No Clever Title For This Post

It's been a couple weeks since I gave an update last and I decided it is time for another.

September/early October:

I spent a lot of time at physical therapy just trying to get my body in a good place. I was able to get to that good place, but then something else decided it wanted to rear it's ugly head inside. So needless to say, I've been very sick the past few weeks. I can hardly eat anything without getting ill or nauseous. So I've been spending a lot of time visiting a few doctors and taking a lot of tests.

I started a low-fat diet in response to the pain I've been having. This has been really difficult because I didn't realize that some of the things I was eating were fatty. I've started having to read labels and ingredients which kind of puts a damper on the entire eating thing. Oh well. I was a healthy eater before, so it's just ramping it up a couple more notches I guess.

I went to the local wine-tasting festival in my hometown with a couple of friends from college. You pay $10, get a glass and then walk up and down the block getting your glass filled at all the little shops. It took us three and a half hours to get around the block. I was so happy that my friends decided to come to my little tiny town to have some fun. I had a blast drinking some wine and just sharing in some quality time with real, honest people.

I celebrated my 23rd birthday this past Sunday. I had some tests on the following Monday, so I celebrated on that Saturday by getting my hair cut and my nails done. I also invested in the new Kenny Chesney album as another gift to myself. On my birthday, I watched a marathon of "Project Runway" and "On the Road with Austin & Santino" on Lifetime. It was pretty dang good. I also watched snippets of Hot Rod in between these shows. It was a pretty chill day for the most part and I enjoyed that because I don't get very many days like these.

I became the youth leader at my church. I offered to help every once in a while and the entire program gets dumped in my lap. So that's fun or not so fun depending on how you look at it. I'll let you know when I start pulling out my hair.

I have a weekend getaway planned to Chicago in the middle of November. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MY GIRLS!!! I need this and I need some time with my great friends from college. I miss my girls. I miss being around people who are like me, like the same things as me and who inspire me. People I can have fun with and not be judged for it because they are right there with me doing the same thing. I will be counting down the days until then.

I had lunch with a friend whom I hadn't seen in quite a few years. It was great. He's ridiculously knowledgeable about anything education, fitness, sports or nutrition related. I left after that three hour lunch with so much more knowledge about things and about my friend as a person. I also left feeling motivated to be a better person and to really examine my life and what I'm doing in it. I don't think he realizes the impact that he made that day.

Also, the restaurant we dined at was delicious and is a vegetarian/vegan joint in Waterloo that was very reasonably priced. The executive chef/owner is good friends with my friend and he came out and just chatted for about thirty minutes with us. I was so surprised that he took the time out of his day to do that. And I learned a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers during our conversation with him. The NFL has some players who really go above and beyond their call of duty when it comes to giving back to the communities that they live and play in. I'm not a huge NFL fan, but I gained some more respect for some of the players and people after this conversation.

And if you are wondering about work because I haven't mentioned it in this post yet, no worries. It is all good. I spend a lot of time traveling to see people and listening and trying to help them with what I can. Some days I feel like an ass and other days I feel like I have actually accomplished something. But who doesn't have days like that, right?

Much Love,
Hilary

Long Overdue Update

It's been almost 2 months since I've blogged here last. I have a tumblr too now so I've been on there because it is easier than blogspot. But in my two-month retrospective thought: I really do not spend a lot of time online unless it is looking at stuff for work. So I will give a quick update on the past few months of my life.

August:

I really started getting into work and traveling to see clients. I meet some of the most interesting and heartbreaking people. Also, some sneaky and pretty selfish people too. I guess you win some and lose some. I got peed on, spit on, and kicked all at work one day - and I still had to drive 2 hours home after the peeing episode. Needless to say, that was not a good day for me.

I started physical therapy. My body hated me for it. Something needed to change because I wanted - no needed - to start feeling better.

I've gotten to reconnect and hang with some people from high school and from Wartburg. That's been good and much needed. I've been spending time with my grandparents and this has been good for me. I really enjoy spending time with them and hearing their stories. Plus, my grandpa has been helping me fix my car. It feels good to put some sweat equity into my car and reap the benefits.

