Rest and Water

I've spent the last week in Mississippi with seven youth from a church in New England. We were working outside on an historic house in Biloxi weeding, landscaping, planting bushes, cleaning up debris, scraping and painting siding, and fencing in an area for little kids to play in. Every hour or so the pastor or I would call out, "Take a break. Grab some water." We would sit on the front steps in the shade, drink down some water, and get back to work.

So perhaps that is why my brain is set on the connection between water and rest. And because I am who I am, I think about baptism. I've been kind of drifting these past two months, without a true center or home. I spent 25 days in Germany, a few weeks in TN, 4 days in FL for Sibling's wedding, and 10 days on this mission trip. No where is really home. I've been living out of a suitcase for two months and for me, while I enjoy the simple-ness of that, it is exhausting. I like having a center. I've always tried to shift away from making that a place, but we, as humans, are tied to places. I'll never understand a nomad lifestyle. If I roam, I like to come home.

So what about baptism, eh? I realized that at the very center of me is an identity that is unshakable. I am a baptized child of God no matter where I lay my head. No matter where I find home. No matter how restless my soul may feel in this in-between time.

For a time I said that I had "people homes." I reasoned that people I loved were my homes. While this is still somewhat true, I recognize that people do not always refresh me, I cannot always rely on them, and I still get lonely. This is especially true as I recognize that some of my best friends are getting married and need me less (and need to spend time on that special relationship), some are having babies and have less time for many things, and some are scattered across the country seeking their purpose in life. Telephone calls and Skype make things easier but it is never quite the same. And even then, I find myself listening a lot and caring for others instead of taking time to process how crazy life is for me right now.

I don't mean to complain. I have so many friends and family members who care so much about me. I have tons of places to stay with people who love me and often ask how I am. Genuinely. For this, I am so grateful. So lucky.

What I mean to say is that there is an unshakable, unchangeable, constancy in the depths of me. It is there... here in this ID as a child of God where I am finding new energy and peace. If this crazy summer of wandering has taught me nothing else, it has taught me this. I am okay on my own.

Travel Annoyance

I often wonder why airport travel is so taxing on my person. What is it about sitting down all day that is so exhausting???

And as I sit here, listening to a little girl cry because her parents threw away the rest of her juice... I stop wondering. Overhearing family arguments is so much fun. Overhearing people's personal phone calls at top volume is just as much fun. Slightly less uncomfortable but annoying.

My mom and I talk about sensory overload. Taking in all the sights, all the sounds, everything about one's environment. At the airport, meeting so many people, sitting in and among people and their virtual personal space is exhausting. Listening to every overhead announcement just to triple check and make sure it isn't about me or my flight. Making sure my baggage is with me "at all times" for security reasons. Having to re-pack up everything if I want to go to the bathroom or grab a drink.

Sigh.

That little girl is still crying and her parents are still yelling at her. *makes awkward turkey symbols with hands*

I'm ready to be home!!

Pet peeves

#23 Crowding around the belt so no one else can get it.

Dahan says this is not time to make a metaphor about accessibility and the Eucharist. Lol.

Mindfulness

Of all I have learned of the major religions that govern our great world, I believe they each try to teach a way to be present to the present. In Hinduism they call it mindfulness. It is all over Buddhism as a way to avoid suffering. And in Christianity, we have Christ telling us that he IS. To not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself.

I'm enjoying my summer. I got to travel to Germany. I got to bless the marriage of my brother and his new wife. In Florida. On the beach. And now I get to be in TN with friends and family. What more could a woman want?

Oh, a job, right? In the midst of my mindfulness... I remember that I am waiting. Waiting through a transition. Waiting for not only a job, but a move, a new place to call home, a new set of friends, a congregation to love and do ministry with, and even a pet of my very own.

I have a phone call conversation with the lead pastor of a church tomorrow. Hopefully after that, an interview with the call committee will follow. Keep me in your prayers. I'm really excited about this one...

The in between time

Hello again! I have basking in my TN surroundings and trying to beat the heat. Wow, south, you and the heat don't mess around. Thank God for air conditioning!!!

I have another church's paperwork and I am really, really excited. Their job description for the associate pastor sounds like it was tailor made for me. Can't wait to talk to them more...

Heading to FL in two days - Sibling is getting married!! It's real. Love Currey to pieces. They are a beautiful couple. I am excited to be a part of the wedding Saturday. Keep us all in your prayers and have a great weekend whatever it brings you!

