Vicarage.

Well it has been a while since I have made a post on here. So much has happened since then: end of vacation in barcelona (obviously), finished up my school year in England, lived at home for a month and a half, and finally arrived in Blacksburg to start my vicarage. There is really too much to write about so I will skip over pretty much everything and get right on toward vicarage.

I am currently the Vicar at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Roanoke Virginia. It is a wonderful congregation right at the base of the blue hills. They have taken very good care of me so far. My cupboards are stocked and I have received a plethora of other free things, including a window air conditioning unit! My main assignment this year is to work with Lutheran Outreach at Virginia Tech. This is a ministry of Good Shepherd based right in Blacksburg (where VT is located). I have had little happen as far as this goes because the students do not arrive on campus for another couple days, but I am excited to get going with them.

I also had my first opportunity to preach on Aug. 16. I preached on John 6:51-69. I think it went well, but in all honesty I think I would have had to screw up something awful for anyone in the congregation to say something. I look forward to preaching more often as the year goes on.

As it is that is all I can do for now as I have to go meet my Pastor for Lunch. If you know anyone who is attending Virginia Tech please send them my way!

Barcelona Day 2

Unfortunately, I did not get around to blogging while I was still in Barcelona after my first day there. So now now that I am back in Cambridge and writing I have probably forgotten some names and places. In any event my second day in Barcelona began with trying to find a good walking tour. I left the hostel at about 10:45 on my way to where a free walking tour of the Gothic quarter met. But alas, I did not find the place in time. So the majority of my second day was spent walking up and down La Ramblas - a major tourist street with souvenir shops and the like - and watching street performers. After a couple hours of that I had enough and went back to the hostel for a bite to eat and to work on some homework I had to get done over the weekend. Yes I actually spent time working on homework while I was in Barcelona. As the night drew near I was hanging out in the hostel and surfing the internet. I noticed a group of people getting to know each other and I contemplated sitting down with them or loading a movie onto my computer and calling it a night because I was feeling rather lazy. I said to myself that I am staying in a hostel to meet new people. So I introduced myself and offered everyone a beer. (The beer in Barcelona is cheaper than the soda and even some of the water.) I got to know a huge group of people.

After talking with this group for a while, I got invited to go out to the beach and have a couple beers with Scott a guy from Arizona, Christ from Montana, and two French girls whose names I could not spell even if I did remember them. I accepted the invitation and had a great night with the four of them. It never fails to amaze me how every one I talk to will listen to me talk about Christianity and becoming a pastor. I basically had four unchurched people listening to me and asking me questions for about an hour and a half out on the beach before the conversation gradually went in other directions. I am thankful that the Holy Spirit provides me with these opportunities to plant and/or water the Gospel in people.

This Gospel talk leads me to a tangent. As I was telling my friends here at Westfield House about my time in Barcelona I got to thinking about a possible mission system. Instead of spending $12,000 on coasters, pens, balloons, and other - imho - useless marketing paraphernalia for Ablaze the LCMS could fund 3 month long trips to Europe. The 'missionary' could move from hostel to hostel talking about the Gospel with people and planting seeds. I know that there is a lack of sacraments and follow up in this model, but come on its Ablaze. I constantly found myself talking about the Christian Gospel with people and they were actually listening or doing a great job of pretending to listen (but to pretend to listen that well you have to actually listen don't you?). The missionary could have a 10 - 20 minute Bible study prepared for anyone who really got interested in the Gospel and could have a list of Churches in the different countries so that he could refer one to people whom the Holy Spirit was working on. I don't know how helpful this would be I am just know that the opportunity for talking with people who would otherwise put themselves no where near the Church or any Christian presented itself to me time and time again while I was traveling through Europe.

My average conversation in a European Hostel

Introduction: This is where names and places of origin are discussed.

Small Talk: This is where we discuss recent places of travel. If I have been to where they are from or if they have been to where I am from we talk about that. Then we talk about places both(or all of us) have been. Once Prague is mentioned we talk about our favorite beers. This phase of the conversation always (I really do mean always as in 100% of the time) lead into the next phase of the conversation.

