How Millennial Are You - Survey

In case you have not seen this over your coming and goings but Pew Research Center has this little survey you can take to "determine" how millennial you are.

Like all surveys this can be taken with a grain of salt as well as speak to some generalities about current culture.  

If you find yourself at odds with these 'young whipper snappers' or do not understand those who were born after 1981, then this might be something to consider looking at.

Additionally, this might be great to take (there are only 14 questions) and see just how much you align with millennial thought/culture.

I was born in 1982 and thus find myself a little bit in both the Gen X and Millennial groups.  My score of an 88 however reflects a much stronger leaning toward Millennial culture.  Below is a screen shot of my answers and results so that I can reference them in the future.  (Note this screenshot is modified so to fit better.)

Annual Conference 2011 - Future note to self

Every year the UMC has what is called "Annual Conference."  In my experience of AC, it is a business meeting in which we hand out awards and pass a budget thank those retiring hear from the bishop's spouse (who know's why?) and the bishop. Oh yes, and at AC is where the UMC ordains people.

This AC, is by far the most memorable.  Not only was I ordained (see June 7th post) but I developed this paper.  I am not sure if it will get any larger for anyone to read it (in fact if I cannot get it to remain small and illegible, then I may just take the picture down), but it is a list of names that was suggested to me as young adult clergy who would were willing and able to serve as delegates to another conference (General and Jurisdictional if you really want to know.)

This little slip of paper has become for me everything that I do not want to do and be in the UMC.  Not that I would not mind serving as a delegate to future conferences, but that I do not ever want to be caught up in a swirl of running around the floor of AC trying to organize and get the word out about what young clergy to vote for.  

I am posting this as a reminder to myself that we are to be the change we wish to see in the world and by doing what I did was not being a positive change agent.  Systems are a powerful thing and can wrap us up in a heartbeat if we are not vigilant to what is happening.  I am forever thankful to Nancy Allen and Jim Conner for talking me off the ledge of insanity   

On a more positive note, one of the delegates to AC from Arlington Heights, Robyn, snapped a photo of me in some swank 3D glasses.  I have decided that I want glasses.  

Thirdly, for future reference, we need to post the twitter feed live next year.  There are some really great lines in this year's feed such as: 

steveheyduck Steve Heyduck 

Churches should need land like Israel needed a king. #ctc11

Aly_Donaldson Alyssa Donaldson 

I feel like all the #ctc11 tweeters are creating the biggest database of inside jokes and inside understandings ever.

steveheyduck Steve Heyduck 

What would it look like if lay elected clergy & vice versa? Should that make a difference? #ctc11

marianne_brown Marianne Brown 

I don't know how I feel about the frequency I'm hearing "the cluster groups will help that." #ctc11

gravleyp Paul Gravley 

We need to do a better job of teaching the whys in what we do in worship, but do it actually in worship! #ctc11

marianne_brown Marianne Brown 

"Honey, it's Holy wine, there's no backwash." -Adam Hamilton #ctc11

gravleyp Paul Gravley 

There is something theologically fantastic about the idea of holy backwash! #ctc11

steveheyduck Steve Heyduck 

Best clergy candidates: effective clergy who are not interested. #ctc11

minimar7 Mary Spradlin 

I want to be an effective pastor. That's not the only reason I brushed my teeth this morning! #ctc11

Meaning of why I cross myself

Much like when people make the sign of the cross when they enter worship or receive communion, I have a ritual.  While most people do not care about my ritual, I have been asked by several people what it means.

The point of this post is not to share my ritual but to use my ritual as an invitation to others to share their rituals.

After a prayer, I will take my left thumb and use my nail to make a small cross on my forehead. Then I will kiss my left hand ring finger.  Finally I will take my left hand thumb and left hand middle finger and place them on my eyebrows and push my fingers toward the outside edge of my eyebrows.  My fingers follow the outside of my face and meet again at my chin.

This ritual as grown for me over time, but this is why I do what I do.

I cross my forehead as a reminder to me that it is my hope that the first thing that people see in me is Christ.

I kiss my ring finger in order to remind me of all the love and support from people who have brought me thus far.

I 'swipe' my eyes in as a prayer that God might remove the scales from my eyes and I can see the world as Christ sees the world.

That is it.

What rituals do you do?  Why do you do them?