Grad School at Seminary

Is Rob Bell the kind of Christian I want to be?

2011-04-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Long time no see.

It's funny to think that this is just another blog post about Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins." I feel like this might be among the most blogged about subjects in recent history. Of course, I'm not so interested in the book itself, as I haven't read it, nor am I interested in the discussion (debate) surrounding Heaven and Hell. Rather, I am interested in the fact that so many people identify with Rob Bell or other Christian leaders or just other people in general. I really just want to focus for a few minutes on how we a Christians often identify (and subsequently seem to follow religiously) with what kind of Christian a person seems to be.

For example, we look at Rob Bell. If I identify, or want to, with a Christian who is hip, creative, thoughtful, and somewhat simple in what he believes. This is not to say that Rob Bell, Mars Hill, or Nooma are simplistic, they are all in fact quite deep theologically and faithfully wondering about where faith and life intersect to create lives of faith. The simple belief I'm referring to is that Love Wins. I really do hope that it is that simple. But I digress a bit.

In a conversation this week with a number of my compatriots here at the seminary, we talked about identifying with a Christian leader like Rob Bell as a kind of rallying point for faith formation. I might follow Rob Bell because he's a great speaker, a deep thinker, a careful author, but not necessarily because I agree with him theologically or in his Biblical interpretation. It's an interesting dualism between what he/I believe and how he delivers it to me. One of the members of this conversation this week is a Christian leader that I identify with, both because he seems to be hip (enough), is a sports fan, is a deep theological thinker, and is nerdy enough to use Anakin Skywalker in a lecture on sin, death, and fear that leads to sinning. Yup.

What kinds of other people do commoners such as myself identify with? Our own pastors, youth directors, bosses, co-workers, musicians, actors or actresses, politicians?

I want to briefly tell you about a few Christians that I identify with. I see these people, or even just think about these people, and say, "I want to be that kind of Christian. I want to be that kind of leader." I want, but I can't always have. It's somewhat of an ontological conundrum (an issue with my very being and existence). I see youth leaders like DG and I want to be as open and loving and structured and creative as he. That's not necessarily in my skill set. I see adults in the church like KP, who call me back in my time of grief and of deep need. I want to be like that for someone someday. I remember my Papa, my grandfather, who had such a fierce prayer life, God couldn't help but hear JF pray. His heart was so big, even in his relatively small frame, it seemed to engulf the whole neighborhood, if not more. I want to love and live faithfully like that.

These are some of the people I identify with. I am a youth director. I care deeply for my friends and family. I try to love as hard as I can, to love the loveless and the unlovable.

I'm not them. I celebrate them, but we are not the same. Praise God for that.

I kinda dig Rob Bell. I can identify with him. Is he the kind of Christian I want to be? No, not really. I want to be the kind of Christian that Peter was. I've made plenty of mistakes, but Jesus still takes me back, gives me work to do, and continues to be committed to me even to the point of death and beyond.

What kind of Christian do you want to be? Too bad, you have to be the kind of Christian you are. Be the kind of Christian, the kind of human being, that God created you to be, allows you to be, and celebrate you being.

Peace until next time.

please pray with me

2010-10-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

(Warning: the following might make the tender-hearted among us queasy or uneasy. Try not to be, unless that is your current situation too. If that's the case, use these words, personalize them, and make them your own.)

God of dark skies and rainy days,
Murphy's Law is in effect. The sheer amount of work, the burden of leadership, and the undercutting of those from whom I seek support is getting to be too much.
Your servant Matthew tells us to not worry about tomorrow, that today's trouble is enough. Nay, I say today's trouble is too much, because yesterday's troubles won't leave me alone. How can I ignore tomorrow's problems, when they become today's and stare at me from my calendar?
Remember the words of your servant Job, hear them from my mouth and from my heart:
"Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."
Deadlines have come and gone, and still there is work to do. Responsibilities are being heaped upon my head as I sit on my ash-heap.
Gracious God, send someone to my side, hearken to my sigh of helplessness. Not only send them with your spirit, but set your spirit on me that I might receive them in humility and thanks, not with anger and pride.
I ask for the strength to get this **** done. I pray that I may find joy in your presence, and that your presence is not far off.
But until I have wiped everything from my plate, like Job, "Will you not look away from me for a while, let me alone until I swallow my spittle?"
Thanks for me waking up today. I've got to get back to work.
Amen.

nothing deep, just delicious

2010-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

toasted wheat bread
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
fried egg
handful of baby spinach
burger patty seasoned with Uncle Gerry's steak seasoning
honey mustard
toasted wheat bread

my new favorite brunch sandwich for after those early classes.

yum.

