I wanted to start off with a joke about fungi, but we ain’t got mushroom up in this trolley that we are about to board! It’s time for another monthly check-in on how I am doing these 4 different areas of life: social, physical/health, occupation, and spiritual.
Social
I feel I have been relatively steady, emotionally speaking. Classes have been going well, and while we are still covering topics that require a lot of thinking or self-reflection, I have generally been more prepared to talk about / discuss those things. I am really appreciative of the other Fellows in this class, and I feel like I have learned some much about everyone this past month (I think everyone would agree that we are all known much more on a personal level, and I am glad that will continue to develop throughout the year). We started off the month at the Micah 6:8 Retreat at Camp Oak Hill Retreat Center up in Oxford, NC. That was an amazing weekend where we got to learn more about biblical justice and mercy. It’s important to remember that there is only one true Judge, but we are instruments in the orchestra of His Kingdom work, and we all play a role (big or small) in pursuing what is right in this world. On this retreat, we also got to reconnect with old friends, and meet other Fellows from the different groups that attended that conference. On the other weekends/days off, the Raleigh Fellows were: celebrating birthdays, enjoying time with the youth of the church, making ridiculous PowerPoint slides, dancing the night away after our Shabbat Dinner with Aaron Gann, attending an NC State hockey game at PNC Arena (go Ice Pack), and many other things. Thanksgiving break was spent at the new home with the fam, and it was one of the few times a year where we got to have all 6 of us under one roof, sharing a meal at the dinner table. It will probably be one of the last, as my younger brother prepares to become a husband next month!
Physical / Health
I have been playing indoor soccer weekly to stay in shape. Despite the drastic changes in weather, I haven’t been sick or bedridden any, maybe a cold here and there. Some days my hands are pretty cold, some days my hands are moist and sweaty, and I can’t quite explain this phenomenon. I am getting proper rest at night, except for some nights where I fall asleep late watching a game or highlights or something on YouTube. I would like to get back into the habit of having electronics off at least 15-20min before bedtime.
Occupational
Work was actually going well at the beginning of the month. I was starting to see the fruits of my labor, and I was starting to engage with more people at the office through conversation, projects, etc. One week, I had a meeting with the CEO and the CTO of the company, and on November 17, 2021, probably around 8:33am, I was told that the company could no longer keep their part-time employees, and I was told that my last day of work for that company was November 30. There is nothing wrong that happened with either me or the company, nor is there any bad blood between us two parties. It was simply just time for us to part ways. The company is generously providing a severance for the month of December, so I am not too worried, financially speaking. But for this next month, I will be trying to find another part-time job to work for the remainder of the Fellows year. I may ask that you just pray for wisdom and guidance on my end when it comes to job-hunting and decision-making in the near future, and I ask that you pray for opportunities to arise throughout this next month.
Spiritual
For this month, I would like to focus on prayer, and spending time with Jesus. One of our Friday classes for Fellows was taught by Pauline Byron, and this was the topic of conversation. We ran through a 10 minute prayer, and during that time we were prompted with some tasks/questions: ‘Leave your thoughts and worries aside..’, ‘Imagine yourself opening a gate, where do you find yourself?’, ‘Where do you see Jesus in that place..?’, ‘What is He saying to you / what is He pointing out to you?’, ‘What should we be thanking the Lord for?’. This ‘liturgy’ was recorded and shared with us after the class, and I have been trying to listen to it every morning while journaling my thoughts, visions, and answers to those questions. I feel I am much more productive, much more appreciative, and much more receptive to what the day offers on the mornings I am able to listen to the recording. Those 10 minutes sometimes drag on, and sometimes they fly by. I am not always calm, or at ease, or focused when I go through this prayer, but it’s a neat little way to exercise creativity when engaging in conversation with Jesus. I have done it enough times to ‘see Him in the different places or areas of my life, or where I want to be’, and honestly, it’s a reminder that He is always present wherever we might find ourselves throughout the day.
Ight, time to get off the trolley. Until next time!
BB
** Some Fellows Pro Tips from the month of November
- For those considering becoming a Fellow, don’t expect the cabins at the Micah 6:8 Retreat to meet any high standards. Pack more than 1 sheet for your bedding, as your cabin might be a lil chilly at night.
- Don’t wear a white button-down to a dinner where consuming red wine is an obligation.
- Bring a hot chocolate packet with you on Sunday morning to mix with the church coffee. Nothing against the church's coffee, but those bootleg Sunday-morning mochas absolutely slap when it's cold outside.
- If, one day, you ever decide to eat at Moe’s Southwest Grill (2nd to Chipotle, which is a cold take), the best Moe’s in North Raleigh is the one on Falls of Neuse, above I-540.