The End of an Era

How can I have a Master's Degree?  I am only 24 years old!  It's hard to believe, but I am so thankful for my time at Mississippi State.  I made great friends, I learned a lot about history and about how to be an adult, and I graduated debt free!  All the glory goes to God because without Him, I would not have accomplished any of this.  

It's strange to think that I am done with school.  I'm sure that I will take some individual classes in the future, but I don't think I'll ever be a full-time student again.  It's simultaneously a relief and a little scary.  I have no idea what God has in store for me over the next year, but I'm excited to find out, and I'm trying to trust Him to guide me and create opportunities for me.  Not having homework, though, now that's GREAT!  

I want to teach high school history at a Christian school.  That's my dream.  I want to be able to talk about sin and grace and sovereignty in the context of history because, as Christians, we need to look at past events through the lens of Scripture just as much as current and future ones.  I'm reading Francis Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live? right now, and I think that it is helping me wrap my mind around some of these ideas.  I definitely want to incorporate all or some of the book into my classes.  

On the other hand, the idea of moving somewhere and finding something temporary to do is also appealing.  The idea of having a career for the rest of my life is a little daunting in its seeming permanence, and having another year to goof around (not exactly what I mean) might be nice.  Although, maybe it's time to grow up and be an adult with an adult job.  We'll see what this summer holds, and if I have a full-time teaching job, then I'll go that route, but if not, then I'll have a little adventure.  Both situations would be an adventure, actually. 

Thus says the Lord: "Stand at the crossroads, and look, 

and ask for the ancient paths, 

where the good way is; and walk in it,

 and find rest for your souls."

Jeremiah 6:16

Waverly Plantation

On Tuesday my Material Culture class went on a field trip!!  I felt like I had reverted back to 5th grade, and it was a blast!  We are studying plantation landscapes and material culture, and so we visited one of the local plantations homes: Waverly Plantation in West Point.  Here are some pictures of the house and grounds:

The house was beautiful - it needed a serious paint job and some tlc - but it was gorgeous.  The grounds were also really pretty.  The current owners have let the gardens look natural, rather than having distinct beds or planned designs.  They also have a bunch of peacocks, which is kind of odd, but the birds are beautiful and so impressive when they present their feathers.  

The tour was strange, to put it lightly.  The Snow family lives in the house, and they basically hide when tours come through.  Our tour guide was one of the most awkward people I've ever met.  He kept pausing after every sentence, like he wanted us to applaud or something.  He also acted out several of his stories, which was just plain weird.  Apparently, Waverly is unique because it actively tries to ignore the slave presence.  Our guide kept talking about the "servants" and he didn't want to tell us where the old slave quarters had been.  It was a very watered down version of antebellum history.  

Regardless, it was great to get out of the classroom, and to see some of the things we've been talking about in front of us.  After our tour, we came back to Starkville and got drinks and appetizers at Mugshots which was a great way to unwind.  All in all, an interesting and good day 

Culture of Grace in St. Louis

This past week was my spring break, and I spent four of my days off in St. Louis with Jeff.  It was really fun and pretty laid-back.  Jeff took me to the St. Louis Arch, a casino, and on a driving tour of downtown St. Louis.  I attended classes with him and went with him to tutor some Burmese refugee children.  While he was at work, I hung out at his house and did my own homework or chatted with his roommates.

Driving up there was an adventure.  I took I-55 the entire way, which meant that I didn't get lost and that I could set the cruise control at 75 mph and just go for 6 hours.  I got to drive through Memphis, which was the most complicated part of the trip, and the Arkansas delta before I came upon the rolling farmland of southwestern Missouri.  All in all, it was a beautiful drive.  The delta region was incredibly flat - huge farms for as far as the eye could see.  I drove past one town that had less than 400 people living there.  I don't know where the people there buy their groceries or go out to eat.  There really was nothing there.  Missouri has really pretty farmland.  Rolling hills, red barns, white farmhouses... It was beautiful.  On the way home I stopped for a minute at a really neat Catholic church that was perched in the middle of a small farming community.

 

It was so great to see Jeff and to hang out with him, but being on Covenant's campus and spending time with his roommates and the girls I stayed with made me realize just how spiritually empty Starkville can be.  I have good friends here, and I have loved my chats with Kasey and Amber, but it's just not the same as being surrounded by people who all desire to go into ministry and who are striving with everything that they are to serve and know God.  It's such an amazing and encouraging environment!

