Sorry it has been a while.  School is killing me.  I’d post the schedule I’ve made for myself but it probably wouldn’t make much sense.  Those of you that know me will realize that the fact that I’ve made a schedule must mean I’m a bit busy.  I’m at work now, the only restful time I have.

It is good I suppose.  I’m involved in really excellent things, but I also remember how much I hate a hectic life and schedule.  I’m drained most of the time.

Missy and I sold our car last night.  We’re going to try and do one car for the next year.  Maybe if it works out well, we’ll stay at one car, though that depends on a lot of things.  It was a great car though, and took us a lot of places.

I’ve been doing some research on PhD programs.  There are a lot of options…many of which I’m certain I would never get into: Yale, Notre Dame, Princeton, Toronto (on the bubble).  And there are many that are possibilities: Union Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Irish School of Ecumenics.

The last is particularly interesting.  Not solely because it would include living in Ireland for a few years, but also because their research areas are right in line with mine.

Union is attractive both for its program and my professor from Xavier just accepted a big chair position there.  It would be good to continue learning with him.

I’d like to apply to Yale both because the program is excellent and there is a professor there I respect tremendously.  Miroslav Volf, who is a native Croatian, and with whom I met a few weeks ago.  I wanted to talk with him about my research oversees next year.  I’ll also post as soon as I can the notes from his lectures there.  I’ve heard some heavy hitters lately, but this guy was the most profound I’ve heard in some time.  His new book here.  His popular (and fantastic) book here.

I’ve been having some good discussions with Jason Robertson over the course of the past few months.  He is a pastor at the church I spoke at some time ago.  I promise I’ll try and upload the audio.  I’ve realized more and more lately how much I appreciate being in a group of people with whom I often disagree, notably my church.  I tend to give a hard time to people that have abandoned the church.  I’m beginning to figure out why it is so valuable to stay.

There is a guy in my church that always asks to “Pray for Israel”, as though the modern state is still the representation of the people of the Old Testament.  When Lebanon is bombed,  he sees it as God’s pleasure.  He is always testifying about how the return of christ is right around the corner and he gets all worked up about it.

I love this guy.  Sometimes, he asks to sing a song he wrote on sunday nights.  Sometimes he yodels when he does it.  And he doesn’t sing with accompaniment.  He’s in his seventies and he’s survived cancer in his bones for about a decade.  He’s going to start experimental treatment that the doctors are saying will kill him.  He wants to help others he says.  He’s very nice to everyone and he walks around and shakes the teenagers hands during service, even the ones with piercings and strange clothes.

I would have never known him.  And I would have never known that I could care about him so much.  If I had left the church, or found a church where everyone was just like me, where it was easy to be me and easy to be friendly and like people…what would I accomplish?

My identity is being formed daily not by these people with whom I often disagree in my heart and spirit and mind, but with them.  My identity is becoming that of someone who can really see people now instead of who I thought they were.

I need to write something better than this.  This is just a beginning I think because my words here are not matching what I’m learning and experiencing.

Be well friends, I have no idea when the next post will be.