- monthly archives
-
« November 2008 |
Home
| January 2009 »
Dishwater Song
Completely Undeserving 
of clean water from the faucet,
of soap that cuts through grease and grime,
of turkey scraps floating in bubbles.
Thoroughly Undeserving
of life-giving children who play and fight,
of thoughtful friends who share a meal,
of a roof that protects us from rain.
Utterly Undeserving
of a kind husband who sits at the kitchen
table building K-nex with our boys
patient. loving. did I mention, patient?
Oh yes, I am undeserving.
It isn't because of
where I live
what I do
who I hang with
what I read
how I act
why I react
when I act or neglect to act.
I am not entitled to these blessings because of
how much I pray
what I read
what I write
how I think (or don't think)
where I worship or
what doctrines I believe.
It is grace. Good, crazy, I'll-never-understand-it-fully
Grace.
The grace of a loving Father who delights in giving.
So I'm humbled and more than thankful-
I'm undeserving.
Sharing some link love
Fresh off the roster of Absury Blogger's Society - Justin Barringer.
Pay a visit to his blog where he shares "Thoughts on life, faith, and the carpenter from Nazareth"
He has a great post up there from the experiences of Reading Week called Old Time Religion. It's a great read, check it out.
Have YOU joined the Asbury Bloggers Society?
All you have to do is have a blog, be a part of the Asbury Community, and visit this site.
Hope to see you on the blogroll soon.
Asbury's Comeback Kid
The Asbury Poetry Blog has taken off like bundled kids on main street chasing down fudge. You should take a peek and add it to your Google Reader, Netnewswire, or whatever RSS reader is helping you out these days. One of our faculty, Ben Witherington, has just posted one of his own poems and it is stellar. See it here.
Also, for the Season of Advent, there are a collection of Advent Haikus here.
Things are really moving over there.
Begin to make the Asbury Poetry Blog a regular stop in your internet travels, especially over this Season of Advent. Drew Causey has shaken the dust off the APB. Don't call it a comback...
Insert caption here
Culprit: to remain nameless until Judgment Day...and me,
Jeremiah Aja. I confess my guilt as well for using MY phone to take the
picture
Charges: using phone to keep tabs on a certain sporting event while singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
Scene of the crime: Estes Chapel
Date of the Heavenly Misdemeanor: Advent Vespers Service, December 7, 2008
Motive: unknown, please pray for the culprit
My caption- "Ladies and Gentleman of the jury, please take a look at Exhibit C"
What's yours?
PS- This brings up another issue to be discussed later- "Is texting/surfing in chapel a sin???"
COMIC - Real Life for Real
Dear Robbie
Dear Robbie,
I enjoy most Christmas parties except for when mistletoe is
present. As you may already know, two people have to kiss each other if they
find themselves positioned under that stupid plant. As a seminary student, I
feel that this tradition is inappropriate and was wondering what I can do to
avoid being caught in an unholy situation.
-My lips are sealed
Dear Lips,
Kissing under the mistletoe is an old Scandinavian
tradition. As we all know, Scandinavians often contrive perverse holiday traditions
(i.e. slapping the nearest person’s bottom and saying “Ho! Ho! Ho!” if a
shooting star appears in the sky).
As decent seminary students, we can put our minds together
to formulate holiday traditions congruent to our lifestyle without compromising
the presence of mistletoe. For example, two people, if caught together under
the mistletoe at a party, can both put out their hands to shake and
simultaneously say, “Merry Christmas kind person! May the Lord bless you and
keep you!” Another idea might be for the two people to share their favorite
Christmas Bible verse followed by an approving gesture like a nod or a gentle
“high-five.” A final new idea for the mistletoe can be called the “Silent
prayer ‘n walk-away.” When two people find themselves both under the mistletoe,
they can silently pray for each others’ souls while quietly slipping away in
the opposite direction. What a wonderful way to implement social and personal
holiness into a party! Merry Christmas!
-Rob
Poetry Blog resurrection on the Advent season
JD Walt, the dean of the chapel and VP of Community Life, has a bi-annual tradition of writing a poem during the commencement ceremony. Check out what the class of Fall '08 brought us on the Asbury Poetry Blog. During this Advent season, make it a part of your stream to discover creativity and rest during the break. Additionally, our Poetry Blog has a talented poet and Asbury student, Drew Causey, steering the ship. To connect with him, emails are welcomed at drew.causey@asburyseminary.edu.
Marching to and fro
flowing gowns and magic hats
superman, wonder woman,
batgirl, buzz light year,
cinderella even.
Comparing powers
contrasting capes
sorting out the pecking order
of pre-school.
Costumes concealing
human frailty
Years pass
vestments change
or do they?
Marching to and fro
flowing gowns and magic hats
Masters of Arts, Doctors of Philosophy,
Doctors of Ministry, Masters of Divinity even.
