Sunday, November 29, 2009

An Update At Last

Well, it's taken almost a month and a half to write again, but it's been quite a month and a half. There has been a lot happening, a lot to process, and a lot to struggle with. Now I find myself way behind and most likely needing to request extensions for deadlines and classes.

So where to begin? My sister visited me back in October, and that was a lot of fun. The third family member to come to visit in Princeton (after Paul and uncle John), and it's always exciting to show new people around. Unfortunately, I broke her camera while we were in New York, but thankfully she had mine to use to take pictures. She got to see the fall colors, the Princeton University museum, and most of the city. Pretty exciting.

Then my friend, Cathy, came out to visit. Before that, through numerous phone conversations, I found out that my grandmother was beginning to decline fairly quickly, and probably didn't have much more than three weeks left. That was when my schedule came to a screeching halt. My thoughts and feelings were all at home at that point, and I was just waiting for the point when I could come home physically. Still, I tried to push on (unsuccessfully), and having Cathy come out was definitely uplifting.

We went to New Hope, which is a location I was told I had to see. I can see why it is, but it's definitely a Fall/Spring place. The outdoor entertainment is the draw, but when it's 40* outside, there's not much outdoor entertainment to be had. But, believe it or not, I actually found a decent Mexican restaurant in New Hope. It's still only good by East Coast standards, but still good. Her visit was enjoyable, but unfortunately cut short.

While Cathy was visiting, I received the phone call that my grandmother had passed away. It was right after we had gotten back from New Hope. I was shellshocked from the news, but I had alerted my professors to what was going on, so I was able to leave quickly. Being at home was good, though hard under the circumstances. I was happy to be able to see family and church friends. But my grandmother is also the closest person I've known who has passed away, and dealing with that first close loss is always difficult.

It didn't hit me until the day of the funeral, and a lot of the emotional outpouring happened on that day. It has been difficult since then as well. Being back at school as been a struggle. My mentally and emotionally I'm not here even though I physically am. It's only two weeks until I am back at home again, which sometimes makes me wonder why I came back out here at all. But with final papers due and other obligations, I suppose there's no way it could be avoided. For now, I have to try to focus on what's going on out here, and deal with the rest as it comes.

It's moving toward winter here, though it's still pretty warm (mid 50s most days, down into the high 30s at night). And registration for Spring classes begins on Wednesday. I have no idea what I'm going to take; its been the hardest semester to try to figure it out because none of the classes look all that appealing. No doubt my current emotional state is partly to blame for that.

I'll be home again on December 15. Seems so far away, even though it's only two weeks. Hopefully when I update again, things will be a bit cheerier than they are now.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

My 100th Post!

I've reached my 100th post! Hooray! I feel like I should throw a party or do some sort of giveaway in celebration. But, then again, 100 is just a number, like 99 or 101, so I suppose I can just do a standard update and that will suffice. =)

This week is going to be a high stress week. It's that time of year again: midterms, midterms, midterms. Thankfully, I don't have any formal midterms, but I do have a five page paper due on Tuesday and a presentation to do on Thursday. So there is always something to do.

It is scary how fast time goes by. On Monday morning, I will be leading the worship service for the seminary's Chapel, which I am very excited about. I will have audio and video recordings of the service, so if anyone wants one, let me know and I'll figure out how to get those to you. I will be the owner of the master copies, so I can make as many copies as I want (in case anyone was worried about that).

I'm also at the halfway point of the semester, which is equally scary because it means I only have half the semester left to work on my independent study. Enough time, but the clock is winding down quickly.

But I'm also excited because starting next week, I'll have little moments of respite in my busy schedule. Melissa, my wonderful sister, is coming to visit on Wednesday, and I'm so excited. (Ali, you're wonderful too, but you aren't visiting yet, so you need to rectify that somehow. ;-) ) Then I have another friend visiting in November. Then I get to come home for Thanksgiving, and then a few weeks after that, I'm done and will be home for Christmas. So I'm about to enter a rapid-fire portion of the semester, so time management is going to be important.

My teaching ministry internship is going so well. I'm realizing more and more that teaching is my strong suit. I'm good at it, and I feel most alive when I'm doing it. The current session we're working on now has been going great, and the next session I get to teach solo, which will be a fun and challenging experience.

