Theological Mishaps

Officially Done

2010-04-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

It has taken three long years, and my patience and sanity have been tested immensely, but I am officially done with Seminary. I'm sitting in the airport right now, waiting to board my last flight back to CA from Princeton. I meant to post this a lot sooner, but the crazy rush to pack and get everything ready has been more time consuming than I imagined.

I finished my last class yesterday. It was hard to really consider it a class because it was simply attending a forum on Youth Ministry held by Princeton. There were no papers to be written, no requirements other than to be at every session. And it was quite rejuvenating, encouraging, empowering, and relaxing. I got to hear Shane Claiborne, Peter Gomes, and Kenda Dean speak on Youth Ministry. And I left the forum feeling ready to set into any role in the church, including youth ministry, without hesitation. And what more could I ask from my last class at Princeton, feeling ready to be sent out in the world?

So this is in many ways the end but it is also the beginning. I've spent three years trying to figure out my calling, whether the Church is any part of that, and what role I should fit into. After three years, while the edges remain fuzzy, many of those questions have solidified. And if you've been tracking along, you certainly know how those questions have been answered. But much more remains to be learned, discovered, tested, and tried. I don't know what the future holds completely, but I know God will be faithful throughout.

I will most likely continue this blog as I originally intended it when I first started it. Random musings of my theological mishaps will most likely covered the pages of my future blogs. So if you want to hear more about my thoughts and how they're developing, keep reading.

For those who have followed me through the last three years, thank you for your support and prayers over my time in seminary. I look forward to keeping you updated about what happens here at this new beginning...

Almost the End

2010-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

I almost should call this the last post before school ends because I don't know if I'll write anything next week, but this chapter will soon be closing. I have three finals left, one due next week on Wednesday, and two on Saturday. All papers. I have already completed two of my finals, so two classes (which includes my independent study) is done.

My independent study being done has given me the greatest relief and joy. I have been studying under a professor who is considered one of the leading (if not the leading) theologian on Missional Theology in the world. I turned in my paper to him last week and was able to sit down with him yesterday to discuss my work, and I was incredibly happy to hear his response. He gave me some good criticism and advice moving forward, but overall he was happy with my work and thought I had made some good contributions not only in general but also to some of the work he has been doing. So I was very happy to hear that and to know that I had received an A for my work. The grade is definitely nice, but it was even better to know that my work has been appreciated.

So now the rest seems pretty easy. It's not going to be too easy, but compared to this research paper, the rest is not as stressful. So I'm working diligently on everything, slowly chipping away at each project one at a time. It's been harder to stay motivated knowing that I'm so close to the end. But I want to finish strong, so that is what I'm pushing toward.

In other news, I have a summer job. I'll be working at Forest Home this summer as a staff dean. That means I'll be the pastoral presence for about 200 young adults (17-26 years of age) who work as program or support staff. So I am pretty excited about that. I wish I could be a little closer to home and church this summer, but this will work for the summer. I can come home in the fall and hopefully find something closer to home and family (and Cathy).

Now it's time for me to get going today, so I'll plan on updating once my finals are over.

For the Last Time?

2010-03-16T10:18:00.002-07:00

I keep getting close to saying that I'm coming home for the last time before graduation, but it seems like something always keeps getting in my way before doing that. In this case, it ended up being a whirlwind ride at the airport, a set of unexpected circumstances, and an amazing blessing that came from nowhere. So here's how my ride home went over the weekend.

I arrived at Ontario airport late on Sunday evening, pretty downtrodden. I had to wipe fresh tears from my eyes as I was walking up to the security checkpoint, waving painfully goodbye to my dad and girlfriend as I trudged slowly up to the TSA guard with my boarding pass and driver's license in hand. With all of five people going through the metal detectors, I zipped through security, refilling my emptied pockets and slipping my sandals back onto my feet. With my backpack and suitcase in hand, I sat down in one of the black leather chairs next to my gate, and started reading "Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale." Written by Frederick Buechner, the book is about how in order to fully understand the Gospel's message, we have to realize that it speaks of terrible tragedy, divine comedy, and the fairy tale ending that no one expects and struggles to fully believe. But when we reach that point, we see the Gospel in its wholeness and the truth it speaks is more easily grasped. And at this point, understanding the tragedy of the Gospel was much easier to grasp.

About an hour before our flight was supposed to board, we received the announcement that our flight had been overbooked, and if "a few good men" would be willing to give up their seats, they'd receive a $400 voucher to use on any Delta flight. It wasn't a crazy idea, I thought, to give up my seat on this flight. After all, I'm not planning on going to classes tomorrow (Monday) anyway, so what difference would it make if I arrived later on Monday? So I decided to go up to the gate and at least see if it was a possibility. They said they'd call me back and let me know if it would work out to fly me to Philadelphia later on Monday. So I returned to my seat and called Cathy to let her know to be on standby in case I needed a ride back home. My parents weren't crazy about the idea of me giving up my seat, but for $400, why not give it a shot?

Soon the plane started boarding, and I assumed my seat would still be mine as they had not called me back to the gate. I checked with the gate before boarding, and after reading me my options for flights, they determined that they didn't need anyone to give up their seats anymore and thanked me for volunteering anyway. So I walked into the now long line to board my flight, slightly dejected but resigned to the fact that it would be over two months before seeing my family and girlfriend again. I called Cathy again to let her know that I would be on my way to Princeton shortly. I could hear the disappointment in her voice, and I could feel dampness accumulating below my eyes. But two months is not that long, and we had already done it once. We could to it again.

Then the comedy began. I approached the boarding door, and after scanning my boarding pass, I was informed that I had not been cleared to board the plane. "Please step over to the gate, and the attendants will assign you a new seat," I was kindly told. So back to the gate I went only to find out that no seats remained on my flight. "You were going to voluntarily give up your seat anyway, right?" Yes, that's right, I replied. They told me that I could either wait on standby for a few minutes to see if a new seat would open up or that I could go downstairs and they would book me on a new flight along with giving me the $400 voucher I had been promised before. But before I could answer, the attendant looked at her computer screen and said, "You know what, just head downstairs, I don't think anything will open up." With a wide smile, I thanked her for her assistance and quickly strolled back to the front of the terminal, backpack, suitcase and book about tragedy and comedy in hand. I called Cathy again, not more than 1o minutes after calling her before, to inform her that I indeed needed a ride back home. So down the stairs I quickly went and approached the front desk.

The conversation at the front gate was a long one with many twists and turns through the forest of flight bookings. Apparently this is the popular time of year to go to the East Coast as all of the flights they were looking at out of Ontario and LAX were completely booked. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make it back to Princeton in time for classes. Then suddenly there was an opening. "I have a flight out of Orange County leaving at 1:00 pm, arriving in Philadelphia at 11:11 pm, with two seats open ... in first class." Well, I thought, it's my only way back to Princeton, so I suppose I have to take it, fully expecting to have to pay the difference. Only the bill never came. Because my situation had changed from a voluntarily no-board to a denied boarding, my options had opened up. Though the attendant had to get clearance from her supervisor to make the change, I was handed my first-class ticket back to Princeton along with a $400 voucher to use on any flight on Delta airlines or one of their partners. I had essentially been paid to not board my flight. Comical, to be sure, but an unexpected blessing with further unexpected (positive) consequences.

Cathy had to circle the airport a few times before I was able to get out to the curb, feeling overjoyed but still in disbelief. And then the fairy tale began. I had not thought about what I could use that voucher for but suddenly it became incredibly clear when discussing it with Cathy. You see, my classes end on April 29, and I don't officially graduate until May 22. That's almost a full month of sitting around at Princeton doing nothing except watching the grass grow. But now, with a $400 voucher in hand, I could come home for those three weeks, something I had not intended to do but desperately desired. And everything began to fall into place. I could either start looking for a job and start a job much earlier than I had anticipated. I would get to see family and friends far sooner than before. I would get to spend quality time with Cathy that I had not expected. And I would still be back to say goodbye to my Princeton friends and receive my degree without the painful wait in between. I remind myself to focus on the small blessings, but I had forgotten that sometimes God can give us huge blessings as well.

So after spending an extra few hours with Cathy I had not anticipated I would have, I was able to sleep soundly, and fly back to Princeton in style. I met three fascinating people on my way back (which I'll share more about later) and felt relaxed and rejuvenated upon arriving in Philadelphia. Tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale.

There is so much more to say, but I have to run to class. More to come later...

Moving Along

2010-03-03T07:34:00.002-08:00

I always mean to update this more often. Then three weeks go by and I realize that I haven't written anything in awhile. So now seems like the proper time to get everything up to date.

Life has been on cruise control a bit over the last couple weeks. Things haven't necessarily been busy, but everything has been moving along at a steady pace, though there have been some pretty significant interruptions. Classes have been canceled three times already because of snow, and with a possible storm moving in tomorrow, there could be another cancellation (though most likely not, since this storm doesn't seem as bad and the previous ones). But despite that, life seems to be moving along as normal. The tension I was feeling earlier is still there, but now that I'm closer to being home, I certainly feel less tense.

A week away from Princeton can be so rejuvenating. Thankfully, the environment hasn't felt as draining as the past two years. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that all of the seniors now realize that we can't (or don't need to) be in competition with each other anymore. There has been a greater feeling of camaraderie this semester and greater desire to lift each other up rather than tear each other down. Sadly this has taken two years to have this feeling finally, but especially since this is a difficult year, it's certainly welcome.

I am becoming more aware of the fact that I won't be here anymore, and there is nothing sad about it. I will miss the friends I've made here and some of the lunchtime conversation, but I don't feel that I'll need to look over my shoulder has I leave this campus. I will have accomplished what I set out to do, and though the journey was not what I was expecting at all, I think it will have been a good experience, though one I won't be clamoring to repeat anytime soon. That's not to say I don't want to continue my education but I can't foresee it happening at an institution like Princeton. I've come to learn that faculty-student interactions are central to my ability to learn, and it's become apparent over the last three years that research-oriented schools simply don't have the structure in place to foster those types of collegial relationships. Earlier during my time here I think I would have wanted to reject any type of education model like this, but I'm beginning to realize that there is a place for this type of research and this type of school. I've just also become aware that it's not where I want to establish my career or vocation.

I'm looking forward to my family coming out for graduation. I'm looking forward to showing everyone where I've been studying for the last three years and the environment I've been able to enjoy during that time. I can't envision myself living on the East Coast, but I do enjoy aspects of it.

I'm also looking forward to the start of Spring Training games. Following baseball in the off-season has its joys, but especially this off-season, there was so little interaction and drama that the Hot Stove never felt like it got past a slow simmer. So especially this season I'm looking forward to baseball getting back into full swing. Dodger spring training games start Friday!

The last bit of exciting news before I end this post is that I have accomplished something I thought I wouldn't be able to do until after I got my Ph.D. As most of you know, I have been working on a research paper about Lesslie Newbigin, and I turned part of that research paper into an article and submitted it to the Princeton Theological Review. Last Thursday, I received an e-mail informing me that my article will be included in the next issue! It is incredibly exciting news for me, and I'm still in disbelief about it. I've been working on revisions frantically over the past few days and I have to turn in my next draft by Sunday, but I am thrilled and overjoyed. Let me know if you want to get a copy of it, and I will try to get as many as I can.

Next week I'm back at home, so I will update again once I'm back in Princeton. Until then...

Joys and Struggles

2010-02-16T18:37:00.004-08:00

The last couple weeks have been an interesting up and down journey. The snow had quite a bit to do with that, which surprisingly ended up being more stressful than restful. All of my classes on Thursday were canceled along with my usual commitment to the children's ministry program at Allentown Pres. It did give me a good opportunity to spend time with Caleb and Rachel, who I hadn't been able to spend much time with due to my workload. Always nice to get off of campus to spend time with friends (especially when they cook good food for you ;-) )

This semester has actually been much more difficult than I was anticipating, and it doesn't necessarily have to do with the work that is expected of me. My class load is actually the smallest I've had since I've been in seminary, and overall the demands being put on me are not that great. The psychological aspect is what is killing me. Being on the homestretch has been a pretty big obstacle to overcome ("senioritis" for those who prefer that term). I'm struggling to finish strong, something I wasn't expecting to be a challenge. I typically end well in most things I do, but when the reward for finishing is physically more distant than before, it affects my motivation. Certainly I'll leave with a degree from a prestigious school, and I want to be able to say that I left on a high note rather than sour note. But I also want to be home. The pain of the distance away from my family, friends, and church has been more palpable precisely because it's so close now. In just over three months, I'll be on a train making my way back across the country where I'm hoping I can settle for the foreseeable future. I'm chomping at the bit to start working, to be involved in ministry, hopefully teaching as well. So I feel something akin to a caged animal, ready to burst through its bars an unleashed. And the feeling of being constrained is pulling me away from focusing on my work.

Yet I don't want to get sucked into an attitude I've seen so many others succumb to, an attitude that chooses to forsake the present in pursuit of the future. I don't want these last three months at Princeton to pass me by, leaving me sorrowful that I didn't take advantage of everything possible while I was here. I am surrounded by so many intelligent people that I want to be able to soak everything in as much as possible before leaving.

So I'm left with this tension between longing for the future and desire to be fully present in the moment. And it's that pulling that I think is causing the most pain. It's the pain that knowing when I forsake the present for the future I'm hurting myself and making myself less useful to the people who want me to do well out here (both in school and at the churches where I serve), and when I focus too strongly on the present, I risk shutting out the relationships I long for back home.

Despite the tension, I am striving to press onward. I have had to rely constantly on the power of prayer over the last three weeks. And I've felt those prayers very powerfully over these last weeks. I've been sustained by the support of friends and loved ones, and all of this through the power of the Spirit. And having that support has made it much easier to bear getting through this last semester.

Cathy has been especially wonderful in helping me, and I am so thankful for her support and love. I'm really thankful to have a girlfriend who knows me so well and can speak the right encouraging words that I need to hear. I was particularly happy when I received my Valentine's Day present from her, which I think captures how well she knows me. I was very happy when I opened my mailbox to find a copy of "The Familiar Letters of John and Abigail Adams." =) The perfect gift for Valentine's Day for a history geek like me. Even though the distance has been a bit harder because we're apart, in a strange way it's actually made it easier to get through the tension of this semester because I know she's supporting me just as I'm trying to support her.

More to come as the semester continues on. I'll be back in CA from March 7 - 14, and I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends when I'm back. After that, it's two more months of school until I can finally say that I have made it and reached the culmination. Until then, I continue to trudge through the tension, knowing that it will be worth it in the end.

A New Semester, The Beginning of the End

2010-02-02T13:54:00.002-08:00

It's officially the beginning of the end, at least for this part of my school career anyway. I have 15 more credits to work through before I finish out my M.Div. and fly back to CA to begin my post-Masters life. It's not as scary as I was anticipating, though there is still that fear of uncertainty, walking into the unknown. Thankfully I have three more months before I really have to take that leap of faith, and hopefully things will work out so I will have a clear idea of where I'm headed and what my job will look like.

