I can't believe I'm moving to Houston

I got my first real full time job!

In case you haven't heard the news. 

Here are the details:

I'm going to be a curate at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Houston TX. 

That's right, this Northerner is going South again!
(I am so going to miss the snow.)

I am moving next week and I have been learning first hand all the frustrations Sonic learned three years ago about moving to a new city by myself. Luckily I do have a few friends in the area and I have been, and continue to be, so very grateful for their help. 

Also, this is a great time for me to announce a new blog. Sonic and I have discussed this, so she has signed off on the deal. I am going to start a blog on which to put my sermons, religious adventures, and religious reflections on so that she does not get yoked into my religious views. Thus, this blog will still remain a place for personal adventures and scientific ideas, but my religious activities will move to: A Curious Curate (with credit to my father for the name). I have already put some old sermons and Allergy Friendly Church items there. (Wait for the campaign... its coming!)

I look forward to exploring Houston and starting my first full time job!

Haiku for Israel

As part of the course I took at St. George's College in Jerusalem the class members had to provide entertainment for the group and staff on the last night we were there. I was part of a small choral ensemble and while I thought that would be enough, I was also moved to share some haiku I wrote about my time in Israel. After the post yesterday, it was suggested by a fellow traveler that I share them here.

Haiku Reflection on Israel

Israel is for Jews
The Holy Land, Jerusalem
All the World's People

Silence please he says
This is holy sacred space
the police sirens scream

Dusty, dirty, hot
the ice cream stand glistens here
Here is the high altar

On the pilgrim trail
searching through all the corners
hearing the call, 'Found!'

Year Challenge Goals: The Dating Game

I completed my second year challenge in the first week of June!

That was it for the year challenges.

What do I do now??

(Not like getting my first job and moving wouldn't be challenges of this year... But I will save that for another post.)

Going on a date was not as hard as I thought it would be, but it was definitely different than I thought it would be. Since June, I have been on a number of dates and its amazing to me how quickly people come into and leave out of a person's life. The first date was on frisbee golf course and neither of us made a lot of good goals. Unfortunately the relationship that has developed through the dating I have done will not last very long, but it was good for me personally. I grew and learned that there is a lot of variety and its amazing how much a single trait can color and change the way a relationship between two people develops and works (or doesn't work). I look forward to continuing to date in the future. I do not know what will happen when I move, but I think that whatever happens will be interesting. 

Look out! ;)

The Rocks of Israel

I finally made it to Israel.
(And I'm finally making it around to writing about Israel...)

Despite all the road blocks and the frustrations, it was totally worth it. The trip was amazing to say the least. There is something about visiting a land that you have read about for decades and finally seeing and feeling it. 

The mountains are steeper than I imagined. 

The landscape changes faster than I could have thought possible.

Despite so much tension, people are still people and daily life must go on. 

The group I was with was from across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England. I learned just as much from the group of people I was with as from the course director about the land of Israel. I probably could have learned more from the director of the course, however there is only so much information I can retain after eight hours in the hot sun looking at tan stones. And pretty much everything was made of tan stones. Houses, churches, synagogues, graves, walls, mosaics, they were all made of tan stones.

The Dome of the Rock

The Garden of Gethsemane 

Tan and olive. The olive trees looked exactly like I had always been told and I ate a lot of olives. I almost like olives after the trip. 

Not surprisingly, I gathered a lot of rocks from Israel. I also brought back broken pottery and some souvenirs naturally. The rock collection comes from the Jordan River, the Judean wilderness, Masada, Qumran, the Sea of Galilee, and lots of other places that touched my heart in ways I cannot fully describe.

The Church of All Nations

 This trip will enrich my spirituality for years to come. My understanding of the bible has shifted, not dramatically, but enough to be noticeable and enough to change my understanding of humanity.  

I will pray for everyone in Israel and Palestine for the rest of my life.