My first Greek lesson

2010-09-15T08:38:00.001-07:00

This semester I'm taking a Pauline literature course on the letters to the Corinthians and Philippians. As of this point, I've only had class once, so I don't have a whole lot to report on just yet. However, there was one quite fascinating discussion that we had last week. This has some Greek wording with it, so be warned!

There are two Greek words for love used in Paul's letters: eros and pothos. The main distinction we talked about in class was based on the subject of the love. For eros, that is the love for the beloved when the beloved is present with the lover. For pothos, it is the love for the beloved when the beloved is absent. One other Greek word that is important in this distinction is lupe, or sorrow, grief, pain.

Next, we had a bit of math thrown our way. Here is the equation my professor wrote on the board:

Pothos = eros + lupe

To translate:

Love of one who is absent is the love felt when they are present mixed with the grief and sorrow of them being absent. Another way to describe this is bittersweet love. (Or as my professor prefers to call it, sweet-bitter love.)

Many of the New Testament epistles focus on the theme of longing, which can be seen as this pothos love that Paul has for the churches and people to whom he is writing. (For example, Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, and Galations all exibit this theme of pothos longing.)

I find this rather fascinating and meaningful. As Paul longs for the church (or rather the Church), I long for my family, friends, and community at home. It is this love I've known in their presence mixed with the sorrow of not being in the presence currently. Bittersweet is a pretty accurate description of how I feel about being here at seminary most days. I love my time here, but I also am longing (pothos) for those I love back home and those spread across this country and throughout the world.

I find Greek translations and meanings like this extremely helpful for reading Scripture, as well as adding new ways for myself to express how I feel. The English word love simply does not have all the meaning and connotations that I might require it to. Eros and lupe create pothos. Perhaps my next project will be to examine where the idea of hope or promise comes into pothos. That'd be nice.

Peace and blessings. I pothos you.

Interesting New Book Meets Summer Vacation Bible School

2010-07-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

This week I've been co-leading my church's Vacation Bible School for 3 year olds through 6th graders, here in the suburbs of the Cities. It's been a fun and exhausting time, full of songs and skits and games and laughter. And now, as I'm just about through the week, I've had some time to sit, be silent, and rest.

In other news, as I was resting I was also checking up on a new project that one of my professors has been working on. His new book is called "The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being". My professor looks at how divorce not only changes a young person's experience of family, their living situations, and their emotional state of being, but changes their essence, their entire being, who they are.

He looks at how young people seek to redefine themselves in the wake of their parents' divorce and the loss of their previous family experience and understanding. He then moves on to see how Christianity and the church can help give language and meaning to the new redefinition of who these young people become. Seeing divorce as causing an ontological shift (that is, changing the core of their human existence) leads him to question how new meaning is created within their existence.

From the perspective of a youth leader working with young people who have had major situational and ontological shifts and changes in their lives, it is helpful to me to see how these young people are able to use Christ and the church to redefine themselves and create real meaning in their lives. Of course, part of that also leads me to examine my own missional ecclesiology (nerd speak for the role and mission of the church). How can I, as a youth worker or as a lay leader or a congregation member, help young people experiencing divorce in their families create new meaning in their lives and cope with the loss of who they had previously been?

As of this moment, having not actually read my professor's newest book, but kind of understanding where he might go with it, I see the answer abiding in the grace of Christ. Luther's Theology of the Cross can help lead us to enter into the pain and fear of someone affected by divorce while they redefine and search for meaning in who they might be becoming. As people of God who are called by love into love of our neighbors, we both support and challenge as need be the new meaning and experiences of our brother and sisters in Christ.

Thinking theologically about real life issues like divorce is great, but acting practically within that theological framework is truly a struggle and a difficulty, for all parties involved. But isn't that exactly what we are called to do, as members of the body of Christ, to act theologically and continue the mission of God and Christ in the world?

I think so.

Phew!

2010-06-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a rollercoaster.

I've finished half of my credit requirements for my MA degree. I'm taking kids to camp next week (well, tomorrow). The mission trip is shaping up, and VBS is right around the corner. But first, I get to spend a couple weeks at home for vacation.