I had a Scentsy party. It was a hit. I made bank in free items. Honestly, I am quite the salesperson when I want to be. It's all about reading people.

I've seen a plethora (well, not really) of movies lately: Salt, Ramona & Beezus, Despicable Me, and Eat Pray Love. Eat Pray Love really made me want to travel the world again. I will again - soon. You can count on that.

September:

I'm still trying to balance work and having a social life, which is/can be hard because I live in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I've gotten to see some more friends.

My body is getting better and not hating me so much for pt.

I've been spending some time just doing what I want to do: reading (started Eat Pray Love [It's superior to the film] and heaps of other novels), painting, napping, and whatnot. I make a point to treat myself to Panera once a week - simply because I love it and want to.

I've decided to actively take up playing the guitar so I set up private lessons. I was so proud of myself for taking the initiative to admit that's what I want to do and to go through with setting it up. It's gonna be hard, but amazing too. I can feel it already.

That's all for now.

Until I write again,

Hilary

Update :)

This past Friday I was able to catch up with my good friend Megan. It was good to see her and just hang out. I hadn't seen her since graduation, but it was so good to be around people my age again. We grilled out with her two roommates (Lora & Dan) and then watched The Time Traveler's Wife (I've already read the book so I knew what was going to happen). I spent the entire time just laughing because Dan and his girlfriend Lora are hilarious. It was a good time and I can't wait to see her again. Her 22nd birthday celebration is coming up in a few weeks and that should be a good time too.

Life is crazy, but good! :)

Who's Employed? Me!

I decided to write this one for the books... today, I am officially employed! I went in for an interview and came out with the job. I am so excited!

Cheers,
Hilary

Weddings and IAC 2010 Recap

I just arrived back home from a wedding tonight. There were some funny parts during the wedding that I don't think I will forget for a while. It was a beautiful wedding and I enjoyed those who were at the wedding and reception. It was a mix of people I went to middle school/high school with as well as people I just graduated college with. I have another wedding in two weeks and it should be fun too. All of these weddings really just affirm that I have no desire to get married right now.

In other news, I spent four days this past week at the Iowa Annual Conference [of Methodists]. It was interesting, boring, tiring, and irritating all at the same time. I forget how argumentative people can be over simple placement of words and just words in general. This year it was a different group of individuals who decided to stand up repeatedly. I generally do not mind when people stand up to voice their opinion, however, if someone is just being ignorant then I have a problem. It also does not help that a lot of the people at conference tend to be much older [we are talking 60s +] than I and we tend to have much differing opinions on issues. I was just so glad to be headed home when Tuesday afternoon arrived.

A good thing to come out of this was the fact that because I was sitting all I day, I started to workout again at night after conference was over. Nothing feels better than being lumber after a long tiring day of doing nothing! Conference was also amazing in the aspect that I get to meet and listen to a lot of well-known Methodist figures. I had breakfast with Bishop Rueben Job one morning, and the previous morning Bishop Arthur Kulah had breakfast a table over from me. Bishop Kulah gave a really good sermon that I wish a lot more people could have heard. Bishop Job used to be a presiding bishop of Iowa; I was fortunate to be able to listen to him talk as well. My favorite part of conference every year is Ted Lyddon Hatten - the conference artist. He just blows me away with his poetry and the way his art fits into what we are doing and the world in general. I wish I had an ounce of the artistic ability that God has given that man.

I am giving a talk tomorrow at church about the things I learned, etc. at conference and I have no idea what I am going to say yet. Instead I am just going to pray that the good Lord uses the Spirit to get what he wants across tomorrow because I am too tired to even stay up another minute.

Cheers,
Hilary

Concerts, Concerts, and More Concerts.

I have been busy lately - going to concerts that is!

- A month ago I was at the Casting Crowns, Tenth Avenue North & Caleb Chapman concert. It was amazing.

