Over the Hump

I'm now done with the first two weeks of class, which in a way means I'm over the hump. I've tended to use the first two weeks of class to settle in, get a feel for my schedule, and make changes if necessary (which always seems to be the case). So now my schedule is firmly set and beyond the point of changing. I think I am generally satisfied with it. Like I said in a previous post, the biggest challenge will be effectively managing my time. I have big gaps of time in my schedule that will make it easy to fall into a false sense of security, so I will have to be diligent about structuring my schedule enough to keep on top of things.

I finally have a car that I can drive on a regular basis, which is a huge sigh of relief. The ability to leave campus and get away from the hustle-and-bustle of campus, plus being able to get to my field ed site without having to rely on another student's generosity is like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I have really appreciated the friends (and really friend) who let me borrow their car so I could get around, but I didn't want to become a burden, so this frees me from having that feeling of being overbearing. It's a '94 Toyota Camry LE, and it drives wonderfully. It's nice having a car with power-everything, cruise control, and cup holders! Sounds so trivial, but I never realized how convenient those amenities can be. Now I just have to get used to not filling my own gas (New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states that don't let you pump your own gas), But I figure I'll take that when I can take advantage of the cheapest gas prices in the country. I guess NJ is not all that bad.

In terms of vocation, I feel that I'm getting close to knowing what direction to go. I feel that I'm getting a solid sense of where God wants me to be, and what capacity I should have in serving the church. I don't think it's going to change too much in what I am currently doing, but there are probably going to be changes. I'm keeping it vague until I feel confident about making those changes, so I apologize for my somewhat cryptic or uninformative statements. I'll let everyone know what's going on when the time is right.

Until then, I'm going to keep chugging along. I give my first sermon in class on Thursday of next week for my preaching class, so it will be exciting to get that critical feedback to know how I can improve. And of course, the thesis continues to eat away at my time, but I'm feeling better about the progress I'm making in research, and hopefully I'll be able to start writing something more substantive than notes in the near future. So it keeps rolling along, and I'm just trying to enjoy the ride while I can.

Flight Home for Christmas

I just received the final exam schedule, and it turns out I have no written finals that I have to do. In fact, all I have is one paper due at the end of the week. So my flight plans have changed slightly for my trip home for Christmas break, and I'll be coming home a little bit earlier than before. Originally I was going to fly home on Dec 13 and fly out on Jan 1. Here is my new my flight plan for Christmas:

Jet Blue
Leaving: Monday December 8, JFK @ 11:40 a.m.
Arriving: Long Beach @ 2:59 p.m.

Leaving: Thursday Jan. 1, Long Beach @ 7:15 a.m.
Arriving, JFK @ 3:27 p.m.

Time Management

I have finished going to all my classes now. This will probably be one of the easiest semesters in my academic career, at least in terms of my "official" classes. Preaching is going to be good, and I'm very glad that one of the interns at LCPC urged me to take the class from Sally Brown. I think the challenge in this class is going to be expanding my understanding of what preaching is and forcing myself to explore different approaches to it. Minister and Mental Illness is going to be really easy but also very good. The three hour class was shortened to a two-hour class, but apparently the professor for this class is one of the most respected scholars in the field of practical theology, especially in the area psychology and ministry. So that class will be good if not quite challenging. My children's ministry practicum is going to be what I expected to be, though I am the only one who does not want to go into full-time children's ministry. It will be a good place to bounce ideas around and gain a bit of confidence working with kids.

My thesis will be the most difficult challenge I face this year, by far. It is not the subject matter, but the time management that will be extremely difficult to maintain. There is no one keeping me accountable to my work except myself, so this is going to be a tough lesson in self-motivation and time management. Thankfully my schedule will give me the flexibility to devote more time to my thesis if I need it. Still, it will be a big challenge. But taking the whole package together, this semester will most likely be a bit easier than others I've had on average, and certainly the easiest so far at Princeton.

Updates on Classes

Well, I really won't be able to tell you how my classes are going to be until the end of Wednesday. The reason why? I now only have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And of those classes, only two of them are "real." Here is a complete list of my classes for those who are interested:

Introduction to Preaching - Dr. Sally Brown, Tuesday: 8:30-10:20 am, Thursday: 2:00 - 3:50 pm
Minister and Mental Illness - Dr. Donald Capps, Wednesday: 8:30 - 11:20 am
Children's Ministry Practicum - Alison Young, Wednesday 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Thesis Project: Is the West Beyond Salvation? - Dr. John Flett
Field Education Placement: Academic Year

My practicum is basically a time when a group of six students sit down to have dinner and talk about children's ministry. I only get 1 unit for the whole year for taking it so it's not really a "real" class. I set my schedule for my thesis and don't have any official meeting times; it's more like directed research, so that's not really "real" either. So Preaching and Minister and Mental Illness are my only "real" classes, and those shouldn't be too intense. So it is going to be a very relaxed, slow paced semester most likely. That will be great for doing research and writing for my thesis, so I have no qualms about that. It looks like it should be a pretty interesting semseter - and fairly uncluttered.