As is my custom (unintentionally), my last semester ended up being one of my most intense. I'm not really sure why it ends up that way. I'm taking seven classes, though three of them are only one unit, leaving four that are full 3-credit classes. Two of them are language translation classes, one in Greek and the other in Hebrew. I am taking a couple of the classes pass-fail, which will make the work load a little more bearable so that I can experiment and try some new things I wouldn't necessarily do otherwise. So I'm in for a bit of a crazy semester, but I'm excited about all of my classes. There aren't any of them that I'm particularly dreading or nervous about. It should work out to be a pretty great semester to end out my time at Princeton.

Michael Bruner told me when I left for Princeton in 2007 that my time would go by quickly and that I would walk away from Princeton wishing there was more that I had taken advantage of. When I met with him again over Christmas break, we both sat in wonder and shock at how quickly that time had gone by. It has been an intense, trying, surprising, uplifting, and encouraging three years. So many things about Princeton fell short of my expectations yet so many met them and even exceeded them. It has been very easy to knock on Princeton during my time here (often for different reasons than others might expect) but when it is all said and done, I have come away from this place with a pretty stellar education. I can't say that lightly or flippantly either. There were many points when I wished I had gone to Fuller instead, that I should transfer, even just putting my M.Div on the shelf and pursuing something else. But the perseverance and struggling and wrestling has paid off in ways that I can't really describe. I hope when I have had time to debrief from my time here that I will be able to put my experience into words more clearly. I'm not sure I would want to go through this particular experience again, but I'm grateful that I went through it and came out standing on the other side.

Of course, this talk is all premature. I still have three tough months ahead of me, probably the three toughest months of my entire educational career. I still have a research paper to finish, two books to translate and exegete, 11 films to watch and critique theologically, an entire genre of Biblical literature (Israelite wisdom) that I have to try to comprehend, and a workshop on worship leading to complete. And in case you want to know what classes those correspond to, here is my class schedule for this semester:

Greek Exegesis of Ephesians
Hebrew Exegesis of Samuel
Israel's Wisdom Literature
Faith, Film, and Spiritual Formation in Young Adults
Word and Act: Service in the Lord's Day
Field Education: Teaching Ministry

I am also attending a forum on youth ministry in April (through Princeton's Institute for Youth Ministry), and while that's a class, it's not until April and after I have completed the work for my other classes.

So there is plenty to do and much left to learn (that process never ends) but I'm excited to begin thinking about life after seminary, and all that that entails.

More to come in the coming weeks...

Rewritten Essay

2010-01-28T19:36:00.002-08:00

Another update will be coming soon (it has been an insane week and will continue to be insane as it continues) but I wanted to post my rewritten essay for my Issues in the Theology of Scripture class. I can't get the footnotes to post, so you'll have to trust that I've cited things correctly to give credit where it's due and that my points are supported in places. But here is what I wrote after studying the issue for three weeks. Most of the change comes at the end (with completely new paragraphs at the end) but I've made a few wording changes and tweaked things significantly in the interpretation section. Feel free to leave comments!

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Reading the Bible Faithfully

To say that the Bible is true means that the sacred texts of the Christian community are a trustworthy source of guidance concerning God’s relationship for humanity and what that relationship requires of those who follow God. To interpret the Bible faithfully, one must read it in a way that takes into account the whole story of the Bible, which can include but does not necessitate an understanding of the historical and cultural context from which the Bible was written.

We must begin by asking what the Bible is, which is a complex task. There are at least two different accepted Bibles in the Church: the uniformly accepted 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, and the Old Testament apocryphal books accepted as deutero-canonical by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. This raises the question of why certain books were included in the canon while others were not. We have evidence that there were many gospels circulating in the early centuries of the first millennium. Further, the codices and lists of the canonical books show that the Bible’s texts changed throughout the first three centuries of the Church’s existence. Texts such as the Shepherd of Hermes and the Didache were eventually cut from the canon, while books such as 2 Peter and Jude were contested additions to it. Looking at the criteria for canonical books becomes critical to understanding why some texts were chosen over others, particularly when some of the books seem to be informative and historically useful to the Church (such as the Didache).

One reason the books were selected by Christian communities is that they were written by the Apostles or their close followers. The early church found it important to include books from the apostolic tradition, because their writings best reflected the story of Jesus and the nature of God’s work in the world. While some scholars, such as Bart Ehrman, suggest that the early church fabricated stories about Jesus in order to give him a God-like status, this argument imports modern notions about reality (particularly naturalistic and materialistic perspectives) into the first century world. Importing these philosophical perspectives into a first century worldview which was unaware of sciences like biology and psychology is anachronistic. Regardless of whether their understanding of the world is scientifically accurate or not, the important point is that the writers of the Biblical texts believed that what they were reporting was true (a point we will return to later).

Biblical texts were also chosen because they reflected the traditions of the Church throughout its history, including the history of Israel. This was an important criterion for the early church fathers who argued for the inclusion and exclusion of particular books. One argument by scholars, such as Elaine Pagels, suggests that the early church was politically motivated to pick and change texts that gave Jesus a particular image in order to stamp out competing strands of Christianity, such as Gnosticism. However, the historical evidence shows that Christianity (until the time of Constantine) was in no political or financial position to pursue such an endeavor. By the time of Constantine, most of the canon was well established, making this argument somewhat sketchy. Overall, there is reasonable evidence to believe that the early church was motivated out of a genuine desire to transmit the story of Jesus’ life faithfully rather than to fabricate a story or emphasize particular agendas in order to dominate other visions of Jesus in the first century.

A final consideration for why canonical texts were chosen is the original languages of the texts. The emphasis on the original languages became critically important on two occasions in history. The first occurred when Jerome translated the canon into Latin and chose the Hebrew Old Testament over the Septuagint ( the Greek Old Testament which including the Apocrypha). While Augustine argued that the Greek text had been the scripture used by the Church from its beginning in the first century, Jerome believed the Hebrew texts should be used because they were the original texts of the Old Testament. This argument returned during the Reformation, when Luther chose not to include the Old Testament Apocrypha in his translation on the same grounds. The emphasis on original languages is valid because we know the Greek Old Testament has additions (i.e. the Apocrypha) that were not originally written in Hebrew, meaning they have not been a part of the larger Church tradition (including Israel’s history). Even the sects of Christianity that use the Apocrypha acknowledge that it is deutero-canonical or of a lesser authority than the Old and New Testaments. Does that invalidate the Apocrypha, meaning we should not consult it at all? No, because it still provides important historical and cultural contexts that help us better interpret the Bible (a point to which we will return). However, this does not make it a source for truth, the next point of discussion.

When we say the Bible is true, this does not mean that the Bible is accurate on every historical and scientific point. Some churches do argue for the complete inerrancy of the Bible (i.e. the Bible has no mistakes or discrepancies of any kind), but inerrancy assumes that the writers and original audience of the Bible had the same attitude and approach toward science and history as modern society. The Bible is not always scientifically or historically correct. For example, the Bible’s cosmology assumes the earth is flat and surrounded by water around, above (being held up by the sky, which is a large dome), and below. Modern science clearly shows this to be an inaccurate understanding of the universe. Also, some of the historical facts, particularly pertaining to numbers and dates, seem skewed if not insupportable. Often this is because numbers carry a symbolic meaning rather than a literal one. Numbers like 3, 7, and 12 became important because of their significance to the Israelite community. Sometimes, numbers may have been exaggerated to emphasize or embellish a story, and dates may have been changed to line up with important events. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is crucified on Thursday rather than Friday (as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke) because the Thursday of Passover was the day the sacrificial lamb was slaughtered. These discrepancies do not invalidate the stories; rather, they show that dates and numbers may have been changed for literary and social reasons.

The Bible is true because it is trustworthy account about God’s relationship with humanity and what that relationship requires of humanity. The Bible is not meant to be a history or science book, though the Church should affirm the historical nature of the Bible to an extent. These are not stories fabricated by the early church nor are they metaphors (as some scholars suggest) that have significant meaning. Paul says on a few different occasions – particularly in I Corinthians – that if the death and resurrection of Christ did not happen, then Christianity is a waste. History confirms the accuracy of some of the Bibles stories (such as the crucifixion) while it casts doubt on others, and the Church can be honest about this. But the Bible’s truth transcends history and science while not ignoring them. The truth the Church wants to affirm is that God entered history and acted through the works of Israel and Jesus Christ to reconcile the entire world to God’s self. On those points, the Bible is a trustworthy and valid source to affirm that truth. While every historical detail may not be accurate, history does affirm enough of the Bible to enable the Church to call it true.

To garner the truth of the Bible, the Church must employ good interpretation, which begins with the translation of the texts. One option for good interpretation is to have every Christian learn Greek and Hebrew, and then read the Bible in its original languages. Aside from being impractical, this is unnecessary. A central message of Pentecost is that the Gospel can be translated into any language without losing the core of the message. This does not set the criteria for choosing what texts should be included in the canon. Rather, it opens the possibility that the Church in any culture and context can read the Bible and interpret it well.

There are two layers of interpreting the Bible well. The first layer takes into account the historical, cultural, and literary frameworks of the Bible. These are the tools that modern Biblical scholarship has used to help the Church better understand the texts. These tools help the Church better understand what the Bible meant to its original audience so it can better understand what it means for the contemporary Church. They should be used to construct good translations which take into account the historical and cultural context of the Bible, translating it into the language of the new audience. The NRSV, NIV, NASB, and the Message Bible are examples of good translations or paraphrases, while the KJV or NKJV would represent less reliable translations.

The second layer of interpretation is a critical reading of good translations the Bible. While the contributions of Biblical scholarship are vital, they should not be considered the only valid methods to interpret the Bible. If Biblical scholarship has provided lay readers with the best translations possible (which most good English translations have), the cultural and historical context will come through in the translation, at least in part. A layperson’s reading of the Bible can be a valid interpretation if that layperson is reading a good translation and with an approach that seeks to understand texts within their literary contexts (i.e. looking at an entire text, not proof-texting) and the greater context of the canon. The historical and cultural contexts can help lay readers better understand the Bible, but if they are reading a good translation with a critical eye, these tools should not be necessities to interpreting the Bible well.

There is a third element to interpretation: the church. While it is important for lay readers to be able to read the Bible and interpret it without using the tools of Biblical scholarship, there also need to be accountability to ensure that interpretations do not undermine the truth that the Church seeks to proclaim. The Church takes on this role in Biblical interpretation. Throughout the history of the Church, the interpretation of the Bible has been a communal practice, providing both context and accountability for the interpretation. No interpretation of the Bible is valid if the person or group interpreting it purposely puts themselves outside the community of the Church. Rather, it is through the communal practice of the Church that good interpretations of Scripture are made.

Finally, the Holy Spirit must play a part in good interpretation. While this is a complex issue – discerning where the Spirit is moving, how the Spirit works through the Bible, etc – the fundamental way this happens is through prayer. Asking the Holy Spirit to be a part of the interpretative process and to illuminate the truth in Scripture is foundational to good interpretations of Scripture. The Church also plays a foundational role in discerning the movement and work of the Holy Spirit through the interpretation of Scripture. The accountability of the Church community will always be a central aspect of Biblical interpretation. Finally, if we take the message of Scripture seriously that the central ministry of the Church is the proclamation of the Gospel, then every interpretation of Scripture should ultimately support that ministry. This is not to say that every verse in Scripture specifically has to address the ministry of Proclamation of the Gospel, as there are multiple ministries in the Church. Rather, no interpretation of Scripture should undermine that interpretation, and ultimately our interpretations of Scripture should lead us to proclamation.

Good Times

2010-01-15T21:04:00.003-08:00

I want to try to update this blog more regularly than I have the past couple months. So hopefully you'll see some more posts on her than last semester.

I always enjoy the moments when I can get away from campus and spend time just having a "normal" life (whatever normal can possibly mean in any context let alone a grad school context). Tonight was one of those nights where I was able to get away and have a relaxing time with good friends. Probably seems funny to the friends I was with since the night could been described as stressful rather than relaxing. =) But sometimes those goofy experiences are the ones we treasure more than the ones where everything is perfect. So sitting in traffic became a time to talk about music and talk about places where traffic is less of concern (you can probably tell who dominated that part of the conversation seeing as my friends are from Indiana and Ohio). Waiting at Pizza Hut for an hour just to get drinks and appetizers turned into a time to tell stupid stories (probably more crass than people would expect) and just goof around. And listening to rude complaining from the table next to us reminded us how difficult it is to work in service jobs, particularly when the staff is short-handed; and what it means to show grace, especially when you can tell that someone needs it.

In the sometimes asinine exercises of school, it's a pleasant respite to endure the challenges of regular life.

That's not to say I'm not enjoying my class during January. Quite the opposite in fact. It's nice to have a professor who is willing to be questioned after class about the more interesting points of his lecture. It's nice to sit down with him for lunch and just shoot the breeze. And it's nice to discuss a topic that has material implications for every day life. It sometimes gets lost in the academic ventures around here, and it's nice to see that at least some professors on campus have serious concerns about the way education is traditionally done and trying to find alternatives to address those shortcomings.

Two weeks down, one to go, and then it's a week off before starting my final semester at Princeton. Hard to believe that I'm already there and yet not completely surprising. One of my valued mentors, Michael Bruner, warned me a few weeks before I left for Princeton that my three years would fly by faster than I could imagine. And sure enough, when we had lunch the day I flew back to Princeton, we both reflected on just how quickly that time has gone. It certainly has been an interesting experience, in some ways meeting my expectations, in other ways challenging them. But I feel more confident as time goes on that, for some strange reason, this where God wanted me to be. It will probably take me some time before I truly understand why, but I have the fullest confidence that, despite what has arisen in the last three years that has been negative, this was where I was supposed to be.

It's time to hit the hay, but before I end, I just want to say that I am truly grateful for the things I have and the people God has placed in my life. I have a wonderful family who loves and supports me, an amazing girlfriend who I am looking forward to coming home to hopefully sooner than later, thoughtful mentors who have supported and challenged me as I continue to grow and learn, and wonderful friends both at school and at home who have been a steady support, particularly during the stormiest parts of my life. Thank you to all of you for everything you have done to support me, and I thank God for having you all in my life.

Recent Paper

2010-01-06T14:21:00.001-08:00

Occasionally I like to post recent papers I've written so people have an idea of what I've taken away from seminary and the rest of my theological education. This essay was written for "Issues in the Theology of Scripture," and our assignment was to write a 1500-word essay answering these two questions: "What do we mean when we say 'the Bible is true,' and what methods of interpretation help us reveal its truthfulness?" It is an initial essay that we will be revising into a 2000-word essay at the end of our January intensive in a couple weeks, so the goal of the assignment is just to get our cards on the table so that we can see where we have confidence on what we know and what is fuzzy. So here is my initial essay. Feel free to comment if you'd like. I'll post my 2000-word essay at the end of the semester as well so you can see where my thoughts have progressed. I've entitled my paper: "Reading the Bible Faithfully"

*Side note: my footnotes could not be imported, so if it seems like something is unsupported, it's most likely because the footnote didn't make it.*

--

When the Church says the Bible is true, it means that the sacred texts of the Christian community are a trustworthy source of guidance concerning God’s relationship with humanity and what that relationship requires of those who follow God. To interpret the Bible faithfully, one must read it in a way that takes into account the whole story of the Bible, which can include but does not fully necessitate an understanding of the historical and cultural context in which the Bible was written.

