalized by many. So perhaps I'm just afraid, or this is just all too new and I need time to let it sink in and accept it, or perhaps I'm totally off-base and not really called. But I know this for certain: if He is calling me, I want to say yes; I have heard the voice of the Lord; I know He is with me to guide my future as he has the past; and I believe I would be an unfaithful steward if I did not use the gifts God has given me...so the task--to discern where and in what way those gifts are to be used.
I apologize for the long post. I guess I will publish because I desperately want feedback--I would really appreciate prayers, reflections, and any other kinds of comments you could offer. Thanks for reading.

Be Still My Soul
Be still my soul, thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still my soul, the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

whirlwind 48 hours

2005-05-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

So, the last 48 hours have consisted of beach-chillin, rock-climbing, curb-hopping, church-going, and conference-attending. Yesterday morning, my brother and I headed out to Pt. Mugu which is north of Malibu and closer to us (about 20 minutes away). He wanted to go there to climb rocks and apparently see if his big sis would have a heart attack if he attempted to free-climb about a 50 foot, 80 degree incline rock formation. Yeah, I took pictures but totally freaked out. (Pictures to be posted soon). While we were there, we saw a mother and baby whale, two dolphins, and a sea otter--how freakin' cool is that?!? My parents and I went out for dinner last night, and my Dad let me drive his brand new Mazda RX-8 Shinka (special edition, =cherry)...did I mention he's only had the car for a few weeks? Yeah, so, pulling into the parking lot I hopped a curb and scratched the rim of the right rear wheel. Could I be any more careless? I am Jen's utter shame and self-loathing. Luckily, my Dad was totally cool with it all and still let me drive. Whoa. Today I had no major road incidents...we went to church this morning and had a combined service at which Jerry Rushford spoke. I also got to chat briefly with the preacher and we're going to meet next week to map out this summer and the internship. After church, the In-N-Out truck came and served us delicious burgers and I got to meet several people my age--some even who went to ACU! The Women in Ministry conference started this evening at Pepperdine, and D'Esta Love brought us the word. It was so encouraging to hear from other women and just to be around so many women who are embracing their calling to ministry. I'm super excited for what the next couple of days hold--and then the Pepperdine Lectures continue through the rest of the week!

And lastly--just for fun, (I got this from Jared Cramer) you can take the girl out of California, but...

American Cities That Best Fit You:

65% San Diego

60% Honolulu

60% Los Angeles

55% San Francisco

55% Seattle

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

1305 miles and 1130 minutes later...

2005-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Finally home! I left Abilene, TX yesterday morning at 7:30a and pulled into my parents' driveway in Newbury Park, CA at 12:20a last night. The drive was long (almost 19 hours long if you're not interested in doing the math), but not too bad and generally uneventful. It was sad to leave friends who have become family, but we'll all be together again in the fall--except, of course, for Jessica who just took a youth ministry job at a church in Fairfax, VA, and Kat who is moving back to Lubbock sometime this summer. Apparently the City of Abilene puts something in the water to drive the girls away. Jess & Kat--we're gonna miss you guys! The Metallics have been divided :(
What I'm doing for the summer... I'll be working as an associate ministry intern at Conejo Valley COC in Thousand Oaks, CA, and teaching Message of the Old Testament online through ACU. In July, my dad and I will be hiking Half Dome in Yosemite (woo hoo!!!), and I'll be travelling all around the coolest state ever to visit friends. For your drooling pleasure,...destinations include San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Mexico. Man I love this place.
Well, hopefully this summer I'll be much better at blogging, and provide you with more humorous and witty posts than simply informative jealousy-inducing ones. Well, I'm off to the beach! (Malibu, to be exact...;)

