Lent 45

Today I saw God risen.

Happy Easter!

Lent 44

My God, why have you forsaken me?

I'm thirsty.

It is finished.

Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit!

Today, I saw God on a cross.

Lent 43

Cool water

Offered so all can live

Something we all can give

Gives peace to those in strife

Sharing the word of life

Today I saw God in water

Lent 42

Almost there

Today I saw God in fellowship and laughter.

Lent 41

Today and tomorrow, the SCOTUS is hearing arguments regarding California's Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. It has the potential to be a landmark year for Marriage Equality...

...of course it could also turn out to be the Dred Scott for marriage equality

But I'm hopeful. All day on Facebook I have seen nothing but Red (red being the color that the marriage equality camp has decided to use to spread their message...I wonder who gets to come up with that). Peers of mine are going down to the Supreme Court to protest Prop 8 and DOMA. I don't want to say anything that might jinx it, but I think things may be looking up.

Today, I see God in hope

Lent 40

Today I saw God in a visiting choir from Florida.

Lent 39

Anniversaries really bring out memories. A married couple on their anniversary remember the day they committed to spend the rest of their lives together. On a child's birthday, a parent will remember the joy they experienced on the day they brought life into this world. On the anniversary of a loved one's death, feelings of loneliness creep their ways in.

Today is an anniversary in my life story. For one year now, I've been suffering from a personal ordeal. One year ago today, I was a mess, a total wreck. I felt as if I would never heal.

And yet here I am. Granted, I still have some way to go in the journey, but I have come a long way. I guess that's a God sighting in itself.

But that's not what I'm going to blog about today. Like I said, anniversaries bring back memories, and I was really worried for today.

But today is Palm Sunday. For those not involved in a church, Palm Sunday is kind of a big deal. It's right up there on the list of best church services in the liturgical year.

Of course, that means that there are a lot of details that go into a service. Today alone, I had three different services, I had to direct a children's choir (which is akin to herding cats), sing a solo, and direct the campus ministry choir (and half of them missed the memo that they were coming an hour early).

I say all this, not because I'm worn out, but because everything provided a much needed distraction for today. I hardly thought about my problem at all today, and for that I'm extraordinarily thankful.

Today, I saw God in distractions.

Lent 38

Got to love the sabbath day.

Today I had some friends over, and when we got home my roommate was in our room skipping with two friends of ours who are studying abroad this semester. So we all crammed around the computer to hang out with them, even though they were an entire ocean away. Today I saw God in real-life relationship building through technology.

Lent 37

So I'm the tenor soloist for the church across the street and they're singing a really bombastic piece on Sunday morning for Palm Sunday. However, they're choir has gotten a little thin so the director said that the church would be willing to pay anyone who came to help sing. I asked some singer friends of mine and for the most part they all said yes. The choir is going to be stronger 8 people, and I'm really excited to hear what it will sound like. Today I saw God in singers eager to serve and a church that never ceases to support American University students.

Lent 36

Today I saw God in an alumnus coming to visit

Lent 35

I'm going to be up all night tonight.  I have an abstract/annotated bibliography due for History of Music 1 tomorrow at 11:45am and I'm just getting started (luckily I have a preliminary bibliography to springboard off of).

That's not my God sighting though.

In case you hadn't noticed, we're getting really close to Easter.  Holy Week starts on Sunday.  For those who have no idea what working in a church setting is like, Holy Week is sort of what hell week is for theater people.  Over the course of Palm Sunday to Easter, I have eleven church services to work at/attend (three on Palm Sunday, two on Maundy Thursday, one on Good Friday, one Midnight Vigil, and four on Easter Sunday).

I'm going to need another spring break.

And yet, our UMSA is really on top of its game.  We had one of the most productive meetings in recent memory tonight.  Everything is planned.  Hymns are chosen.  Musicians have been secured.  Potluck assignments have been made (at least for the staples).  Holy Week may be long this year, but at least we're prepared for it.

Today, I saw God in UMSA leaders who know how to get shit done.

Lent 34

Yesterday was a very blah day. I don't quite know why, maybe it just being the first day back from break. But today was bette. Again, I can't quite explain why, but it was. Today I saw God in getting back into a routine

Lent 33

Keeping it more brief than usual today.  Today I saw God in an extra shift at Kay in which I got to hang out with cool people

Lent 32

We had an Irish dancer today in service. It was a real treat, and it brought a lot of joy to the rest if the congregation. Today, I saw God in a lovely dancer. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lent 31

I grew up in a big church, in terms of both congregational membership and physical size.  My home church, which has the most members in the entire conference, is a large gothic-style building.  The long aisle that cuts through the middle of the sanctuary is flanked on either side with large stone pillars and grandeur stained glass windows.  At the front of the sanctuary is an altar with a huge gold cross on it, and above that is an ornately decorated stained glass rose window.  On the temple/tabernacle spectrum, my home church falls on the extreme temple side.

I mention all of this because the church that I work at here in DC (not my campus ministry) is basically the same.  It's a large building which contains a large congregation (meaning: wealthy congregation).  

My balcony has a lovely view of the church I work at, and I can see it perfectly fine from the safety of my bed when my blinds are open.

However, my roommate doesn't like to sleep with the blinds open, so we don't.  But since he was home for spring break, I got to sleep with the blinds open, and the last thing I saw before I fell asleep each night was the steeple of the church I work at brightly illuminated by lights.  And I don't know, but that served as a warm sense of comfort, probably partly due to the awesome members that church has.  So today, I saw God before I fell asleep (at 3 in the morning, so it counts for today) in the lovely view of a church.