We must first ask what the Bible is. This is a complex task at the outset because there are two different accepted Bibles in the Church: the uniformly accepted collection of 66 books from the Old and New Testaments and the collection which includes the Old Testament apocryphal books accepted as deutero-canonical by the Roman Catholic Church. This raises the question of why certain books were included in the canon while others were not. Furthermore, scholars believe there were at least 80 gospels written during the early centuries after Jesus’ life with about 30 of them being preserved at least in part. Of the 30 we have, four are contained in the Gospel. Further, some of the oldest manuscripts and lists of the canonical books show that the sacred texts of the Church changed throughout the first three centuries of the Church’s existence. Texts such as the Letter of Hermes and the Didache were eventually cut from the canon, while others such as 2 Peter and Jude were later additions. Questions about the Bible’s compilation – particularly about which books were included and which were not – are valid and serious questions.

Two historical reasons come to mind as to why the texts we have in the Bible were chosen. One reason why books were selected by Christian communities is because they were written either by the Apostles or close followers of Jesus. From that perspective, the early church found it important to include books that accurately told Jesus’ story or spoke of his life in a way that was theologically sound. Scholars have suggested that the early church was influenced by other motives, suggesting that the church fabricated stories about Jesus in order to boost his image and make him God-like. However, these arguments import modern notions about reality (particularly naturalistic and materialistic perspectives informed by modern science) into the first century world. Some scholars reject the possibility of miracles and other “supernatural” phenomena and assume that the audience of the first century would do the same. While naturalism and materialism could be argued to be flawed foundations, to import them into a first century perspective that was aware of sciences like biology and psychology is inappropriate. Other scholars have suggested that the early church was politically motivated to change Jesus’ image during Constantine’s time. However, historical evidence suggests that the canon was mostly established by the fourth century. Further, most of the Bible’s manuscripts were written before Constantine came to power, making this argument somewhat sketchy. There is enough reasonable evidence to believe that the early church was motivated out of a genuine desire to transmit the story of Jesus’ life faithfully rather than to create an image they knew not to be true.

The second historical reason for books being included in the canon is that only books in their original language should be included. This reason, generated from the Reformation, was used precisely to exclude the Old Testament Apocrypha from Protestant use. The emphasis on original languages is valid since we now know that the Septuagint (the source of the Old Testament Apocrypha in the Bible) had later additions not found in the Hebrew canon. But does that completely invalidate the Apocrypha and mean we should not consult it at all? This leads us to a discussion of what we mean when we say the Bible is true and how we interpret the Bible.

When we say the Bible is true, the Church does not necessarily mean that every detail of the Bible is historically and scientifically accurate. Some Christians do argue for the complete inerrancy of the Bible, but this argument is faulty. It assumes that the writers and audience of the Bible had the same tools for doing scientific and historical research and had the same attitude and approach toward science and history as modern society. Further, the Bible is not always correct when addressing science or history. The Bible’s cosmology is one where the earth is flat, surrounded by water around, above (being held up by the sky, which is a large dome), and below. Concerning the Bible’s reports of history, particularly pertaining to numbers and dates, the history is skewed if not completely unsupportable by historical facts. This is usually the case because numbers hold a symbolic meaning in the text rather than a literal one. Numbers like 3, 7, and 12 are incredibly important because of their significance to the Israelite community.

While historical and scientific perspectives of the Bible are not always correct, does this mean the Bible is not true? No, because the Bible is not meant to be a history or science book. We want to affirm the historical nature of the Bible; these are not simply stories made up by the early church or metaphors (and some scholars suggest) that have significant meaning. Paul says on a few different occasions – particularly I Corinthians – that if the death and resurrection of Christ did not literally happen, then Christianity is a waste of time. Furthermore, the Church needs to affirm the historical accuracy of the Bible to a certain extent. But when the Church says the Bible is true, it means that the Bible is trustworthy for learning about God’s relationship with humanity and what that relationship requires of humanity. This does not mean that nothing reported in the Bible literally happened, nor does it mean the opposite. What matters is that when the Bible speaks about God’s relationship and love for humanity and what that relationship looks like and requires, the Bible is valid and trustworthy. Apocryphal books are useful in that they give greater historical and cultural context to the Bible, but they are not true in the sense that they reveal God’s relationship to humanity or what humanity’s response to God should be.

What does a correct interpretation of the Bible look like? Part of the answer lies in translation. One option is for every Christian to learn Greek and Hebrew and read the Bible in its original languages. Aside from being impractical, this is unnecessary. One message of the Pentecost story is that the Gospel can be translated into any language without losing the core of the message. The Bible can be translated into any languages, but what does a good translation look like? We must look at how the Bible is best interpreted before this question can be fully answered.

There are two layers of interpretation when reading Bible in the best way. The first layer is to take into account the historical, cultural, and literary frameworks of the Bible. These are the tools that modern Biblical scholarship has used to help the Church better understand the texts. By using these tools, we can better understand what the Bible meant to its original hearers in the first century and earlier so that the Church can better understand what the Gospel means for us today. These are the tools we use to construct good translations of the Bible. A good translation of the Bible into any language is one which best tries to capture the meaning of the Bible as its original audience would have heard it – using the best tools and best available manuscripts – into the language of the new audience. This is why the NRSV, NIV, NASB and even the Message Bible would constitute good translations or paraphrases, while the KJV or NKJV would not.

The second layer of interpretation is a critical reading of the Bible as it is presented in good translations. While the contributions of Biblical scholarship are vital, they should not be considered the only valid way to read the Bible. Further, if Biblical scholarship has provided lay readers with the best translations (which most good English translations have), the cultural and historical context will come through in the translation, at least in part. A layperson’s reading of the Bible can be a valid interpretation if that layperson is reading a good translation and reading the Bible with an approach that seeks to understand texts within their literary contexts and the greater context of the canon. If the Bible is for and can be read by everyone, then interpretations from laity should be valid to garner truth from the Bible. The historical and cultural contexts can help lay readers better understand the Bible, but if they are reading a good translation with a critical eye, these tools should not be necessities to interpreting the Bible well.

Thus, the Bible is true in that it reveals to the Church what God has done for the world and what is required of humanity in response to God’s action in the world. A valid interpretation requires that one looks critically at the Bible with the tools available to the person reading it, including reading the Bible in community with the church as a whole.

Only Five More Months

2010-01-01T22:08:00.002-08:00

I'm back in Princeton after another trip home. Every time it gets harder to come back to school after being at home. And especially after this break, it has been even harder. I think most of the readers of my blog know this already, but just in case you hadn't heard, I am no longer single. My girlfriend is Cathy Hansen. We've been dating for almost four weeks now. We met about five years ago, and have been good friends for about four years. After being in denial about it for a long time, I finally admitted that I had feelings for her. And there you have it. :-) So it probably shouldn't take too much to guess why going back to school was little harder this time around.

Alas, I am back at school, ready to get started on my work so I can finish it quickly. I only have five months left until I am done with school, graduated, and on to the next great adventure of my life. What that adventure will be is up in the air once again. I have decided to put my Ph.D. aspirations on hold for the near future. The more I have thought about it, the more I feel getting "life experience" under my belt would be more useful for me at this point. That's not to say that school isn't a life experience in itself, but I want my learning to stop being theoretical for the time being. There were some other considerations in there as well, but that was a major influence on my decision.

So I am going to try to power through this semester and make the most of my last semester here at Princeton. It has been a struggle to fully appreciate my time here, but, as Simone Weil put it, the importance of education is not necessarily what you learn, but simply the fact that you challenged yourself to go beyond what you thought possible. And sometimes it has felt like pushing against a brick wall, but even if I moved that wall an inch, I'll consider these three years a success. I am slowly beginning to see the progress I've made even though I feel like I've hardly gone anywhere. I imagine that as I continue to process these last three years, I'll see that I've come a lot farther than I thought.

For those who are curious what I'm taking this year, here is my class schedule:

Exegesis of Ephesians - Shane Berg
Israel's Wisdom Literature - Choon-Leong Seow
Film, Faith, and Spiritual Formation in Young Adults - Kenda Dean
Word and Act: Service in the Lord's Day - Nancy Lamers-Gross

I'm still working on my Lesslie Newbigin research paper.

Now, it's late, I'm jet-lagged and I should sleep. So until next time...

An Update At Last

2009-11-29T15:23:00.002-08:00

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.

My 100th Post!

2009-10-17T12:40:00.004-07:00

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...

Moving Right Along

2009-10-01T08:25:00.003-07:00

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.

Off and Running

2009-09-22T07:31:00.002-07:00

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.

Summer must be over...

2009-09-11T09:48:00.003-07:00

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....

Almost Done with my Second Year

2009-04-18T21:00:00.003-07:00

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

Flight Changes

2009-04-06T17:38:00.003-07:00

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

Less Than a Month Away

2009-03-29T19:25:00.002-07:00

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.

Moving Along

2009-03-20T08:02:00.003-07:00

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.

Some Thoughts on Twilight

2009-02-24T17:14:00.003-08:00

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.

Hopeful Outlook

2009-02-08T13:57:00.002-08:00

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.

New Semester

2009-02-02T09:32:00.004-08:00

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.

Done with Fall Semester

2009-01-24T08:30:00.002-08:00

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.

Finally A Moment to Write

2009-01-17T18:05:00.003-08:00

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.

Flight Information

2009-01-16T21:29:00.002-08:00

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

Update coming soon

2009-01-15T20:39:00.002-08:00

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.

Back at School

2009-01-05T11:11:00.002-08:00

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.

A Quick Post from JFK

2008-12-08T05:46:00.003-08:00

I love JetBlue. This post is courtesy of JetBlue's free wireless internet. JetBlue: Happy Jetting!

Now that I'm done with the advertisement, the trip has been very smooth so far and quite relaxing. I enjoy train travel quite a bit, and even though I had to start this morning's trek at 4:45, it was still quite nice reading on the train on the way up to New York Penn Station. I arrived at Penn station around 6:35 in the morning, then caught the A subway over to Howard Beach, where I then caught the AirTrain to JFK and quickly checked in to JetBlue pretty nicely refurbished terminal. If it wasn't so far away, I'd probably fly out of JFK more often, at least from JetBlue's terminal.

So now I wait about three hours before my flight takes off, barring any setbacks. That will give me some time to listen to John Mayer, hopefully finish Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and maybe finish a crossword puzzle or two. Maybe I'll sleep somewhere in there also, though I am surprisingly awake and upbeat, which isn't usual for me when it's that early in the morning. So hopefully the trip will continue smoothly, if all goes will I'll be back in CA in about 10 hours. And I will finally be able to enjoy the warm weather, good Mexican food, and wonderful friends and family. Until then, it's back to the postapocalyptic world where we find a man and his son cautiously approaching a camp of refegees... or is it? Stay tuned for partial excitement!

Thanksgiving to Advent

2008-11-27T21:10:00.004-08:00

It has been awhile since I last posted; my schedule has been much busier than I was anticipating even though I ended up getting much less done than I was hoping. So when this week came around - which we essentially had completely off because of the Thanksgiving holiday - it was certainly gave me reason to be thankful.

Thanksgiving was very interesting this year. It was the first time I was not at home for the holiday, making me one of the few this year who stayed on campus the entire week. Quite the experience walking around campus when it was almost empty, though I have to say it was very relaxing. For Thanksgiving, I went over to a friend's pastor's house, and it was a good substitute this year. We had a big traditional dinner, and we played the dictionary game. It's basically Balderdash, except we just go through the dictionary and pick out our own words rather than using words provided for us on little cards. It's a lot cheaper too. I think the words are more interesting too when you find them yourself. You can come up with words like Dugong, Tenebrific, and Phragmocone. The best part is my spell-checker thinks they're spelled incorrectly right now. =) I felt at home when I couldn't be at home, and that was a good feeling.

So now we head into the season of Advent, and I get to preach the first sermon of the Advent season at my internship church. I'm preaching on Matthew 1:18-25, which is the birth story that focuses on Joseph. It will be a new challenge, but I have always wanted to preach during Advent, so it will be a fun experience too.

The coming of Advent also means I'll be home soon. This year my break will be unusually long, but I'm not complaining. I'll be coming home on Decemeber 8 and in CA for the rest of December, which will be good. It will be good to be home for awhile and see friends who I haven't seen for 3 months. It has occurred to me that this is the longest I've been away from home for any one period of time. Went by a lot quicker than I was expecting.

The Christmas season brings back good memories, and one is particularly on my mind. My sophomore year of high school, our band director gave us caroling music to play in concert band, since marching band season had ended and we didn't have any concert music that needed to be immediately practiced. A group of my friends decided that it would be fun to get together and play the Christmas music as a small brass quartet. We played at a retirement home, for a private party, and we even got to play in Old Town Pasadena near the Johnny Rockets. It was a lot of fun to play, but it was also fun to bond with friends and really celebrate the season with music. Something about standing playing trombone with a santa hat on in the middle of Old Town really brought the season to life.

I will probably post once more before I head back to CA, and I'll post my flight info again for anyone who missed it the first time. So check back at the end of the week. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Post-Election Woes

2008-11-05T12:09:00.003-08:00

Now that the election circus is over, I can go back to worrying about things that will have a more immediate impact on my life.

It has been a crazy couple weeks. Along with the political climate, I have had quite a full plate with my internship responsibilities and classes. Last week was a flurry of sermons, bible lessons, papers and costumes (granted, not school related) that were all due in a five day span. I was studying the difficult story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, trying to find good news in there (which I think I may have accomplished) but also requiring me to preach the sermon in a format that I'm not completely comfortable or familiar with (narrative). Then it was on to trying to fit the stories of Joshua, Ruth, and Samuel all into a cohesive story with a singular point - and giving that Bible lesson in 10-15 minutes. From there it was on to a paper about my personal struggle with Panic Disorder as a child, and relating that to pastoral ministry (a paper on which I received an A+). And, as you saw in my last post, I spent about an hour getting ready for our hall's annual Halloween party dubbed "Brownoween," since we live in Brown Hall. Finally, I continued developing the curriculum for the children's sermons for my church's Sunday services. This week was talking about the kingdom of God as a culture of freedom. Quite a busy week.