I should probably get back to my studies, so I will end this post here. Reading week (our fall "break") is coming the week of Halloween, so I'm looking forward to that, not only for rest, but to hopefully get some work done on my research paper and maybe some exploring of the East Coast. But more on that next time...

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Moving Right Along

No rest for the weary.

Things have been moving pretty quickly this semester, and it feels a little crazy trying to keep everything straight sometimes. It is weird to think that at 2:00 this afternoon, I will already be 20% with Fall Semester. Time is already running out to finish some of my major projects, and I've hardly even started! But that's the nature of grad school, and I need to keep plugging along.

I added an independent study to my course load this semester, which was always in the plan. It will be a good study, but it's going to be pretty intense. 2000 pages minimum of reading with a 30-40 page research paper as the product. It will be the larger project I will have completed in my educational career so far, so it's a bit intimidating. But I have a great advisor, one of the leading theologians in his field in the world. And after submitting my paper proposal and course line, he called it "first class," which is always reassuring. Of course, now I have even more stress because I made the "mistake" of impressing him upfront and now I actually have to deliver on my first class introduction. I work better under pressure.

For those who are curious, my indepedent study is focused around Lesslie Newbigin. He was a missionary in India for 40 years, and after returning to England, his main agenda was challenging the church to re-engage modern western culture. He felt that the church had neglected the West and had too readily accepted modern principles without question. He died in 1998, and unfortunately, from my perspective, it seems that a lot of work has been blown to the wayside. He's quite a fascinating figure and a great writer, so it won't be hard to plug through 2000 pages of his work. My aim in my paper is to examine his position theologically and biblically. What biblical foundation is he working from? How does his approach to mission affect his overall theological vision? Is it problematic? And since he's specifically thinking of the western church, I find this an extremely practical paper for the church in my local contexts.

I seem to be settled in now. I'm more comfortable being back now, though I still wish I was at home. But, as I said before, I am determined to make the best of my last year and take advantage of as much as I can before my time is done. Having good friends out here certainly helps to keep my mind off things, and they've really been there for me in that respect. Certainly makes the adjustment easier.

That's all for now. It's about lunch time, and my stomach is reminding me of that fact. More to come soon.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Off and Running

It's only Tuesday, but I've already been to all of my classes this semester. For the first time since I've been here, I am really excited about all of my classes. This will be a little easier than other semesters, in that I'm only taking two classes plus an independent study. I will have a January short term class on Issues in the Theology of Scripture, which should be great as well. I think what makes this semester a little different is that I really enjoy all the professors I have. I've had one of them before, and the other I've heard nothing but good things. Here are the two classes I'm taking:

Introduction to Prophetic Literature - Jeremy Hutton (had this prof for Hebrew)
Ethics and the Problem of Evil (John Bowlin, has been great so far)

I also have my teaching ministry internship in West Chester, PA, which should also be a great experience. I'll be teaching at least four classes, one on World Religions, and I'll most likely be doing a repeat of my class on Fantasy Literature, with tweaks.

I'm still not quite ready to be out here again, but I'm determined to get things going. You'd think that after two years I'd finally have this transition down, yet I think this has been the hardest year to transition back to school. But, it's one last year, and before I know it, it's going to be over. I am hoping to do quite a bit this year off campus, explore a bit more than I have in previous years, and really take advantage of being on the East Coast as much as possible. We'll see how I do at accomplishing that goal.

More to come later.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Summer must be over...

It must be getting close to school again if I'm back at the Theological Mishaps blog.

It's been a great summer. I don't know if it was quite as good as last summer considering all of the fun nonsense that happened to me this summer, but I think my heart hurts a little more this year than it did last year about this time. I've definitely changed quite a bit over the last few months, and there are quite a few things that have become clearer this summer, particularly concerning my future. Directions seem to be coming more clear, doors are closing, new ones are opening, and I am feeling better about who I am and where I fit.

It's been quite the ride trying to get there. Probably the most exciting part has been my recurring knee nuisance that became a little more serious this summer. Since I was in swim team, both of my knees stiffen up every now and then. Sometimes it lasts for about a day, other times it lasts for about a week. This time, it lasted for a couple months. And there was shooting nervous pain going up my leg to accompany it. So off to the doctor to get myself checked out, and I went through some scary diagnoses. First, it was a torn meniscus; then, it was possibly lymphoma, lupus, arthritis, gout, and a slew of other possibilities; then finally, simple tendinitis. Two MRIs, plenty of blood tests and x-rays later, and with a bottle of Naprosyn, I am back walking, running, and jumping normally again.