Loathsome Library Lip balm Larceny

2005-04-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

At about 9:42 last night, I received a shocking revelation that would uncover yet another irrational paranoia. Let me back up a little bit. It was a good day…I got to the library at about 9:30am, cranked out two papers and could finally see the light at the end of this semester’s tunnel. Feeling a strong sense of accomplishment, a reward seemed in order. So, my friend Jessica and I went to the Mall (which, in Abilene, might actually be considered a reward or a punishment…). After shopping and eating, we headed back to the library. Reaching the final step or two of the staircase that leads to the third floor of the ACU library, we peered through the doorway at our home away from home: the 15-ft long table flanked by the religious reference materials. But we had abandoned our home for a few hours, and it had been waylaid and reoccupied by four other individuals, one of them another seminarian. We proceeded to the large panoramic windows and settled into some chairs that probably weren’t even comfortable post-production in 1973. I walked briskly back to the table where we had spent the better part of the day, to retrieve a Bible (oh, by the way…we don’t really carry those around here—and in fact, we use them mostly as props). There was a considerable amount of commotion at the table, but I was uninterested—just needed to get the Word and go to work on another sermon. The seminary student who was seated at the table, let’s just call him Mr. Curious, looked over at me and with the excitement of a poodle who just shot up a double-dose of heroin, said, “Hey Jen Hale!” “Hey…” I said. “You guys aren’t using this, are you?” I asked motioning to the Bible, knowing the likelihood was microscopic. “Oh, nah.” One of them said. “Hey Jen, do you notice anything different about me?!” Inquired Mr. Curious. “Uhm…you’re not wearing your glasses?” I said, grasping for anything to satiate the solicitation. “Well—yeah, but no… something else” He said. Blink, blink. I stood there with a dull expression. He reached over to the middle of the table and picked up a small tube of pink sparkly lip gloss, a Juicy Tube to be exact. “Some girl left this here, and we both put it on!” (giggling) “We’re not gay or anything, we just tried it on.” Mr. Curious and the other guy at the table worked themselves into a mini-frenzy, choking out words and phrases between chuckles. Their voices were drowned out by the pulsing in my head and the horror pumping through my veins. I opened my mouth to speak and could hardly get the dreadful words out…”I think that’s…mine” I said slowly. “I was sitting here all day,…and I have that very same tube…I’m gonna go look in my purse and see if it’s missing…” Slowly and deliberately I walked back to where Jessica was seated and asked her to look in my purse. “Is there a Juicy Tube in that pocket?” I asked. “Uhm,…no…why?” “Oh crap.” Defeated, I shuffled back to the table to claim the soiled beauty product. Driving the final nail in the coffin, Mr. Curious quipped, “Jen, I feel like we have such a connection…”
And so, another lesson learned the hard way. I have an irrational fear of germs from those who are not in the inner circle. Ok, so I probably already knew this…but the recent breach has provided me (finally) with something to write about.

Sending you elsewhere...

2005-03-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I read Greg's digestion of the Christian use of cuss- or swear-words. He states at the outset that it will probably take you 5 minutes or so to read, but longer than that to mull it over afterwards...He's up to like 12 or 13 comments, I highly recommend you check it out. Click here to read Greg's proposal and other people's comments. Happy reading!

shame on me...

2005-03-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm a bad blogger. I admit it. Perhaps this is somehow connected with my commitment issues...ah well, another post for another day. So, in the last month or so, I've made some big decisions. After traveling to the Czech Republic over Spring Break, I decided not to join the team. This was a really tough decision to make, and an even harder one to tell the team. The team is SO awesome, they've got an exciting vision & the energy and dedication to make it happen. The portion of the team that lives here in Abilene has become some of my best friends, and I would LOVE to work with them long-term. But, over the last couple of months I began considering my role more practically. I've been thinking seriously about what kind of ministry I see myself involved in, and where is the best fit for that. When I visited the country and roamed among the people, although I liked it a lot (especially Olomouc!) and met several friendly peeps, I felt that God just was not calling me there. I do feel called to ministry though, and what I'm specifically passionate about is being involved in the renewal that is currently emerging in the churches of Christ. I have a deep passion for spiritual formation that is lived out in the communities in which we live. Our heritage is rich, and because we are a Restoration movement, I believe we'll always be about the business of change and growth into Christ's church. We have a long way to go, but I'm excited about the journey and anxious to see what my part in it will be. Ideally, long-term, (at least at the moment...my plans are always subject to change!) I see myself in some kind of an associate ministry role, where the areas of emphasis will be varied, but my passions of church education reform, breaking down generational barriers, social justice, and involvement will surely be some of my main focuses. Also ideally, I'd like to be in California (you can take the girl out of California...), preferably in the Bay Area, LA area, or San Diego...probably in that order. But, I'd probably be agreeable to Oregon or Washington as well. Ok, ok...I suppose I would be willing to live elsewhere, certainly if I felt called there...I'm just dreaming here.
So, this summer I hope to be working with the preaching minister at the church my family attends in Thousand Oaks, CA, as an associate ministry intern. I'll be attending the Women in Ministry Conference held at Pepperdine in May, and am super excited about that! So, one more year of grad school and then the job search begins...can't hide in school anymore.
I'll try to be more regular about writing...though I doubt anyone wants to read what would probably just become a journal. When I have something controversial to talk about (something that I don't mind letting anyone and everyone know where I stand on...), I'll write--I think that's the point of this whole blog thing. For now, if anyone hasn't yet checked out Greg Kendall-Ball's blog, you definitely should--he's always bringing up controversial (usually COC-related) topics (which I'm sure adds to his magnificent readership). Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts on women in ministry, women in missions, the mission field of America, or something totally not related to anything I wrote about :)

Team Olomouc (+2)

2005-02-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

Team Olomouc (+2)
Originally uploaded by jenhale.