I'm surprised that everything went as well as it did, but that has always seemed to work out for me. Usually everything ends up working out and much better than I am expecting. Now I have to keep that hope alive for the next two week because my next big milestone project is due: my thesis. It is only a first draft, so it is not hugely critical that I have it pristine or perfect; quite the opposite actually. But I am still deep in research, thought, and writing. With only a week and a half left to work on it, I have a very steep climb ahead of me. But I have been working diligently on it, and hopefully I will have a complete draft to turn in when the time comes around.

So I will be running around quite frantically the next couple weeks and sprinting all the way to Christmas break. Our children's ministry program is starting a new Sunday School unit, and I am leading an entire section of it. On top of that, I still have two or three more children's sermons to write and life in general to deal with. No rest for the weary, but in some ways, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T21:09:00.004-07:00

Just in case anyone wanted to know how I dressed up for Halloween. I won third in a costume contest.

Anyone want to see a magic trick?

The Big Decision

2008-10-28T16:50:00.005-07:00

I think many of you who read here are pretty much aware of the decision I have have been talking about making for the past couple months and officially made two weeks ago. But I wanted to let those of you know who haven't heard yet and to give a fuller explanation of the decision that I have made.

When I decided to restart the ordination process over the summer, I had hesitations about restarting the process at Arcadia Presbyterian Church. I had made that known to a few people, but I'm not sure how widely known it was. For various reasons that I won't go into, I felt that it was not best equipped to guide me through the process. But APC has been my home church for as long as I've been alive, and despite reservations I had, I decided to restart the process under their care.

Over the last (almost) four years, there have been a series of complications that have made my experience going through the process difficult. I believe that sometimes we face difficulty because it is an indication that we are going the right direction and it is a sign that we should continue going in that direction. Sometimes that difficulty is there to cause us to reconsider and either stop or determine a new direction. I am still not sure what this difficulty is indicating to me overall, but it did cause me to stop and reconsider.

My internship at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church was a life-changing experience for me. The experience restored my faith in the church's ability to be a redemptive for in the world and that people of various backgrounds and ideological beliefs can come together to worship God as one community. I had become very cynical about the church and LCPC gave me a glimmer of hope that I had needed. I was welcomed into the community from day one, and it has started to feel like home. I found leaders with experience who could easily relate with my vocational struggles as well as sharing some of my theological areas of interest. It became a community where I could share my gifts and be stretched out of my comfort zone in healthy ways to grow.

Toward the end of the summer, complications began to emerge again with the ordination process, and needing to return to Princeton, I left being in basically the same place I've been for the last four years. During the summer, it seemed like God was pointing me to a community that could guide me through the ordination process, and this complication seemed to be asking me to seriously consider that option.

This wasn't a decision to be made lightly or implusively. I prayed about it over these past months. I spoke to my friends, mentors, colleagues, advisors and a couple pastors to discuss the options. After getting their advice, I sat on it for another month. Every answer I received, every indication I had pointed in the same direction.

So two weeks ago, I sent a letter to APC to request my membership be transferred to La Crescenta Presbyterian Church. I believe God, at least at this time, wants me to continue to pursue the ordination process under LCPC's care. It was a hard decision, but I think it was the right one. I still consider APC an integral part of my life: it was the church I grew up in, the place where my faith became real, the place where I was given my first opportunities to serve in the church. But for everything there is a season, and I believe one season is ending and a new one is beginning. I know the reasons may seem simple; they are anything but. Those reasons don't need to be stated or known to anyone but those who are closely involved. Just know they are much more complex than they may seem.

I am not sure what the future holds for me in terms of completing ordination. I am beginning to wonder if this difficulty is in place to point me in another direction entirely. At this point, I still feel this is a direction that God wants me to go, despite my own reservations, and I will continue to go in that direction.

Winter Comes Early

2008-10-28T07:55:00.003-07:00

Well, right now, I'm looking out my window and the snow is coming down hard. That's right: snow. At the end of October. So while all my So Cal friends and family are trying to cool down from the 90* weather, I'm trying to bundle up to keep warm. Oh, the joys of NJ weather.

Big decision post finally coming this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Now For Something Completely Different: A Review of W.

2008-10-17T18:02:00.002-07:00

I would imagine that when people heard the Oliver Stone was releasing a movie about George W. Bush, many thought it would be a "left-wing" smear job with little to no objectivity. But "W." is much more evenhanded than I would have expected, especially coming from Oliver Stone.

For those who are big fans of the Bush administration, this is not a movie you will enjoy as Stone depicts Bush's young adulthood as a period of alcohol abuse and directionless for the future politician. Depictions of his cabinet and closest mentors, as well as the relationships within his family will probably also make you upset.

For those who have not been impressed with the Bush administration, I think many will see Bush in a different light and that Stone is not bashing him but trying to understand why Bush made the decisions he did.

The movie focuses on the time period from Bush at Yale to Bush just after the break out of violence between Islamic sects in Iraq. It is not chronological; it jumps between the "present" and the past throughout the movie but almost always with the clear identification of what time of Bush's life we are in. As I said before, Bush's young adulthood is depicted as a time of recklessness, especially concerning alcohol, as well as being directionless. He is in trouble with law and under the constant pressure of trying to live up to his father's expectations.

Stone shows Christianity as playing a vital role in Bush's life and in a positive light. When we first see Bush praying after a strategy meeting in the first 10 minutes of the movie, we laugh a little bit because it seem facetious or at least out of place among a room full of less devoted Christians. But when we witness Bush's conversion and his following meetings that end in prayer, we see Bush's devotion as genuine and meaningful to him. Stone treats it with respect and not as a weapon with which to attack Bush's character.

This movie is not kind to Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, or Karl Rove. All of them are acted very well, especially Richard Dreyfuss as Cheney. An excellent depiction and an incredible visual likeness. Josh Brolin is also excellent as Bush, mimicking his mannerism and speech, so that it is somewhat difficult to tell the difference in a few shots.

Overall, I left the movie feeling sympathy and compassion for Bush, seeing him as the victim of poor circumstances rather than a conniving dictator or malicious politician. Stone paints him as a devoutly religious man who wanted deeply to have a positive impact in the Middle East and across the world. Bush's weaknesses were allowing himself to be driven by associates with ulterior motives and being unable to stand under the weight of his father's expectations.

I don't know how much of the movie is factual, but honestly, I don't care. This movie isn't intended to be a strict retelling of Bush's life or a definitive biographical movie. It is a character study about a complicated man who became president, and it focuses on specific parts of Bush's life that can shed some light on his psyche. He is a round, dynamic character as are most of the other characters; only Cheney and Rumsfeld stay fairly static, and they receive the harshest treatment from Stone's retelling. It was a fascinating journey, and an enjoyable movie to watch that left feeling a little more sympathy for Bush than I would have expected.

Closer to a Decision

2008-10-06T16:26:00.003-07:00

I'm getting to the point in the semester where the work starts to pile up a little bit, which this year I am actually excited about. I think it will encourage me to structure my time more, a goal I'm already trying to achieve. Plus it will get me more involved in topics I'm interested in, so hopefully my classes will start to pick up a little more.

With that increased work, it also encouraging me to come to decisions which I have been mulling over for the last couple months. I expect to make and follow through on those decisions by the end of the week.

For some reason, I feel like it's going to be a rough week. Nothing tangible really provides evidence for that; just feels like one of those weeks. We'll see.

Over the Hump

2008-09-26T12:13:00.002-07:00

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

2008-09-25T10:10:00.002-07:00

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

2008-09-18T18:21:00.003-07:00

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

2008-09-15T13:43:00.002-07:00

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

2008-09-14T08:42:00.002-07:00

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!

2008-09-05T20:40:00.002-07:00

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

2008-09-02T22:52:00.002-07:00

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.

Posts coming shortly

2008-08-31T23:41:00.002-07:00

Posts will be resuming again shortly. Be looking in the next couple days for new entries.

Back at Home

2008-05-16T11:03:00.003-07:00

After being a week back, I'm feeling at home once again. I've been catching up with friends, settling in, and preparing for the major endeavors I'm pursuing this summer. There have been a few shocks, a few surprises, and one particularly painful moment. Overall though it's been good to be home. It's been nice having this week off before my internship starts, but I'm excited to begin that as well. It should be a good summer. I'll still update every now and then during the summer, so keep checking back.

God must not want me to leave Princeton

2008-05-09T08:47:00.002-07:00

So it always seems that something must go wrong when I try to fly home, whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, or spring break. This time my flight delay will hopefully not result in sitting in an airport for far too long meeting fascinating, interesting people (I guess half of that is not too bad). I woke up this morning to a phone call from my parents informing me that my flight had been cancelled. Thankfully this only resulted in my new flight being a few hours later. So I will still be coming home today, barring any further complications. Still, it would have been nice to eat dinner at home somewhere than on the aircraft. Here is my new flight info for anyone who is interested:

Delta Flight 1189:
Depart - Philadelphia at 5:38 pm EDT
Arrive - Salt Lake City at 8:35 pm MDT

Delta Flight 1137
Depart - Salt Lake City at 9:15 pm MDT
Arrive - Ontario at 10:01 om PDT

Flight Numbers

2008-05-06T22:36:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to repost my flight number for all interested parties:

Delta 1707
Depart: Philadelphia - 1:00 pm EDT
Arrive: Atlanta - 3:09 p.m. EDT

Delta 1663
Depart: Atlanta - 6:30 p.m. EDT
Arrive: Ontario - 8:00 p.m. PDT

Offically Done! Part 1

2008-04-25T20:22:00.002-07:00

I am officially done with my first year ... of classes. Of course, I'll be much happier when I am officially done with my finals exams of my first year, but all things in their due time. For now, I am very happy to say I survived my first year of classes. In some ways they have been exactly what I was expecting; in other ways they have been a bit disappointing. But that is part of the experience, and thankfully spring has been a much a better semester than fall.

The year has been winding down rather nicely. I feel comfortable with where I will be during the summer. I am glad that I am starting to follow through with and will continue to pursue projects that will help me discern my vocation. I think starting the ordination process and working on a thesis will be good ways to keep myself actively thinking about where God is calling me.

I'm also really happy with where I will be next year. The new curriculum is going to be much more conducive to learning, and it will give me more time get deeply into my reading material. I'll be moving into a different dorm and room that is quite a bit bigger than my current room (it will give me about 32 sq. ft more than what I currently have) and it will move me closer to the center of campus. It will also allow me to keep more at school and less to ship home. Just a great situation all around.

Finals are coming soon, but in the mean time I am enjoying my last two weeks at Princeton before heading home for the summer. I had a surprise visit today from one of my old professors, Michael Bruner, who was in the area for a conference. It was great to see him again and having a chance to talk about the end of my first year. A good distraction from my endless reading and writing as well. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to it. Too much to do in too little time.

Falling into Place

2008-04-18T11:16:00.002-07:00

I am slowly starting to set my schedule for next year, and yesterday I finally solidified another piece of the puzzle that I have been working on for over a month. As soon as the Registrar begins accepting the forms, I will officially be working on a thesis next year in the area of Theology. Pending approval, I'll be working with one of my professors with whom I have been taking classes this past year, John Flett. The working title of my thesis is "Is the West Beyond Salvation?" It's basically an analysis of the development of Christianity into a fully world movement and how that effects a post-Christendom West (U.S. and Europe essentially). Put in laymen's terms, I'm basically talking about how the U.S. and Europe can see itself in a world where it is no longer the center of Christianity. It will also focus on the lack of attention given to mission in our home, that we can live next to poverty in the heart of Los Angeles or other major cities yet spend thousands and even millions of dollars sending missionaries to other countries to the neglect of the needs at our doorstep. This was a prevalent theme at APU, one that caused quite a bit of tension within me. I'm looking forward to it, but it's going to be a rough year. I'm going to start doing my research over the summer, shoot for a 40,000 word (roughly 114 double-spaced pages) draft at the end of Fall semester, and revise it throughout the Spring semester. It will be a lot of work, but a good exercise and one that I am looking forward to.

I'll write more later. For now, I'm off to class.

A Walk through the Woods

2008-04-13T09:22:00.002-07:00

A friend and I went on a walk last night through the Princeton Battlefield (one of the famous Revolutionary War battle sites) and the Institute for Advanced Study (the academic home for scholars like Einstein and Oppenheimer: see here for more info). I took some pictures, so I'll put the link below for anyone who wants to see them. It was nice to get away from the school for awhile and see some of the surrounding area that I hadn't had a chance to see yet. Very refreshing.

Here are the pictures.

I am very excited to annouce...

2008-04-02T19:25:00.002-07:00

that I can watch up to 6 baseball games at one time!

OK, not really (though I am really excited about that).

I have been almost two months to make this announcement and the pieces have finally fallen into place to make it work. I will be coming home this summer and working at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church as an intern for my summer field education placement! This placement has taken some time to put into place but it has definitely come together because of God's good graces. I was convinced that I would be struggling to find a job that I wouldn't really want to do for the summer or sitting around jobless, but God opened this door in a huge way and everything fell into place. Here's basically how it worked out.

Back in February, I wanted to know if there were any CA church placements available, so I asked my field ed advisor for any sites that were available. For whatever reasons (God's direction probably) La Crescenta stood out. It's a nice city, I have family that lives there, and it's close to home. So I checked out the website and e-mailed the pastor to introduce myself. Turns out the pastor 1) went to my high school (graduating in the 70s) 2) was a member of the marching band 3) went to my church's youth group at that time and 4) knew very during that time a person who would become one of my mentors while I was at APU. He has two PTS grads working for him, one the spiritual director (worship leader), the other the youth director. They have some great outreach programs and other events that are focused on mission. It looked like a great fit. I visited the church while I was back for spring break, and met with the pastor and the spiritual director. At that point, it was simply a matter of funding, so I couldn't make any official announcements. And today I found out that everything had settled into place, and I received an official offer.

I'm really excited. I'm basically going to have a hand in every part of the church I can. It will be a great intro to life as a pastor, an experience that will be very helpful. So now everyone can know. =) Like I said, I have been wanting to announce this for awhile, so I'm glad I can finally tell everybody.

Opening Day

2008-03-31T17:03:00.002-07:00

Great opening day game for the Dodgers. And as Vin Scully said at the end of the game, how fitting that on the first game of their 50th anniversary that the Dodgers should win 5-0 against their fiercest rivals (though the Giants this year will be pretty pathetic). All is right with the world again: baseball has started up.

Fun at Work and New Ways to Communicate

2008-03-30T11:52:00.004-07:00

This week has been a bit hectic. I'm beginning to start a lot of projects due at the end of the semester while finishing up a couple that are due soon. Work was also pretty crazy this week. I work at Princeton's University Store in downtown Princeton, which is much like a small clothing store (think of a Gap or Banana Republic that you'd find in a mall, but about twice as big). Typically for closing hours (shifts that I usually work), three people are assigned to work: a manager and two sales associates. Occasionally only a manager and an associate are assigned if not much business is expected. There are four managers: three work on the actual floor, one works in the basement in the mail order and receiving department. While the mail order manager is probably the best guy to work with, he's also never on the floor; not bad unless a huge influx of people enter the store. I think we can all see where this is going as we jump to last Friday. The store supervisor scheduled the mail order manager and me as the only two in the store on Friday night for the final two hours of store operation. That would have been fine had it not been a week where every alumni and their mother (or children as the case overwhelmingly was) been visiting. So I was basically the only worker on the floor while a steady stream of traffic came into the store. Needless to say, it was a tiring night. It wasn't that bad, and I actually enjoyed not having a manager hanging over making sure I was working the whole time (which usually isn't an issue). But it made for an exciting night being the only one on the floor.