Lent 30

This spring break I've learned (or maybe reaffirmed) a couple things:

Rest is good

When the kitchen is clean, cooking is good

Staying on campus when everyone else either went home or on vacation can be very lonely

However, today one of my roommates came back from his home, and there was much rejoicing throughout the land!  Solitude can really be relaxing, but after a certain point, one can get a little stir crazy.  So when Zach got back, it was a taste of what it would be like to have everyone else back.  I cannot wait for Sunday services and fellowship (I'm bringing brownies!) when I will get to catch up with my friends and hear all about their breaks and what they did.

Today, I saw God in reunion.

Lent 29

Spring break really is a wonderful thing.  I've done absolutely nothing all week except rest.  I feel rested and rejuvenated and I'm ready to tackle the rest of the semester.  Today I saw God in Sabbath rest.

Lent 28

I really love cooking. If I wasn't a music major, I'd be in culinary school. Unfortunately, due to the constraints of being a full-time student working four jobs working with a kitchen that is frequently a sty, I don't typically get to cook very often. But today I got to cook a pan-seared ribeye steak and I've started work on a pan pizza made from scratch which I will finish tomorrow. Today I saw God in culinary adventures.

Lent 27

Today I had lunch and saw a movie with a really good friend. We got to catch up with what's going on in each other's lives over the best burgers you can find in the District. That was my God sighting for the day.

Lent 26

So I really don't know what to say for today. I didn't really do much today. I woke up at noon. Cleaned the kitchen. Made a tour payment. Then I went to the AU Lounge and watched West Wing for a couple Hours. And then I went home and played some Modern Warfare and watched a Norwegian movie about Trolls.

But hey, what are breaks for?

Today I saw God in a lazy day.

Lent 25

It's finally Spring Break!
I don't have to do anything until Thursday. I'm ready for some much needed R&R.
Of course, most of my friends are gone for the week. It's just me and one of my roommates in the apartment and we mostly keep to ourselves. But I had some of the few friends who are still in the area over before they leave. They did some cooking, I killed some Russian terrorists, and we all just hung out. Today I saw God in an evening with friends

Lent 24

Ian is still recovering from Hell Week (which gave him a cold).

Today he saw God in a beautiful garden at the national cathedral.

Lent 23

Today I saw God in rest

Lent 22

One more day. I can do it...

Today we had quintet testing in Chamber Singers. Quintet testing, according to the vast majority of Chamber Singers, is a cruel form of torture in violation of no less than six stipulations set forth by the Geneva Council. In actuality, one person from each part stands up and sings a random section of the repertoire. It makes sure that everyone knows their part. So we get to the middle of Chamber Singers, and not only are people doing well, they are eagerly volunteering to go up. It wound up being a really strong rehearsal, and I'm glad we're coming together as an ensemble to make some really good music. Today I saw God in a well-prepared choir.

Lent 21

Wow I'm bad at this.
Here is my God sighting for yesterday. I'll post today's later.

So remember how I said this week might just kill me? I think I'm going to make it, thanks to a well-timed snow day. The only thing I have left to do for Friday is finish my program notes, which will be a piece of cake. Yesterday, I saw God in the gift of time.

Lent 21

So this week is my hell week.  Break cannot come fast enough.  In spite of this, I'm not freaking out...not yet anyways.  I would imagine that with the amount of shit I have to get done this week, I'd be a wreck, but I have a solid handle on it all.  I know what I have to get done, and when it has to be done by.  Today I saw God in structure

Lent 20

Just under the wire.

Today in Chamber Singers (yes another Camber Singers post) a choir from North Carolina visited us and we did a rep exchange. We sang some stuff for them. They sang some stuff for us. We sang some stuff together. It was a powerful and moving experience, and it was great singing with them. They were all so talented and friendly.

Today, I saw God in a visiting choir.

Lent 19

It's Sunday, and I feel there is no better way  to start my week than to be in worship with my campus ministry.  Today's worship was especially profound and meaningful.  I'm not quite sure why, it just was.  Our campus minister is preaching a Lenten sermon series entitled "Lost in the Wilderness" (I know, I get Children of Eden stuck in my head too) in which we explore the different wildernesses we experience in our lives.  We're covering the wilderness of want, despair, tragedy, loneliness, and betrayal.

It's a really uplifting series.

Anyways, today we discussed the wilderness of tragedy.  In the wakes of the tragedies akin to the Newtown shooting, where do we find God?  And  I don't know, it was a sermon I really needed to hear.  There aren't any tragedies happening in my life right now (thank God) but I still found the sermon to be really comforting.

Today I saw God in a well-timed sermon.

Lent 18

And I was just about to fall asleep too. Maybe next week I'll post everyday before midnight.

Today I hung out with a friend who I hadn't seen outside of church in a while. We chatted and watched a movie, real low key, but it was a true pleasure. Today I saw God in time with a friend

Lent 17

Random compliments are really nice. They never cease to brighten my day.

I was getting dinner at Subway on campus during a particularly stressful work shift. I got to the checkout counter, and the cashier was a girl who has been working there for at least the past two years. She checked me out, and then completely out of the blue she says something along the lines of "I don't want to come off as creepy, but I like you look good with short hair".

(I used to have über long hair, and cut it all off in May, 2012).

I don't know what it was, but that compliment really brightened my mood.

Today I saw God in a random compliment.