3-parent babies, a definitive end date, and a beautiful hymn...

In Adam we have all been one,
One huge rebellious man;
We all have fled that evening voice
That sought us as we ran.

We fled Thee, and in losing Thee
We lost our brother too;
Each singly sought and claimed his own;
Each man his brother slew.

But Thy strong love, it sought us still
And sent Thine only Son
That we might hear His Shepherd's voice
And, hearing Him, be one. (From 1961 hymn In Adam We Have All Been One by M. Franzmann, based on Genesis 3 & 4.)

Our less-than illustrious hometown newspaper here in Ft. Wayne (weak sports section, Garrison Keillor's Saturday column shows up aperiodically, and we have the WORST carrier in newspaper history) on Sunday made a one-sentence note of a baby born with three parents. Just when I think it's safe to venture out beyond the monastery walls, wham! Another symptom of a disordered world. I have plenty of opinions about this, but rather than rant myself into a lather, I'd like you to be the judge:

Exclusive: World’s first baby born with new “3 parent” technique

In other news, after a friendly round of discussions with my advisor, he has agreed that my program of study's prescribed follow-on one-year pastor internship (called, in the Lutheran church, a vicarage) can be waived. So my official academic end date is August 2, 2016. I expect that by the time that date arrives, I will have a call to a congregation somewhere, most likely back in Texas.

It's hard to believe that this first quarter of study is half over! Next month (on the 28th) the winter quarter begins!

I robed up for the first service at our field work church (where we had been worshiping anyway prior to my assignment) and then participated in the second disrobed (contemporary service). It was clunky to start out with-- I forgot how hot I get under that alb (robe). And I had the wrong order of service bulletin, so the pastor and I had to share-- he asked me to do more than I thought I was going to do, including chanting during the first service. I respectfully declined; though, in retrospect (and I told this to the pastor) I should have just gone ahead and made my chanting debut. We're doing it in liturgics class, anyway... Oh well. I'm certain my chanting debut is still right around the corner. My biggest (but not serious) faux pas was reading the Gospel text from the pulpit, rather than the lectern. The pastor cuffed me for it... Seriously, though. I'm very lucky to be assigned to this particular pastor-- he's very flexible and in his words, "I'm not a liturgical Nazi." (But it would have been nice to know ahead of time all that would be expected of me...and I didn't have to do the children's message because it was Lutheran Women's Missionary League Sunday-- praise the Lord!)

I'm singing with the first year choir and we will be singing a hymn that just moves me (I don't know if it's the melody or the words or both), called In Adam We Have All Been One (#569 in your Lutheran Service Book). If you click the link you can get an idea about it; however, it's from some other church and you have to hear 20 men in our incredibly acoustic chapel to get the true feel-- it's downright Gregorian...otherwordly.

So, all is good here. I love the class discussions and am so glad God led us to the seminary-- I just love it!

С Богом!