It is the second day of Christmas and a little over a week away from our trip to Haiti. I heard from Pere Val today and they are very excited about our trip. He asked me specifically to bring some liturgical calendars for 2013. I am happy to oblige! I hope I will be able to Skype with him before our trip to iron out all the details.
I am more than thrilled to announce that my classmate Kellaura Johnson and myself received two grants to travel to Haiti for three weeks in January. We received grants from both the Episcopal Evangelical Society and The Seminary Consultation on Mission. We leave for Haiti on January 4th and will return on January 23rd.
Today, as we begin the Advent journey, our scriptures call us to listen and stay awake. Isaiah evokes the image of children estranged from their parent, rebelling against their upbringing. The image is as contemporary as it is timeless.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the logistical preparation of Advent: get fresh candles for the Advent wreath, hang garland around the front door, decorate the Christmas tree, address and mail Christmas cards.
In all this running around, I am missing something deeper. How do I prepare my heart to turn toward Jesus?
One of the hardest spiritual disciplines is to surrender control. Part of what makes it difficult is the discernment required to know when such surrender is what God requires. Think of the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
How long, O Lord,
how long must we wait
in the narthex of preparation,
marking time until
future’s procession is fully formed,
only then to be released
to step across the threshold and into
the revelry of vocative destiny.
I grew up on the Ohio prairie, where seasonal change is a concrete and tangible experience. Many childhood years of moving from season to season formed me and imbedded expectations for the changing seasons on the calendar.
“Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint
and moan, and he will hear my voice.”
Nothing quite captures the magic of the Christmas season like a psalm about betrayal, anger, and revenge. Today’s psalm surely doesn’t pull any punches; it’s an honest, heartfelt lament to God.
Have you ever been the subject of a book? Or even a character in a story? I can imagine that one might have a variety of emotional responses to such a moment. Perhaps one would feel pride at having been chosen for a close examination of action or character. Or, once your life is writ large for others to see, paranoia might set in while you remain vigilant for the presence of paparazzi.
Professor Emeritus Charles James Cook has recently completed "Striking Up for a New World: A History of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, 1970-2008". Seminary of the Southwest has published the book and is hosting a reception and book signing on Tuesday evening, Nov. 27.
Charlie is a native Texan, life-long Episcopalian, and 1974 graduate of Seminary of the Southwest.
Jesus knew that Peter was going to deny him, yet Jesus did not pray that the denial would not happen; he prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail him, that he would return again to the way that Jesus had shown him, and in the process that he might strengthen his brothers.
Two days after we return from the Thanksgiving holiday, Seminary of the Southwest will welcome Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to our campus for the 60th Anniversary lecture and festivities.
Led by the vision of the late Bishop John E. Hines, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas formally established Seminary of the Southwest 60 years ago in Austin. Southwest primarily has prepared men and women for parish and diocesan ministry; however, laity have found degrees and programs at Southwest to further their calls to minister in the world.
Rick Barnes, UT men's basketball coach, spoke about Christian leadership to business professionals at the Monday Connection luncheon on the seminary campus. He also signed a ball for Facilities Maintenance Manager Tigh Walters, a UT alumnus, who plans the special gift for his dad, also a UT grad.
Students brought their dogs, cats, chickens, and guinea pigs to the St. Francis Pet Blessing Friday morning on the tree shaded lawn of the inner campus. The Rev. Micah Jackson blesses middler MDiv Karen's friend, Sadie.
MDiv Middler, TJ Freeman from the Diocese of Indianapolis has been appointed to the Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations of The General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Congratulations, TJ!
The final numbers for the Fall 2012 Phonathon are in! The total raised was $45,000, which is a new record for Southwest.
Thank you to the friends and alumni/ae of the seminary for your continued support. If you were unable to participate in the Phonathon drive, it's not too late! Please feel free to visit ssw.edu/donations to make a gift.
Thinking back to the Seminary of the Southwest Matriculation Eucharist and dinner last year brings a smile to my face. I do not remember a word from the sermon. I am rather certain that Dean Travis preached, but that is a guess at best.
What an amazing day at General Convention! At times, the #GC77 Twitter feed was moving so quickly that it was difficult to keep up. The Hashtracking Report states that there were 1,500 tweets generated, 1,155,291 impressions, reaching an audience of 347,096 followers within the past 24 hours!
After a really long day of meetings, the #GC77 Twitter feed is still going strong! Our favorite "Tweet of the Day" for July 7th comes from Meg Johnson (@MegJohnson13) for her inspirational tweet:
Touched by all testimonies, pro and con, because it shows the passion and gumption of our Church. Power to the people. @EPFYoungAdults#gc77
Today was a busy day at General Convention and the #GC77 Twitter feed was no different! There were many people live blogging when the Official Youth Presence (OYP) addressed the House of Deputies. Our favorite "Tweet of the Day" comes from Melody Shobe (@melodyshobe):
We're in day 3 of General Convention and the #GC77 twitter feed is picking up steam! Our favorite "Tweet of the Day" for July 5th goes to R. Stephen Gracey (@rsgracey):
When I was a bullied youth, I lived for my chances to go away to attend camps, festivals, etc. That's part of why "it got better." #GC77
The #GC77 Twitter feed is filled with so many great tweets about General Convention. We try to pick one tweet per day that stood out to us!
The Tweet of the Day for July 4th goes to: Jon M. Richardson (@jonmrichardson) for his great tweet about loving the legislative process! (PS: we agree!)
The #GC77 feed in Twitter is filled with funny, informational and inspirational tweets about General Convention. We will try to choose one "Tweet of the Day" that stood out amongst the rest!
The Tweet of the Day for July 3rd goes to: Emma Grundhauser (@emgrundy) for her tweet describing her visit with the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori:
The "Southwest Six" are our seminarians at GC2012 who are using social media to connect, converse, and contemplate their experience as first timers to General Convention.
The Southwest Six @ Six is a daily overview of their experience at GC2012.
From 
Students brought their dogs, cats, chickens, and guinea pigs to the St. Francis Pet Blessing Friday morning on the tree shaded lawn of the inner campus. The Rev. Micah Jackson blesses middler MDiv Karen's friend, Sadie.