I also wanted to let everyone know about a new way to communicate. I'm not sure how many people have heard of Skype, but it's basically an internet phone. It's free, you can "call" people who also use it, and it also allows for video chatting for free. All you need is a computer with an internet connection and a microphone. If you want to video chat, you need a webcam too. If you use it already, or if you make an account, you can look me up: jeff.desurra. I think it could be a really nice way to keep in contact. You can also use it to call landlines and cell phones, but that costs money. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know.

Difficult Decisions

2008-03-25T15:52:00.002-07:00

At the beginning of the semester I wrote about my struggle over vocation. Being over half way through the semester, I've had a lot to think about. My classes have continued to hone my thinking, professors have pushed me to new levels, and planning out this summer's and next year's church placements have helped put my education into a broader perspective. I feel more comfortable being at Princeton, more confident that this is where I'm supposed to be, reassured that this is where God wants me to be. But the vocation question still remains. If anything, discerning my call has become even more complicated than it was at the beginning of the semester now that I have more options to consider other than pastoral ministry and academic teaching.

Over the past couple weeks I have realized that I should be in a position where I can wrestle through these decisions more concretely. Working in the Church for the next year is one step in that direction, but it's only a step. I need to open up opportunities for conversation, which is more difficult to do when I am not engaged in processes that are designed to open the doorways for conversation.

For this reason, I've made two decisions, both of which have been difficult to come to but will, I think, enable me to make a better, well-informed decision about my vocation. This summer after I finish my finals, I am going to (re)start the ordination of process. Even though I am still unsure that I am being called to pastoral ministry, I need to take advantage of the process that the Presbyterian church has set up. I hope that being in the process will open up more opportunities to have conversations about vocation.

The other decision I've made is not yet set in stone, but will probably be a little more grueling and one I may regret a bit more. After talking with one of my professors, I am going to pursue a thesis project next year. I will be shooting for a project that would be roughly 40000 words, something I would have to devote the entire year to. I don't have many details on what I would be writing on and I'm not sure if I can work with the professor I'd like to yet. It would be an independent study that I would do as a part of my normal class schedule and hopefully something I could submit for publication or at least continue toward after I finish the class requirements. Since this is something I'd have to get acquainted to and comfortable with if I were to pursue a Ph.D. and it would help to improve my writing and thinking skills, this is something I want to pursue. As I said, I'm not yet sure if I can go forward with this project yet because the professor I want to work with will be a staff (not faculty) member next year. I'm currently talking to the dean of academic affairs to see if it's possible and what steps I need to take to move forward.

I feel comfortable with these decisions. How I'm going to balance everything is still a question I have yet to answer, but since I will be working considerably less hours working at the church next year and taking 2 less classes next year, I think I will be able to manage everything with diligent time management (<-- key factor). Prayer is always appreciated. I'll keep everyone updated and what's happening next.

Update

2008-03-20T20:59:00.003-07:00

This week went by so quickly that I'm almost surprised that it's already over. I missed most of my classes this week trying to regain consciousness and get over jet lag, so hopefully next week will be better.

I have one big announcement this week: I have confirmed my church placement for the academic year. I'm going to be working at Allentown Presbyterian Church in Allentown, NJ with my major responsibilities being in the adult and children ministry departments. It should be a good experience. The associate pastor is a PTS grad, so she understands what's expected from the field ed office here and also knows what it's like to be a student doing an internship. So I'm glad to have that set and to feel comfortable about it.

Back in Princeton

2008-03-17T17:59:00.002-07:00

I'm back in Princeton, though it seems I must always have some sort of travel difficulty in order for my trips home to be complete. My flight was delayed by about an hour in Burbank, and because of the winds, we had to take a runway that caused us to carry less fuel. We had to stop in Las Vegas for a refueling stop before we could make our way to the East Coast. And as we passed over Kansas we ran into some rough turbulence, which woke me up. I didn't get much sleep, and my back and legs are reminding me that that sleep wasn't very restful anyway.

Thankfully once I got into NY it was smooth sailing from there. I made it to each of the stations just in time to catch a train that was just leaving. So I hit the subway immediately after getting off the plane, made the connection in Penn Station quickly enough to catch the express train back to Princeton, and caught the Dinky back to campus just in time to make it to my first class in the morning. I ended up in Princeton about two hours later than I was hoping, but perhaps that was a blessing in surprise. Time will tell.

Other than that, this day has let me hit the ground running. I had to give a speech this afternoon, which considering I had essentially been up for about 27 hours straight I did surprisingly well on. I had left the speech at home in CA, so I had to get a fresh copy from my professor, which meant all my markings and cues I had to reinsert. But I pulled it off, only stumbling over a few words.

For now I'm going to head to bed. I may have some important news coming later this week, but all of that in due time. For now, it's time to recuperate.

Flight Numbers

2008-03-05T21:43:00.002-08:00

Here are my flight numbers for my trips to and from Princeton:

JetBlue
JFK to Burbank: 357 (03/07: 4:40 - 8:00 pm)
Burbank to JFK: 358 (03/16-17: 9:00 pm - 5:03 am)

Anne Lamott

2008-02-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

I went to see Anne Lamott tonight at the local Barnes and Noble. That was very cool. I read "Traveling Mercies" in college by her and thought it was very insightful, even if I didn't agree with her on every point. If you haven't heard of her, she's a popular writer and novelist. She's a Christian but a very rough-around-the-edges Christian. A feminist but not a super crazy feminist. She has some powerful things to say about Christianity and what it should look like. Very exciting opportunity. I got a couple of books signed by her and had my picture taken with her, which I'll post at some point (they're on my phone right now). If you're wondering what books she's written the link is below: I've read "Traveling Mercies," and also own "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith" and "Bird by Bird."

Anne Lamott's books

My First Snow Day Ever

2008-02-22T04:22:00.004-08:00

Well, I have now experienced my first snow day ever. Classes were cancelled today due to the snow. There are a few inches on the ground but the snow is coming down pretty hard still so I'd expect a few more inches still. Now that I have the day off I'm not sure what to do with myself. A chance to work on some projects.

Quick Church Placement Update

2008-02-20T19:42:00.003-08:00

I'm currently working on field education placements, and it looks like I may have found a lead on a church placement for the summer. It would be about 20-30 minutes from Arcadia and it looks like it'd be very diverse, taking me through many different aspects of ministry (preaching, youth, children, visitation, etc.). Prayer would be appreciated as I continue to look into it. I'll give more details when I know more about the placement one way or the other.

Into the Routine, Discerning the Call

2008-02-19T09:55:00.006-08:00

I am starting to feel comfortable with the routine of this semester now. My schedule is a bit odd since I am finished with classes by 10:00 am on Tuesday and have no class on Wednesday, so having that large chunk of time unoccupied has stretched me in terms of keeping on top of work rather than resting and relaxing, a difficult temptation to beat. But as time is moving along quickly I am readjusting my patterns to keep moving ahead.

With less credits this semester I'm also finding more time to stop and reflect on why I'm here and what I am working toward. One of the struggles last semester was losing sight of my purpose for studying here and what I was striving for. Part of it was some of the shock of being back in school and the level of intensity required to stay on top of work and do my work well, but part of it was in worrying about how to balance everything that I was unable to remember why I wanted to come to Seminary and accomplish here. With more time to reflect, I have been able to keep focused, and that has helped immensely in keeping my spirits up and continue to push through difficult classes.

I have been also thinking about where God is directing me in terms of my call and how that fits in with my passions, gifts, and talents. The waters are still very murky and little has happened still to clear them. On the one hand, I can see those traits that would serve well in a pastoral role. I am relational person and thrive in situations where I can develop connections that enable me to counsel, listen, and advise those who I care about. I still believe I have a gift for teaching and motivating change in people's lives. I have also witnessed how I've been used to point people to God, even when I feel distant from God; that was especially the case during the middle years of college. I know that for many I have been a person that people can trust to share concerns and doubts in different aspects of life. And God has put me in positions of leadership and responsibility in the past that have prepared me for future placements in leadership.

At the same time, I know that I also have a strong "intellectual" side; I think about problems analytically and often times I'd rather not come down on one side or another of particular issues because I realize that there is no clear cut answer. I enjoy teaching in a way that stimulates further reflection that may or may not result in change. I tend to have a critical side that would rather point out weaknesses rather than strengths so that those weaknesses can be strengthened. I think perhaps most "problematic" is that I'm very willing to ask difficult questions that aren't necessarily welcome. And in my experience so far, those who want to ask difficult questions and not always wanting to come down on solid answers aren't always most appreciated in church settings (except for some, but those tend to be churches that fall on a far more "liberal" stance than I'm comfortable with). Moreover I'm also afraid to a certain extent of being put in a position of nurturing personal growth when my approach is to introduce ideas rather than suggest a particular line of thinking. And I wonder whether I would be better fit in an environment where my goal is to introduce ideas rather than push someone to make a particular decision.

I realize that I'm still early in this process of reflection. The differences between teaching academically and pastorally are not that clearly defined. There's a lot of overlap, and there are also aspects of both that I simply don't know about yet. At this point, when it comes to it, I really have no clear direction to go on either path. With academic teaching, though I would enjoy classes and developing academic relationships with students, I'm not sure I want to be involved in the academic community (being at Princeton has shown me some of the ugly side of the academic world). With pastoral teaching, the major obstacle is that I lack a clear sense of call. My fear is that it's my decision to be a pastor, not God's leading me to that position, and if the Bible has taught me anything, it's those that who desire to be in positions of leadership are often the ones who fail while those who become leaders reluctantly, sometimes even against their desire, are most effective because they have been called. I can't help but feel right now that my desire to be a leader is what is driving me toward the pastorate, not the sense that God has called me to lead in His community.

The wrestling continues. I trust that a way will eventually be cleared in one direction or another. Probably not in the timing I want, but things never go as quickly as I'd like them to, which is better anyway. For now, it's time to hit the books again.

Spring Break

2008-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have my flight plans for coming home. Here are the details:

Flying JetBlue

March 7
Depart: JFK - 4:40 p.m.
Arrive: Burbank - 8:00 p.m.

March 16
Depart: Burbank - 9:00 p.m.
Arrive: JFK - 5:03 a.m. (next day)

I Have Wheels

2008-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am now mobile! Well, at least slightly more mobile than I was before. On Monday I went down the street to the local bike shop and bought a new bike! They finished assembling it today, so I picked it up and took it for a ride back to the Seminary. It's a great ride, probably the best bike I've ever owned (seeing as I've only ever owned two bikes, I suppose that's not saying much). But it's a bright spot in the middle of a pretty dark week. Here is a picture of the bike. It's a 2007 model of this bike, which is actually more like a better version of this bike, in case you want to see the specs.

A New Beginning

2008-01-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have started my new semester with mixed feelings. I am very excited for most of my classes thus far. Church History this semester looks like it should be a much better class than last semester. I still have yet to start my last class since the lecture time is not until Thursday. I am also trying to switch my Radical Reformation class with a class called "The Search for a Christian America." The class is designed to explore the relationship between the Church and the State throughout American History, and this is intriguing to me especially during the 19th century. Unfortunately, the precept time on Friday interferes with my Hebrew lecture, so at this point I cannot add the class. However, there's another student in the class with the same predicament, and we are hoping that the professor will be able to work with us since we are both very excited about the class. I should know by Friday whether something has been worked out or not.

I am also beginning the process of looking into church placements for next year. I have four churches in the area that my field education advisor has looked into for me, so the next month will involve visiting those churches and seeing if any of them would make a good fit. Three of the four sound like they would be very good placements with good pastors. I will post more on them once I have had the chance to visit with them and the pastors.

It has been a bit stressful getting readjusted from break, especially being on campus last week but without work. By the end of this week I should be back into the swing of things, but for now it is a bit difficult. The lack of reading assignments due to less classes is also contributing since I have essentially finished all the reading I have to do for this week.

So the excitement continues. I'm starting to think more about starting/restarting the ordination process. It has been a bit complicated (probably more than it has needed to be) mostly because of my own hesitancy. Unfortunately (in my perspective), my last two years at APU did a lot to destroy my trust in the church, which has been difficult to overcome. Being at Princeton has done some to restore it, and I think the sites that my field ed. advisor has picked will do more. Still, I continue to wrestle over whether God is really calling me to be in a pastoral position and whether that calling is meant to be in a church setting. Though I feel fairly confident about the former, I am still skeptical about the latter. One of the things that I'm continuing to struggle with as well is whether I am being called specifically to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament. A few people that I have talked to have encouraged me to think of that more broadly than simply working as the head pastor of a church, which has been helpful to think about ordination in a more constructive way.

I realize that I could be doing much of this questioning as an Inquirer in the process, but that has been a little complicated as well. I am wrestling over whether Arcadia Pres. is really the best place for me to be under care. I realize that is probably a little shocking to some, and I'm not going to go into detail here since I feel it would be inappropriate. Reflecting on past events and experiences, I feel it is something I need to seriously consider.

Once I have my schedule more solidified I'll update more on my classes. It looks to be a very interesting semester.

A Week of Rest

2008-01-20T12:29:00.001-08:00

I am finally on inter-semester break. I'm looking forward to have some time to regain my bearings, and really spend some quiet time with friends I've made out here. I was thinking about going down to West Virginia for a few days with some people but decided that staying around campus and working was going to be better.

I picked up a book on the Civil War for some "for fun" reading this week. It's called "Battle Cry of Freedom" by James McPherson, who is an American History professor at Princeton. It won the Pulitzer prize and is a one volume history of the Civil War. What makes that impressive is that most other scholars who write about the Civil War use multiple volumes to cover it, with 7 volumes not being unusual. So I'm very excited to jump into this book. It's written in narrative, which should make it more interesting and engaging.

Other than that, I'm planning on taking this time to explore, though with the turn in the weather, I may be confined in doors. This morning it was 23* before wind chill, which brought it down to about 10*. It was reminiscent of the cold in Florida in 2001 with the marching band. Hopefully it will warm up a bit this week.

I went to an Episcopal church this morning to "kill the heathen" (as my friend Christine was telling me to do). I hadn't had much of a chance to go to church while in NJ in December or during finals. It was an interesting experience. The church is right across the street from the seminary, and the building was built in the 19th century. It was a good service, my first at an Episcopal church. I'm finding that I really enjoy more liturgical services. I suppose that would make me fit well in an East Coast Presbyterian church as they're more liturgical.