I am feeling a bit more clarity on my vocation, though I will save those thoughts for another post. That has been quite a journey on its own and would fill too much space here. Suffice it to say that I feel much more comfortable about where I am being called and the reasons for it.

I am very sad to be leaving CA. I'm not an East Coast Kid, at least not in the area of the East Coast I've been situated for the last two years. There are things I appreciate about Princeton that I will sorely miss, but I realize I am much more satisfied in my West Coast surroundings. That is not how I envisioned my trip to Princeton at all. I was fairly convinced that the East Coast would be the perfect place for me; two years later and about the only worse fit I can think of is Texas. But I would never trade away the opportunity to be surrounded by so much history, so many new and diverse people, and to (pretty much) a different culture. That has shaped me and changed me in great ways, and given me a perspective that I wouldn't trade. I just don't want to prolong the experience.

By this time next week, I'll be back in Princeton, hopefully excited for this things to come. I already have my light at the end of the tunnel, that being my flight back home for Christmas. I'll give details for that closer to the appropriate date. So until next week, I will enjoy my last few days in CA, and be ready to jet off next Wednesday....

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Almost Done with my Second Year

I officially finished my classes on Thursday, and now all I have left are my finals. Well, my single final on the last day of finals (Friday, April 24). It has definitely been a very interesting second year. A lot of ups and downs, a variety of classes, new challenges, old challenges, and some new perspectives.

There has been plenty that has happened, some of it good, some of it bad, but I am very ready to come home regardless. Amongst my friends, we have agreed that the more time we can get out of Princeton, the better. It's not that we hate it, but there is definitely a culture that develops here that can be detrimental when we're overexposed to it. It is hard to explain, but the point is, it's always good to get away from our institution and to go back into the "normal" world.

I have registered for my classes next year, and I can once again say that, from the outset, I am very excited about them. Here are my classes:

Introduction to Prophetic Literature
Ethics and the Problem of Evil
Education, Evangelism, and Formation in the Missional Church
January Term: Issues in the Theology of Scripture
Teaching Ministry

It should be a really good semester. I have had classes with most of the professors I'm taking from, so it should be a great semester to develop connections with profs.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what my plans are for summer. I've assumed that I've made it pretty plain as to what I'm doing this summer, and we all know the mantra about assuming. I am coming home to CA (as my first paragraph probably made clear). I am going to be returning to La Crescenta Presbyterian Church, my new church home of which I am now a member, as an intern, though this time not as an official PTS intern. I am really excited about the opportunity to serve there again. I will be staying at my parents' home again, living in my room. And I'll be home for about four and a half months, since school doesn't start until mid-September. So I am looking forward to a very long, productive-but-relaxing summer. Plenty of time to see friends and family.

Here is my flight info on the way home, for those who are interested:

Depart: Saturday, April 25
Leave: PHL @ 9:35 AM
Arrive: LAX @ 2:00 PM

Monday, April 6, 2009

Flight Changes

I made some changes to my flight coming home. Basically, I'm leaving a half hour earlier and getting back to CA a couple hours earlier and in a different airport without layovers. My new itinerary is below:

Southwest Flight# 3894
Saturday, April 25
Depart: PHL @ 9:35 AM
Arrive: LAX @ 2:00 PM

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Less Than a Month Away

Well, it's hard to believe, but I have three weeks of class left, finals, and then I will be two-thirds of the way toward completing my Master of Divinity. In many ways, I can't wait for that time to pass. I like my classes, but I am ready to go home. Coming home for spring was great, and it just reinforces the feeling that I don't really belong in New Jersey or on the East Coast. I don't talk about that too much, partially because I don't have time, and partially because I don't want anyone to think that I sit around moping all day. But often times I feel like a foreigner out here, that I'm speaking a different language or working with a completely different set of rules from everyone else. It can get difficult sometimes, but I also have a great group of friends who lift me up on a daily basis.

Of course, with the semester coming to a close, it also means that the classwork is beginning to pile up. Thankfully I have been much better about managing my time this semester and getting some projects done earlier in the semester so that my load will be a little lighter. There will still be plenty to do, but it will be much more manageable than last year, when most of my work came all at the very end of the semester.