What to you do: This is where they say that they are studying finance or some other random thing and then they ask me what I do, then I say a student studying at Cambridge. Inevitably they ask what I am studying. I respond with theology. At this point I may or may not have to explain what theology is. Generally this develops into whoever I am holding the conversation with saying that while they are not religious they do like history and in loving history they have some sort of appreciation for the role the Church plays in history.

So what to you want to be?: The previous part of the conversation will always lead to this question. At this point I will obviously say that I hope to be a pastor. Again, at this point I may or may not have to explain what a pastor is. This is a great part of the conversation because I get to explain why the Church is so much more important that the fact that it plays an important role in history.

So you really believe all that stuff? This is not a universal part of the hostel conversation, but it definitely happens a majority of the time. The lead in is generally one of two things. The first and most common is this: so you don't have sex before marriage? The second most common is this: So you don't think gay people can get married? Sometimes evolution comes up but not always. I am surprised that I have never been asked about abortion at this point in the conversation. This is always the stickiest part of the conversation. I want to stay true to the word of God, including the Law which works on unrepentant hearts to bring them to repentance, but I also don't want to look like a Bible thumping Bible Belt Fundamentalist. I try to explain that my heart and conscience is bound to the Word of God. When they accuse me of being a fundamentalist I try to explain the difference between being orthodox and fundamentalist. I also always try to bring the conversation around to the most important part of why I study theology, why I want to be a pastor, and why I actually believe in the Bible, namely the fact that Jesus has brought salvation to humanity by the forgiveness of sins through his death and resurrection.

Anyway: From here the conversation goes into uncharitable territory. Sometimes we talk about politics or the conversation changes to sports or something entirely different. To this point I have never had someone 'accept' Christ (not that everyone I talk to is a 'heathen' unbeliever), but I really do not expect anyone to after one conversation. I am confident that I have at least broken some people's false conceptions of Christianity and the Church and I am happy with that. Is all I can do from here is pray that the Gospel seed has been planted and someone will come along to water it. In all reality its the Holy Spirits business and He can do anything He wants.

And that is the conversation I have with everyone I talk to. It is never a conversation I set out to have, but it is one that always happens. When I was first having these conversations I almost had a feeling of regret when I told them what I was studying and why. I think it was because I thought that it would put an end to the conversation. This however is just not the case. People are very willing to have a calm and respectable conversation about religion and Christianity. To this point I have never had someone become hostile (hahaha hostile in a hostel) or just blow me off completely. I am continually amazed at how people are honestly interested (or I am amazed at how well they pretend to be interested), not in the Gospel but in the story behind me, the person they are getting to know.

Yep, so that is what I talk about. Every hostel and almost every new person I meet.

Barcelona Day 1 (thus far)

The day for me began at 4:30 in the morning with a long walk to the Cambridge train station. I had to get on the 5:41 train to Stansted airport which I missed. I was a little worried, but one of the train conductors told me to take the 5:51 to London, Liverpool street because it stopped at Stansted. Now, I immediately remembered trying to take this train before and not realizing what stop I actually needed and taking the train all the way to Liverpool street. I would not make the same mistake this time. I would make a different mistake. In my effort to not make the same mistake twice I immediately got off at the first station that said Stansted. Unfortunately this was not the station I needed as the next train going to Stansted from the station was at 7:23 and my flight left at 7:55. So I walked around the small town until I found a cab and had to pay 10 quid to get to the airport on time. I don't know if I will have another opportunity to actually get the whole Cambridge to Stansted airport right. In any event I got to the airport on time and that is what mattered.

When I arrived in Barcelona (Well, an hour outside Barcelona. I did fly Ryan Air after all.) It took me about two hours to figure out the stupid metro lines. The problem was that they have a metro and a tram and they both operate underground. Basically I got on a tram train and not on a metro train and got incredibly lost. So I was extremely frustrated and thinking up very cleaver insults (inspired by Luther's insults against the pope - I read Luther on the plane) for the Barcelona public transportation system. I finally calmed down and got it all sorted out and found my hostel. Let me tell you this hostel is amazing. I get a free locker, free internet, its a 30 second walk to the metro station and a 5-10 minute walk to the beach.

So after getting settled I walked to the beach. Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy out so alas, I will have to go back to the beach. After the beach I went to the grocery store to get some food and thus avoid expensive restaurant bills. (I am currently observing people eating some really nice dinners with salad and bread and meat. Makes me hungry, but all I have is bread and cheap - and terrible- sandwich meat.)