I'm also going to invest in a bike when I get the money. I need a little more mobility than I currently have and they're so much to see around the area that having a bike will afford me the opportunity to get out a bit more. There are a group of students who go riding, so that will be good to find some of the good bike routes.

Finally, I was able to meet up with Andy Lucas while he was at the seminary. It was good to see a familiar face, and discuss seminary life.

Hopefully I'll be able to update a bit more in the coming weeks. It's a relief knowing that when I wake up tomorrow, I won't have to worry about class or finals.

Officially finished with the Semester

2008-01-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

I am now officially finished with my first complete semester of seminary. I turned in my last set of papers and took my last final exam this morning and now wait in tension wondering how well I did. Finals turned out to be much more reasonable than I was expecting. Since I really had no expectations, I simply assumed the worst, but was pleasantly surprised at most of them, especially Systematic Theology. Church History was of course a terrible final, but that class is finished and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Hebrew on Saturday went well having just gotten off a plane 10 hours prior to that final. By far the best final I took was Systematic Theology. It wasn't that I felt most prepared for it (I didn't start studying for it until last night); it wasn't that it was an easy final either. It was simply helpful. One of the professors, Bruce McCormack, started out by gathering the whole class, and making sure we all knew what the exam was about and answered all our questioned. He kept the mood light and more importantly he helped us understand that the final was supposed to be a helpful exercise rather than torture. The goal was to take what we had learned and apply it (what a novel idea). Then he prayed for us and I cramped my hand after two and a half hours of writing. But approaching the final that way made it much easier to get it through.

Anyway, I am going to spend the next week and a half resting, getting a head start on reading, and spending time roaming around. It'll be nice to have a real break finally without the stress of finals.

The Church as Public

2008-01-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

As part of one of my classes (named in the title), I had to write a 500 word essay on my understanding of the public nature of the church. This class has been my favorite class by far this semester, and though it has been very challenging, it has helped me grow both in stretching me intellectually and spiritually. So I thought I'd share that essay. It's by no means comprehensive or definitive; there is still quite a bit to be thought about and worked out. However, I think this paper present an adequate summary and appropriate spring board for further thought. So I present to you my final, exactly 500-word (which I am very proud of) essay on the public nature of the church:

The public nature of the Church can be characterized by the twofold nature of witness. The Church is the community of believers who are witness to and are witnesses of the actions of God in the world. These believers witness because they recognize and accept that they are recipients of God’s grace, intended for the whole world, accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In its first meaning, the Church is a witness to God’s action in the world. She functions as one who actively observes and recognizes God’s action in the world and in her community. This is characterized both by what is witnessed in the Church (e.g. worship, preaching, baptism, Eucharist, etc.) as well as outside the Church. Thus the community of believers is never content to remain within the walls of a building as this denies the truth that God is active in the world. Rather, affirming the truth that the veil of the Temple has been split, the Church engages in the task of witnessing God’s action in the world. Through witnessing God’s action, the community of believers is uplifted, refined, and humbled by the grace of God available to the world.

This first task is only fully completed when the second task of witness is fulfilled: being a witness of God’s action. In this sense, the Church gives its testimony of God’s reconciling action to and for the world. By being a witness to God’s action, the Church adequately testifies about God’s involvement in human history to the world. Actively engaging in this mission, the Church joins God in the reconciliation of the world, being privileged to share in the divine task by witnessing to God’s reconciling work.

The Church is moved to this witnessing task because she is a recipient of grace and becomes a witness of grace. Regardless of whether a Christians believes they are actively engaged in witness, by affirming and accepting the gift of grace they bear the responsibility of the witnessing task to the eyes of the world. If the Church is to testify that God is offering grace to the world yet she does not testify about those actions or witness them herself, serious doubt is cast upon those who claim to follow the God who is for the world and also placing doubt in those seeking this God. Thus the Church engages in witness both to affirm God’s action for the world and to remain true to its claims.

The Church is not the true Church if it fails to engage in either aspect of witness. If the community fails to be a witness of God’s action, it is reduced to a human community that preaches about human action. The community that fails to testify about God’s action does not affirm that it has truly received grace or that God gives grace to the world. Only when this community is a witness to and of God’s grace and action is it the true public Church.

Passing of a Dodger Great

2008-01-14T16:02:00.001-08:00

I was very sad to learn of the passing of Johnny Podres. Not exactly one of the players who cracks my all-time favorites, simply out of ignorance, but learning about his past through his obituary, watching videos of him pitch, and hearing the memories of those who knew makes me sad that I didn't know much about him. Vin Scully mentioned him quite often during broadcasts and I know he was at least one of the Dodger heroes in Brooklyn, especially during the '55 World Series. Very sad to hear.

Finals are almost finished and once I'm done with them I will post again. For now, it's back to the books.

At School Again Safely

2008-01-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

I made it back to school safely. Once again I had a bit of a hectic flight back, but it worked out much smoother this time and I actually arrived in Newark earlier than I was anticipating. I shall fill in the details later. For now, I am going to finish my Hebrews exegesis project, study a little bit of Hebrew for my final later this morning before I get a few hours of sleep.

My Wild Ride Home

2007-12-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

I think I finally have the energy to fully relive my flight home in writing. Christmas was great and spending time with family was great, and I'm really glad I actually made it home to spend that time with family.

So let us start at the beginning. I left Princeton at 12:30 p.m. EST and got to the airport at 2:00. Before leaving I had upgraded the seat on the second leg of my flight, so I was looking forward to that. My flight was scheduled to leave at 5:25 and when I checked my luggage, my flight was still on time, though the agent warned me that that could change at any time. Bad omen. So I decide to get something to eat before going through security and waiting at the gate (Newark is weird in that you go through security when you want to get to your gate, not when you first enter the airport; doesn't sound safe or logical to me, but that's just me). So I go through security, which is rather painless, and arrive at my gate. Let the fun begin. At about 3:15, they announced that the flight leaving at 3:25 had been canceled. There was no announcement that the flight had even been delayed, it was simply canceled.

I went to the agent to see if any information was available on my flight. This agent was what made my time in Newark actually enjoyable. He said he wasn't sure what was going to happen to our flight because of the mismanagement happening at Milwaukee. It wasn't weather problems or computer glitches that were causing delays but poor management at the various airports. So we were basically stuck in the waiting game. Our plane was stuck in Milwaukee and was only doing a roundtrip flight between the two cities, so if it made it to Newark, it was going to head back to Milwaukee.

At this point I called up my friend Christine, who lives in the Milwaukee area. She told me that if I got stuck in Milwaukee to give her call, and since it was looking that way, I decided it was good idea to give her call. Thankfully the offer was still good so my goal became getting to Milwaukee. Meanwhile, I was checking with the agent to see what options I had and to continue to get information. He was letting me look at the screen where he was getting his information from. He called up Continental airlines to see if he could get me on a direct flight to LAX, which like everyone else was overbooked.

Finally at about 6:30, we found out that the flight in Milwaukee had pushed out from the gate, and was getting ready to head out to Newark. I had met another guy there who had been waiting at the airport for two days waiting for a flight to Milwaukee. We headed off to one of the sandwich places in the terminal (still inside security) to celebrate. We had a good conversation and I found out that he was a youth leader for a few years. He was also a new father of 7 months and his baby boy is very cute. It was a nice break in the mid of the craziness. A half hour before we were even certain that we were going to leave Newark.

Before the flight left, I had also talked to the agent about switching the second leg of the flight, so that I had a seat on a flight home. He booked me on the next flight out of Milwaukee for LAX that next morning at 8:00 and I was told I would have a guaranteed seat. So things seemed to be falling in place. Our flight finally got off the ground at about 8:30, over three hours delayed. I arrived in Milwaukee after a fairly peaceful flight, and Christine's family picked me up at the airport.

At her house, we called Midwest airlines again so that I could be sure that I had a guaranteed seat on the flight. The woman over the phone told me that yes, I did have a guaranteed seat, so I was able to sleep 2 hours fairly peacefully until I needed to be up again to go to the airport. I arrived in Milwaukee at about 10:30ish CST and got to bed about 3:00 CST.

We left for the airport in freezing temperatures with a pretty good snowfall going at 6:15 a.m. CST. When I arrived at the airport, I did curbside check-in, got everything checked in about 2 minutes and things were looking good. I was told again that I had guaranteed seat on the flight, so I was pretty relaxed. Christine and I got coffee in the airport before we got to security. After that, I went to the gate and waited for the LAX agent to arrive. I needed to redeem my flight coupon for a boarding pass at the gate.

The LAX agent arrived and I went to redeem my boarding pass ... and I'm told I don't have a guaranteed seat on the flight. I was very upset and it was looking like I was going to be stuck in Milwaukee another day (not a bad thing though; I just wanted to get home). I was first on standby, but the way things had been going with other passengers, I was not getting my hopes up.

Thankfully I managed to get a seat on the plane, but it was not an upgraded seat; quite the opposite, I was almost toward the complete rear of the plane. No matter really; I was just glad to be getting home.

The flight was delayed by 40 minutes before they started boarding. I got on the plane and waited for take off. After a half hour I was still waiting. An hour passed, and we were still at the gate. An hour and half, same story. Finally, after two and a half hours of sitting at the gate for various different reasons (getting passengers on board, waiting for a fuel truck, air controller delays, asking passengers to give up seats for three free round-trip tickets to let other passengers on board) we finally took off (at 12:00 CST). Everyone on the flight, including the pilot, was edgy (though the pilot was tactfully and discreetly so)

At about 1:50 p.m. PST we touched down at LAX. Everything after that was pretty smooth, surprisingly enough. We got out of LAX quickly, and I headed home.

So that was my exciting trip home. I'm just got off the phone with Midwest airlines and they're going to look into my flight and see what sort of compensation I'm going to get. Once that's finished, I can finally put this thing away and just relax and enjoy my time at home. Here's hoping getting back to Princeton is not anywhere near as hectic.

Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I realize I haven't updated in awhile, and I'm planning on posting about my latest travel adventures after Christmas. But I am thankful to be home among family and friends, and I hope that everyone enjoys time with their families and friends.

Christ the savior for the world is born!

Spring Semester Schedule

2007-12-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

And now the moment some of you have been waiting for: my schedule for next semester. I'm only taking 13 units this semester. After having endured a 16 unit semester, I understand why the seminary is changing the curriculum so that we don't have to earn as many units; 16 units is a lot of carry. So here are my classes for next semester:

Speech Communication II w/ Luke Powery - Monday 1:30-2:20 pm
Hebrew II w/ Jeremy Hutton - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:00-9:50 am
History of Christianity 102 w/ James Moorhead and James Deming - Tuesday and Thursday 8:00 - 8:50 am
The Radical Reformation Ch 350 w/ Ken Appold - Monday 10:40 - 12:30, Friday 11:40 - 12:30
Foundations of Missional Theology EC/TH 457 w/ John Flett - Thursday 2:30 - 4:20, Friday 2:30 - 3:20

The big advantages of this schedule:
- Less units
- No class Wednesday
- I'm done at 10:00 am on Tuesday
- With the exception of Ch 102, I'm taking with professors I'm somewhat familiar with

Hopefully those factors will make next semester a little more enjoyable. This semester has been a little less than that, so I trust that it will get better.

A Sense of Relief

2007-12-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

I received word officially today that I will not be a part of the 2008-2009 international field education program. That means I won't be going to Scotland next year. Though that may sound disappointing, I'm actually really relieved. I think it would have been a great opportunity to go abroad, but at the same time it's a huge time commitment, and being able to spend a year here with my new friends and continuing to refine myself will be a better situation I think. Now I have to figure out where I will be doing my field education placement for the next academic year, but I'm not too worried about that. But I wanted to make sure everyone got that update.

Winter can be Very Nice

2007-12-02T08:28:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning and when I looked out the window I saw this. It was a beautiful morning.

My First Semester Injury

2007-12-01T07:26:00.001-08:00

Well, I have my first battle wounds at Princeton. I was working the Princeton Basketball game on Wednesday for work. It's a very nice stadium: really big and then it goes five stories down. Anyway, in order to set up merchandise we have to bring up to eight foot tables from the fourth floor. So we were tearing down after we had finished and I was bringing the tables back down to the storage area. They were stacked on a lay-down dolly one on top of the other. So as I taking the first table off the dolly, I didn't pick it up well enough so that it jostled the second table. Sure enough, the other table fell off the dolly and directly onto my left big toe. Now, I was only wearing my converse sneakers, and due to the fact that I was holding the other table, I couldn't see the other table moving. So when it landed on my toe, there was very little absorbing the brunt of its weight aside from my foot, and I didn't brace myself for it. So after trying to walk it off, I kept going. After I got back to my dorm, I propped it up and tried to keep it elevated.

The next day it was a nice shade of purple. I was going to wait just a little bit before seeing a doctor to make sure that it wasn't just a bad bruise. Not much happened except that as I was walking down the sidewalk, there was a lip in the concrete and I caught it with my left foot. That didn't feel good.

It wasn't too swollen but it was growing increasingly purple so I decided to get it checked out this morning. And sure enough, it's probably broken. I still need to have it X-rayed to confirm that it is indeed broken, but either way, the only thing I can do for it is to have it bandaged up. Thankfully it's not very painful unless I put weight on it or do something stupid like kick a lip in the sidewalk or bump it on my bedpost. I just can't walk very well or very fast. So I'll probably be limping around campus for the final few weeks of school. But it's not too bad.

Back in Princeton and an Updated Itinerary for Xmas

2007-11-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm safely back in Princeton after a much less eventful day of travel than my way to California. I only had one minor delay this time and it only put our flight back about 15 minutes in terms of when we arrived, so it worked out much better this time. I also met a couple more people at Princeton on the train ride back. One of them actually gave me a ride back to the Seminary which was very convenient. I was back on campus by about 9:00 last night. So now it's back to life at the Seminary for another four weeks before I head home again for Christmas. It's nice being able to break down the semester between breaks; makes the work a little more bearable and the schedule a little easier to manage.

Speaking of Christmas, my crisis is over in terms of getting back in time for my first final. It turns out that the flight that I originally had (a red-eye out of LAX) will be discontinued as of Jan. 7, so I rescheduled my flight so that I leave 12 hours earlier, meaning, barring any huge delays, I will be back in Princeton well before my final. So my new Christmas itinerary looks like this:

Departing Dec. 22, 2007:
Depart from Newark at 5:35 p.m.
Arrive at Milwaukee at 7:00 p.m.
Depart from Milwaukee at 8:00 p.m.
Arrive at LAX at 10:14 p.m.

Departing Jan 11, 2008:
Depart from LAX at 11:55 a.m.
Arrive at Milwaukee at 5:39 p.m.
Depart from Milwaukee at 7:35 p.m.
Arrive at Newark at 10:46 p.m.

I'll be getting in really late both times, which is kind of a bummer, but at least I will arrive in time to take my finals and with plenty of time to see family and friends while I'm here.