A couple things I've learned so far in MN:
Deep fried Snickers bars are delicious.
Winter is cold, but there are ways to get through it.
Longer O's mean you're a north Minnesotan.
Iweigens (?) are people from Iowa.
I am still a deep theological thinker.
Ultimate frisbee transcends state boundaries.
Food in communities matters even more here than back home, if that's even possible.
The Twins have their own theme song, and have for years.
Target Field is nice, but I still prefer Safeco and its retractable roof.
It seems that all youth are either scouts or camp councellors...or both.
Preparing for trips is really not my strength in ministry.
"Interesting" is the Minnesota Nice way of saying, "That's not interesting."
Networking and who you know really matter.
Minnesota youth are not necessarily the most adventurous eaters.

That's just a snapshot, I suppose. There's a lot more classroom knowledge that I've gained too, but I just can't spell it all correctly.

Random, I know. But hey, I'm kind of on summer break.

Triune God and Death

2010-03-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

This term I took a class on Ministry with Young Adults. My professor is a deep theological thinker and therefore loves to delve into complex and often troubling theological questions. In our discussion last week on how the Church needs to be a community, Dr. R lectured on how God is a community. God is a community within the Trinity, the unity of the Father God, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Dr. R spoke on how the Trinity is held together not by obligation nor even by choice, but by LOVE. The basis of the unity of the Trinity is love. The ultimate expression of the love in which the Trinity is based is seen on the cross where the crucified Christ died. Therefore, the cross exists at the very heart of God's community with God's self.

God has overcome Death by bringing Death into the community of the Trinity through the cross of Christ.

However, the perfect community that was the Trinity was lost, destroyed on the cross. The Son, of the unity of the Trinity, DIED. In Christ's death the unity of the Trinity ended.

But now, we must remember that the LOVE of God cannot and will not be defeated. Not even Death of the Christ can stand against the love of God. The love of God defeats Death in the Resurrection. That is why Easter is so important that we celebrate the risen Christ every Sunday in particular, though the power and truth of Easter is with us every hour of every day. Sundays are meant to be little Easters, little celebrations of the Resurrection. Alleluia!

As much as it hurts to admit, from Death springs forth Life. Through the Love of God, the basis of the Trinity, the Trinity is brought back, Resurrected with Christ. But now the Trinity, which is always and forever based in Love, surrounds and in intertwined with Death.

Out of Death, through Love, the Trinity is regained.It is made perfect in Death through Love.

So now where do we see God as concretely as possible? We can see God in beautiful things of life, like the smile of an infant, the laughter of old friends, a warm embrace of a loved one, a sunrise on a cloudless morning, in the refreshing rain and the warming sun.

But we can also see God in Death. Throughout nature, we see new Life spring up out of Death. It is in Death we see God, because Death is at the heart of the Trinity because of the Crucifixion and is brought to perfection through Love in the Resurrection.

So what then is the role of the church? To build itself around Death, as the Trinity surrounds Death with Life in Love. God is found concretely in Death. So the church must find itself concretely in Death.

Death renders us, as fragile human beings, alone. Often we can feel completely alone at the Death of a loved one, regardless of the expectation or lack thereof of Death. By speaking about Death, pain, and suffering, we engage in what Dr. R calls the "horrible sacrament of shared life."

As we near the Crucifixion and the Resurrection (Alleluia!), we celebrate that the Trinity is grounded in Love, was broken on the cross, and was redeemed through Love in the Resurrection. In our world we see Death and brokenness more often that we like to admit. But, in the midst of the darkness of Death, God is there. God has experienced Death, has brought Death into God's self, and has made Death a part of God because of God's LOVE.

The Love of the Resurrection defeats the Death of the cross. Every time.

Alleluia!

It's Been a While // Meet Eutychus

2010-03-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

Remember me? I'm sure you do, but maybe not how I write. It's been a busy few months. To explain why I didn't write in the end of 2009, let's just say I was writing other things. And now it's March 2010 and it's been a whirlwind of a year so far.

This semester I'm taking a class on Ministry with Young Adults. I find it interesting because I am a young adult. My question going in to each class session is such: How do people imagine they need to minister to me and to my peers? For me, ministry with young adults is peer ministry, but for many of the professors and pastors and parents with whom I interact, young adult ministry is often understated if mentioned at all.

In Acts 20:7 Paul is speaking to a group in the upper room of a three-story house. It's getting late, almost midnight, the heat from the many lamps in the room make it stuffy and everyone is drowsy. The windows are open in the hope that fresh air can enter the room. Sitting in a window is a young man by the name of Eutychus. My study Bible says that Eutychus means fortunate. I would disagree. As Paul continues to preach, Eutychus falls asleep and slips out the window, falling three stories to his death.