Casting Crowns from the top of the venue

- I followed that up a week later with The Rock & Road Worship Tour featuring Mercy Me, David Crowder Band, Family Force 5, Fee, Remedy Drive, Francesca Battistelli, and Sidewalk Prophets.

MercyMe during their set.

- Last Friday, I journeyed to Moline, IL to see my favorite band - Paramore! They were there with Relient K and Fun. It was by far one of the best concerts I have been to (and I have been to many!). Hayley Williams' voice is so damn good. It is amazing on the record and live.

Matthew Thiessen from Relient K

- And today I am getting ready to head to Chicago with my roommate and some others, where I will be seeing another band favorite: Something Corporate. CAN'T WAIT!!! 3OH!3, Cobra Starship, Travie McCoy & the Lazarus Project and a few others that I do not know will be there. Ahhh! To top it off, I will get to enjoy a few romps around the city too.

And I just remembered why I never upload photos to blogger anymore - it takes forever and is a pain!

Cheers,

Hilary

All photos taken and owned by Hilary Wieck.

Break: Numero Dos!

Hey all,

So this is basically spring break #2 and it has gone very swimmingly. I have been uber-productive.

1. I have been editing videos for our service trip dvd.
2. I have gone through everything I own and am having a garage sale on Saturday.
3. I have gotten rid of A LOT of stuff that I do not need or want anymore. Yay!
4. I have read 3 of the comic books that are on the required reading list for my May term class.
5. I have hardly watched any television. This is strange, but good.
6. I have gotten Iowa annual conference stuff squared away.
7. I did watch Glee. But that is only an hour of TV. Plus, it is so good that it does not really count as television - more of an hour of amazing musical genius.

Now I am off to buy a gift for my little cousin for his 1st birthday party.

Cheers,
Hilary

I Like Libraries.

Recently I have been having some really random conversations with people. Some of whom I know, and others who I do not know. Here are some snippets below:

Boy Librarian Who Likes Graphic Novels: "You like comic books?!" Me: "Not really. I just am taking a class on them soon so I was going to get a head start on reading them." BLWLGN: "Maus is such a good starter for you then. Art Spigelman did such a good job on the story and illustrations. It really goes into detail about the Holocaust. And each animal represents someone from that time period." Me: "Okay... thanks?" BLWLGN: "Watchmen is good too." Me: "Dually noted. The professor must think so too 'cause it's on the reading list."

Me: "Yeah, I am checking out all of these books for my capstone class. It should be fun." Girl Librarian Who Loves Vampire Novels: "I would not call these fifteen books fun! It's on religion." Me: "Exactly. It's a bit different than what I have been reading lately - vampire novels." GLWLVN: "No way! I LOVE vampire novels. Have you read Anne Rice? Patricia Briggs? RICHELLE MEAD?" Me: "No. But have you read Charlene Harris, Kimberly Raye, Laurell K. Hamilton, or P.C. & Kristin Cast?" GLWLVN: "No. Let me write these down, and I'll make you a list." (I still have that list and intend on reading all of those books soon. This girl [not me - GLWLVN] wants to be a librarian so I am gonna take her reading suggestions seriously.)

There have been more, but at the moment I need to be focusing on health care financing, retirement security and immigration policy. Whew that's a load. Thank God I am not the President of the United States.

Cheers,
Hilary

Veg Time!

Hey all,

After this capstone paper is turned in tomorrow at 5pm, I am going to grab a drink with other religion capstone members. Then I am going to veg out in front of my tv to the E! Channel as well as VH1, Bravo and Lifetime. And I will need to catch up on tonight's episode of "Project Runway" and Tuesday's new episode of "Glee". After all of this, I will begin to study for finals.

Thank you Jesus for things not related to theology.

Cheers,
Hilary

Religious Scholar... and Pop-Culture Guru

Earlier today, with today actually meaning Monday since I haven't slept yet, I had some random thoughts about myself in terms of education & identity. And it all started with this...

In my religion capstone class, we took a group photo of the entire class as a way of memory. In hindsight, it was [kinda] fun - we were saying things like "heresy" and "damnation" as the camera was clicking. How often do I get to say those things when a picture is getting taken? Never!

