Hello World!

Greetings!

I've decided to start a blog.  Which, I suppose, should be apparent if you are reading this.

As I get started, it would probably be helpful to begin by introducing myself:

Hello.  I'm Margaret Mitsuyasu.  I recently graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary, from which I now hold a Masters of Divinity (M. Div.) degree.  Which is kind of absurd if you think about it.  I've been granted a title that allows me to claim I have mastered the subject of God.  ... Really?!  I mean, really, who can actually do that?  And what kind of institution presumes to be able to make that assertion about a person?  But regardless of theological absurdity, it is a pretty awesome title:  "Hello. My name is Margaret and I am a Master of Divinity.  I HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE UNIVERSE!  Mwhahahaha.....!"  Yeah.  Totally awesome title.

Check out my nifty diploma!

Joking aside, what does having an M. Div mean?  It means that I know a fair amount of what lots of people have thought about God and God-related things.  Primarily from a Christian perspective, though we also examine others' as well to help gain a clearer awareness of our own position.  I know at least something about the Bible (Old & New Testaments), Church History, Theology, and Practical Theology.  I've also done a few internships: one as a chaplain in a hospital in Seattle, and two years at a church in New York City (Manhattan - that was pretty cool).
 
I'm also a Certified Candidate in the Presbyterian Church (USA). That's church-speak meaning I've completed all the preparatory requirements for ordination in my denomination (apparently the most demanding - maybe I'll write a post on this later), and will be ordained as a pastor as soon as a particular congregation agrees that I should be, and indicates this by choosing me to come be their pastor.  Which is exciting!  And scary.  But mostly exciting.


So, what am I doing right now?  I'm "waiting for a call."  That is, I'm trying to find a job as a pastor.  It's kind of a slow process.  In large part because it's the Church, and Presbyterians are especially good at this, and also because the number of churches willing to have a first-time pastor is relatively small and the number of us looking for them is relatively large.  I'd also love to stay on the West Coast, and apparently lots of other pastors do too - they're not leaving their current churches.

Meanwhile, I'm stalking the Church Leadership Connection (CLC), the PC(USA)'s website listing all open pastoral positions.  I'm also rediscovering how fun it is to be in complete control of my reading list, mowing my parents' lawn every 5 days and wishing grass grew more slowly, sorting through my 25 years worth of accumulated stuff, getting better at correspondence, taking some ballroom dance classes, and baking.  On the whole, not too bad.

So why am I starting a blog?

1)  Penelope Trunk tells me it's supposed to be good for my career.

2)  Everyone else has one.  Right now it seems like everyone I know my age either has a blog or a baby.  I don't want a baby.  At least not for a while.  So I'll go with a blog.

3)  While lots of people start blogs to share exciting adventures they're having (like going to live in Germany or the Ukraine), I'm not.  As already discussed above, my job right now is looking for a job.  Not exciting.  So what am I going to write about?  Well, theology.  It will be a good reason to keep learning and thinking about stuff related to my field.  And get better at talking with others (read "you") about it.
       I will also write about other stuff I'm up to in this in-between-time.  Hopefully it will help keep me motivated to do things I find interesting and avoid getting depressed with boredom. Seriously, there's a lot of interesting stuff to do, so why waste time being bored and depressed? Maybe I'll inspire you too!  :)

So there.  Hello blogosphere.  I've arrived.