This morning I attended a lecture by a Princeton Theological Seminary professor who spoke on issues surrounding the lack of young adults and teenagers in American churches. She cited information from the National Study of Youth and Religion, as well as personal stories from other students and youth workers. She raises concerns that the church treats their teens and young adults like Eutychus, letting them sit in the room with the preacher, but not really paying them any mind. Youth are pushed to the fringe, to sit in the windows, to not be engaged and kept awake or attentive. This story from Acts is often used as a warning against boring preaching, but we don't know that the others in the room fell asleep. Maybe it was just boring to the youth.

However, Paul and Eutychus' tale does not simply end with the youth's fall out the window, out of the church, and out of sight from his faith community. In verse 10, Paul goes to Eutychus (in the Greek, Paul throws himself on the youth, the way the father throws himself on his protigal son) and declares that there is still life in the fallen. So Paul goes back upstairs, has a cup of coffee and a donut, and goes back to preaching, business as usual.

Wait, what?! Paul resurrects this young man, only to go back and preach more? A miracle has taken place, the fallen has been raised, the lost found, and the youth made the focus of the community. Our lecturer this morning said that this is business per usual for Paul. As she put it, "The Church's business is resurrection!" It's fine and dandy to minister to the people in the pews, but that's essentially preaching to the choir. As Jesus said, the healthy don't need the doctor...

So where does that leave me? The fact that more and more I wonder about my calling to minister to children, youth, and their families in the church. It's the last part that I struggle with most at this moment, "in the church". The more I learn about congregational ministry (always, always aimed at pastoral candidates) the more I think parachurch ministry is where my passions lie.

According to the National Study of Youth and Religion, via the speaker this morning, only 8% of American youth are highly dedicated to the Christian church. I might not like math, but I know that 92% of American youth are not highly dedicated (nor involved), but that 75% of American youth consider themselves Christian. That's an enormous community of youth that have some affiliation with the Church but are not in church.

Where do I fit in to that, as a young adult, and as a youth worker? Where can I meet Eutychus today and how can I help prevent him from falling to his death?

Joy of Joy,

K.

Update, Weather Report, Joke

2009-10-11T20:16:00.001-07:00

Woah! What a packed month this has been already. Besides having playoff baseball becoming a detriment to my academic life, I've begun to realize that the last week of this month will be the busiest and most stressful of grad school to date. Yikes.

But yeah, classes are going good and tough, I have tests this week and next, with papers due the end of the month. I think I know what I'm doing for Thanksgiving break, but we'll see what happens. I was able to have dinner with a couple friends from home; authentic Italian pizza joined with authentic Christian fellowship and community. Now that's a recipe I can star.

One of my theology textbooks I've been reading this weekend posed the question, "What if Jesus had died of a heart attack in the Garden of Gethsemane and the disciples then laid him in the tomb? Would there still have been the resurrection? And assuming that he would have been raised from the dead, would there have been atonement? Could we still say that he died for our sins?" (The Soul of Ministry, Anderson, paraphrased). These questions were posed by the author to his graduate level theology class. If I were in that class, I think I would have responded that absolutely, there would be a resurrection. Without God bringing God's self (in the form of Jesus) back to (human) life, what would Jesus have been? Simply a prophet or healer, a chosen one at best. But no, with Jesus being the Son of God, being one with the Father God, the resurrection was a necessity; it still is the necessity. As for the atonement of our sins, Jesus' death can still be seen as the result of human frailty, whether on the cross or gripping his chest. The Cross is the more powerful image, with Jesus' death being the direct result of human frailty of mind, will, and body. However, the heart attack scenario is simply due to the frailty of human body. It lacks the power, the responsibility (perhaps one could go so far to say, it lacks the guilt) of the crucifixion. But again we are reminded, as the author's students reminded him and the class, Jesus' death is important insofar as God Incarnate died a human death, but the salvific part of the story, the real essence of the crucifixion, is in the resurrection. The student mentioned above said this: "It was the resurrection that counted, anyway. Without a resurrection there would be no atonement, even if he died on the cross." The author responded, "Amazing! ... It is the resurrection of Jesus, not just his death on the cross, that completed the atonement. ... The reason for this is that it is not just sin that needs to be forgiven, but death that needs to be overcome." Interesting, to be sure. How it relates to ministry with youth, well, we'll see about that in class discussion tomorrow.

