In what extra-curricular activities did you participate at the W?
I worked on Spectator staff, worked on staff and served as editor of Dilettanti, played intramural sports, was in Lancer Social Club, Hottentots, and honor societies.
I understand that you have an internet ministry as well. Can you tell me about it?
It is called "Holy Ordinary," and I send out a meditation each weekday by e-mail. The meditations, which take a metaphor from everyday life and use it to speak of spirituality, have been turned into two devotional books: Holy Ordinary and Practically Holy.
Were you raised in the Episcopal Church?
I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, and even attended parochial school through the sixth grade. As an adult, I still enjoyed going to the Catholic Church when I went to church, but didn't really connect in a deep way. If I had known about the Episcopal Church earlier, I would've gone to it long before 1999.
Is there a major conversion story about your life that you would like to tell us?
I had always read a great deal about spirituality and philosophy, and tried to "study my way" to God. My head was filled with facts. Then a friend told me a story that changed my life. A strong Christian, she had been discussing God with me in depth for a week or so. One night, she said she felt as if she were facing me, and that I had my back to the most beautiful sunset in the world. She kept telling me that I needed to turn around because it was beautiful, and I kept telling her, "Prove it." She said, "If you just turn around, it will prove itself."
The story didn’t sink in that night, but the next morning, it did. God was ready for me, and He was simply waiting for me to turn around. My friend was right; the view did prove itself. From that moment on, I have developed a powerful and passionate relationship with God.
Did your time at the W lead you to your ministry, or had you already made the decision, or did you do so later?
Church and ministry weren't even on the radar for me when I was in college. I enjoyed going to vespers on Sunday evenings, but didn't really go to church much. Mostly out of complacency, I worked for the State of Mississippi in economic development for 28 years.
When did you first decide to go into this type of ministry? Why?
After my epiphany in 1999, I became deeply involved in church: teaching Sunday school, taking the Education for Ministry course, becoming a lay worship leader. People started talking to me about going to seminary, but I couldn't bear the thought of moving away and making wholesale changes in my way of life. I also saw the examples of some priests who abused their spiritual power over others, and I feared having that kind of power myself. Finally, a friend/priest/mentor named John Stone Jenkins showed me that the priesthood could be a very rewarding, meaningful way of life, so I went into the discernment process with the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. I had always loved my jobs working for the State of Mississippi, but I have to admit I loved the idea of doing something that could make a difference in others' lives day to day. I loved the idea that I might go home at the end of a day not having simply done "my job," but maybe having helped
someone else catch a glimpse of God.
How has your MUW experience helped you?
From friends I met there, I have learned about deep and abiding faithfulness. I also learned, by living in an environment where women held the leadership positions, that I can do anything I feel called to do. Because of my time at MUW, I've never bought into female stereotypes. I saw enough strong women there who had made a tangible difference in the world that I had the confidence to think I might do something important, too.
What schooling have you had since graduating from MUW?
I took a lot of courses at Jackson State University's English department, simply because I love language and literature. I received no degree there. I went to seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut in 2006, and graduated with a Master of Divinity in May of 2009.
What do you enjoy most about your ministry?
I love the vibrance and energy of being around college students. I love the idea of being with people at this crossroads time of life, when they're deciding the kind of adults they will be. I also love trying to preach and write in ways that bring the Gospel into everyday life.
What do you find most challenging?
The fragmented, instant-gratification mode in which our culture operates. It is very difficult to get people--and not only college students--to commit time to activities and to show up. To get them to church or spiritual activities, we have to give them some reason to choose those activities over the hundreds of other possibilities being marketed to them.
What advice would you have for MUW students considering a ministry like yours?
To read a wide range of spiritual authors at the outset to explore the depth and breadth of human spirituality. Also, I would advise any person who wants to deepen his or her own spirituality to honor the voices within. Sometimes the things we're called to do--in our own pursuit of God or in ministry--don't make much sense to the human world. That approach, though, has to be tempered with prayer and with discernment in community with others. As someone told me once, "You should be very suspicious if God's will happens to coincide with your will too often."
If I moved to your town and shared your basic beliefs, why should I join your church (rather than the one down the street)?
Our church (and I speak here of both the Episcopal Church in general and our local church in particular) includes a great many people who use intellect in the service of Christian faith, rather than setting intellect and spirituality at odds with each other. The Episcopal way doesn't discourage questions and doubts by saying, "You have to simply have faith." We know that God gave us "memory, reason, and skill," as it says in our liturgy, and we embrace the questions rather than pretending to have all of the answers. The people of his particular church are marvelously welcoming and loving, non-judgmental, always seeking a deeper understanding of self and God.
Do you have any advice for those trying to find their spiritual path?
Don't be afraid of doubts and questions. Don't play it safe, but try to find the courage to ask hard questions. True faith is having confidence that God can handle any question we might throw heavenward.
Does your church have a website?
Yes: http://www.resurrection.dioms.org . The website for Holy Ordinary is http://www.holyordinary.com
Do you have any hobbies?
Yes, I love GOLF and enjoy writing and reading.
Tell me about your family.
I have a brother, Mike, in Santa Barbara, CA and three nephews (Kevin, Jeff, and Chris) in central Illinois.
What is it like trying to mix ministry and family responsibilities?
I don't have family here, so it's easier for me than for most people. I do have trouble finding balance; since I'm single, it's easy for me, and other people, to think that I am always available. I try to combat that lack of balance by honoring my day off and by remembering that the Church got along just fine without me for millennia.
Thanks Carol for spending time with us today.
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