Back at Princeton

For once, I feel like I can write a short post about travel to or from Princeton. There were no major hiccups in my flight to Princeton yesterday, and I am back on campus awaiting the start of the new school year. I moved into my new room in Brown Hall, the "newest" of the dorms on campus (it was built during the Civil War!), and I have to say this is the biggest room I've ever lived in. So luxurious: it's 12' x 14', has a "walk-in" closet (I can actually fit my whole body in it and walk around, so I guess that qualifies) and so my empty space I really don't know what to do with it all. I could probably fit two couches in here and still have plenty of room to move around. So this is definitely an upgrade from last year. I will post pictures once I have it all set up.

I've settled in pretty quickly. Last night, my friend Caleb and his wife Rachel had me over to watch the USC-Ohio St game. They also fed me, which was very nice, especially since I hadn't eaten since the night before. My friend Marc picked me up from the airport, so that was a good way to catch up with what had happened during the summer (since he was on campus this summer). Overall, it's bee a pretty smooth transition. Classes start tomorrow, so the adventure continues full speed ahead tomorrow. I'll post more updates as the week progresses.

Great news!

When I went to register earlier during the summer, I really wanted to take a preaching class with one particular professor. But I forgot that when I went to register at 9 AM, it was noon on the East Coast, meaning I was registering three hours after the bulk of the students. So all the preaching classes were full. I registered for other classes, and since there was no waiting list or expanding of the class size, I was resigned to taking preaching with another professor in the spring.

Tonight I needed to juggle my schedule a bit, so I decided I'd go through all the classes available to see what I could switch to. And, lo and behold, 1 spot was open in one of the preaching classes! It does mean that I will have class on Tuesday and Thursday now, but all of my classes will now be in the middle of the day or in the morning, when I'm usually lazy anyway. It also gives me a little less time to work on my thesis for long dedicated periods of time, but I think that will end up being a blessing rather than a curse. So I will get to take my preaching class with one of the better preaching professors on campus, I'll get it out of the way during my first semester, and I think my schedule will end up being a little more productive. I'm feeling a little better about my schedule now, and I trust that this semester will be better than I was originally anticipating.

And So It Begins

What a summer! Despite having one of the busiest summers that I can remember, it has gone by in a flash. Time flies when one is having fun I suppose, which is probably why it flew by so quickly.

My time at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church was so much more than I could have hoped for. It was great to be plugged into a solid church once again with a strong community and programs. I was glad to have leadership responsibilities once again, restoring some of my lost self-confidence in that area. It was great to be in a supportive community to bounce ideas around and even make some of them come to fruition. But most of all, I was glad to be back in a church that understands its role in the world. I don't say this lightly: LCPC restored my faith in God's church. Though I still struggle with my own experiences in the church, LCPC has shown me that the church can be a light to the world and actually bring God's love to his people.

To give you an idea of what I have been up to this summer, I will give a bullet list of activities and areas that I was involved in:

- Assisted in some function with four memorial services (all occuring within a month)
- Helping to lead a young adult group, including developing a name for the group, designing a logo, and compiling topical studies for two months of lessons
- Leading and organizing a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina relief, including supporting and housing an acting group from Louisiana, helping to organize a Louisiana-style dinner, and helping to advertise for the event (the event attracted about 125 for dinner and 175 for the show)
- Helping out with a four-day trip to the Eastern Sierras
- Preaching on Revelation
- Going to a session, communications, worship and music, and pastoral care team meeting
- Compiling, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting 300 18-multiple-choice surveys about worship to the worship and music committee
- Helping to organize a paintballing event

Those were the major things I can remember. It was a great experience, and barring any sudden emergencies, I'll be returning to the church again next summer.

Despite that great experience, I am still unsure of my vocational direction. I wasn't expecting to come to a clear conclusion at the end of summer, nor am I disappointed that I still am at a crossroads. I am ok with the tension that I find myself in and am willing to keep it there until God shows me a clear direction. I feel sure that I am capable of going either direction, either ministry or academics, so for me, that's all that really matters at this point.

I return to Princeton on September 13 reluctantly. The reasons why are too complicated to explain; suffice it to say that there are aspects of Princeton that I love and many that I would rather do without. More than anything it is the friendships that I have made and want to develop that ultimately drives me back to the East. I am looking forward to see my classmates again and hopefully to spend some more time with my married friends.

So in many ways I feel I am beginning anew. It will be an exciting year with a new internship in Allentown, hopefully more powerful transportation around New Jersey, and a little more familiarity. I will have a couple friends coming in new this year and an excuse to get off campus with some newly married friends. So we shall see what God brings this year. I will be trying to update this site more frequently with the school year starting. So stay tuned in for more updates.