Why "Erica in the Wild"?
My first singing/dancing job at Six Flags Over Georgia!
Opening for Old Dominion at Smith's Olde Bar!
(Me on my first day of divinity school, freaked out I would never be smart enough. God took good care of me!)
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Hi dear friend, I'm Erica, and I'm honored you would spend time visiting this web page!
All I can say about me is, well, I've had a mixed bag of adventures! From living in New York City, standing in musical theatre audition lines, to singing country music everywhere from festivals to dive bars, to graduating with my Masters degree from Duke Divinity School (Summa Cum Laude! Woo!) - it's been a wild ride! As I continue to discern what all these experiences "amount to" in my life and ministry, all I know is that I'm called to be-as Barbara Brown Taylor puts it- God's person in and through the world. When one of my spiritual friends asked me what stands out to me about Jesus' ministry, my answer was that Jesus' ministry was often "outside" the church - in the wild. Hebrews 5 discusses how Jesus could have come as a high priest, into the institutionalized religious structure, but instead, Jesus was the great high priest who lived as a lay person, a traveling rabbi who spent time in an array of places: from the temple to the wilderness, teaching in homes, on mountainsides, and in boats. Certainly I believe every calling is important, and if you find yourself in the church or outside the church, that's great! For me, this collection of items on this webpage is my unique journey that I'm still discerning, and my way of putting the many pieces of my life into a mosaic of ministry to join God in the holy mission of reconciliation with Christ and others. |
What's this "dislocated devotions" thing all about?
Dislocated Devotions is based on a practice I learned in divinity school called "Dislocated Exegesis." The premise of this practice is reading scripture in a place that you normally wouldn't read scripture—in a hospital waiting room, hardware store, a brewery (rather than your typical couch or coffee shop!). When I do this practice, the scripture seems to come alive and I am able to make new connections I wouldn't have thought about had I been in my same mundane locations. I then combine the spiritual experience of dislocated exegesis with my academic work of Biblical context. None of this is to say that scripture can't come alive at your couch or your kitchen table—if that's the case for you, continue on! But just as we are encouraged to read scripture in community with diverse groups of people to hear different perspectives, we can also be encouraged to read scripture in diverse locations because we learn new lessons from being dislocated. If you'd like more information about this practice or want to try it on your own, I have formed a "how-to" guide you can have for free! Sign up for my newsletter to receive the free download.
Statement of Faith
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,.
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Adapted from The Nicene Creed at "Nicene Creed," Encyclaepedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nicene-Creed.
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,.
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Adapted from The Nicene Creed at "Nicene Creed," Encyclaepedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nicene-Creed.