I've been everywhere man...

Here's what I did over my spring break.

I flew from L.A. to Detroit on Monday night, flew from Detroit to Indy on Tuesday morning and spent the afternoon and evening there surprising people with my unannounced presence. On Wednesday morning my sister and I left at 6:00 a.m. for Green Lake, WI. We arrived there by noon, had lunch at the Goose Blind in Green Lake, then I spent the afternoon meeting with Lance (the director of Quest) about the summer. That evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Percy's in Ripon, WI. After breakfast at The Little Corporal in Green Lake, I met with Lance some more, then Betsy and I departed Green Lake almost exactly 24 hours after we had arrived. On the way home, we stopped in Beloit, WI (right by the IL border) where we got gas at BP, lunch at Culver's, and a few CD's at Wal-Mart. Then we hit the road again and didn't stop until we reached 8953 S. Coxville Rd. Rosedale, IN about 5 hours later. Friday, I worked on my sermon outline for Sunday all day and that night we had pizza at my sister's house in Sullivan, IN celebrating her birthday (#36). Saturday morning, I went to breakfast with my mom at BK in North Terre Haute, where we discovered a flat tire on the van. Our next stop was the Goodyear store, where the van got 4 badly needed new tires. After around an hour there, we visited my grandfather and then finally made it to my sister's house where I would type my sermon. I spent the next few hours there typing that up, and as soon as I was finished Mom and I headed home, where I packed an overnight bag. As soon as I was packed, I got back in the car and headed north for Purdue. Once there, I got to spend some quality time with Andrew, my last remaining friend at Purdue (who will be done in May). We had dinner at Fazoli's (I had to go there while I was in Indiana; the nearest one here is at least 30 min. away), stopped at Capp and Gino's, a coffee shop where I burned my tongue on some chai, and then hit a concert at University Church where Andrew's roommate's brother was playing with this band from Granger, IN. Turns out my roommate, who is from Niles, MI, knows the band and Andrew's roommate's brother. Crazy. The next morning, I preached at the Found and bunch of us went to Steak 'n Shake for lunch (the other place I had to eat while I was in IN). After that, I said goodbye to Kyle and Andrew at Purdue and headed back to Rosedale. Once there, I started doing laundry so I could pack for the return trip to Southern California. While my clothes were washing and drying, I enjoyed watching George Mason beat UConn. We had dinner, then went to church in Rosedale, where I learned about the 3 heavens (really!). After that, I packed and went to bed at 10:00. I got up at 4:25 and left for the Indy airport at 5:00, where I found out my bag was 53 lbs. (which is 3 lbs. over the limit), but I didn't get charged $25 because they were so busy. :) The Northwest check-in line was really long because most of the state was headed to Florida for Spring Break that morning. At 8:00, my flight left for LAX. I arrived on time and my neighbor picked me up and brought me safely to my door in Pasadena.

Now that I'm back, maybe I can get some rest.

Me, a Ph.D.?

A few people that I definitely respect have lately suggested that I may want to consider doing further graduate work at some point. This is not the first time this has come up. It's an idea I've toyed with for several years myself. One person commented that though she believes I have many gifts, which would be great for the pastorate, she just can't imagine me sitting in meetings trying to decide about how best to repave the church parking lot. I also mentioned to a faculty member today that I could spend all day reading about the sacraments. He told me that while he liked that, I should admit that that was "pretty weird." He further added that often the best place for someone who gets as excited as I do about the subjects and ideas (preaching, worship, sacraments, etc.) I get excited about to turn is graduate work. And then, a third one, who holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology and works in the same office I do said she had thought the same thing about me. Notably, she remains hesitant to "push every great student into the academy," because we desperately need thoughtful pastors.

Well, I have a few ideas about what I might get a Ph.D. in. This afternoon, I was checking out Notre Dame's (I may be way out of my league here) program in Liturgical Studies. Here is the first paragraph of their website's description of the program:

"The graduate program in liturgical studies exists to advance the study and understanding of the worship life of the Christian Church in its various traditions. The program is inspired by the conviction that liturgy is the key to the church's identity, ethos, and orientation toward God and world. The program integrates three subdisciplines: liturgical history, liturgical theology, and ritual studies."

There is not one aspect of that that I do not find totally stimulating. So, me, a Ph.D.? What do you think?

Procrastinator in Pasadena

The famed Procrastinator herself was spotted in Southern California last week. Here I present undeniable proof that she made an appearance in my own fair city.

I had a nice visit with Amy on Sunday evening. I gave her a tour of Fuller, which took about five minutes and nineteen seconds, we stopped by the Rose Bowl, as you can see, and ended up in Old Pasadena for dinner at Malagueta's, a Brazilian restaurant on Colorado Blvd. that is a favorite of mine. Good to have a friend from home in town. The rest of you should reserve your flight soon!

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance leading up to the celebration of Easter. It is a time to focus more intently on following the way of Jesus. Many people fast or give up certain things like chocolate during Lent. By doing this one can become aware of how much one depends on stuff or substances instead of God. The imposition of ashes at an Ash Wednesday service (such as we had in chapel at Fuller today) also reminds one of one's mortality and utter dependence on God for salvation. When the ashes are imposed, a pastor dips his or her fingers in a small amount of ashes and then smeres them across one's forehead in the sign of the cross while saying "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." I really appreciate this act, because it reminds me that it's not all about me. I came from dust and to dust I will return. In light of that truth, my petty problems and insecurities seem much less significant. In the grand scheme of things, I don't amount to much. But doesn't that make God's grace all that much more amazing?

In addition to fasting or "giving things up" during Lent, others choose to engage in certain "disciplines of engagement" during Lent. That is, one may decide to do something during Lent one doesn't normally do instead of ceasing to do something one normally does (fasting). Some spend more time in prayer, get involved in some kind of service activity, devote themselves more to the study of Scripture, etc. Whatever one does - fasting, study, or whatever - all this extra contemplation of our "smallness" as humans during Lent helps to make Easter a lot more meaningful. It makes the miracle of God's condescension in Christ to be part of humanity and all he did to redeem us from our lowly state that much more amazing.