In other news, it snowed this weekend. Just a light dusting Saturday morning, but enough to make it really cold. However, it was not enough to force me to abandon my weekly frisbee game. So I bundled up and trudged down to the field for what I dubbed "Ultimate Freezebee". It was a good fun (and yes, very cold) time; all in all, well worth it.

And a joke I'm stealing from a friend of mine in Colorado (where she got it, I have no clue):

What do you get when you divide the circumference of a Jack o Lantern by its diameter???

PUMPKIN PI!!!

With that in mind, have a good week. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay with the knowledge that it is in the resurrection that God and Christ defeated death to assure Christ's followers their place with God for eternity.

Peace.

a bad day full of blessings...

2009-09-29T07:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was not a good day for me academically. One of my professors forgot my name during precept time (essentially small study group), going through the roster until he had to start going through it again before he recognized my face on the pictures he had printed out. I got my first real grad school paper back and was not pleased with the grade I received. In another class we watched a few clips from a movie that were quite upsetting and made me wonder what I would/will do when confronted with youth that are lost, angry, hating, violent, unsure, lonely. How can I share the grace and love of God with kids like that? Though, a few of my classmates seem to be a little jealous of me because I have a church youth group to work with and they are not drawing much interest from other churches in the area, so that makes me feel a little guilty about talking about how great the kids I get to work with are (especially since some of my friends in that class interview at the same church...). All in all, a tough day in the classroom.

On the flip side, one of the upper classmen invited me to play ultimate frisbee with him (usually we just end up on the field around the same time, but it's nice to get an invitation nevertheless). Another upper classman in dorm found out I'm a Star Trek fan and we had a pretty lengthy conversation about the continuity of the films and tv serieses (is that the plural of series? Or is series the plural of series? One series, two series, red series, blue series?). Then he loaned my three seasons of one of the shows (Enterprise) and a "Best Of" fan collector's DVD. To cap the day, I was walking a friend to her car after she finished work last night, and one of the catering staff members handed me a bag of cookies that had be left over from an event earlier in the day. Because they had been on plates all day, they couldn't be sold, but they're still good to eat. So I brought them back to share in my dorm. After all, who can say no to free cookies at 9:00pm?

It's the next morning and I'm still wiped from yesterday. I'm reading the story of Isaac and Jacob, and Walter Brueggemann, one of the commentors we use, is saying that when God calls someone somewhere to do something, God doesn't make it easy or fun or without pain or conflict. Jacob recieved his father's blessing, his brother's birthright, and the girl of his dreams, but none of it was easy and none of it was without conflict or fear. I know I have my parents' blessing, I don't have a brother to steal from (though my sister does have some great cookbooks that would look nice on my shelf...), and if I've found the girl of my dreams, well, it's just not the time right now. So me and Abraham, me and Jacob, we've been called somewhere to do something(s) and we've been given promises and blessings from God, but it ain't gonna be easy. It hasn't been easy. Being a Christian will forever be hard and full of conflict and pain. Following Christ is not the easy choice.

Yup. Take care. Bye.

Kendall, meet Abraham. Abraham, Kendall.

2009-09-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

I'm taking an Old Testament class on the Pentateuch, as I've mentioned before. So far, in the three weeks I've been in class, we've gotten a general outline of this part of Scripture, talked about the creation narratives, and briefly discussed Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah. Now we're getting into the stories surrounding Abram and Sarai.

One of the common themes when talking about these two characters is trust issues with God. God promises to Abraham that he and Sarah will have a child, and that Abraham's decendents will be numerous and prosperous. However, as these two continue to wander and grow old together, their trust in God is challenged and threatened. God's promises, though, can and should always be trusted, as difficult as that may be. Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac all felt the strain of the seemingly forgotten promises of God, and the stretched trust that they placed in their God. But God holds to God's covenants and promises, especially when it comes down to the wire and it becomes a kind of all-or-nothing situation.

In the almost month I've been here, I've had a rollercoaster time of trust with God. Before coming out here, I felt a deep drawing of myself to the Midwest. Ad my send-off really solidified that feeling when I was getting scared, anxious, and uncertain. Now as I begin working at a new church with new groups of youth, I worry that I won't be able to do my position as youth leader justice. Youth leaders must teach, encourage, challenge, support, discipline, outrage, provide, and guide youth in their complex, fluid, terrifying walk(s) with God. Am I really cut out for all of this? I know I can play games, read scripture, tell stories, and relate to youth, but can I really minister to them?

