Be Who You Is...

"Be who you is, not who you ain't. Cause if you is who you ain't, then you ain't who you is." ~Pastor Jim Lobdell

This was the message of the sermon last week on campus - delivered by one of the most dynamic preachers I have seen so far here at PLTS. And it was accompanied by GOSPEL MUSIC! ....I was in heaven.

That message has continued to resonate with me this past week as I continue to reflect...get settled...discern my call...and plow through all my readings for my Old Testament class.

It was a whirlwind of emotions leaving Massachusetts at the end of August, and when I arrived in Berkeley, I hit the ground running (literally! I have tendinitis in my right foot!) with Orientation and then classes. Any baggage - both literal as well as emotional and spiritual - that I arrived with, hadn't really gotten "unpacked."

But, by about last week, I was starting to hit my stride. I was getting used to all of my classes (and their early start times) as well re-acquainting myself with large amounts of reading assignments, homework, and...oh yeah...dorm life!

One of the things that has amazed me, is how quickly I've found a home here on campus. The PLTS staff would love to read that statement because they make a big point of that being their goal for students. But, it's true.

I have made some truly wonderful friends! If these are the future leaders of the Lutheran Church....WATCH OUT WORLD! They are passionate, intelligent, funny and oh so loving. They come from so many different backgrounds and experiences - every time they open their mouths, I feel so blessed to be here with them.

I've found a spiritual home too. It has been refreshing to feel the same kind of support and encouragement here at PLTS as I get from all of the wonderful people at Immanuel. (By the way Immanuel friends, my quilt is on my desk chair, it enfolds me every time I sit to read, write papers or just check Facebook. So many of my friends have commented not only on its beauty, but on how cool it is that you all did that for me!)

And, I think the biggest part for me in finally feeling like I've got a grip on things is a complete affirmation of my call in being here. All of you have told me, from the time I was a child, that I would make a good pastor. But, every day when I'm here, I feel an intense passion for ministry, for God and for God's community. It's so powerful it's almost hard to describe.

"Be who you is, not who you ain't. Cause if you is who you ain't, then you ain't who you is."

He was talking to me!

And he reminded all of us that sometimes people are going to try to tell you to be who you "ain't." They're going to tell you to change your thoughts, your weight, your sexuality, your class, your....

But then he told this story:

"There once was a farmer who lived next to another farmer who had a mule that was just stellar. The farmer was jealous of this mule because his mule was lack luster (Ted, it lacked....luster). So, the farmer dug a big hole on his property and then grabbed a bag of oats and dropped them in a line, making a path from the mule to the hole. And the mule followed the oats trail all the way to the hole and fell in. The farmer grabbed his shovel and began shoveling the dirt on the mule...he was going to bury the mule alive. But, did you know that mules don't like having things on their backs? So, with every shovel of dirt that the farmer heaved onto the mule, the mule would just shake it off and stomp it down. The farmer kept shoveling and shoveling, and the mule kept shaking off the dirt, stomping on it and rising a little higher...shaking it off, stomping on it, and rising a little higher. Heaving the dirt. Shaking it off. Stomping on it. And, rising higher and higher and higher, until he was on level ground and KICKED that farmer!"

Life's going to throw dirt on our backs. People are going to try to convince you to be who you "ain't". But, as Pastor Jim said, we need to "shake it off, stomp on it, and rise a little higher."