gosh, the days are slipping by

Well, another week has come and gone and I've not accomplished much on my thesis. Though, I do have a good excuse this time. I've been a bit preoccupied with things this week. On Monday morning, our Assistant Director of Music Ministries underwent a kidney transplant, receiving a kidney from her daughter. So, Monday, I was at the hospital, hanging out with the family and many church members. Then, every day, I've been up at the hospital part of the day and helping to keep things going at church the rest of the time. My head has been far from my thesis. Monday night, I was talking with Marilee, who despite the fact she had a new foreign body hanging out in her side, was feeling like a million dollars compared to earlier that day. She commented that the outpouring of love from everyone at church has been so wonderful. I mused that it must be pretty awful to go through something as drastic and scary as a kidney transplant and not have this wonderful thing we call the Body of Christ to surround you. I just don't know how I would make it through even one day without this community. I know the big gift from God is the whole grace thing and eternal life, but this gift of community really rocks!

So, I did get some work done today. I haven't read much in the last week, but I did write some on the proposal. Well, some of it was on the proposal, and some was just writing to organize my thoughts. As I was lying in bed this morning in that weird half awake, half asleep state, my brain wandered through all the church history that I could remember and mused about the cyclical nature of worship and how it vacillates between participatory and passive, pretty much in lock step with renewal and whatever the opposite of that is. I can't think this late what word I want there. Sluggish mire? So, when I finally realized it was time to get my butt out of the bed, I wrote all those thoughts down. They'll probably never see the light of day, but it was good organizing for my brain, nonetheless.

When I was developing the thesis idea in Florida back in January, I had trouble figuring out what the actual thesis would be - would it be about the advantages of designing worship by team or would it be about passive vs participatory worship? It has become so clear over the past week or so that my big battle cry word this year is going to be Participate! That's definitely the thesis. Now, I just have to get busy with it.

So, March 1st is coming fast and I really want to get my proposal turned into my advisor by that date. Listen carefully now... that grinding noise you hear is my nose... um... on the grindstone.