I thought it would be good to catch people up on my adventures in Atlanta.  First of all, my studies are going fairly well.  I am taking the following:

Old Testament    (twice a week~~~ tons o’ reading ~~~ fascinating and difficult!) professor is a Jewish scholar, intense and in love with his subject.

Mystical Theology  (twice a week ~~~ not so much reading, but very very thick, intense reading ~~~ obscure, esoteric, and fascinating!) our professor is British and has this wonderful soothing manner.

Formation and Transformation: Christian Education   (once a week for three hours ~~  engaging topic, good interactive class~~ diverse backgrounds, opinions, styles and ideas.  Cool!)

Contextual Education (affectionately called ConEd ~~ sounds like a power company!  I get to serve as a Chaplain in Metro State Women’s Prison at least 4 hours per week)

TTTE ~ Thinking Through Theological Education     A class designed to help first year students get on the right page as far as studying and writing papers.

Advising group ~  where we get to talk about challenges of seminary.

There are some unique things about going to a seminary that are pretty good.  For instance, we begin our Mystical Theology course with a community prayer and two minutes of silence.  It really does help.

In the morning before classes start we have a prayer group that meets in the chapel.  We spend about 20 minutes praising and praying.  I find it an absolutely necessary part of my day.

When I looked at Candler I focused on the programs offered more than anything else.  I did not pay much attention to the part where it is a school in the Emory University system.  You can imagine that I am somewhat overwhelmed by Emory!  We have a Medical School, Nursing School, Law School, Business School and Emory College. The CDC (yes… THE CDC) is adjacent to the campus. I have met students from all over the world.  It is so invigorating and I am honored to be a part of it.  I saw an underclassman with a t-shirt on that said, “Emory University, It’s kind of a big deal.”  I heartily agree.

Georgia is beautiful.  However, the ground does this up and down thing that I never experienced in South Louisiana…. I think it is called  hilly!  Whoa– up and down no matter where I walk.  From one of the buildings on campus to the next there are the stairs of torture.  The new building for Candler is five stories, with one s-l-o-w elevator.  I have one day where I have class downstairs at the Cannon Chapel, run down the stairs of torture and up five flights to the next class…. then the next class is down five flights, up the stairs of torture and downstairs at Cannon.  I believe this will either prevent or precipitate a heart attack.  Some days I am afraid it may be the latter!

Getting to school was my first big challenge.  I decided before I came here that I really didn’t want to try to learn to deal with Atlanta traffic.  I don’t like Lafayette traffic, I guessed Atlanta might be a tad worse.  So, I got directions to the bus station.  When I first got here I was spending about 3 hours per day on buses.  But, God is good and he teaches me as quickly as I am capable of learning…which is rather slowly….now I get on the Express in the morning at 6:10 a.m. and catch the Cliff bus at the station. Cliff is Emory University’s shuttle system.  Cliff takes me past Crawford-Long Hospital in midtown and over to Emory.  I am on campus by 7:10 a.m.

Driving in this area does intimidate me.   The first time I went out,  I ended up going west on the beltway instead of east…and managed to loop all the way around Atlanta. Of course, I don’t know the streets well enough to identify that I am going the wrong way in a timely manner.  I have only gotten on interstates going the wrong direction 4 times…. of course, I really don’t drive all that much except to prison and to the park ‘n ride.

I struggled with finding a work study position that was convenient and simple and comfortable. I started out by working for Telefund… the fund-raising arm of the University.  It wasn’t working out too well, although I was having fun with it and met some very cool students from China, Nigeria and Alabama…all exotic places!  But then I got a lead on a position helping the clerical portion of the Chaplain’s office at Emory University Hosptial.  However, it turned out to have been filled….But! She knew of another position at Crawford-Long Hospital in their Chaplain’s office!  Apparently it hadn’t been filled yet because students were turned off by having to take the shuttle over there.  It didn’t bother me… I take that shuttle anyway!  So, I have a position, doing absolutely brainless work, with people that I really, really like in a place that is comfortable and convenient.  Ain’t God good!

JoBeth and Tom, my neice and her husband, have been most gracious hosts.  When I fist got here, I needed some bookshelf space for my Interpreter’s Bible (that used to belong to Pop Tracy, then to Bill Ratliff).  So, Tom built me the most gorgeous bookshelf.  Tom is retired and since he is at home keeps the house spotless and cooks dinner.  I feel entirely mollycoddled!  JoBeth and I enjoy each other’s company so much that we keep talking way to late at night.  We may learn better eventually, but she is just so interesting!

I preached my first official sermon on October 5th at the prison.  I had written it and practiced it and rehearsed it. When I got up there, the Holy Spirit took what I had prepared and made it into something really powerful and amazing. I loved it!