What is this
This is my place to put my written responses to the lectionary readings. Well, at first. It may become a place to put written responses to other scripture readings or other readings in general.
Why is this
Acknowledging that I'm not really happy in my computer career, my wife and I decided on a five year plan to "figure out what I want to be when I grow up." I'm not really unhappy in my computer career; it's just that it's a default career path. I didn't really pick it. It's a good career for which I'm immensely grateful. It pays the bills. The big bills (kids' college, mortgage, starter retirement savings) are getting close to taken care of and the five year plan will end at a point where I will have some freedom of choice.
As a part of the discovery process I decided to read through the lectionary. I realized that starting with lectionary cycle A in 2013 would finish up one complete pass through all three cycles by about six month before my five year plan ended. It seemed to me that reading through a complete cycle of the lectionary would be a good discipline to help me with my questions of vocation.
Actually, in part to hold myself accountable, I decided to write through the lectionary. Thus this blog. It's a place to put my writings. It also represents a level of completeness for accountability; I'm not just writing a journal; I'm finishing something and publishing it somewhere.
Why "Prepare"
I've been writing in response to scripture readings already for some time. Our church, Rock Spring Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, has an early bluegrass service called "Gospel at the Rock." At GatR we play bluegrass gospel music and listen to some preaching. The preaching is a little bit less formal than a sermon in "big church" would be; there's discussion and interaction. Our pastor, Karen Allamon, selects the subject and scripture texts and sets the schedule. I have been pre-reading the scripture and preparing a little eight page paper book (folded like a "pocket-mod"). There was a cover and an inside title page followed by five pages consistenly named "PREPARE", "READ", "LISTEN", "PRAY" and "DO". "READ" was the scripture of the day. "LISTEN" was blank lines for writing. "PRAY" and "DO" were the pray concerns and volunteer list from the Rock Spring newsletter. I select a cover picture (definitely with some sort of Creative Commons permission or public domain and usually from Wikimedia Commons) and write the "PREPARE" page. The intent is for participants to have something to think about with their right brain and with their left brain as they sit waiting for the service to start. It's something to help them "PREPARE".
So I've been engaging with the Word of God preparing a paper "PREPARE" page to help others prepare to receive the Word of God. Now I'm on my own journey of preparation for something I don't know what is yet and to help me prepare I'm engaging with the Word of God myself to prepare this page. . . "Pepare!"
