80 Days

Well, it's just after 11:00 pm here, so I can still technically get in my somehow now customary every 10 days post. Like that sentence? If you were planning to take a trip around the world before my graduation, perhaps you should have left today. The days are zipping by now, I guess. We're on Spring Break here in Fullerland, and not much exciting is happening. I'm trying to get to the gym every day, and I want to cook and clean - you know, the things that normal people do. I've cooked a little so far, but nothing good. Tonight my roommates and I whipped up some Papa John's - one of our favorite recipes. I want to relish the week off, but I'm not dreading the end of it, because I'm kind of anxious to get this last quarter started.

Speaking of my last quarter, I will be taking Systematic Theology 1, Christian Ethics, Hebrew Prophets, and Baptist Polity. Excepting the Baptist class, I'm finishing up with a bunch of surveys I probably should've taken a long time ago. It reminds me a little bit of when I took Sociology 120 my senior year at Purdue. It was in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, so it was me and about 470 freshmen plus Kelli Sanders, who was a sophomore I think and sat next to me. Kelli and I played tic-tac-toe in that class. It's a pointless game of course, but we played on. That was a great class. We sat near the very back on the right side, played tic-tac-toe, and made fun of the professor who was prone to tantrums. One time he wanted the whole class to bring a certain thing to class (a workbook or the syllabus or something) and almost no one did, so he got really upset and said "Class dismissed!" in a very exasperated voice like 5 minutes into the class. Did we care? Were we supposed to? Come on. We laughed and went home glad. Kelli and I didn't really think sociology was a science - more like some kind of stepchild of psychology and anthropology. I don't think that will happen in any of the survey classes I am taking at Fuller this coming quarter. Too bad.

100 Days

As of today, graduation is now only 100 days away. What an occasion! As the end of my seminary days rapidly approach, many questions surface. What on earth am I going to do with all this stuff that's sitting around me? So very many books. If you know anyone (in southern California) who wants some free furniture, let me know, because I've got some to give away. And where will I go next? I had some job interviews over the weekend that were very interesting. If you want to know more about that, you'll have to ask me.

Here's what life looks like 100 days out from graduation. This quarter is ending soon. We're currently in week 9 of 10. I have one sermon, a book review, a 12-page paper, a 5-page theological statement, and a final exam in Psalms coming at me. The first item on the agenda is the sermon. I'm thinking it will be on baptism, though I'm not sure. I must decide today or tomorrow, because it's due a week from today.

I just spent a great but exhausting weekend in Indiana interviewing for jobs, as I mentioned, and visiting Purdue and Lafayette. I preached at the Found and spent some time with very good friends, but of course it wasn't nearly enough. Now I'm back in the saddle here at Fuller trying not to fall off as this horse speeds around the last few barrels at a break-neck pace on its way to the finish line. I think I'm going to make it.

For those of you who may have forgotten, graduation is on June 9, 2007 at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary of Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena. If you need an address for sending good wishes or monetary contributions (haha...no seriously) just let me know. Unless something unforeseen changes things, I plan to depart southern California in the very early a.m. hours of Sunday June 10.