I have been feeling more of an urge to get out of Princeton and explore around a bit more. I drove up to Bridgewater, NJ, about 30 minutes north of Princeton, to take care of some things, but I enjoyed driving up, just getting to view some of the other parts of the state. In some places, New Jersey really is beautiful.

This evening we had our first lightning storm. It was a pretty amazing display. Crackling arms of lightning stretched across sky, lighting up the whole campus, followed by the low rumbling of thunder. I stood in the doorway of my dorm's entrance just watching for awhile. It wasn't raining very hard, so the soft patter of the rain complemented it all very nicely. A divinely orchestrated concert.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Moving Along

The semester is over half-way done. I have finished my midterms, and now it's the home stretch to get everything done before finals week. Time has certainly been flying by.

My classes have been going well. My Children's Fantasy Literature class continues to be my favorite. Before our Reading Week (aka Spring Break), I was involved in a skit where I got to play J. R. R. Tolkien. It was a lot of fun and well received by the class. Then, in the class after returning from break, a Harry Potter expert, John Granger, came to the class to talk about the Christian symbolism in the Harry Potter series. If you enjoy the Harry Potter books, you need to check out his books. I had to smack myself in the head a couple times thinking, "How could I miss something so obvious?" I have a new respect for J. K. Rowling's writing, and would actually put it pretty close to the quality of Tolkien or C. S. Lewis's writing. Later that night, our class had a Fantasy Ball where we could dress up as our favorite characters from any book in the class. I dressed up as Gandalf the Grey, complete with beard, hair and staff. I won Best Costume and received a copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Definitely worth the effort. =)

That was the levity for the week. I also had plenty of midterms to work on when I got back to school after being in CA for a week. Thankfully, I think I did well on all of them.

It was good to be home, and I definitely miss it. But in 5 weeks, I will be jetting back to CA again for the summer, which is hard to believe. I think I will be done with school before pretty much anyone else this year, flying back on April 26. And then I will only have one year left at Princeton.

I'm going to push hard to the end. There is still plenty of work to do. It is encouraging that Spring is breaking in and the trees and flowers are starting to blossom. It gives a new found energy to everything on campus.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Some Thoughts on Twilight


I am taking a class called "Children's Fantasy Literature and Moral Formation," and this week we looked at the book Twilight. Now I had attempted to read the book last semester, but due to my thesis and some difficulty getting into the book, I wasn't able to make much progress. I saw the movie when it came out in November and had mixed feelings about. So while I am familiar with the story, this was really my first good look at the book. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts based on my own reaction as well as conversation we have in class on Monday.

I do have to make a quick note about the writing. I wouldn't say that it is atrocious, but Stephenie Meyer will not - or at least should not - be winning any awards any time soon for her grammatical or syntactical prowess. There are some gems in the writing and particular phrases that are quite moving, but for the most part the writing is terrible. As many of us have heard in English classes, it is better to show, not tell. Meyer is a teller through and through. Often her prose is repetitive and detrimentally descriptive. The dialogue is good, but she gives too much away and doesn't allow the reader to interpret her work. For more on this, I'll point you to a friend's website for a prime example of this bad writing: http://marchon2884.blogspot.com/2009/02/theervampireis-in-details.html.

The first thing that almost immediately jumps out and attracts discussion is the relationship between Edward and Bella. This is what most teenage girls are immediately interested in and discuss the most (at least based on the research one of our Ph.D. students did in preparation for class). This, to me, is actually the most disturbing part of the book. Now, it is hard to critique the relationship fully because we have to remember that this is a fantasy world: some of the rules are not the same and not everything is meant to be realistic. But part of the fantasy world is to set up the ideal, the perfect in a certain sense though that term is probably too strong. The relationship between Edward and Bella is anything but ideal; in fact, I would go as far as to say it is dangerous. It is an example of what I like to call "Outlaw Biker Syndrome" (and yes, I did get to use that phrase in class). Their relationship seems to exemplify the idea that the type of man that attracts women are dangerous, mysterious and abusive. Edward fits all these characteristics; what's more is that Meyer seems to idolize this type of man and this type of relationship. He constantly reminds her of his threatening nature, that at any moment he could spring on her, kill her, destroy her, but immediately follows this with words of passion and love. This seems harmless, but as one high school sophomore girl raised with great insight, what if Edward were not a vampire? What if he was an everyday kid? The fact that he stalks her, watches her sleep at night, obsesses over her: these are downright creepy acts. Add on top of this that Edward is at least 100 years old, though he is technically in a 17 year old body, and this becomes a predator-prey situation.