After class, I was thinking about my education as a religion major and I couldn't decide on whether or not I am a religious scholar. I don't know why I was thinking this other than the fact that I was thinking about life after college and what my education has done or will do for me.

"Scholar" is such a lofty word, yet at times I do not know where to place my education. I decided that I feel scholarly - some days. I decided to look up "scholar" in the dictionary and the first definition was: "a learned or erudite person, especially one who has profound knowledge of a particular subject." After reading this, I thought that I am a scholar who knows an insane amount of knowledge on religious ideas, theologies, ministries, and theologians, etc. [as well as popular culture - but one can hardly be scholarly in that right?]. But I decided that I could know even more than I already do and that's why I only feel scholarly sometimes.

After more thought, I was thinking that I know more than the average Christian does and this saddens me. Don't misinterpret me, I am not bragging by any means! I just have studied religion for the past 4 years of my life so I have gained a vast knowledge-base and can say this freely. I feel that all believers in Jesus should know about atonement theology, the emergent church, different denominations, liberation theology, how proof-texting is bad, discernment, the cross, Roman historical context and much more; yet many do not. I know people who are atheists or believe in another religion who are more knowledgeable than Christians. I think that I could pick out 20 people from my home congregation and ask them about these topics stated above and I can bet that not many have heard of these or know anything about them. I just feel very sad by this, but happy that I have the knowledge that I do. I want to share it with others, but I'm not sure how [and not from the pulpit!!!].

Enough introspective thought for now. I have a paper to finish.

Cheers,
Hilary

School List

I love lists... so here is one about school:

- 1 week until my last Winter term at Wartburg is done with
- Finals week after this week - which will then officially be the end of Winter term
- Tour week after that!!!
- May term (also known as "play term")
- Graduation at the end of May

So crazy that this journey is almost over. I am ready to begin a new one.

Later,
Hilary

I don't understand?! (For lack of a better blog title)

Random post alert. You were forewarned. Haha.

Someone is partying a few houses down from me and this doesn't bother me except for the fact that it is so loud. I don't understand how some people have nothing to do on a Wednesday night two weeks before finals. This is the biggest time of the year for homework, projects, presentations, etc. right now. And it's not even 9 o'clock yet. Maybe I am just getting old because I no longer (or ever really) had the desire to go out and get crazy when I have things to do.

I now must pack everything back up and migrate to the library where there will hopefully be quiet to be found and papers to be done.

Also check out "The XX" - they are my new jam!

Cheers,
Hilary

Horchata

I want to teach myself how to make horchata. I love to drink it and have been craving it for a while. During my time in SoCal a few summer ago Rosario was going to teach me how to make it. But that didn't happen as she is quite the busy lady. I do miss her amazing Mexican food though. That woman can make mean sopas and I have not found anyone else or any other establishment that can make them like her.

Also, check out the Vampire Weekend's song called "Horchata" - I love it! :)

Cheers,
Hilary

Odd & Ends: Pt. 2

I was feeling an "odd and ends" kind of day today and because I liked the title of my previous post about odds and ends so much... I decided to continue it as an ongoing dialogue (or something like that!). Enjoy!

Cleaning the windshield of my car with the squeegee thing at the gas station makes me happy. Seriously, it does.

It is less than one week until I can tweet again. Not sure what my first post will be. Or when it will be. Or if I will wait even longer to get back on to Twitter.

Easter has flown by this year and I can't really believe it is almost done with. Jesus hasn't risen yet, but soon.

'The Blindside' is such a great film. I highly recommend it!

I wish people still sent letters in the mail. I really enjoyed that time period. Not that I received many letters then since I was still young, but I won't deny that it was good while it lasted.

I love to read... a lot. Because I haven't been able to read as much as I would like to right now... I had a dream that I was a book editor the other night. May term can not get here fast enough. Then my dreams can return to normal again.

Sweet tea is amazing. I wish Iowans made it like North Carolinans do.