Earlier tonight I met some guys from Australia and Belgium and a girl from Toronto. They have tempted me to go out drinking with them, but I don't know if I have a budget for a lively night life here in Barcelona. It's still in the cards though. I took the bus into the city. I was thankful to see that they had an underground. Undergrounds are always easier for me to pick up on than buses. Unfortunately, this was not an easy underground to get the hang of. None of the stations were visible from the train and there were no maps inside the train. So in my ignorance I ended up at a tram stop, not at an underground stop.

Tomorrow I am going on a free walking tour of the Gothic quarter and probably spending the rest of the day at the beach. After that I don't know what I am going to do. Time will tell.

My computer trouble

This is what is happening with my Mac computer. It is a MacBook intel-core duo processor running OSX10.4.(latest update I think). The network here at Westfield House was having some major issues. So the whole house agreed to run a virus scan on their computers. Even though I have a mac and the likelihood of my computer having a virus was low I decided to download a virus scan, McAfee VirusScan for mac (At least I am fairly sure). The scan turned up about 45 warnings. I decided to quarantine the files. Now when I boot up the computer behaves like its the first time I have turned it on. However, it does not move past the Welcome, please select the country or region you're in, then click Continue page. I select US and click continue and nothing happens. If you know how to help or where to send me please, please help me. I have posted the problem to a mac fixit forum: http://www.macfixitforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/470028#Post470028

Thank you.
Matt

Nietzsche and stuff

The last term here at Cambridge has snuck up on me.  Over the last two terms I have not been too busy with 'homework'.  There was lectures to attend and long reading lists to keep up with, but as far as daily busy work I was completely free from it.  I enjoyed the first two terms.  It was relaxing in many ways, just sit, listen, read, and learn.  Well, that has all changed this term.  I have several papers to do and a variety of other assignments that are due each week.  Two of which are papers on the topic of Nietzsche.  For Philosophy of Religion I am writing on N.'s concept of truth and exploring his rejection of religion and vehement hatred of Christianity.  For my Ethics 'and Faith' course I am writing on whether or not one must accept N.'s Übermensch if N.'s truth and rejection of Christianity is accepted.  

Now, in my reading of N. I have been expecting some sort of profound argument against Christianity.  In what I have read so far nothing logical, philosophical, or any legitimately coherent argument has presented itself N.'s writings.  They do however, reek of hatred, bitterness, and stubbornness.  He condemns Christians for lying, being hypocritical, and holding culture back as a whole; but in all honest what anti-religious writer hasn't done that.  All in all I am sadly disappointed that N. has not given me something new to think hard on.  Just the same old anti-Christian rhetoric that comes from emotion rather than philosophical thinking and logic.  Maybe when I get into more specific writings on the Übermensch I will be more impressed with his philosophy. 

On a semi-but-not-really-related note: now that I have lots of homework which I actually have to turn in I must return to my procrastinators creed.  This means that the law of inverse prioritizing is in effect (I call it the law of lesser tasking).  Basically what this means is that I will probably be making more blog posts as a method of procrastination.  

This is scary!

The following was taken from http://change.gov/americaserves/

America Serves

"When you choose to serve -- whether it's your nation, your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental American ideal that we want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves, but for all Americans. That's why it's called the American dream."

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.



How is forcing people to work for free the American Dream?! I am also predicting that you will not be able to choose where you work, but you will have to work at a government approved "volunteer" site. I would not be surprised to see Christians required to do community "service" at abortion clinics. I am all for community service and volunteer work, but if it is not on your own terms its not volunteer or service. Since when did the American dream mean that the Government forced states, individuals, and schools to work for free? Last I checked the American dream entailed being able to come to America work your ass off for a better life for you and your family and if you're lucky you might have some left over to leave your kids. The American dream is not working for free so that other people can benefit from your time and talents. I have the right to pursue happiness, that is what the American dream is. It is not a duty to make sure other people have a chance.

I am not against helping people. I think being generous with time and talents is a very important part of life, especially the Christian's life. Once this 50-100 hours of required community service starts where will it end? These things always progress into something worse.

Maybe I will be able to organize my thoughts better later. Everything about this plan from Obama strikes me as oppression by the government.