Again, I admit that we have to take into account the fantastical nature of the literature and that some of these elements simply reflect the nature of the story. The problem is that teenage girls idolize Edward. Browse the Pieces of Flair boards on teenage girls' profiles and it is not hard to see. Or watch the movie with a group of teenagers (as I did on opening night) and it is easy to see that there are many girls out there who want to find their Edward. In this way, many critics have characterized the book as "Female Pornography." I have to say that I have a lot of sympathy for that position. If I were a youth director or a parent of a teenage girl, I don't think I would want them to read the book without taking the time to reflect on Edward's true nature and examining whether this really is the ideal relationship and the ideal man. There is really no way to control that since this is, simply put, the most popular book among teenage girls right now, and most of them have read the book. Reflection is needed on these points.

That is not to say that everything about Bella and Edward's relationship is bad. In some ways, it does reflect the model of many high school relationships. I think this is the reason why so many girls connect with the story and the book series: Bella is all too human, reflecting many of the common insecurities of both men and women. And in some ways, Edward is the reflection of the perfect man, even God: he is the omniscient protector, the omnipotent savior of Bella. And I think these are qualities that need to be elevated and discussed. The important part is to read the book critically, which is happening more than I think many of us would expect but also not as much as it should be happening. I think there are many teenage girls who do read the book with a critical awareness, but I think there are just as many, if not more, who read the book without seeing the nature of Bella and Edward's relationship at a deeper level.

I have to say that part of this idealization of this type of relationship is due to Stephenie Meyer's background. While she says (correctly) that this is not a piece of Mormon literature, it is unmistakably marked by her theology. Borrowing from one of the Ph.D. students, there are three "Mormon landmarks" that permeate the book's themes. The first is "Choosing the Right." Throughout the book, especially seen in the Cullen family, there is an emphasis on choosing the right, the morally correct thing to do. Every act that Edward makes reflects this desire to do the right, to act out of love. Deeper into the book, we realize that the Cullens represent a set-apart community that lives among the world but chooses the right. The second point is connected to the first: sacrifice. Choosing the Right often, if not always, requires sacrifice even to the point of giving one's life for the good. Again, Edward reflects this sacrificial love, and even toward the end of the book, Bella begins to exemplify this virtue as well. Finally, the theme of celestial marriage is emphasized, mainly in terms of purity. One should always choose purity over anything else, including life, and especially when it comes to sexual purity. Our preceptor quoted one Mormon theologian who said it is better to die pure than to live impure. Another quote he gave was from Mormon parents who said it would be better if their children did not come home from mission if they were impure. Again, this is reflected in the book, especially through the theme of abstinence as idealized throughout Edward and Bella's relationship. These themes are not necessarily intentionally inserted but they reflect the Mormon theology out of which Meyer is writing. There is much more I could say on that matter but I'll stop there.

Now, I know as I end this, there are many of you who are probably thinking, "Why can't you just read the book without having to get into all this crap?! Just enjoy the book!" To which I respond, I do enjoy the book. In fact, I want to continue the story because I find the mythology fascinating ... plus someone ruined the end for me by telling my what happens in the fourth book, but I want to see how it eventually gets to that point. At the same time, taking a class on the moral formation that happens in children, teenagers, and even adults, I think it's important to see how this literature functions in shaping the moral imagination of kids and adults today. And because of the popularity of this book, it is absolutely essential as Christians and as the Church to know what is interesting our kids and knowing how the church should respond to this type of literature. I personally have no problem with teenagers reading this book so long as there is some sort of critical reflection going on about the relationship between Edward and Bella. I think all the male characters, including Charlie, Bella's father, need to be examined for their good qualities and also their bad qualities, and from there there needs to be discussion about who the ideal man is. Same thing for the female characters in the book for men who read the book.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Hopeful Outlook

I have finished my first full week of classes, and I am very excited about the opportunities I'm going to have this semester. It is going to be difficult: the only day that I don't have commitments right now is Friday. But I have come to find that I work better under pressure and with a larger work load. Last semester when I had so much time on my hands, I found myself slacking off work and getting things done at the last minute. So with the busier schedule, I think I will be able to find a little better rhythm and get into a groove.

