Journal Entry 5
January 28, 2008
I have been back in classes for three weeks now, but it really feels like three months. Part of the reason for this is that I have begun a new job this semester. I am a residence director for one of the undergraduate dorms at EMU. This also meant moving into a new apartment in the dorm and going through a few days of training for the job. I feel pretty good about it. It’s hard to come in the middle of the year, but I think that it has gone pretty smoothly. Of course this is my perspective; the students in the dorm may feel otherwise.
I am viewing this position as a ministry. I think that it will be good for me to be working with people and serving the needs of young people. Already I have had the opportunity to talk with students about things going on in their lives. Some of these conversations were about parts of their lives that perhaps should be changed. In other conversations I was able to be more encouraging and supportive of the direction they are going. Now I will not only be learning about ministry and strengthening those skills in seminary classes, but I also will have the chance to put these things into action.
Last week was the School for Leadership Training, and all classes were cancelled, so this week is almost like starting the semester over. SLT was a good experience. I had the opportunity to catch up with two people from my home church and community. The topic was sexuality. I feel like this was a bit of a risqué topic to tackle, but one that the church can’t be afraid of. During the workshops and worship time the leaders referred to parts of the body other than our hearts and hands. This doesn’t happen all that much in church settings, but God does care about more than just our hearts and hands. He created our whole bodies as good and everything that we can do with our bodies too. But all this is only good when we give it back to him. I feel that the speakers and overall tone of the week was focused on just that: taking sexuality, which has been so corrupted by society, and fully recognizing it and bringing it back into the light of what God originally intended it to be. May God guide each of us as we take this challenge into our communities and lives.
