Coming into Focus (37 Days)

Well, only 37 days left until I attain the status of divine master or whatever getting a Master of Divinity degree makes you. The future looms near, and my picture of it is beginning to come into focus. I can't say much, but count on me being east of the Mississippi River and somewhere below the great lakes. I have been and will be traveling. I anticipate sharing some very exciting news with you all soon.

School becomes substantially less interesting with each passing day it seems. I've got a lot to do, but I'm not so worried about it. Last night, instead of working on papers or projects, I went to a Dodger game, because, who knows if I'll ever go to one again? I have purchased my graduation announcements, but I only have a limited number, so I apologize in advance if you don't get one. If you really want one, start pleading your case now.

Now I'm off to a Ministry Enrichment Seminar on weddings (pre-marital counseling, performing the ceremony, etc.). Now this should be useful! Keep in mind, any of my amorous friends, that I'll soon be authorized to guide you into wedded bliss. :)

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.

90 Days

It's hard to believe it's already been 10 days since we hit the 100 mark. The days are flying now. I got that sermon written - and preached it. It was on baptism, and it went well. Now we're getting ready to head into finals week. I have one exam, one major paper, two shorter papers, and one very minor paper to write. That should be enough for a week's work. The major paper is for the class I took on the Word in Worship. I'm going to argue for Baptists to use the term sacrament instead of ordinance in reference to baptism and the Lord's supper.

The job search continues, and here I'll just say that it seems to be going well. The rubber hits the road in less than three months now.

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.