Blessed Gaudette Sunday everyone! I made it to church today and throughly enjoyed it. Still need to get better about interacting with folks at coffee hour at a new parish but I’m not gonna let work and exhaustion stop me from going anymore. Blessings everyone! ⚓️

Can’t wait to go through Theresa’s poetry in this one I got through interlibrary loan! ⚓️

So randomly I'm looking to do a personal retreat some time in the next month or so. Maybe like a Friday-Sunday thing? I'm looking to get my faith back on track and wondering if, combined with some needed pastoral care, a spiritual retreat would help? Any recs folks have for a place? ⚓

Wrote a thing because caffeine and a proper medication regiment mean I'm not exhausted this morning. The writing feels a bit like I'm rambling but I hope what I wrote brings someone comfort. ⚓ open.substack.com/pub/wordsand...

In Origen's Commentary on Matthew he notes on this portion of Matt. 23: "I wish everyone might hear this, and most of all deacons, priests and bishops..." ⚓

“The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:11-12) Getting back into MP and really enjoyed this combined with Amos 8. Something I needed to hear today. ⚓️

I am at $325/1500! we applied for a place yesterday and I beed to be able to pay the deposit! Please help! venmo: comradeconrad116 paypal.me/cerl116

Last one for now but Fenton Johnson's "Tired" contains one of my favorite last lines in modern poetry: "I'm tired of civilization"

George Moses Horton's last lines of "On Summer" are always beautiful (we should all read more Horton in this day and age tbh): "With rapture view the smiling fields, Adorn the mountain and the plain, Each, on the eve of Autumn, yields A large supply of golden grain."

Donne's "The Good-Morrow" was deeply important to me while married. Still is an inspiration and comfort to me. "If our two loves be one, or, thou and I Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die."

Quoting Pope Francis in my archives class discussion is so funny to me cause like...you can force the theologian out of the world of theology and church but you can't force the theology out of him.

So I’m going into a field where things like LinkedIn matter and boy howdy I am not excited to have to play the social games that come with this…just looking through it all makes me anxious.

Talking about sustainability in archives for class and decided it's time I re-up the fact that I wrote for @earthandaltarmag.com years back about Romans 8 and an Ecology of Creation. Heavily leaned on Pope Francis' "Laudato Si" here! Learned a lot writing this! earthandaltarmag.com/posts/i9phdu...

Reading through a oral history of one of the Philadelphia 11 (Rev. Carter Heyward) and realizing a lot of things about my own sense of call and how they kinda line up with hers (going to seminary before wanting to be a priest, for example). Like as much as a straight white man can, I relate to her.

I just worked all day. And I mean all day. I am in pain and exhausted and in desperate need of Tylenol that I am currently out of. But I’m still promising myself that I’m making it to church on Advent 1. I need this back in my life. I really do.

I forgot to take a pic but Andy Baraghani’s “Brussels Buried In Cream” was an amazing side for thanksgiving this year. Made good eating for a two person, post-work dinner! Gonna keep the recipe in my back pocket for sure! Gift Link: cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027...

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen Gojira Trivium Slipknot Imminence Landmvrks

Improvising and making Jimmy Carter’s White House Cornbread recipe to take with me to share with coworkers. Super simple but I’m betting it’ll be delicious based on how much butter I put in that batter lol!

Unfortunately working instead of cooking for thanksgiving. Not to mention that the day before Advent 1, I’m working a 13 hour day. Prayers are legitimately appreciated as I push myself to the edge of insanity every day I keep working as a barista.

Also apparently there’s pie discourse? I think the best pie is the one made with love and shared with those around you. Genuinely. Not doing a bit. That’s the best damn pie you’ll ever have is one made with love and care.

SO…I’m looking to invest a significant chunk of money (to me) in a musical instrument and start a hobby, which I don’t have many of tbh. I have the desire but I’m worried my motivation will run out and it’ll be wasted funds. Any advice on just doing it or should I truly not due to the fear?

Would love to hear library folks’ opinions on library ethics that we’re discussing in class? I’m a firm believer in Desmond Tutu’s thought that “to be neutral is to be on the side of the oppressor” but I fear that library ethics points towards trying to be as true neutral as possible.

Threw together mirepoix, garlic, curry powder, some chickpeas, and some Trader Joe’s Tikka Masala sauce for a pretty delicious meal tonight. It’s been a bad day but the warm spices really helped me feel ever so slightly better.

First day off in a week and I’m having a bad time already. Prayers appreciated if you can. After tomorrow I’m working the rest of the week every day (including a 13 hour Saturday work day) so I’m a little rattled by how since my divorce, I haven’t had a real holiday and now I’m crying.