Sun tea is amazing as well. I shall start making that soon. Yay! :)

Also, it is to be in the 70s for most of this week. Another yay! :)

Cheers,
Hilary

Dreamin' of NYC

Ah,

I should be finishing a paper right now, but instead I am reading blogs by New Yorkers and wishing I was there already! Tour Week can not honestly come soon enough. I need a new pair of sunnies - and they will be purchased in NYC.

Cheers,
Hilary

Rep. Randy Neugebauer - Shame On You!

One thing that my mother taught me while I was growing up was... manners. You can not get very far in life without them. One of the biggest lessons in manners is... never interrupt someone while they are talking. It is an extremely rude thing to do.

I was shocked and appalled at the events that took place last night in the nation's House of Representatives chambers. Representative Randy Neugebauer proceeded to yell out, "baby killer!" in the middle of Rep. Bart Stupak's speech on the agreement that he and other Democrats had reached with the Obama Administration about the prevention of funding abortions in the new health care bill.

Rep. Randy Neugebauer - I think you look stupid and ridiculous. And class-less. Did your mother ever teach you manners? And if she did, where the hell did you leave them at last night? I found your statement rude and uncalled for. While millions of Americans may be praising you today, I do not think that you are a hero for the little stunt you pulled. You set a bad example for the people of our nation and did you forget where you were at? I find it upsetting that our Congressmen and Congresswomen seem to forget their manners at crucial times and in very important places. Millions of people in America and around the world were watching you and instead of acting like a gentleman, Mr. Neugebauer, you acted like a jackass. You should learn to control your emotions better in critical times and maybe how to represent your Texan constituents better. I'd be even more pissed off than I am right now if you were my representative and acting like this. I know you apologized saying that you were only expressing exactly what your constituents were saying, but it still is uncalled for and there are better venues to say what your people are thinking and feeling.

Until the next post,
Hilary

What is he doing? He's futterwacken.

Hey there,

I watched 'Precious' last night with my roommates. The film is so well done and really follows the book. I had to read the book for a class a couple of years ago and I will never forget it (and I kept the book instead of selling it back). I think that the written word can be so powerful, enriching, motivating and moving and 'Push': A Novel by Sapphire is all of those things and more.

I just recently saw Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' with two of my friends. It was a good movie for the most part, I just forgot how demented and twisted the story was to begin with. Also, I did not like the futterwacken dance. It was just too weird. And every time Alan Rickman talked I could not help but think of Professor Snape from the Harry Potter films!

A roommate and I watched 'True Lies' last night on CMT (after we watched Pauly Shores' 'Son-in-Law' movie) and I have to say that it was a decent movie. The fight scene where Jamie Lee Curtis drops her gun and it proceeds to kill like 15 men while hitting the steps with her standing there screaming at the top... is priceless. I laughed so hard. Parts of it were just so outrageous that you can't help but laugh. Especially because Arnold Schwarzenegger is in it and you know how his movies are.

A quick disclaimer: I usually don't watch movie after movie, but sometimes it is nice to do just that!

Cheers,
Hilary

Reconnecting... With People

Hey y'all.

Recently I have had the lovely experience of "catching up" with friends at the most unexpected times.

On Monday, I had dinner with two of my lovely friends from Chicago. I love those two so much! I got to spend some quality time with them just hearing how their breaks went and how life is going in general. I also ran into a friend who loves Beyonce, so it was nice chatting with him about that too.

On Tuesday, I had a pancake dinner with a good friend. It was nice to catch up with her and trade stories about our service trips and the adventures we had on that.

On Wednesday, I ran into a friend from freshman year who I hadn't talk to in a very long time. I stood in the middle of the sidewalk and chatted with him for over an hour. It was a good conversation and it was nice to see how we each have grown over the past four years. I am having dinner with him sometime next week and I am excited.

Then a few short hours later, a friend whom I hadn't talked to in about 5 months randomly called to see if he could come over and talk. I chatted with him for almost an hour too and that was refreshing as well.