Safe at Home

2007-11-19T07:07:00.001-08:00

I have made it safely home, though it took a lot more effort and energy that I would have liked or hoped. Here is the story in a nutshell.

I was leaving from Newark Airport and flying into LAX via Minneapolis. My train ride to the airport was painless; very easy and convenient, so I had arrived at the airport by 11:30 for a 1:15 flight. Plenty of time.

Or not. When I arrived at the airport, the one of the sets of gates - including the gate I was departing from - was closed. No one was allowed in and everyone was being evacuated from that section of the airport. When we asked the police officer, he very rudely informed us that the area simply wasn't safe and told us to wait. So we travelers have no idea what is going on. Is it a bomb threat? Is it an injured passenger? Is it something ridiculous?

Turns out it's a natural gas leak. Better yet, it is a natural gas leak that had happened the day before as well. But so far it hadn't become too frustrating because we were told that all the flights were going to be departing from different gates. Great, no problem, I had a two hour cushion to get to Minneapolis to get to my next flight. So I go through the new set of gates to get to my flight.

Now the way Newark sets up their security is that you go through security not when you initially enter the airport but when you enter your specific set of gates. So I go through security and wait to eventually get on my flight. When the Northwest people arrive, they start boarding a flight for Detroit. By this point it's about 1:00, and my parents have let me know that my flight has been delayed to leave at 2:00. Still no problem. So I ask the northwest people when the flight from Minneapolis is leaving. They tell me it's still leaving from it's original gate in the closed off section of the airport. After talking to security and them telling me that all northwest flights are leaving from the new set of gates, I go back to the northwest people who tell me that, no, it's still leaving from it's original gate.

So I go to the northwest check-in counters, where I am told that yes, the flight is leaving from the original gate. I set up a back up booking now, just in case I miss my next flight, because it's now 1:30, and that entire section if airport is still closed. So I am forced to wait for another hour before they finally open that section of the airport. I have to go through security, again, and then I board my flight.

We're supposed to take off at 2:45, 3:15 at the latest. That's still enough time for me to reach my next flight. But there's still another problem: baggage was never loaded, so we're forced to wait another hour hour before we finally take off. It's about 3:45 at this point. My next flight is supposed to leave at 5:15.

Needless to say, I missed my flight. No big deal, I still can get home on my other flight, but I'm going to miss dinner with my family and friends, which I was really disappointed about. So I arrive at my next gate for the flight. It's on time, so that's good. I go to get a quick bite to eat because I haven't had much to eat at this point. I return to my gate to find that my flight has been delayed by 15 minutes. No big deal, after a two and a half hour delay, this is fine. So we finally board the flight ... and once again we're stuck sitting at the gate. Turns out there are some customs problems with some of the crew for our flight who are coming in from Canada, so our flight is delayed by yet another 20 minutes. So we finally take off. Smooth flight.

I arrive at LAX and my parents pick me up. Getting picked up from LAX is a nightmare in itself, but this time is was not too bad. So we're on our way home. I'm eating my fish tacos from Rubios. We get to the 605 and our exit, ready to go home. Until we find that the exit is blocked. A big rig stalled out and it left the entire exit blocked. So we have to drive over a island separating the exit from the freeway, get back on the freeway, and exit on the 210. It wasn't a huge delay, but it capped off a day of travel characterized by delay.

But the good news is I'm safe at home. I'm probably going to call up Northwest and find out how I am going to be compensated for this mess. I realize but it wasn't completely their fault, but the fact that they were able to get one of their flights to leave from a different gate means they could have done it for others as well. It's just a matter of whether I really want to take the time or not. Anyway, that's my story.

Good News, Bad News

2007-11-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

I just received my final exam schedule this morning for the Fall Semester. And with it came some good news and bad news.

The good news is that my final exams will all be done by Tuesday Jan 15. I only have three finals that I have to sit down and do as an exam, one at 9 a.m. on Monday the 14th and 9 a.m. on Tuesday the 15th with one paper being due that Tuesday afternoon. So I will only have a few days where I actually have to stress about finals.

The bad news is about the third sit-down final exam: it's on Saturday the 12th at 9 a.m. With my current flight home, I won't be back to Princeton in time to take it. Not really a big deal, but it means I'm going to have to spend money to get it changed most likely. It also means my visit home will be cut short, and I'm none too happy about that. Also a bummer is that I only need to be in Princeton for four days in order to complete all of my final exams, so it's a bit of an inconvenience when I feel like I could be spending more time with friends and family at home. Alas, I will have to make do. I am contemplating coming home again after I finish my exams, but we'll see if it's financially a) logical and b) possible. But at least I know what I'm dealing with now.

Quick Request

2007-11-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning at 10:30 (7:30 a.m. PST) I'm going to be interviewing for a possible placement in Northern Ireland for the next academic year. It was my third choice on my application, so the field department thought it would be a good idea to interview sinec the pastor is only here this week. If you could pray for me for tomorrow, it would be appreciated.

Updates

2007-11-03T22:15:00.002-07:00

It has been quite a busy week with many new developments and changes. It's a rough but expected time, and I'm wrestling through it the best I can.

This week was my week of midterms, so I have been reading and writing like mad. Two midterms are finished, two more are about to be done, due on Monday and Tuesday (they're take-home essays). Once those are finished, life will calm down quite a bit. I'll still have a lot of work, but it will be less stressful and more manageable.

I'm still working on finding my place, my niche at the seminary. Though my feet are starting to feel the ground a bit, I still feel somewhat suspended, not quite sure where I'm landing. It is teaching me how to rely on God's faithfulness rather than my efforts. If there's one thing that I'm learning at this school is that I certainly cannot do this on my own. The power of prayer and time of devotion is certainly more tangible than it has been in quite some time.

More updates will come once I have finished up with midterms on Tuesday. At that point my life should become much more sane.

I'm Coming Home for Thanksgiving!

2007-10-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

So it's official: I will be home for Thanksgiving! I found a very affordable ticket through Northwest airlines, so I'll be flying back on Nov 18 and coming back Nov 23. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody!

Coming Home for Thanksgiving?

2007-10-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have been ruling out coming home for Thanksgiving up to this point for financial reasons, but for kicks I decided to check out some airlines to see if anything would potentially work. Amazingly enough, I actually found tickets to come to California for only $310 after taxes. That's still quite a bit of money (much more than it cost to initially come out here) but all the same that's a very good price. I, of course, would have to factor in the cost for train tickets to get to and from the airport in either Newark or New York, but what I thought was not doable may actually be possible. It would be from a Sunday to a Friday, so I'd have some solid time to spend with family and friends. A lot of my classes are being cancelled that week due to SBL meetings at the seminary and professors being unavailable, so I wouldn't miss too much in terms of classes. But that's still quiet a bit of money, and I'm not sure it's worth the money to come home. I also don't have the money now to afford it. But we'll see; if the prices remain the way they are, perhaps it will be possible. We will see.

Some Fall Pictures

2007-10-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just added some new pictures of the fall colors. You can follow the link below to see them.

Pictures

Guess Who I Met

2007-10-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

So today as I was working my shift at the Princeton University store, an elderly looking man approached me. He was holding two umbrellas in his hand, one looking like his own, one looking new. He looked familiar, having a somewhat long face, short white hair, and a somewhat peculiar demeanor. His behavior seemed slightly off, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. He wanted to know about exchanging his umbrellas, and my manager proceeded to help him.

Turns out that this interesting old man was John Nash. In case you don't remember who John Nash is, he was the man portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, and he won the Nobel Prize. I was basically standing next to one of the most amazing people of the 20th century as far as academics are concerned.

I feel just a bit smarter for standing in his presence.

A Time of Rest

2007-10-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

This week has been quite a busy week. I was spending some intimate time with Augustine's Confessions, Stanley Hauerwas in numerous articles, and John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Some light reading. ;-) On top of that, I've been translating the Epistle to the Hebrews, and writing a response to Augustine. It has been a tough week.

On top of that, I was continuing to wrestle over International Field Education and whether I wanted to pursue that opportunity. Yesterday, I submitted my application to the Field Education office, and so it is, for the time being, out of my hands. We will see how things progress, and it is possible that I will not hear anything for some time. But I will continue to pray about it and struggle with it. We'll see what happens.

Though the past couple week have been tough, next week is Reading Week. It is a week with no classes designed to give us time to catch up with our reading, but also to have a time of rest and regain our strength as we head into midterms and the end of the semester.

I can't believe that I am already almost halfway through the semester. There is only a month and a half of the semester left, and I feel like I have hardly settled in. But it is quite an adventure, and I am enjoying ride ... and the upcoming week of rest. =)

For All the Naysayers

2007-10-11T16:25:00.001-07:00

I will probably not have a post like this again, but I think this is one of those issues that overwhelmed me before I was leaving to come here and I feel that perhaps this morning's experience may best be able to address it.

Around Princeton, it is almost an running inside joke that many of us that before we came to this institution, were told that we were going to lose our faith at Princeton, all of our professors were going to attempt to break down our faith, and we need to hold firm to orthodoxy lest our classes steal it away from us. During orientation, one of the incoming professors made reference to it and we laughed about it. When talking to students, we expressed our common experience that it was one of the things we were told to be weary of.

This morning in chapel - which I might add is daily, though not required - one of my professors spoke the service's message. Though he wasn't specifically answering this question, I think it was very pertinent. His name is Dr. Darrell Guder and he is in the doctrinal theology department with a specialty in missions. In the middle of his sermon, he told us a story about the first seminary he taught at (not Princeton). I will try to paraphrase what he said:

"On one of my first day on campus, I went to the chapel service. In that service, there were more people who were leading the service than actually participating in it. And so I went to my first class right after chapel and saw how many students there were, I decided that I would bring this to their attention. I talked about how it was a privilege to be a part of a worshiping community and that the students should take advantage of that opportunity to worship in the midst of study, and I was really pouring it on. And as I was speaking, one of the students spoke up and, 'Professor Guder, we're here for the academics; faith has nothing to do with why we are here.'"

I think what has shocked me most since I've been here - since the first time I visited the campus - is that my professors and classmates have the attitude that faith is vital to our life here at the seminary. I think in almost every single one of my classes, at some point the professors have said explicitly that we are going to be pastors and ministers and that everything we do must been seen in light of that. And that story this morning in chapel struck me as another example of what my professors think about their role here: they are not here simply to be academics and show us how faith is infantile. On the contrary, they are very concerned about what our education means later when we are ministers in congregations, chaplain in hospitals, or teachers in colleges of seminaries.

Now, I realize that this doesn't mean there aren't those professors who are not in that same vein. Some professors who may have other agendas. I have yet to meet one here, but I know other students have had professors that did not have that philosophy in mind. However, that seems to be more of the minority rather than the majority.

Just thought I would share that. I'll write another update soon.

Some Tough Decisions

2007-10-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Another week has begun. School is starting to get to that point where I have to push myself to keep going. We've settled into our classes and routines, and the work is starting to pile on. I am getting used to being in that routine again and trying to remind myself to stay on top of my work. In two weeks we have a reading week to help us catch up with our work and prepare (or write in some cases) for midterms. Everything has certainly moved by fast.

Some of you may already know this; for others this may be news. When I first visited Princeton and began to seriously look into the school, I knew I would have the opportunity to do one of the required field education placements abroad.. I wanted to take advantage of that during a summer, perhaps traveling to Scotland or another country in the UK. On Thursday night last week, there was an informational meeting about those placements. With it came good news and difficult news. The good news was that Scotland is an available option for field placement and that international field placements are very doable. The difficult news is that Scotland placements can only be done during an academic year; I would only be able to do that placement from September to May/June. The only summer placements available are in Africa and the Yucatan Penisula, placements I am already very aware that I would not be able to handle.

I have been weighing the pros and cons, and just by the lists, the pros by far outweigh the cons. Princeton covers many of the expenses: airfare, room, board, transportation, and immunizations (if necessary) up to $900. I also receive a stipend, so I'm essentially being paid to live abroad. I also do not take any classes while I'm there. As much as possible, I would become a Scottish resident. And everyone who I have talked to who has done the year long placement has come back thoroughly enjoying their experience. But the cons are weighing on my heart. I would be away from family and friends for a year. I might have the opportunity to come home once, but that would be about it. I would also push my education back by a year. What has made this most difficult though is the fact that I would not graduate with many of the friends I have already made. I don't know how to put that into words more effectively, but meeting these people, connecting with them, leaving them for a year, and then seeing them graduate while I have a year left could be painful for me. This is perhaps a dilemma that many other graduate students have to go through, but it is a concern.

There is more to wrestle over, but this is what has been sticking out the most. And in all truth, this is simply hypothetical. I must first be accepted into the international placement program, then I must interview with the site supervisors before I am finalized at any site. So nothing is for sure even if I decide to pursue this actively. At this point, I plan on submitting an application while still wrestling with this in and discussing it with other people.

I know that this is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's not very often anyone has the opportunity to travel abroad almost for free, or to live in a country for a year and immerse oneself into a different culture. And for me personally, the family history in Scotland is hard to resist. But I have to determine if it is worth leaving these relationships I developed for a year.

Any feedback is appreciated. I could really use prayer as I struggle with this opportunity.

A Quick Update

2007-10-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

My arms are very tired from working out this morning show this update will be short.

Things are going well. I have my first day of work today, which I am excited about. This should be a good job that will last throughout this year and hopefully beyond.

The weekend with my uncle John was a lot of fun. We spent most of our time in Philadelphia where we visited a civil war museum and Independence Historical Park where Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are, among many other sites. We also got to hear in Philladelphia the Phillies clinch the NL East. That was pretty exciting too.

I'll update more when I can actually lift my arms.

EDIT

Here is a small picture album to show how I've settled in.

http://apu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041239&l=0f6ac&id=56901254

Some Changes of Plan and Tentative Flight Information

2007-09-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday I met with my adviser for Field Education. In case I haven't explained yet, as part of the Masters of Divinity program students are required to do a minimum of two field education experiences: either two year long placements or one year long placement and one summer placement, and one of those placements must be in a church. During my meeting with my Field Ed adviser, I discussed my options for my placements, and during that meeting my plans may have changed a bit.

Originally, I was planning on doing a summer church placement and then doing a year long placement at a university involved in some sort of teaching position as a teaching assistant or something similar. I was not planning on doing a CPE (clinical pastoral experience). After my meeting, I will probably end up doing a CPE. Though I'm not in the ordination process, I am trying to fulfill ordination requirements as much as possible, and the CPE is one of the big requirements. So I am planning to apply to the Arcadia Methodist Hospital CPE program; I contacted one of the supervisors during the weekend to find out more information. When I have a little more time I will give some more details on the field education placements I am hoping to do.

I also have tentative flight plans. I haven't ordered tickets yet, but I have them on hold and most likely will be purchasing them in the next 24 hours. Here are the details:

Midwest Airlines
12/22
Depart from Newark 5:45 p.m. to Milwaukee 7:00 p.m.
Depart from Milwaukee 8:00 p.m. to LAX 10:14 p.m.