Comparing powers
contrasting capes
sorting out the pecking order
of graduate school.
Costumes concealing
human frailty
But for the chosen few (who choose)
bearing the cross means
wearing the gown
as the One cloaked
in purple and the magic hat of thorns.
Costume concealing
frail Divine.
John David Walt, Jr.
Dedicated to Daniel Taylor Lowe: in abstentia
Glimpses of Advent in our community
The following is a story sent to us by an Asbury student who serves as chaplain at a hospital. The names and the name of the location have been omitted or changed for privacy purposes. The rest is a painting of the Christ breaking into the dark places- glorious Advent.
--------------------------
I have the honor to meet and share the lives of people from 2 to 92.
Every Wednesday morning I share singing and bible stories with my friends in Adult Day care, none of whom our society would ever label 'normal'.
These past weeks I've experienced the stories of "Nathan" through eyes that will never grow old. We sing loud, long and off key but oh what a joyous noise!
In the brain injury unit, I listen and pray with the grandparents of a beautiful little boy, with eyes so brown and deep one might get lost. He's there because Momma's boyfriend swung him against the wall like a baseball bat. Oh how his smile warms my heart.
I learn patience from my 42 year old friend who had a stroke while at his job, and now works so very hard to assemble a single intelligible sentence.
One Thursday night I sat in our small chapel with a trucker who had gone from a vibrant party boy to a quadriplegic in the split second it took for a forklift to drop 4 empty pallets on his head. For over and hour I listened as he cried, prayed and swore at a God he did not think he deserved. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit I shared the story of the Prodigal Son with him. "That's me!" he cried, and we walked back to the Father together. He accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord that night, and nothing has stopped him since.
I have time each day with a thirty-something year old man in a halo brace, screwed into his skull. Able to move nothing an arm, he cries from the deepest, darkest place in his soul. "I feel God has taken all of me but enough to say goodbye." he sobs. It is impossible to peer into the abyss without a loving God.
On Sunday afternoons we have chapel. We began with 3 patients, and last week had 31 people, patients and family together, crowded into the atrium to sing songs of wonder and worship with delight the God who created each of us out of His Love.
For those brief moments on a Sunday afternoon, those who I have grown to love so much see themselves as God sees them.
In the warm sunlight streaming through the many windows they can feel comforted to know what Jesus Christ sacrificed for them.
And, as the Word comes forth they have the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to help them find peace.
With all honesty and humility, I cannot think of a better place to serve our almighty Creator today than right here.
I pray that as we prepare to graduate next spring God brings forward another willing to serve Him here, they will never regret it. 
--------------------------
"the warm sunlight streaming through the many windows"- a remarkable glimpse of the Light breaking into our lives...Advent
They have arrived!
Our bookstore has them now. An entire end-cap FULL of them. I saw them with my own two eyes this afternoon. They're beautiful. Their presence made my day and I simply had to share.
That's right.
Moleskine Notebooks are at Asbury. All kinds of them.
Charley, as pictured here, is the one to send all of your comments like, "Whoa. This is absolutely incredible. Thank you so much." She made it happen and she slightly resembles Vanna White:
Perhaps I'm a bit too excited, I admit it, but I will not apologize. For the past two years, I haven't written ideas, thoughts, stories, prayers, or notes on anything else but a Moleskine. The durable cover and sturdy binding, the lifetime guarantee, the handy pocket in the back - simplicity and beauty like diamond solitaire...almost . Blame my passion on someone else, who may or may not be standing and expressing joy here with me:
So for other Asbury Moleskine users- and if you aren't, you're a bit curious and tempted to go and see, aren't you?- no more paying shipping to Amazon or driving to Joseph Beth's for your Moleskine needs. Head into the campus bookstore, tell Cassie the bookstore manager that Charley needs a raise, and smile with us.
Does Cokesbury do Christmas layaway?
Bring your lunch, bring your story
Do you blog?
Are you on the Wilmore campus?
On Thursday, December 4th, at 12 noon, the Asbury Bloggers Society invites you to Cordelia A for a lunch hangout. Nothing too fancy, no end of the year gimmicks, no punches to pull. Just grab your tray or bring your leftover spaghetti and old banana and come on in to Cordelia A to hangout with other bloggers from campus. Jeremiah Aja and Chad Brooks will be your hosts for the hour and would love to hear your stories.
If you know someone who blogs on campus, bring them too. It should be a great time of getting to know each other face to face.
Asbury Bloggers Society Lunch
Dec 4, Thursday- 12 noon
Cordelia A
If you are unfamiliar with ABS, take a peek at this short video. This is our heart.
*Note- the url at the end has since changed to http://www.seminarius.net/asburybloggers/
See you Thursday.
