Certified as Ready

I'm currently hanging out in my second longest home ever, Charleston SC. I came to meet with my Presbytery and be finally assessed, the last step before I'm free to search for my first ordained call. The committee and I had a nice conversation, I answered some questions they had on their minds, and I left the Presbytery office certified as ready to receive a call.

Deep breath and a smile.

I've been asked quite a bit in these last couple days how it feels to be near the end of my seminary career. My last post might shed a little light on the answer...but now, with a couple of pastoral residency applications in the mail traveling to their assigned destinations, several words/phrases come to mind.

I'm excited.
I'm relieved.
I'm sad.
I'm scared to death.
I'm at peace.

This wouldn't be the first time I felt like I had a multiple personality disorder, but I suspect these emotions are quite natural for the territory.

So there you have it, the answer to that question I keep being asked here in the lowcountry. The other question, of course, is what I'm going to do...as in, what's the plan? Well, today I'm going to have lunch with Carrie, help Tommy pull some stuff down from the attic, have dinner with Caroline & see her new house, and go to bed with a deep sigh and a smile. After that? If you really want to know, turn your eyes toward the heavens and ask God. I'm sticking to the day-by-day, need to know basis, kind of planning...treasuring all the while that I've been certified as ready.