For River City Saturday I attended a bible study on Acts 9: 9 - 19. I had been going back and forth between what to do during that time, and I feel like God called me to be there. I felt the Spirit move, and was transformed by the idea of God saying to each of us, "But, go,"
That's - BUT comma GO comma
When God calls us to be her instruments, it can be so easy to make up excuses - I'm busy. I'm lazy. I'm not good enough. I'm gay. I'm transgender. I'm differently abled. I'm oppressed. People don't listen to me.
And God says, "But, go,"
After that I attended the screening of a short documentary called What Makes Me White? This was also very encouraging and helpful - to feel as though a door was being opened for white people like myself to really get angry at how racism, others and our own, has shaped us and our society; to recognize that racism is a white issue, and that we need to take on dismantling it in an active way.
This was also fun because I met a few people from the Maine Conference - my parents conference - and had a talk with them about the current affairs there, as well as some of the history of race and economics there. Very interesting.
For dinner I met up with some Young Adults. Following dinner I was either a very good Synod attendee, or a very bad one.
I skipped the Celebration for the former President, Rev. John Thomas, and went for dessert and drinks and exploring Grand Rapids with a few of the other Young Adults.
I'm gonna go with this having been a good plan. I made some great new friends with whom I have a lot in common even outside church affairs, which seems to be a rarity for me. And a lot of people told me how important making new friends here was, so that's what I did!
We also came across the "Best GLBT Bar in Western MI", had some drinks and discovered they have karaoke on Monday night, which is coincidentally my new friend Jake's (future seminarian and Grenell student) 21st birthday! How exciting to meet a new friend and immediately get to celebrate a milestone with him, doing one of my favorite things!
Well, that about brings you up to speed. Unfortunately I still don't know what resolution I'll be working on, but I should know in the morning.
And speaking of Sunday morning, I will be attending some of the Sacred Conversations on Race first thing, but I will be skipping out early to attend the service at First (Park) Congregational UCC - because, although interesting, the Praise Music filled services have not quite been nourishing my Pilgrim/Lutheran roots!
See you in cyber land tomorrow, when I promise I'll get back to Synod business... because I don't really have a choice!
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