Finding My Way – Page 18 – Carnes Family Web

04Oct200728Jan2015

The Research Report

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Ugh! I am printing out the final copy of my research report for class tonight. What a relief! Last night was a long night as a finished the report which I had been putting off!

Procrastination is definitely one of my sins. I think my classmates and I are pretty well united in being pleased that our teacher, Mr. Lester has these smaller papers due throughout the semester in leading up to our exegesis paper. This research report is not technically for a grade, but we are reporting on our progress in our research for the exegesis paper. The main thing that I learned was that I didn’t have nearly enough material! My research has only begun!

I went to the community meal, late tonight and was still trying to eat when worship began, so here I am writing on my blog instead of in worship, but I think that is okay for tonight. I’d better get this report into its cover and head off to class!

03Oct200728Jan2015

Give Me the Technology, Please!

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

I’m doing laundry again today! Every week, it seems, I am right back where I started. It is a never-ending cycle. We are in the 21st century. By now, George Jetson had a machine that just created clothes each day for him, didn’t he? Why isn’t technology working for me, like that????

You know, for the people of the third world, our technology in the United States is a futuristic wish! I felt so stupid when I spent a month in Cuba. A brought many clothes with me, but I just assumed there would be a washing machine and dryer at some point. My roommate from Bangladesh would wash one of this two pairs of underwear in the sink each night and hang them up to dry so that he could alternate.

During our second week I finally need to clean my clothes (because I had more clothes on this trip than many of these people had in the homes). We all went to the courtyard and turned on running water that was completely red with rust and washed our clothes. I had no soap because I had not even conceived of such a thing as a “bar of laundry soap”. How stupid could I have been back then?!?

So far as the third world goes, running water for clothes washing is a luxury. How is it that I have become so spoiled? I gripe about having to take my clothes to a machine, dump in liquid soap and wait for it to finish cleaning my clothes for me!!!

I see now, these amazing new washer and dryer systems that cost thousands of dollars. How is it that we have come to this? Is work really that revolting? Can we no longer take care of ourselves?

Why is it that we can purchase new computers, laundry machines, flat screen televisions, fancy new cars…and yet we have a hard time putting money in the offering plate? Have we really become so lazy and self-centered? I have been guilty of this!

I think that God sometimes calls us to make adjustments in our lives. I am now living at school with no money. It is a weird feeling after several years in the work force, but I find that I am content living in this dorm room. Every time I think of something I want – I remind myself of the bigger picture of what I need and what I wish to accomplish with my life.

I hope that we can all find ways to live more simply and give more richly. I believe that is what God is calling us to!

02Oct200728Jan2015

Falling Behind

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

I have already fallen behind, it seems. I have reading to catch up on and I feel exhausted. The truth is that I don’t DO ANYTHING! I don’t have a job, that is. My life is exercising, reading and writing for school, walking, hanging out with other seminarians and sleeping! This is a schedule that most people would love to have. The problem is that, up until last week, I had not made school my vocation. I need to be reading about 4 hours or more a day to keep up with the coursework and I have been slacking off. I got caught up this weekend with my Old Testament class and I think I have found my new ‘rhythm of life’ as I start this new week.

That is what I have been missing – a rhythm. I found the beat that I need to keep! What about you? Do you have a rhythm in your life?

No matter what we do: working, riding our bicycles, walking, sitting in the car waiting for the kids, studying… the list goes on… Everything is better with really great music that fits the occasion. Our lives need music as well. God gives us the right rhythm, we only need to listen for it and pattern our lives upon it!

I hope that you will spend some time contemplating God’s rhythm for your life. Turn off your music and be in prayer with God. Listen for a new and better pattern to emerge from the stillness of prayer!

30Sep200728Jan2015

Northwestern Is Trashy!

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

The photo above is DISGUSTING! It is not disgusting to me because of the trash. It is disgusting because there is so much in that can that is not trash! I can not believe the amount of recyclable material that gets trashed on Northwestern’s campus. As I look around campus I wonder where all of the recycling bins are!?! Maybe you need a secret password to use them or maybe they are invisible…because I can’t imagine that a university this size would not have the resources to maintain nice looking recycling receptacles around campus if they really cared.

To be fair there is recycling available on campus, but Northwestern needs to do two things:

1.•Put outdoor recycling for cans and bottles along Sheridan Road and other main arteries of campus

2.•Initiate recycling and environmental education programs around Northwestern and the greater Evanston community.

As an on-campus faith community, I believe that Garrett-Evangelical could be a part of the solution. Just about every night I have been walking my 10,000 steps and along the way I find myself picking up trash off of the ground. As we care for our bodies and walk around campus, why not pick up trash and grab recyclables that are right on top of the trash can to keep our environment in shape, as well?!?

27Sep200728Jan2015

The Dean’s Challenge

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Tonight during worship Dean Lightsey made a challenge to us that we keep our bodies as healthy as our minds and our spirits while in seminary. Firstly, she walks every morning at 5:30 a.m. and invited all of us to join her. No way that will happen, but she (G-ETS) purchased pedometers for all of the students and she has further challenged us to at least 10,000 steps per day.

As I finish the night and head off to bed, I have only gotten 2,706 steps completed… but we only got the pedometer at 6:30 p.m. tonight and then I had class all evening…. There I go making excuses for exercise already! I am going to get serious about this. I will try to remember to tell you all how I’m doing with this!

24Sep200728Jan2015

Going To Church

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Well this was my second week to worship with First United Methodist Church in Evanston. The young adults were invited to a cookout that evening at the pastor’s house. I got a ride and really enjoyed myself. It was a great way to get to know others my age in the church and there were about 21 people who showed. I thought that was pretty good.