Here's a picture of Team Olomouc, plus two prospectives. The single people are the left-wingers, Christie (prospective), Mitch, Christie (yep, that's confusing), and behind them are yours truly, and Graham. The marrieds are Sarah w/ hubby Josh, and Sarah (just gets more and more confusing) w/ hubby Corey. This photo was taken at a fund-raising workshop hosted by Missions Resource Network (awesome resource for missionaries!). Christie (blond) and I (and maybe the other Christie) will be travelling to the Czech Republic in just over two weeks--we're so excited!! Shortly after that, (& now that I've gotten the *official* invite) I should be making my final decision. Thanks for the prayers everyone!

photos

2005-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Quick note, I added a new photo blog that I'll update with some frequency. There's a link in the sidebar, or you can click here: Jen's Photos

the scarlet letter: S

2005-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

S is for Single, you know, that dirty word.
So what's the deal with the stigma attached to being single anyway? I think it's absolutely fantastic! Being single has allowed me to go to four California schools for my undergraduate work, move to the other coast and teach for a year, then pick up again and move to the middle--Abilene, TX, where I've been for the last 2 1/2 years working on my Master's. Of course I can't say with certainty what I might or might not have done had I been married any or all of that time. But, I can definitely say my options would have been limited. Even now as I prepare to decide about joining the Czech team, I technically have no one to consider other than myself. Of course I have to think about friends and family, but marrieds & singles alike have to do that. What I'm saying is I have the freedom to go, and the freedom to stay--my decisions are not contingent upon a spouse. [woo-hoo! Who doesn't love unilateral decision-making?!?] Would it be nice to have someone to cast visions and share dreams with, to make plans with and go on incredible adventures together? Sure. Someday. But for now, I'm not gonna lament my singledom. As a single person, there are so many things God can do through me that would probably not be possible for a married person. On the field, I can devote a great deal of time to ministry without a spouse suffering the consequences of my time away. I can reach out to and be an encouragement to single women, especially those who are preparing for ministry. Not to mention I get to keep being footloose & fancy-free! Wow, that sounded so old-ladyish...what I meant to say was, I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away.... Oh wait. Gosh-idiot! So, I'm carefree & lovin' it--that's all I have to say about that.
Here's my beef though... people who make you feel like if you're still single (at age 25, though I think it started around 22), you somehow have not 'arrived' in life, you're not a whole or complete person. I don't think most people actually try to do this, but it's the impression they give...it's subtle, but it's there. Everyone wants to talk about your love life, your interests, they want to hook you up with their friend, cousin, brother, husband's co-worker's uncle's brother. Ok, I overexaggerate... but seriously there is something that lurks subconsciously in the thoughts, speech, and actions of the married toward the unmarried. Ok, now the qualification--not everyone does this, nor do most people do this all the time... ok, and maybe it's all in my head. Perhaps I'm the one with the single complex. Perhaps, but I don't think so. Any words of wisdom out there?

looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays...

2005-01-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

Who else is totally in love with the movie "Office Space?" [If you haven't seen it and aren't terribly offended by well-placed obscenities, I highly recommend a viewing.] While I'm definitely a morning person and generally positive, optimistic, and upbeat, today I definitely have a case of the Mondays... The semester is in full-swing, and the reading/writing requirements are through the roof. Whatever happened to the piggy-bank theory of education and multiple-choice tests?! Ahh.. the good ole' days. Ok, I don't really wish I could go back to those days, but sometimes I lament the demands placed on my brain...as one who craves social interaction, reading for hours on end --and then reflecting and writing about it, then reading what my colleagues thought and responding to their reflections-- doesn't really float my boat. I know, I know, cry me a river. How does the rest of the non-graduate-student world spend their time? Inquiring minds want to know...

In other news... Has anyone heard of a band called "The Arcade Fire?" My brother John put their CD "Funeral" on his Christmas list, and since I love the music of John's band, "My Little Phony," I figured I would love his taste...I was not disappointed--this band rocks! I was rallying a group to go see them in Dallas last weekend, but by Thursday they were SOLD OUT! So I'm not having much luck on the concert-front.

I'm interested in getting a discussion going about a controversial topic facing us today...feet. How do you feel about feet? (your own, others, proximity issues, when is it appropriate for them to make an appearance, etc.)...let's chat.

tell me something I didn't know...