I also attended class with Jeff.  Greek was boring, but his Covenant Theology and Apologetics & Outreach classes were really interesting.  I had an "aha!" moment in Covenant Theology regarding infant baptism and the concept of "the people of God."  The professor for Apologetics was probably the nicest, sweetest, most loving, caring person I have ever encountered.  I could have just sat and listened to him for hours.  The day that I was there, he was telling the class about his garden, and it sounds absolutely incredible.  I've been inspired to have extensive flower gardens in my own yard someday.

The students in Apologetics were giving presentations on a book they had read, in this case, a biography of Francis Schaeffer.  The book sounded interesting, in general, but one of the presenters said something in his own personal testimony that really hit home with me.  He said that he grew up in a home where his parents created a "culture of grace" where he was never afraid to come to them with questions to to admit to wrong-doing.  He said that his parents assured him of their love for him and their grace and mercy when he had sinned.  I was struck by how wonderful a home that must have been and how much I want to create a similar "culture" in my own home someday.   I even think that that is something I can strive for in my classroom as well.  What an amazing thing to strive for in all my relationships!

Anyway, I basically came away from the trip refreshed and really hoping that I can find a job in St. Louis.  I want to mooch off of Jeff's friendships and connections, and be a part of that amazing community even if it is only on the periphery.  Plus, he could set me up with a roommate.  St. Louis has a lot to offer, and I really miss being around my siblings.

So, God, I don't know what you have planned for me for next year, but it would be really amazing if I could get a job in St. Louis.  No matter what though, I know that you are in control, and I trust you to help me find the right job in the right place where I can serve the people you bring into my life.  Thanks for having a plan that is bigger and better than I can even imagine. :)

Paradox of Discipleship

"They live in their own countries, but only as nonresidents; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners."

[http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/11/27/christianity-where-every-foreign-country-is-fatherland-and-every-fatherland-is-foreign/]

For fun

The girls in the history department recently found a fun way to decompress and have some fun at the end of a long week - we go to a small shop in town and paint pottery!  I've been twice.  The first time I painted two coasters, and last week I painted a mug.  It is really nice to be able to do something that isn't reading or researching every so often!  This place is really neat too.  They have all kinds of paint and glazes - so you can experiment with different looks.  All the employees are really friendly and helpful.  And even though I'm not very artistic, it's still a lot of fun, and somehow it's pretty hard to mess up.  You do have to be careful though, sometimes the finished project looks completely different from how it looks before it's fired.  Anyway, everyone's Christmas gifts might be handmade by yours truly this year. :)

Fried Catfish & Banjo Music

Fried Catfish

This weekend the History department at Mississippi State is hosting a national conference honoring the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 - the federal grant that provided the money to start universities like MSU.  The department head, Dr. Marcus, invited all of the visiting professors as well as the entire history department, including grad students, to his house for a good old southern catfish fry.  I decided to go because, well, free food, and also because this summer several people asked me how the culture is different in Mississippi than it is in South Carolina, and I didn't know what to say.  I've been asking around about Mississippi culture, and I've been told that catfish is the local specialty.  So I had to give it a try.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Well, not only did we have freshly fried catfish, but we ate hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, and baked beans.  (Yes, all the food was the same color - so much for vegetables...)  It was all delicious, but I think I'll be okay waiting a while before I have it again.

Hush Puppies

While we were mingling and schmoozing with the visiting professors, one of the Ph.D. candidates, Alan Harrellson, provided the evening entertainment by playing the banjo.  And he is amazing!  He was part of a bluegrass gospel band, and they were nominated for an Emmy a couple years ago.  It's really fun to watch him play because he clearly loves it, and he has all his music memorized.

Baked Beans

Needless to say, it was a cultural evening.  Good local food, great southern music, lively history chatter.  It was a lot of fun!  I was hoping to have even more cultural experiences this week - the conference is taking a group of people to the Delta to go see a cotton gin, eat at a historical commissary, and visit a blues club.  I've heard the the Delta is quite an experience, and that it is unlike any other place in the USA.  Unfortunately, none of other grad students wanted to go/had time to go on the trip, and I didn't feel comfortable going by myself, so I'm foregoing the experience this time.  Hopefully I will make it out to the Delta before I graduate and leave  Mississippi.  We'll see!

It's terrible, but it made me smile...