The church is about half the size of Green Bay, but otherwise very similar in size, atmosphere, etc. I asked about volunteering in the Sunday School and I’ve been told that there is a six month waiting period before new people are allowed to work with youth. That’s cool, but I just want to get involved in the church and I really miss being around youth all of the time. I can’t believe how much I miss it, in fact. After six years of youth ministry I realize how much the youth have had an impact on me. You all have kept me young and, from time-to-time you’ve even inspired me! 😮

In the mean time, I think I will continue meeting with this young adult group. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoy all of the people I met.

23Sep200728Jan2015

Construction, Ugh!!!

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Northwestern is doing work nearby and I don’t know how long it will go on. I don’t know what they are building or fixing, but it involves cranes, trucks, concrete, jackhammers… I am so sick of construction. I hate the noise of jackhammers wake me up in the morning and the dust that is everywhere! Construction can be a real pain in my backside.

The University seems to have a problem. Apparently Evanston won’t allow them to buy more property than they already have or something (the city and the University don’t really get along). I think our faith works like that sometimes. The people of God are constantly under construction. New people come into the faith, new churches spring up and, at times we must tear down in order to build anew.

Sometimes as evangelists (yes, even a liberal gets to use that word) we must make some noise (and DUST) if we are to truly grow the faith. I’m tired of sitting patiently in a pew waiting for our church to start construction. I’m tired of ‘waiting’ until it is my turn to make a difference. We must connect the social gospels with the holy spirit. We must become a church of deep commitment both to God and also to all people around us.

We may have to sacrifice in order to do this. We may have to raise a ruckus, but I believe lives will change and it will bring a pleasing scent to God’s nose.

22Sep200728Jan2015

Lamenting A Loss…

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

So I’m watching “The Focus Group” the third episode of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”. I am lamenting the loss of this amazing show. It is appalling that such a witty, smart, deep and competent show would get cut midseason (last February). There are many shows that did not do well during their first season…take seinfeld, for example, but that was before reality tv. Networks want instant gratification. They are willing to put large quantities of junk on the air…shows that aren’t quality and won’t last, just for quick ratings.

Maybe Studio 60 was ‘too smart’ for America…but then again, perhaps the network needed to give show with intelligent content some time to catch on. The problem seems to be the network executives who were incapable of giving America the benefit of the doubt. Hello, we do have brains! After great success with West Wing, the network owed Aaron Sorkin the benefit of the doubt. I am tired of television that does not challenge me intellectually. I am tired of television that is ‘safe’. I am tired of reality-garbage that drains my brain rather than the smart and witty scripting from shows like West Wing and Studio 60. NBC needs to grow a pair and bring back this show.

The early episodes of Studio 60 spoke deeply about cultural issues of America, but, even more importantly, this show poked fun at hollywood and network executives and – well – the whole TV industry. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that it got cut. Okay, I’m done with this tirade, but don’t be too angry with me. Lamenting is Biblical. We are allowed to be angry and express it. In this case I am cursing a network, but from time-to-time we all feel a need to lament our situation to our God. Go for it.

21Sep200728Jan2015

What Does the Lord Require Of Us???

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Last night we began talking about the sacrifice traditions in our Old Testament class. As a class we basically avoided the discussion and side-stepped by talking about Moses as an intercessor between the people and God… ANYWAY- That isn’t the point…the point is that we are uncomfortable in talking about sacrifice. It is much easier to simply discard Sacrifice as an Old Testament thing, but as I pointed out to the class:

It is a shame that we fail to truly understand Sacrifice. We have sacrifice as part of our ritual every Sunday morning in church- the offering. The early people placed an animal, their food, upon the altar. This was the most valuable commodity there was! This was not just a small thing they could do without…this was the ultimate sacrifice they could make (short of sacrificing themselves)!

This sacrifice was about keeping covenant – about their relationship with God. We will fail the people of our churches if we do not help them understand that to sacrifice is essential to understanding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can not just sacrifice what is comfortable, but what will be hard to do without! To sacrifice is to draw closer to our Lord Jesus Christ and to our community of faith.

When I talk about offering, I talk not just of money but also of time, sweat and prayer. That is not to say, “Oh, I would rather give my time than my money.” We could do that, but we wouldn’t grow. We must inspect, seriously, what the Lord has gifted to us and then determine a sacrifice that we will, with God’s help, endure. We are given help with that: The Bible says 10% and although it may seem difficult, I suggest we begin there!

20Sep200728Jan2015

Vocation

Scott Carnes Finding My Way

Vocation is a complex idea. Have you ever thought deeply about the term “vocation”? In today’s society we think of our vocation as our job, but let’s look back to history. In the New Testament we find “klesis” which really meant ‘divine calling’. This was not just a job this was God’s pull on a person’s entire being.

At the time of the reformation, Luther translates klesis into the german word “beruf” which basically means job. Luther suggested that our job defines our call from God and that we should remain content to serve God through our occupation.

How is it that we find our divine calling? Is it simply our job, or is that too limiting? Above you can see a photo taken during one of my classes in seminary. Here we have students studying to be professional pastors.

I believe that we limit ourselves – even pastors – if we limit our calling to our occupation. God calls us, every facet of our being, into service. We must use our occupation to glorify God and better the lives of other. We must also, however, use our time with our family to grow (communally) in closer relationship to God. Finally, we must join with others of faith to build faith communities that glorify God and bring all into a closer relationship with God.

Consider carefully how you answer the question, “What is it that you do?” or “What is your job?”. It is time that we accept God’s call on our lives and become strong, proud and caring MINISTERS of GOD!