Getting a Call

I realize I have been lax about updating as regards my getting a call. My apologies!

The way this works: I have been assigned to the South Central Wisconsin synod. That means I will likely get a call in the greater Madison area. In this particular synod, they give a church a handful of names for an open position. Other synods may only give one name at a time. There are advantages to both methods.

I got paperwork for one church, met with the pastor, and had a Skype interview with the call committee. They opted not to meet me face to face. I was somewhat disappointed but ultimately knew that that particular church was not the best fit for me. Perhaps they recognized this as well?

Then while in Germany, I got another set of paperwork for a church in Madison. Since I could not do that interview in person, I set up a Skype interview for 2am my time! After the internet at that particular hotel ran out 2/3 of the way through their questions, I felt already that it would be a good fit. I enjoyed the people I spoke with and appreciated their questions of me.

However, by the time I got internet back to figure out how to answer their remaining questions and to ask the few that I had, the lead pastor had contacted me to tell me that they were offering the position to someone else. This was preceded and followed by very complimentary things about me which was nice.

So now I wait. I've scheduled a meeting with my Bishop to see what else might be available in the synod, to touch base, and to get a sense of a timeline. There's no guarantee's, of course, which can be frustrating. But that's the job market even beyond the church so I really have no room to complain!

Keep me in your prayers (and thank you for your prayers). I am trying to keep the "but what's so wrong with me" at a low level and in check. Rejection in any case is difficult, very much like dating, ironically...

I keep breathing and try to remember that God is at work.

München

A fantastic fountain in Munich that shoots INWARD instead of outward. Love it.

You should know I'm a HUGE fan of Annunciation art. This was in Munich at the Church of Our Lady. Gorgeousness....

Recovery Day

For me, recovery days are crucial. I am an introvert which means that while I do adore people and being around them, I have to come home to recharge and find my center again. So trips like these with large groups (52 total on my Luther tour) are especially taxing to my person. Last night I arrived back in Stuttgart to my home away from home. Sleeping in, delicious pastries from the corner bakery, and lots of time to play Castleville.... ;)

More (instagrammed) pics from the trip:

Delicious beer continues to abound.

Woah huge pretzel! From the green market in Munich. My dear Carolyn and I.

That's me. And that's Luther's room at the Wartburg. HOLY SHIT.

From the Bach house in Eisenach. This is showing how they did facial reconstruction from a skull they hoped was Bach's. Turns out... totally was. I am fascinated by things like this. Or I've watched too many episodes of Bones.

The stained glass windows that inspired Luther's rose!

The Veste Coburg

This is Corinna Waltz's article on the Veste Coburg from The Lutheran! 
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=10751

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Luther and the 'empire of the daws'

German Lutherans offer tours as part of educational ministry

Horses' hooves clang on the cobbled street, part of a procession of more than 300 equines and about 200 people on their way to Coburg, Germany. Just over the horizon, the towers of the castle come into view. As the travelers pass the Spital Gate, Martin Luther says to his friend Philipp Melanchthon, "I just wish I could come with you to Augsburg."

Martin Luther spent six months in 1530 at the Veste Coburg while under imperial ban — while others attended the Diet of Augsburg.

But he can't. He was declared anathema (cursed by ecclesiastical authority) in January 1521 after burning the papal bull. Shortly after, he was placed under the imperial ban. His life in danger, he could be imprisoned or even burned as a heretic. Nevertheless, Luther wants to attend the Diet in Augsburg. His liege lord has prohibited this, demanding that he stay in Coburg.

Nearly 500 years later, retired pastor Rainer Axmann explains this scene to tourists.

"It was April of 1530 when Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Justus Jonas and the Duke of Saxony with his entourage arrived at Coburg," Axmann tells his audience. "[Without Luther], the others traveled on to Augsburg to attend the Diet, which had been convened by Charles V. Martin Luther stayed behind and spent six months at the castle."

Axmann, 79, gives the "Luther and his Stay at the Veste Coburg" tour to commemorate the 1530 presentation of the Augsburg Confession at the Diet of Augsburg. His tours, a ministry of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, are run by the educational institute of the Lutheran churches in the Coburg deanery.

"We want to bring Luther back to mind, especially during the Luther Decade," said Dieter Stoesslein, theological adviser at the institute.