I had another friend, whom I had had dinner with that night, come over and we watched "Up!" together while having some drinks (in honor of my Irish background!). The film was very good and I haven't laughed that hard since the service trip last week. I got to chat with my friend for a while afterwards. It was really good getting to know her better.

Then today, I ran into a friend as I was leaving my film class. We stood outside and chatted for well over an hour until we decided that we needed to hang out because we hadn't seen each other in a long time. She also informed me that she couldn't wait until I started tweeting again on Twitter because she misses them. I chuckled because I haven't really missed tweeting all that much. It was really good talking to her as well because I've gotten to see how she has grown over the past three years (and I used to be her RA!).

Just now I ran into a girl that went on my service trip and had a good chat with her too. She randomly just pulled a Kdit cup out of her coat pocket, walked into the Kdit, filled it up and walked out without talking to anyone. One of the best things I've seen in a while! We are going to see "Alice in Wonderland" this weekend and I am excited!

It has been really interesting to see the people that I have reconnected with this week and others that may come along. I have been pondering how God has been working in all of those conversations. It is so easy to just get caught up in ourselves these days and the things that we are doing. I honestly am so busy that sometimes, I forget to have a social life. It is just about finding that right balance between work, school, extra activities, family and friends (or whatever else you are doing) and making sure that you are taking care of yourself in the process.

What has been a good thing too, is that most of the conversations have taken place outside and the weather has been WONDERFUL the past couple of days. Snow tomorrow and the day afterwards which means that Mother Nature hasn't decided that winter should be fully gone yet. Boo.

Cheers,
Hilary

Something Corporate!

Hey y'all.

I just bought my ticket to Bamboozle Chicago where (drumroll please...) SOMETHING CORPORATE will be playing!!! SO EXCITED! 3OH!3 is playing, as is Cobra Starship, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes and a bunch of others who haven't even been named yet. WHOOP WHOOP!

This totally makes up for when I was younger (I was in high school) and my brother didn't take me to the Something Corporate concert when they came to Iowa. He took his girlfriend at the time and she had the nerve to flaunt her new SC t-shirt in front of me at an Iowa football game the next day. I was so mad that I cried. I had wanted to go so bad. And now I can and it is gonna be even better than it would have been then!

Cheers,
Hilary

A Little Thinkin'...

Hey y'all.

I have been mulling some thoughts over and over in my head for a while now. Most of them pertain to my religion classes and capstone in particular. Or maybe just aspects of my religious journey thus far. I guess I am not really sure where this blog is going, but I am okay with that.

I have been noticing that I do not really feel prepared at all for my capstone class - mentally, emotionally and figuratively. I have taken all the other required religion courses at Wartburg as well as a few others just for the heck of it, but I just do not feel that any of them really prepared me for this class in some big way. I know that it is baby steps that lead up to the big picture, but right now the big picture just looks fuzzy.

I have been mulling over the fact that capstone is just really messing with my theology. Granted I didn't have one specific theology, but I knew what I thought about some things and issues. I was really sure about Methodist doctrines, methods, and theology. Now, I am just unsure in general and I don't know where to go from here.

Let's flashback to 10 years ago to when I was in confirmation. I was the kid that always asked the hard questions. And most of the time, I didn't get answers because Pastor Don did not know the answers. I accepted this and just tried to find my own answers or I would ponder more. I really took learning the Bible seriously and tried to understand how life relates to the Bible.

Flash forward to high school - I didn't really learn anything in Sunday School (no offense Bill!), but I took it upon myself to dive into topics that we didn't cover. I remember being on a mission trip with Orchard Hill Church and asking about predestination and determinism. I had heard about them, but did not know much and was eager to know more. Laura Hoy took the time out to actually teach me what it was and to show me verses in the Bible that go with and against predestination. It was interesting and cool because then others on the trip became more interested in this and we had a healthy learning environment. I don't ever remember going over deep issues or topics on a YouthWorks! mission trip with my own church or in Sunday School. I just really liked to learn about the Bible and its background at a young age.

