Argle-bargle. So very much is happening whilst I lay here on the sofa in a T-shirt and panties. Last week, on Thursday, I had a Zoom meeting with a sub-committee of the Candidacy Committee for the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, to discuss my application for Candidacy for Ministry of Word and Service. The sub-committee concluded that they would recommend to the full Committee that I be approved, which happened. I got an email from the Bishop’s office congratulating me and promising more info which hain’t come yet, but prob’ly will. (“Hain’t” is a contraction of “has ain’t”.) Then, on Saturday, I had another Zoom meeting with my cohort at the university plus some perfessers, wherein we all presented our capstone projects. I dunno my final grade on that, but I think it’s reasonable to assume that I passed. That means I’m done with this phase of my over-education. I’m a Bachelorette. For a goodly while, I was thinking that I would go directly from one higher education institution to the next with no pause, but during this summer I decided to take some time off that. So it looks like I’m gonna be stating seminary in August 2021. That oughta give ’em time to figure out how to make college happen without massive outbreaks of the covid. Or we might all be living in a different world by then. A democratic-socialist paradise perhaps, or a nightmare wasteland. Either way, I’ma be pushing a cart down the street shouting “Bring out your dead!”
I wasn’t filled with anxiety about the Candidacy Committee meeting. I’m doing all this stuff because I believe I was instructed so to do by the Almighty, Who intends for me to serve in Her church, and it follows that She’s gonna make it possible for me to do that work. I therefore expected to be approved. But there was a possibility that they wouldn’t approve me, I guess. In any case, they did, and that changes things. It makes it more official and it’s a boost for me. It helps me to know that people who apparently know what they’re about acknowledge my existence and encourage me to keep going. And I’m done with college for a bit. That’s cool, too.
I might start doing this more often, now that I don’t have to write papers about bullshit I don’t care about. Maybe.
This summer, I’ve been going out t the woods, swimming in rivers, building cairns and reinforcing the river rock dams that make the swimming holes I enjoy. I picked up some labor jobs, applied for a position at the local Community Services Board which I’m waiting to hear back about. That’s a peer recovery specialist position, similar to one I applied for and didn’t get last December. Then, I was really achin’ for the job. Now I don’t care. The homeless shelter is reopening in a few weeks and I’ve got full-time work there, so I don’t need the CSB job. I feel pretty okay about going where God sends me.
This whole pandemic thing has been great for me. I kinda feel guilty about how well I’m doing but then I remember some of the shitty times I’ve had and I don’t feel guilty anymore. It’s been a good year for me. Nuthin’ wrong with that. I’ve got a lot accomplished and I’m doing the Lord’s work.
More art. I went through a phase of animals with slogans from the Mai ’68 Paris revolt. I’m on board with the Situationists on all subjects except religion. Lately, I been doing punk rock girls with Bible verses. That stuff’ll get put online eventually.
I haven’t been to church since March. I miss it, but I haven’t lost touch with God. Now that I’ve got a break from classes, I’m gonna try to get more involved in the life of the church. I subscribed to Nadia Bolz-Weber’s newsletter – https://nadiabolzweber.substack.com/ – found some podcasts – https://www.blessedarethefeminists.com/listen-now, https://www.cafeteriachristian.club/ – and watched a lot of documentaries about graffiti and street art. That doesn’t have anything to do with the church, but it is nevertheless true. I also went to a new tattoo artist who does tattoos by hand and got a piece on my arm. It’s the feminist symbol –
So, my summer has had some activity.
We share a world, but we aren’t the same. Everybody seems to be having a really rough year and I’m thriving. Strange days. It reinforces my belief that God has some task for me to do. I believe that I’ve been shaped and taught by times of pain and times of joy and this is part of my process. I’ve done a lot of work – there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that – and I’ve got to a point of being able to say to anybody “God loves you. Jesus loves you. There are blessings beyond your wildest dreams, if you’re willing to do the work.” Not that I’d put it in those exact words. A lot of people are a bit put off by that kind of direct talk. I used to be. In some circumstances, I might still be.
I’ll be writing in this more often now. I’ve got stuff to say. I’m gonna go out to the woods and jump in a creek now – see if I find the subject of the next post.
I changed to background color. If you hate it, let me know.
Luther von Wolfen 