In 2009 I graduated from college. Two weeks later I began the accelerated Greek classes here in St. Louis. In 2010 I buckled down and learned Biblical Hebrew over the summer.
In 2011, I am NOT taking ANY summer classes. It's simply wonderful.
As soon as finals ended I booked it to PA and spent almost two weeks there. I had a blast catching up with friends, seeing old classmates graduate from Muhlenberg, and spent time with family. It was great being back.
My three roommates have moved out of our apartment. I am getting three new ones! One of them is a guy my age who is just starting summer Greek and has just moved in today. He knows no one else in St. Louis and I'm excited to be a buddy to him! One of my good friends from Muhlenberg is moving in tomorrow! He and I roomed together my senior year and his sophmore year as we led the Christian fellowship on campus - and it's really cool that not only are we going to be classmates but neighbors! I'm really hoping that my new roommate and my old roommate will be friends - especially as they go through summer greek together!
I will be going back to PA at least once more this summer (maybe more). I will be spending more time with my church and Youth Group. I will be going fishing. I will read things for pleasure! It's going to be excellent!
Over Easter my parents brought my grandmother to visit for the weekend! It was a wild weekend - when I picked them up at the airport it was a beautiful day outside, but by the time we were having dinner the airport got ravaged by a tornado! The airport was closed for the length of their stay, but my parents got one of the first few flights out at their originally scheduled time - as if a tornado hadn't gone through! I thought it was great how much fun we were able to have as a family. We went to church together and had a big Easter Brunch meal with some of the families from my church. I felt very supported by them!
Over Memorial Day weekend my brother and his girlfriend were in town! She grew up in St. Louis and was the maid of honor at one of her friend's wedding that was held here. It was great getting to spend time with my brother and show him around my life here. I also preached that Sunday at my church and I was really glad he could come and hear me in action. We got to hang out and grab some meals. I really enjoyed that time!
In the film Toy Story 3 a bunch of toys wrestle greatly with the idea of their own self worth. They find themselves at a day care run by an cynical toy who keeps reminding them that they have no real worth: "Y’think you’re special, Cowboy? You’re a piece of plastic! You were made to be thrown away!" He maintains that toys are no more than the crude material they were made of.
Yet, Woody (the cowboy) and the toys are special! They have this beautiful reminder of it because their owner (Andy) inscribed his name on the bottom of their feet! Being owned makes them special! They have value and purpose and dignity and worth because they are owned by someone who loves them!
As the semester has gotten busier, my calendar more packed, and my failures are multiplied - it has been easy to wrestle with the idea of having any real self-worth. One thing that has helped has been writing God's Hebrew name on the bottom of my foot. I have an owner! and he loves me! I'm not just crude material, I'm not just my failures! I'm not just someone with a busy schedule jumping through hoops and trying to preform to be accepted or loved. I am someone who is constantly loved of God and I echo his glory! I have purpose beyond grades and dignity far beyond what anyone else can ascribe to me!
The next two weeks will be rough. I'll be really, really, busy. Yet, it's totally worth it!
I'm going to Seminary for lots of bad reasons. I have good reasons too and now I'm trying to live a life of putting aside the bad ones, really pursuing the good ones, and being open to surprises. It's been a strange journey to get me to this point. I think what I've realized is that I actually do have certain life goals: 1) To fall deeper in love with Christ and 2) help Christians understand Christianity better (namely by allowing them to fall more madly in love with Christ too). In light of that, I've decided to come up with some career goals that are quite similar to my life goals (makes the list easier to remember). That's why I'm going to seminary. I'm taking steps to be a pastor of a church. I'm at Covenant Theological Seminary because what I want is to say with Paul, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" and I have become convinced that Covenant is an institution that is committed to not only knowing about Christ but just actually KNOWING Christ. More than anything the best way to combat all of the bad reasons I have for going to seminary is to encounter and embrace Jesus. I want to be in a place surrounded by the people who wrote to me in a letter saying, "The education of our students is far more than a merely academic exercise--it is our ministry to you and to those whom you will serve in Christ's Church. Our goal is to walk with you--not only through your seminary years, but also well beyond--so that, by God's grace and for His glory, you may faithfully fulfill the ministry to which He is calling you." I'm so excited.
I'm (still) learning to be more open with people and offering of myself. This blog is a step in that direction (like a band-aid on a missing limb).