I am especially excited about my class on Children's Fantasy Literature. It is a pass/fail class, so I will have room to experiment with my different curricula without too much risk. But even more, I think the opportunity to take a semester to focus on literature will be a nice break. I will still have plenty of theological reading in my other classes, and I won't be reading this literature lightly or lazily. Still, reading something more imaginative and playful will help keep me sane.

My preaching class also excites me. The professor is tailoring the class to our own needs, even down to the reading. So it will be a personal approach to my preaching style and working to develop it.

There aren't any classes that I am disappointed about. All of my professors are great lecturers but also concerned with their student's growth, so it will be an interactive, challenging, and engaging semester.

I am also working to secure my teaching placement for next semester. I met with the pastor from Westminster whom I would work under and discussed what the placement would like. It's a popular placement, so I'll be in a bit of competition, but I also think our meeting went well. I'm continuing to meet with others at the church, including the current teaching intern there, so hopefully by making that impression, I will be able to assert my interest a little more.

The Winter continues to wear on, but Spring is on the horizon. It's hard to believe that I will be coming home in less than a month and that in less than three months I'll be home for summer again. Time certainly does fly by.

Monday, February 2, 2009

New Semester

The new semester begins today. I think it will be a good semester with the classes I have, and it will have a different feel than last semester, which I'm looking forward to. My class for the short term was good, and I ended up getting a grade that I was satisfied with, especially for the amount of work and the intensity.

The week off was a good week to relax and prepare for the next 10 weeks of class. I didn't do anything that was really exciting. I saw a couple movies with friends, but mostly just relaxed. I visited Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester, PA, and it was a good visit. I could definitely see that as a placement that I would enjoy and gain a lot of knowledge from. I'm hopefully meeting with the pastor this Wednesday to discuss the placement a little more and see if it makes sense on both sides. Hopefully I'll have more to say on that in the coming days.

I can also now say that I will officially be a member of La Crescenta Presbyterian Church during the first week of March. I was finally able to get things worked out on my end so that La Crescenta and Arcadia Presbyterian Churches could move forward with it. So come the first week of March, I'll meet before LCPC's session and officially join the church.

I'll update everyone at the end of the week to give a first impression of classes. I'm really looking forward to this schedule, so hopefully the reality meets my expectations.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Done with Fall Semester

I am officially done with my Fall Semester now. I enjoyed having one class that I could focus on for three weeks, though it was definitely intense. Keeping on top of all the work can be quite a task. I'm glad that I have a week to recuperate and relax before the next set of classes start. I have some reading to do in that time for a couple of my classes, but I've already read some of the books I've been assigned, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get that done.

I will be driving out to West Chester, PA tomorrow to check out a possible church placement (Westmintster Presbyterian Church) for Teaching Ministry next year. That's about an hour and a half away from Princeton, so part of this is going to be finding out how bad the drive is and whether I want to make that drive weekly. But this is the one site that has really caught my attention, so I'm hoping this will work out as a good placement. The supervisor I would be working under is from West Covina and is a Fuller graduate, so that will hopefully be a good starting point for building a supervisory relationship.

I'll update again sometime next week to let everyone know how the Westminster visit went.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Finally A Moment to Write

It has been an incredibly busy over the last two weeks. With the change in Princeton's curriculum came a change in the schedule, so I have been taking a three-week intensive course that meets every morning for three hours. We just finished our second week, and our final is this Thursday. We had our midterm on the past Tuesday, so things move frighteningly quick. There's really no chance to take a breather because if you miss a day's reading, you've missed essentially an entire week of reading for the class. And if you miss a day of class, you've essentially missed a week's worth of class. Thus the reason why I have been absent in posting since returning to Princeton.

My mood has perked up quite a bit since my first post upon returning to Princeton. Dropping my thesis project was a very good decision as it has helped me prioritize things a little better as well as allowing me to put my emotional energy toward more important matters. I was considering taking a leave of absence from school for the Spring semester, but I think dropping the thesis has proved to be a better alternative. A quick side note: some people have been confused about my thesis project, so I want to clarify that here. My thesis was always an elective and something I personally wanted to do. It was outside of my credit and class requirements and is not something necessary for me to graduate. So I'm not jeopardizing my graduation by dropping it, part of the reason why it was a much easier decision than it could have been.