Besides tours, the institute offers educational material on Luther and the Reformation, projects for schools, and speakers if a congregation wants to organize an evening on the reformer.

In Bavaria, Lutherans will hold major festivities during the Reformation anniversary in 2017 in Augsburg, Nuremberg and Coburg.

Tours mix history, theology

Although Coburg belonged to the Saxon duchy, Luther, a banned outlaw, still had to take precautions. To conceal his location, Luther used fake place names, as he did when hiding in the Wartburg Castle. He signed his letters "Aus dem Reich der Dohlen" (from the empire of the daws), a reference to the birds flying around Coburg castle.

Almost every day, messengers with Luther's letters in their pockets left the castle to go to Wittenberg, Augsburg and other places. Some 120 of these letters have been preserved and published.

"Over a hundred letters in just six months. Who could pull that off?" Axmann says while tourists enter the rooms where Luther lived and worked. "It's unbelievable what Luther did accomplish. Today we probably would call him a workaholic."

While quartered at the castle, the reformer also continued to translate the Bible into German, focusing on the Psalms. As encouragement, he even painted some verses on the walls of his study. One example is Psalm 118:17: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."

Today Luther's apartment has been turned into a museum. Some of his works and original copies of letters are on exhibit in the museum and art gallery. One of the most famous artworks on exhibit is Lucas Cranach's life-size painting of Luther from 1575.

Speaking about the tour, one young participant says, "[Rainer] Axmann has such a compassionate way to talk about Luther. I never thought that history could be so interesting."

Another admits: "I didn't know all this, even though I have been living in Coburg all my life."

This is why Axmann says he leads the tours. "There are a variety of ways to explore the Veste Coburg and learn about Luther," he says. "As a theologian I offer a theological approach."

Part of the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Rainer Axmann, a Lutheran pastor, leads tours focused on Luther's time in Coburg, Germany.

Following in Luther's footsteps 

But the Veste Coburg isn't the only place where Luther spent time while in the city. Axmann also offers a tour of Coburg following the reformer's footsteps.

"I don't want people to just visit the Church of St. Moritz, where Luther preached seven times during Easter season [in 1530]," Axmann says. "There are more places to see."

So he begins tours of Coburg at the Spital Gate. From there he takes people to the former house of Paul Bader and his wife, who took care of Luther's meals and physical welfare while he stayed at the castle.

Another stop is the Ehrenburg Palace, a former Franciscan monastery rebuilt in 1543. Today it houses a famous library, including the Luther collection begun by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria of Britain.

One of Axmann's favorite stops is the Lutherschule (Luther school) with its sculpture of the reformer. "Luther's impact wasn't just a theological one," Axmann tells the group. "His translation of the Bible influenced the development of the German language significantly."

It intrigues Axmann that the first teachers working at Coburg were Melanchthon's students.

At most stops along the way, Axmann reads a passage from one of Luther's letters or sermons. At the Lutherschule, he tells his audience that Luther preached about students and teachers, quoting from a 1530 sermon where the theologian asked for kids to be sent to school. "Luther's sermons [are] still relevant," Axmann says.

At the Church of St. Moritz, there is another Luther sculpture, as well as an opportunity to buy Luthertrunk, a locally brewed beer named after the theologian.

Axmann began giving tours and lectures on Luther and Coburg years ago, inspired by a seminary class on the reformer's letters. His interest in local history and the opportunity to explain systematic theology made him more than willing to help with the church's tour ministry.

"The longer I study Luther, the more fascinated I am," Axmann said. "He was a multifaceted personality and an impressive theological thinker with a great impact on my hometown and the whole region."

A Woman Scorned

Oh group travel. Thou art.... special.

I'm currently skipping the evening lecture and compline. I need some Alison time. ;)

Carolyn and I grabbing some coffee and cake. Amaretto Machiatto.... and apple pie. 

Silvio over Luther's tomb in the rebuilt Castle Church.

Silvio over the font at the city church. HE was baptized here... as well as Luther's kids and tons of other awesome figures of Reformation history.

In the Luther House (former monastery and Luther's personal home with Katie and kids), this is the table where theology was formed. Table talk, ftw.

"When a coin in the copper rings, a soul from purgatory springs." OR "When the money goes in the chest, a soul rises to its heavenly rest."  Luther hated indulgences.)