When I was a freshman in college here at Wartburg, I decided that I wanted to know more about the Bible because I was not taught anything beyond the basic stories in my own church. I was craving more so I chose religion as my major with an emphasis on urban ministry as a concentration. I can honestly say that I have learned so much about God and the Bible through all of my classes and experiences here at Wartburg. But by having learned so much more, I feel unsure about some of the things that I knew about Jesus growing up or about who God is. I question so many things now and do not have answers (not that I ever did before). I guess I just have come to feel uncomfortable with having more and more questions pile upon each other and also uncomfortable with the fact that I am not sure that I want to continue to learn about this.

In class today, we were discussing how RE 101 and other religion classes really break students faith in God and I found it interesting that I have never really experienced this before now. I have really strong faith in Jesus Christ and God and the Scriptures so I haven't ever thought about it this way. I don't know that my faith is breaking necessarily, but my desire to know more about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc. has changed.

That's enough introspective thought for the night.

Cheers,
Hilary

NC ST Update

Hey all,

I finally made it North Carolina today with my service trip! After a few fiascos and almost 24 hours later, we can finally say we are here.

Now on to Pittsboro and the tigers tomorrow! :)

Cheers,
Hilary

Slices of Life

Some quick updates on life:

~ Today I agreed to run a marathon (that's 26.2 miles!) with two of my roomies in June. That's three months away. And I am out of shape - so training starts tomorrow! I'm actually pumped about this because this is one of my life-goals.

~ My service trip leaves in less than 48 hours! I am really excited to go to a state I've never been to and have fun with tigers and the amazing people on my trip.

~ I had a blast at the candlelight dinner last night. The conversations that were had were so good and uplifting. It was a good and much needed change from the Mensa.

~ I can't wait for my tour week road trip with my roomies!!!!!!!! Chicago, Canada, NYC, Boston, Washington DC, and all the other cities in between - HERE WE COME!!!!!!

~ I still have to figure out a topic for my religion research paper proposal which is due tomorrow. None of the options that are listed by the prof intrigue me so I am busy looking for something else. Who wants to research something that bores them to death? Not me!

~ "Alice in Wonderland" comes out tomorrow and I am going with the roomies!

Cheers,
Hilary

Paperwriting Blues

Hello,

It is 10:46pm on a Friday night and I am sitting in front of my computer writing an "issues in the church" paper that is due at midnight. Downside to this is that I can not find what the professor is wanting for the paper and I've been researching all week. I have to admit that sometimes RE capstone class empowers me and other times it just makes me feel like a blubbering idiot. And right now is a blubbering idiot time.

Well, back to writing about New Calvinism.

Next post: NASW Legislative Day 2010 recap!

Cheers,
Hilary

Odds & Ends of Things

I haven't blogged publicly in a while so here are some "odds & ends" of what's going on right now.

1. It is Lent season again. I gave up Twitter since I spend entirely too much time on there and not on enough other things. So far, so good. Although today, there were so many different things that I wanted to tweet about!

2. Tomorrow is the NASW Legislative Day at the Iowa State Capitol and I am going. I will get to go toe-to-toe with some of Iowa's finest legislators and I am very excited about this. My partner, Em, & I will be advocating for more awareness of the Iowa QRS program. I'll let you know how it goes.

3. School has been extremely stressful as of late because EVERYTHING is due at the same exact day or time. This has led to 3 no-sleep nights so far this week. Not good. Especially when you are an insomniac like me.

4. My service trip leaves next Saturday for North Carolina. I am excited for the opportunity to get out of Iowa as well as work with some wild tigers. We still need to fundraise some more money, but I have faith that it will all work out.

5. I get to see my family this weekend, even if it is only for a 15-hour stint back home. Boo to that.

6. I decided that I am going to live in Australia. I was made to live there. I still miss it so much.

7. I started painting again.

I better get back to my New Calvinist issue paper for capstone.