Felt the call to ministry in late college, went to seminary to find what it meant, realized I felt called to TEC, kept getting told “not yet” for 5 years, realized I have a passion for libraries and that I can’t put all my eggs into the priesthood basket so here I am getting a masters in libraries!

I haven’t been active in theological education or scholarship in quite some time. Best wishes to everyone at #AARSBL this year in Boston tho! Maybe one day I’ll present at ATLA or something!

So doing a project about oral histories and reading one from the LGBTQ Religious Archives Network on episcopal priest, Carter Heyward, and look at that! A @forwardmovement.org Day by Day mention! (Also this is 105 combined pages for me to develop qualitative assertions from, Ora Pro Me) ⚓️

Prayers up as I just applied to be an adjunct religion professor at a community college. I need out of customer service BADLY and library internships aren’t going to happen for at least another 6 months so I need something I can do in the meantime. If anyone knows of part time jobs in NC, DM me!

Just saw video of a Buddhist monk chanting on stage with a metal band absolutely ripping it up around him. Talk about interfaith partnerships!

Unconfirmed reports of ICE coming to my neck of the woods in NC…scared to see it happen if true. They’ve been sporadically spotted around here and in my old Richmond, VA stomping grounds but uh…yeah a full force of them showing up is deeply unnerving.

So I just discovered Dr. Ian McFarland wrote a new (2024) book on hope and eschatology "The Hope of Glory: A Theology of Redemption". Though I never finished reading it, his "The Word Made Flesh" was deeply helpful for me in seminary so I'm curious how this one is, if anyone knows! ⚓

As we approach Advent soon, I’m still looking for simple Advent devotions to add to my spiritual life. My spiritual life has become stale over the last few months, what spiritual life exists that is. To be clear, my faith has not wavered but the praxis by which I pursue that faith has. ⚓️

Anyone here a cologne person? I keep getting ads for it and I’m actually considering having a few to rotate between but idk the first damn thing about it.

Anyone know what to do when a washing machine pipe comes out of the wall and soaks your hardwood flooring (besides the buying of a shop vac which I am currently doing)??

I can’t sleep so I MIGHT outline a theological argument for hope based on this chorus. ⚓️

“Children still play in the garden Dance as the sun slips away Not even stars last forever Cleanse us, acid rain” - Acid Rain / Avenged Sevenfold My funeral will be a very Anglican burial service. My wake tho? You best play this track and get people sad before anything else happens.

Weird one but prayers up for my dogs? One chewed up an Apple Pencil and my mother’s rage at it is purely based on how expensive they are and it fueled some idea that the dogs cost money and therefore aren’t “worth it” and I’m worried she’s looking to re-home them ASAP so…please pray for my pups. ⚓️

we picked the wrong time to close Religious Studies programs

I found a way to quote the BCP in my term paper on oral history projects in churches, please clap. We'll see if it makes the final edit but I like it for now. You can take me out of seminary and drop me in a completely different program but you'll never take the seminary training out of me. ⚓

I'm still raising funds! Currently at $50/1500 goal. Help a t4t queerplatonic couple and our two cats afford to move and stay housed! 🏳️‍⚧️ 🐾 venmo: comradeconrad116 paypal.me/cerl116 (this pic is our cat Blue from shortly after we rescued him from street life a couple years ago as a kitten)

Watching Brennan Lee Mulligan eat his Last Meal on Mythical Kitchen and he talks about not conforming and like…honestly yeah. I’ve also worked really hard to conform but to the best of my ability it hasn’t really worked and I do wonder if I’m better off for that or not.

Unsure of the validity of the claim so I won’t say which one but supposedly a college a friend teaches at is having ICE recruiters at a career event that is not explicitly announcing that they’ll be there and that’s…that’s a problem.

*believes in the Virgin Birth harder*

This was a wild time in seminary. Definitely need to retake a theology class from an Anglican for sure. ⚓️

Did I ever tell yall about the literal professor I had in seminary who, among other things, referred to the Virgin Birth as a “myth” within Christianity, something that was deeply considered by our textbook? ⚓️

I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:

So wait…the whole thing was over the ACA subsidies? The things that keep insurance from being like 5k/month??? We just fucking gave that to them?? As a kidney transplant recipient I just know I’m screwed.

Are Dems who caved to blame? Absolutely. But we’re not talking nearly enough about the GOP who decided this was worth it…the SNAP cuts, the endless furloughs and lost jobs…all worth it to them because they “won” while the American people lost…idk. I’m gonna go to bed but I’m pissed at all of it.

Scamming any other non-profit would be seen as a shameful act but somehow doing it to a church struggling to help everyone in the midst of a deep national crisis is okay?? What the hell are these people thinking?