Saturdays

I, Sarah, am preaching my first proper sermon tomorrow at my Mission Placement Corps. This is being assessed by a retired Commissioner who is to observe, take notes, and meet with me later in the week to tell me how he thought it all went.

As with other things we have led and been assessed for, it is a strange situation to be leading others into worship/teaching while being concious that someone is observing you critically and taking notes. Now I'm not worried about preaching herecy or offending too many people, as the drafts of this message have been read and monitored by college staff, but still, the mere fact that someone is watching with a cliboard and pen handy just adds to the pressure!!!

What I do love though, is that the people in the corps seem to genuinely care, support and engourage us. The same can be said for the college staff. But ultimately, they are not the one whose approval we want, for that we must look heavenward. All I want to do is be used - be used as a messanger/example of God's love and word to people. And if I am not nervous about doing that, then I shouldn't be doing it at all.

Sun!

There are very clear hints around that winter is coming to an end; the sun is out, the birds are joyfully noisy, cadets are out planting and tending gardens and washing can be almost confidently hung outside to dry. Joggers are also getting alot of fresh air in preparation for the end of year fun run. The only problem with bad weather is having to stay inside in classes! I suppose you can't please everyone.

Work is also starting to pile up again - due dates looming on the horizon and Christmas is in sight.

But for now - go outside and enjoy the weather while it lasts - spring has a habit of being fickle...

Can the fish see the water?

Yesterday in Foundations for Pastoral Care we were discussing various aspects of NZ European culture and how it affects us. But really, can we, who are seeped in the culture and usually totally oblivious to it, can we really see it? Do we know why we do what we do, why we say what we say, why in Invercargill people speak funny and call a vacuum cleaner a lux and a holiday home a bach or crib? Can we really see the culture we are absorbed in? Can the fish see the water?

The answer usually is not really - unless that fish is removed from it and put into something else, or steps back and tries really really hard. But if you are from a minority culture or have traveled and experienced other cultures, you may have noticed just how unique and strange NZer's really are. We do some odd things... We say some odd things... Things here that are acceptable are completely taboo in other nations. Things we are strict on are loosely regarded elsewhere.

The concusion to this discussion was that Christianity is counter-cultural. We have been born again into a new culture - a kingdom culture - of which we can look and see the positive and negative aspects of the culture we have come from, and hopefully do something about it.

Divinity of Jesus

Todays 'Thinking Biblically' class is touching on the divinity of Jesus. What are your thoughts? Some topics such as these always raise issues that go back to what we were long ago taught and have often believed since we were children.

The Salvation Army believes that God is 'truly and properly man AND truly and properly God.' But what does this mean and how does this work? On one extreme end of belief are those who emphasize more the humanness of Jesus, he ate, slept, went to the loo and was just divinely chosen by God to do all these wonderful miracles. On the other extreme is those who believe Jesus was fully divine and would have known at birth his divine destiny. Our doctrine says he is both.

An interesting statement made in the class was 'we as Christians tend to lean more towards believing in the truly divine Jesus' - it just makes sense of all the things that he did, all the miracles and amazing wonders - because he was/is God. Its a tidy argument. But to really grasp that he did all this just as a regular Joe Bloggs?

Week three

This is the start of our third week back, and I'm pretty sure we are all ready for another holiday already! The holidays were a great time off, but returning here to college for me really made it feel like home. Back to our own beds, showers, pre-readings, assignments and piles of washing. Sigh... this is the good life.

There is a nice little community atmosphere around college now (or should I say commune...). People are in and out of other people's houses and the kids have a fantasticly large play area/bike track around all our units. People keep an eye out for each other and are usually genuinely interested in the daily stuff that goes on. I know it all sounds peachy and PG13 but it is actually a really nice place to live and study. Just a shame about this weather today! Rain means winter is coming to an end right?!?

Classes are stepped up a little this semester, more is expected of us including preaching and leading in our Mission Placement Corps and soon another Mission Weekend around Upper Hutt somewhere. We also have a elective night class on a Wednesday which is open to the public - so all you who want to know what we do can sign up and join a class or three with us! Trust me, they aren't all deeply theological and high brow... today we talked about 'The Life of Brian' and yesterday we were learning story telling from Thomas the Thank Engine...

We're halfway there... living on a prayer

The holidays have come and gone. Monday begins a whole new term of classes, issues, discussions, papers, exams, readings and work. Sigh. It was good while it lasted.

End of Term

This is it. We have lasted here at college for 6 months or so, half way through this first year, and there is only one more day to survive before holidays... But that one day?

That is exam day... This will be the first time in many many years some cadets have sat a formal test like this and we are all pretty stressed and are struggling to cram everything in. To make things even worse it is a Theology Exam. So not only are we nervous about sitting two hours and trying to recall information - we are trying to recall theories and ideas, some without definitive answers at all!

Added to this pressure is a full exegetical study due in the same day. So all you out there who read this, please continue to pray for us all as we struggle through this one more day, and then spend the next two weeks recovering and being refreshed ready to begin a new semester bright and fresh. Please pray for all the colds and flu to miraculously disappear so we can have clear minds for recalling and forming answers.

But for today, we must all get back to studying - defining the 'Problem of Evil', discerning differences between 'Source' and 'Form' criticism, defining all the 'omni's and trying to describe the indescribeable God. Plus much much more! Fun stuff.