"Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

The "leadership" part of the leadership academy at lancaster theological seminary always threw me off, until we found out that it was for us. us, the peer mentors. us, shawn ashley andrew omo nelson ashley megan and ally.

The instant I set foot onto the campus at lts, I feel God. "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothing that 100 men or more could ever do". God is in me, with me, surrounding me. I look for God in my actions and consciously try and put God there for others to see. My other experiences with leadershipnow had let me find God for the first time. They had let others guide me to God, which is fine. Following, to me, is a key part of faith. I have always followed others to God. I realized during one of our staff meetings that I had never truly sought God myself. When I was away from lts, I felt "off duty". That I was a Christian who could find God when it was really necessary- but it was only necessary when I deemed it so.

I have since realized that God requires so much from me and in return, I require that much more from myself. Lts is the place I consistently experience God, but that does not mean that that is the only place God is. It is possible to find God other places. It is hard to say that and mean it, since it hasn't happened with strong frequency. I don't think I can expect God to just show up whenever I need God to. It is my responsibility, and desire, to factor God into every equation of my life. I may not be working with or surrounded by other Christians, but that doesn't mean God can't be there, too.

I am reconsidering seminary. I really believe that Christianity can be such a strong motivation to do good in the world when exercised in the way we are commissioned. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, looking after the sick. If I believe that, it would make sense for me to pursue outlets that can help me further that belief. Plus, religious education is really interesting to me. It is the most interesting thing to me. I mean, I look up religious debates on theinternet for fun. Also, I've been informed of a program at eden where you get your masters of divinity and (partnered with another school in st louis) masters of social work at the same time in four years. It would be intense, but it would be both things I have thought about at the same time. There is a lot of discerning to be done.

One of my greatest mentors always says of the quote titling this entry that she wants to be a part of that small group, and I agree with her. Between my experiences at lts and in the rest of the world, I think we can do it. And I do want to be in on that.