2005-01-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

Ok. So here's what you get with a 3-minute Internet test for personality disorders. It's actually kind of interesting, though not revealing if you're a person who has spent at least five minutes of your life in self-reflection. I thought about posting the whole chart of results, but I think I'll just give you a tidbit, Jen scores 70% OCD. Duh. Anyone who knows me well will attest to the high degree of cleanliness (which is next to Godliness, I might add) and need for order (which could both perhaps at times be perceived as obsessive) ...yes, I admit I 409 my counters a few times a day--I like things clean, sue me! So what if I alphabetize my pantry? Ok, just kidding about that last part. Anyway, I stumbled upon this test from a classmate of mine (...the whole signing your initials thing was mysterious, but leaving your web address--not so much :)
So, faithful readers--I encourage you to take 5 minutes and self-diagnose (why pay $300+ an hour for a psychiatrist?!?), if nothing else, it's good for a laugh. Take Free Personality Disorder Test personality tests by similarminds.com
Oh, and all's well in Abilene (as much as it can be anyway) Alias is back on the air and all is right with the world. Nashledanou! (goodbye in Czech)

purge number two

2005-01-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm off by one day. My apologies. I'm trying hard to uphold this commitment--bear with me. So I just got back from Ft. Worth yesterday. A bunch of friends and I had tickets to the Jimmy Eat World concert in Dallas on Friday night, but we were devastated to receive an email early in the day informing us that the concert had been cancelled and would be rescheduled shortly. Nevertheless, we had plans to be in the area all weekend for some team training so we headed up Friday anyway. We spent the weekend entrenched in hours of conversations about doctrinal issues and our vision for the Czech Republic. (Right about now, you might be asking yourself--isn't that kind of weird Jen, since you're not even officially on the team? Yes, it's a bit odd--but the team is sooo great about being inclusive, another girl, Christie Kerschbaum, and I both spent the weekend walking and talking like team members and it was great.) We also got to attend a fund-raising workshop hosted by Missions Resource Network which will hopefully prove to be very useful in the near future ;)
So where am I at with the team? This weekend was very affirming and the more I get to know the team, the more I love 'em! Like I said, I won't make a final decision until after I return from visiting in March, but if I had to put a number to it, I'd say I'm about 90% sure I'll join. Here are some concerns... leaving family for such a length of time (5-10 years), leaving familiar places and faces in general, making sure I'm equipped to be part of a mission team in general--and this team in particular, and of course--I want to feel as certain as possible that this is God's will for my life. I ask for your continued prayers (and promise the next post will be lighter!!). Blessings :)

purge number one

2005-01-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

That's my name, don't wear it out. Ok, what follows is the first official post upon which your eyes may feast. I'm committing to post at least once a week, but feel free to send hate mail when I fall behind (ok, just kidding about that last part--I only read happy emails :). Anyway, here goes nothin.

Greetings, and thanks for taking a few minutes to look at my new blog! A little behind in the 'blog' times, but I have finally arrived. My inspiration comes from the blog of a good friend, Greg Kendall-Ball. I'm sure I'll fall miserably short of any aspirations of living up to his standard of prose, but hey--you gotta get in the game, right?

For those of you I haven't talked to in a while, here's an update. I'm a 3rd year Master of Divinity student at Abilene Christian University. Third year?!? You say. Yes, this is possibly the longest masters degree ever (I'll let you draw your own conclusions about my motives). The degree program is 84-hours, and I'll finish in May 2006. Post-grad plans are 'officially' up in the air, but unofficially, I plan to join a mission team that is going to Olomouc, Czech Republic in the fall of 2006. I could go on and on (and on!) about the team and the vision, but for now (since nothing is 'official'), I'll leave it at that, and let you know that I'm taking a survey trip there in March, after which time I will be making a final decision (and of course, the team will be deciding if they want me!).

Well, for the next year and a half, I'll continue to call Abilene, TX 'home' (some would call it a barren wasteland). When you have a few spare moments, for a fun trick, find a globe (you know, that round thing with the USA and all those other countries that we never talk about) and put your finger on the middle of Texas (which would be Abilene), and look around (go, go gadget-arms!) to the same point 180 degrees around the globe...interesting.

Well, next time we'll get right to the important stuff. For now, allow me to make the disclaimer that I so greatly appreciated from Greg's blog: "Feel free to comment, but remember, if you don't have anything nice to say, be sure to say something mean in a witty, enjoyable way (it makes it easier to swallow when the mean pill has a sarcastic, witty outer coating...)"