Until next time,
Hilary

Ash Wednesday Goof-ups and Church Council Crisis

Hello there,

It's Ash Wednesday today and I helped with the service here at school. Made a fool of myself in front of lots of people, which is nothing new to say the least. I knew it wasn't going to be good when my computer crashed trying to open then file PRamona had sent me. Omens are never a good thing to start the day off with. Oh well. I should probably start going to chapel more so I know that the hell is going on. But then again, maybe not. Not a huge fan of chapel as I am not Lutheran (I have nothing against Lutherans or other denominations - hello, I go to a Lutheran college! I just like being Methodist and sticking to my tradition [for the most part]) - although Pastor Ramona's sermon was really good today. I enjoyed it and got a lot out of it.

Anyway, I was leaving chapel today and I called my mom. We got to chatting and she was telling me about the church council meeting that was held this week. I am on the council, I just can't attend because I am at school and it is pointless to drive an hour one way and back for a one-hour meeting. That might be changing because some of these people need a HEAVY dose of Jesus, reality and change.

Case in point:
Pastor Chris is trying to get our church involved in the Missional Transformation Process (MTP). This is a program that helps congregations embrace their future. There are small group bible studies formed and done, discussions on issues facing the church in the 21st century, how to discern and what this means for our church, etc. Find more info here at www.iaumc.org/pages/detail/1650, if you feel so inclined. It is a really good program and I think our church should feel honored to even be a part of it.

The Field Outreach Coordinator came down to give a presentation on the MTP. 14 people from my church of 450+ showed up. DISAPPOINTMENT! PC said something about this at the Church Council meeting and how almost none of them were at this meeting in which he said they should have been. One person complained that it was at night and that they didn't want to go at night. Then that person proceeded to ask if FOC could shorten down her presentation from 2 hours to 20 minutes on a Sunday! Personally, I think that 20 minutes is not enough time to cover everything in the MTP and people in church complain if church gets out late. I know how my church thinks and operates. Other people on the council thought this was a good idea too.

And then there were some others who gripe, moan and whine about everything else that is done wrong in the church (which is everything in their eyes - I just want them to try and be a minister for a month and then we'll talk) who had to get their input in too. There are some people on the council who are "in-the-middle" and don't say much. I feel like they should be saying something because they are a voice for the other members of our congregation who aren't as lucky to be sitting in the spot they are.

Needless to say our council has reduced PC to someone who is just there to give sermons, pray for people, marry people and then bury those people. THIS IS SAD!!!!!!!!! We are not allowing him to do his job and to let God work through him. We are cutting off God at our main source.

I'll be brutally honest, my church is on the path to death. People don't see that or aren't willing to accept it. We refuse to change anything, we are unwilling to listen and we don't know squat about scripture (why do you think I came to Wartburg to study religion people?!?!). Where is God in all of this, huh? Oh, that's right, we don't allow Him to work in our lives or in our church like He should be! We try to play the role of God, and let me tell you - it's not looking to good for us right now.

We need a deep dose of God and the reality of what our church is going to look like in 10 years plus. Gone is what it'll be. Most of the members will be dead. I can say this because we have older people in our church and not enough younger members. I wonder why they aren't filling the pews on Sunday - oh that's right, if you don't feel God working somewhere - why go there? We want to be filled with the Spirit, to grow, to learn the Word and to be loved. We do not come to church to be judged, looked-down upon, talked-down to, and sneered to.

Dear Church Council -

Change is inevitable. It's scary, frightening, fearful, but it is an amazing process to go through. It can turn a bad thing into one of the most beautiful, thriving and alive things out there. If we let God in, that is. We need to change and we need to do it now. Church is about the people - not about you or what you want. We are not helping the people of our church community by not allowing God to work. Think about your actions, words, and thoughts and how they effect everyone in our community. We need to be involved in daily prayers, reading and discerning the Bible and thinking about how God would want us to grow as a church and to be closer to Him. We need to do God's will, not our own. Take this leap of faith and become a part of the Missional Transformation Process. Our community will be better for it and so will you.

As you contemplate the future of our church, remember the last seven words of a dying church: we have always done it this way.

In Christ,
Hilary