01/11
Depart from LAX 11:15 p.m. to Milwaukee 4:44 a.m.
Depart from Milwaukee 7:35 a.m. to Newark 10:45 a.m.

I was able to find that for under $400, and that's about all that's left under $400 so I think that will ultimately be my flight information, but I will keep everyone updated.

Life is Good For Now

2007-09-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

Today I successfully interviewed for a job at the Princeton University Store, and I will be starting my new job as a customer service representative on Wednesday! That eases much of the stress that was weighing on my mind, and I'm glad that I need not worry about it any longer.

It should be a good job. It's basically a standard retail job: stocking shelves, making the store look presentable, working the cash register, and assisting students and customers when they need help. It'll be about 15-17 hours a week, so it will be fairly light; anymore would probably be bad for me, so 15 should be plenty. It's $8.50 an hour, so that will be good as well; similar to what I was earning when I was a manager at IMT at Azusa Pacific. It is very encouraging, and I feel much more settled as I continue this semester.

Closing out the First Week

2007-09-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

The first full week of class has almost come to a close. I have three more classes today and two classes tomorrow. So far I am enjoying all of my classes. My "Church as 'Public'" class looks as though it will be an immense challenge but well worth the effort that I will put into it. The professor is quite intense during lectures and those lecture periods are two hours long. Thankfully, we only have lecture once a week and small group discussions for an hour later in the week. As an example of the intensity of the class, on Tuesday we spent the entire two hour period trying to define the word "public" and how it is being used when referring to the church, theology, politics, ethics, in relation to private, worship, service, etc. I think my brain was slowly seeping out my ears with the consistency of Jello by the time class was dismissed. But I am enjoying the class and I think in the end I will end up getting quite a bit out of struggling through the material.

I am taking Hebrew as a pass/fail course, at least for this semester. Though I'm somewhat nervous about doing that, overall I think it will be good to know that I can learn Hebrew without the pressure of feeling that if I don't do well it will hurt my overall GPA. Pass/fail basically means that if I get a 70% or higher on the classwork, I pass the class; no letter grade. So hopefully that will prove not to be an issue in the future. And should it become an issue, at least I know that if I do need a grade for the class, I can always take a summer intensive and know that generally I'll be able to breeze through it.

I am currently still jobless, but I have an interview tomorrow at 11AM at the Princeton University Store. Hopefully that will work out and I can stop stressing about how I will eventually make it home for Christmas or how I will afford my books for this semester. So that is encouraging and I'm praying that I will be able to take on some hours.

Other than that, things are going well. I have a core group of guys who I spend time with on a regular basis and typically share meals together with. We have started a weekly group for five us, eating dinner together and sharing our struggles with one another to support each other. It's a good safety net, and I think they will be a good support through this first semester and beyond.

And finally, I am going to be doing some cardio kickboxing on Monday nights to get into shape. The first session was Monday night, and it went well, though I found out how out of shape I am. But it will be good exercise for the week and a chance to take a break from my studies during the week. One of the guys in that core group I mentioned, Jarod, is the one who is leading the sessions, and he is a good leader.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I'll post when I know how my interview went.

End of the First Week

2007-09-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a good first week, though stressful. I have sat in all of my classes now except for my speech class, which meets once a week on Monday. All of the classes look like they are going to be very good. A couple (Systematic Theology II and Church as 'Public') look like they will be the most difficult of the bunch, but they also look like they will be some of the best classes I have this semester.

And, yes, there is a ton of reading. I probably have about 500 pages that I need to have read by Monday. That will probably be about normal. Maybe 300-500 pages per week. That maybe doesn't sound too bad, but it is all dense reading. Put on top of that time to work, eat, and generally stay sane, and it's a lot of reading. Thankfully, there are two weeks during the semester, one before mid-terms, some before finals, that are designated as "reading weeks." The are no classes during that week so that we can catch up on our reading. And though it may be tempting to do otherwise, I will probably take full advantage of that week to catch up on the reading that I won't be able to keep up with.

I'm still adjusting to life on the East coast, mostly in sleep pattern. I've already developed a pretty close group of friends that go to meals together often, so I feel I have that kind of a support group together. We'll see what the first full week is like, complete with a full class schedule and precepts. Tomorrow I plan on attending Nassau Presbyterian Church. I'm not expecting it to become my church home, but it's a place with a lot of history in Princeton and the Presbyterian church in general. So it seems like a place that I should check out at least once.

I'll update again soon.

Overwhelming

2007-09-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

It is hard to fully describe what all I have experienced in the short time I've been here, but to say that it has been overwhelming in so many different ways is probably the only way I can describe it.

Today ended orientation, beginning with some small informational meetings, ending with the president's reception, dinner with the faculty, and convocation. I have met so many interesting people that I'm looking forward to getting to know.

I think what has been most surprising - and it was surprising during the preview weekend I was here also - is how much the spiritual and faith aspect of our education has been stressed this weekend. In almost every session, from professors across the different departments, from faculty and staff, the important of our education both being an academic endeavor and a spiritual experience has been heavily emphasized. It's refreshing, and it makes me glad that I am a part of a tradition (the reformed tradition) that emphasizes the importance of both spiritual and academic discipline. It has been surprising though.

I will give an update on how my first couple classes go tomorrow. I'm also adding professors' names to my classes in case anyone reading happens to know the professors here.

My Revised Fall Schedule

2007-09-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here is my new, revised schedule for the Fall. I had to rearrange some of my classes and dropped another based on the advice on some of the seniors I talked to. I'm pretty excited with what I'm taking:

Hebrew I (Prof. Hutton)
Speech Communication I (TBA)
Church History I (Profs McVey and Rorem)
Systematic Theology II (Profs Guder and McCormack)
Church as "Public": the ecclesiologies of Lindbeck, Hauerwas, Hutter and Barth (Prof. Flett)
Exegesis of the Epistle of Hebrews (Prof. Wagner)

More Placement News

2007-09-17T12:09:00.001-07:00

Today was another good day with more good results. I have successfully placed out of three of the four main introduction classes. I do not have to take the Old Testament, New Testament or the first have of Systematic Theology orientation courses. Which means that instead of taking OT101, I am now taking Systematic Theology II. Unfortunately it means my books are more expensive and I will have to return some of them, but overall, I'm glad that I can accelerate my education a bit. That doesn't mean I'll be cutting down my time here: advanced placement only means I can replace those credits with upper division credits. So I'll still be taking the same number of classes. It does mean, though, that I can start getting into the exegesis and other deeper classes sooner.

So that's the main news for today. I'm going to get a head start on my reading since I will be bogged down with plenty of it in the coming weeks.

Results of the Placement Exam and Orientation News

2007-09-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

I was informed this evening that I have placed out of Greek! I do not have to take Greek at PTS. So phase 1 is complete. My next goal is to get advanced placement for at least the NT intro class. Then I can start taking exegesis classes as early as next semester. If I am able to also test out of my OT Intro class, then I can start taking an exegesis class this semester with a professor who I met at the seminar weekend I went to. So we'll see what happens. I'm praying that I can get out of both, and I feel fairly confident that I can get placed out of the NT intro class.

Orientation is going well. I have met many people from different backgrounds and experiences. It has been a fairly easy transition. I have felt right at home since the first night I arrived, and though things are moving perhaps more quickly than I would like, at the same time I am not feeling left behind or alone.

This morning I attended Hopewell Presbyterian Church. It was a good experience, it was very welcoming from the first moment I stepped in with another seminarian who gave me a ride. The service was good, and I met a couple of APU grads from Redlands, one of whom was teaching a Freshmen Writing Seminar my first year there. So that was encouraging; it could very become my home church out here.

I've been using TV as my outlet to relax, so I've been watching a lot of Discovery channel programming and baseball when it's available. It can be nice sometimes to turn off my mind for 30 minutes to let myself recoup and not have to think about what is weighing on me. And of course, I'm reading and doing my usual logic puzzles as well.

I'm excited for this week. Classes begin Wednesday, so that's when it all breaks loose I suppose. But I'm looking forward to it. It should be an interesting semester.

Greek Placement Test

2007-09-14T12:28:00.001-07:00

I took my Greek placement test today. I felt that I did pretty well. The test was two hours, and I used almost every minute of it. It wasn't a tough test, but there are still a few places that gave me a small spot of trouble. I was given a fairly large passage from I Corinthians. It was 12:12-27, the passage about what it means to be the body of Christ. That was by far the more difficult of the two passages. A lot of syntatical elements to muddle through, a few participles here and there. A good overall passage to cover most of the basics of biblical Greek, and a good refresher for me.

The second passage, which I think I pretty much nailed, was a hybrid passage from John. Verses 52-54 and 67-70 were combined into one short paragraph. I know I completely messed up on one very short question in that passage (instead of saying, "where would we go," I said "where should we follow you?") but overall I felt comfortable with how I did. Hopefully I did well enough to pass out, so we'll see how everything goes. I find out on Sunday night or Monday morning, so here's hoping!

The Purpose of this Site!

2007-09-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I have finally determined what I will be using this site for! This will be my site for occasional updates on my goings on at Princeton as I spend my time here. I'll still update my xanga with more personal stuff, but this will be used to let people know how things are going here. And the title still seems to fit, so we'll keep it. =) More to come later!

Bible Matters

2007-05-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

Where does the Bible fall in terms of guiding day-to-day lifestyle? The Evangelical world has tagged the Bible as the all-purpose answer book for most every need. Not sure what to eat? How to deal with that ex-girlfriend? What shoe-sole works best for keeping blisters down? Just look it up in the Bible!

Ok, so I'm exaggerating, but not by much. How much does the Bible really have to say for daily living? A lot of Christians hold to the belief that the Bible should be the guide for living life to the most minute level, yet discerning that guidance is a daunting task that most people don't bother taking up anyway. The Bible, I'm sorry to say, seldom has a clear message simply based on the fact that it's a collection of ancient documents. Culture has changed significantly in the last 2000-3000 years. Our lives are not driven by finding food every day lest we starve, or searching for clean drinking water. Our lot in life is not set in stone. The businesses we work in and the people we work for differ greatly from the professions and businesses that existed then. Though similar in some respects, life is so drastically different from the time that Jesus walked the earth.

What's more, does the Bible even claim to be that guide for us? Controversial, I know, but look at who's writing. The Bible, on most accounts, is a story told about God's interaction with the world. From creation to incarnation to resurrection to the end, the documents in the Bible attest to God's action within the world. It doesn't claim to be a book of doctrines, and for the most part any advice for living is set in very specific contexts. Almost all the Pauline epistles are written in response to a specific problem or problems in particular churches. If not, Paul is writing concerning a specific issue that he deems requires some sort of intervention on his part. In other words, he does not have a general letter or writing in the Bible that says here is how Christians should act in general, here is how Christians should live in general. The closest there is to that is Romans, which most scholars agree is a fundraising letter, and even there, the advice is very brief and not thorough. The Biblical literature we have was compiled and is accepted as canon because it best explains and provides foundation for the doctrines of the church through the story it tells. It's purpose is to tell the story of God's interaction in the world and asks for a response.

Where the Bible does provide guidance, as I said before, it does not do so clearly. In one letter, one can find the encouragement to obey local authorities and governments, where in another one can find the call to oppose the government. In one writing, the wealthy are considered the favored of God where in another they are the bane of humanity's existence and every wealthy person is destined to rot in Hell. The only truly consistent message in the Bible concerning living is to help the poor as well as only worshiping only God.

And yet I think there is an expectation to live a certain way and conduct your life in a way pleasing to God. However, I don't think this is clearly spelled out in the Biblical documents, and I think that's purposeful. God didn't create us to be robots and life is not a mechanical thing. Different situations call for different actions and what is appropriate in one context is inappropriate in another. So where is the guidance? Perhaps that is where reliance on God outside of the Bible comes in. The Bible is an essential part of the Christian faith, don't get me wrong, but God wants more than a commitment to a book. He wants a commitment to Him, and though He is written about in a book, he himself is not the book. Perhaps that is where prayer is most important, but also engaging in life and asking for discernment in what is true and not. Appreciating life in facets other that "Christian" works but knowing where to draw the line. It's an interesting thought to ponder.

Purpose

2007-02-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure out exactly what this blog is going to be. I feel it should be a little more sophisticated than my other blogs because it has a more sophisticated look - at least I think it does. Eventually this site will have more posts on it and different from xanga and myspace. I'm still determining its function.

Wayward Movements

2007-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

I find it fascinating to look for trends in different facets of life. I develop my own theories on human behavior and cycles, development and things of that nature. One of the patterns that it seems many college students are interested in or at least seem to be aware of is the conservative-liberal continuum. Generally the conversations concerning that continuum have to do with what type of people tend to be conservative or liberal, is there a certain point in life when someone moves in one direction or another, does that change stick, etc. The one trend that I always noticed had to do with a person's stance based on intelligence. This is not to say that I thought all conservatives were stupid and all liberals were smart. I thought, mostly, that conservatives tend to be ill-informed and liberals tend to be overly informed. Conservatives tend to to embrace stubbornness while liberals tend to embrace ambiguity. Conservatives tend to not ask enough questions while liberals ask too many questions. Overall, I was always of the mind that conservatives were surface level, unwilling to dive deeper while liberals would dive down to depths so great that they'd never find their way out again.

Being more academically minded, I chose the liberal side more often; I'd rather not remain surface level, and though I run the risk of falling down the rabbit hole, I'll take my chances looking deeper. And for the most part, my observations proved to be true. The more practically minded/less academic department of theology on campus was much more conservative, very surface level, and overall frustrating to me in my pursuit of graduation. The biblical studies department, much more academically minded, was more liberal but almost seemed to have a better grasp on the world. The problem was that the Biblical studies department also left me very close to leaving Christianity. Theology, with an even tempered mix of practicality and academics, seemed to be middle of the road, but at that time I still thought it leaned a little to the liberal side. Not a bad thing, merely an observation. What I concluded from that experience and experiences in other classes is that the more academically minded, and perhaps more book-smart people were more liberal because they knew more from their studies.

What has surprised me is what I've noticed since graduation. Many of the professors who I thought to be liberal are actually either middle of the road leaning right or pretty much conservative, and the professors who are liberal are not looking at the facts as fully as they could be. Amazingly enough, Princeton's seminary helped me realize that a bit. I was surprised at how middle of the road many of the professors seem to be. I was expecting to see a lot of very liberal professors, or simply expecting all the professors to be liberal, and I was a bit shocked to find that wasn't the case.

Perhaps it is more an indication of my bias, but I'm noticing that the really respectable scholars, the ones who tend to lead their areas of study tend to be a little more on the conservative side. That's not to say they're super conservative; I think they're much more middle-of-the-road. And obviously I have a lot more to learn and need to expand my experience. But I find that trend interesting. At least, it's interesting to me.