I also switched my schedule around a bit for the next semester since my thesis opened up room for me to take some slightly more difficult classes. So I am going to be taking the following classes:

Children's Fantasy Literature & Moral Formation: Emphasis on Writing Classroom Curriculum

Preaching the Sermon (Workshop class)

Ecumenical Theologies of the 20th Century

Worship as Resistance

Children's Ministry Practicum: semester two

Field Education

To explain the first class a little more, the Children's Lit. class has over 100 students in it, so it has been divided up into smaller groups that will emphasize different areas of interest. My area will be using the information we learn to develop four separate curricula for four different classes of varying age groups. For example, I will probably be developing a curriculum for a young adult/college group, a parent's seminar, a high school bible study, and something along the lines of a senior-aged study group. Other emphases were Drama and Literature, Spiritual Writing, and Writing Fantasy Literature. My other classes should be pretty interesting, and I'm pretty excited about my Preaching workshop. I think it will give me a better opportunity to work on my preaching skills.

I also have found a work-study job for the next semester. I will be working at an organization called Home Front (www.homefrontnj.org). It is essentially a specialized homeless shelter, but my specific area of work will be tutoring teenagers who are a part of the program. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity, and it will be a little extra income to help me with school costs.

Finally, I forgot to post about this during break, but during the break, I was interviewed and accepted for the Teaching Ministry program at the seminary. Basically, it is a specialized internship that is limited to only 10 students. We are placed in church's where we help out with the adult education programs at those churches and teach classes. As part of the program, each student is paired with a faculty member who serves as a mentor to the student. There are six seminars that are held to discuss different aspects of teaching, including the process of determining what degrees are necessary to teach in certain institutions, along with discussions on common readings and other things. It's a really exciting opportunity and one that I'm really looking forward to next year.

This week is going to be a little crazy with finishing up my January-term class and taking a final on Thursday, but I will try to update everyone on what's going on with me once the new semester starts. Hopefully that will get everyone up to speed for now.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Flight Information

It's early for me to be thinking about going home for spring and summer, but with the economy the way it is and the unpredictability of the market, I figured I'd take advantage of the fact that Crazy Ernie has taken over almost every company and is giving away his merchandise for ridiculously low prices! So I managed to find some great deals on airline tickets, finding Spring Break tickets for cheap and a ticket home from school for under $120. So here is my more immediately pertinent flight information and I'll post the other flight info at a later date. So here is when I'll be home for Spring Break:

United Airlines
March 6, 2009
Departing: PHL - 6:48 am
Arriving: LAX - 10:00 am

March 14, 2009
Departing: SNA (Orange County) - 6:45 am
Arriving: ORD - 12:55 pm
Connect: ORD - 1:45 pm
Arriving: PHL - 4:40 pm

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Update coming soon

I'm going to post an update pretty soon. The January intensive class has been pretty ... intense, so there hasn't been much time to update on goings on. But in the next few days I will give an update on how things are going. Stay tuned.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Back at School

It has been an interesting transition going from Christmas break to school. I have not really enjoyed being back at school very much, mostly because I feel very distant from home. But with classes resuming today, it has been a little easier to keep my mind off of that fact. I am taking Presbyterian History and Theology for my January intensive course, and so far it has been an enjoyable class. The professors are two of my favorites, so it will be a joy to go to class in the morning.

I had to make a difficult decision regarding my thesis. Because of events that happened over break, which I am still dealing with emotionally, I did not feel that I could put in the effort necessary to complete a thesis that I would feel confident presenting to my adviser. I needed to do quite a bit of work on it during December and I was not able to put that work in. So this afternoon, I decided to drop my independent study and no longer work on my thesis. I don't regret putting the work into it that I did, and though I am disappointed that I was unable to finish it, I am also relieved. I have enough stress to carry around for now. My thesis felt more like a self-inflicted wound than an exciting project toward the end of break, and I didn't want that burden anymore. I hope that sometime in the near future I can return to it and complete it for a later date. For now, it needs to be shelved.

I am hoping that the transition back to school will be smoother as classes continue to progress. More updates to come soon.