Like Abraham, I've been given a promise that God will bless me and the ministry I do for God. Christ promises to be with me, to reach down and lift me up in my darkest, deepest pits of dispair and distrust. The Holy Spirit promises to guide me, provide wisdom and discernment, and give me peace, patience, and joy to work with kids. And, again like Abraham, I feel tested and challenged over and over again. I don't want to fail my God and my supporters, but I know I can't do God's ministry on my own. My ministry is not worth beans (or corn, in this part of the country).

My ministry must be God's minsitry. My lessons must be Christ's Gospel. My joy must come from the Spirit. I won't be able to do any of this by myself. But handing the reigns to God is the most difficult part of my faith. I have theological knowledge, Biblical history, and program planning, but I know there's more. It's that more that I have trouble with. I trust it when things are going well, but will I be able to trust it when it comes down to my time to sacrifice my Isaac?

I hope and pray that all will be well, in my successes and failures. I know it'll be fine, but I want it to be great.

God, help me get over myself, my experiences, and my pride and just let you do your thing. Here's to you and not to me. Amen.

I'm excited to work with the kids here in MN, and I'm terrified of them at the same time. It might be a healthy fear, but it's a fear just the same. And yes, it's exactly what I signed up for when I came here, to be terrified, broken down and built back up. It'll all buff out.

Peace, patience, and joy.

Combo Update and Theological Pondering

2009-09-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a hectic and busy couple weeks. I'm still trying to figure out my sleep/eat/read/class/lab/worship/study/writing schedule. But it's getting there.

I'm going to a Twins game today with a friend from church back home. I'm excited!

In my Old Testament Pentateuch class, looking at the first five books of the Old Testament, we were talking about the creation narrative found in Genesis 2-3. In speaking of the serpent, one of the articles we read said that the serpent was the first piece of creation to use theology. By that, it meant that the serpent was the first to talk about God, rather than talk to God. The serpent talks about God, bending and cunningly changing God's words to create new meaning out of them, in this case, meaning that Adam and Eve should eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. But that's theology, in a sense, isn't it?

Theology talks about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Divine, and the Sacred. Theology explores the words and phrases of the Bible and other documents and texts in order to find some new meaning or understanding. However, one of the dangers of doing theology is that we theologians get caught up in what the serpent was doing: talking about God and not talking to or with God. And now, for me, studying at Seminary, taking graduate level classes, trying to figure out what ministry is, looking at theology in both Testaments, exploring what worship is about and where it comes from, and trying to gain more experience in youth ministry, all of these things are inherently theological. On the surface they talk about God, what God would have human beings do for God's purposes, and how do we as humans interact with God. Here at my school they make a conscious effort to temper theology and the study of Christianity with worship and praise and prayer. I've never been in an academic setting where my professor of the Old Testament opens each class in prayer, "in the name of Jesus Christ." I can go into my professors offices and ask for them to pray for me in my discernment in finding out God's plans and will for my life, here and now in Minnesota, as well as the future ministry I am called to do. It is a new and strange shift for me as a student. As a Christian, it is encouraging that I can pray with so many leaders and teachers of the faith. It's an odd feeling, but a welcome one.

Peace and grace be with you, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Oh, and have a good day!

Couple of Theological Thoughts

2009-09-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

One funny (to me) and one super interesting.

1) I had my first class today, an Old Testament class on the Pentateuch (aka the Torah or Genesis through Deuteronomy). We opened the class in prayer in which my professor concluded with, "In Jesus' name." I think this is funny because here we are, learning about a part of scripture in which Jesus the Christ has yet to be realized. However, it's also important to keep in mind, because as a Christian, I real these books of scripture through the lens of the redeeming Son of God. It's an interesting thought and reminder of my own biases (not necessarily bad ones) that I bring to the study of faith and the scriptures.

2) In my readings for my next class (tomorrow morning), a Systematic Theology class overviewing Christian Teachings. As part of our reading, we read a chapter entitled "Confessing Jesus Christ in Context" by Migliore. In this chapter, the author speaks to the fact that again, as we study religion, we come from different places and contexts to study theologies from different places and contexts. This chapter overviews different theological contexts, including Latin American, African American, Asian (mostly Korean) American, and Feminist contexts in their theologies.

The interesting point I wish to share (though there are many) comes from a Korean American theologian A.S. Park. He offers another layer to the idea of sin. While most people, myself included, first think of sin as an action (or inaction) taken on the part of some perpetrator. For example, I do something that harms my relationship with a friend and therefore my relationship with Christ. In this case, I am the perpetrator and the sinner. Park agrees with this but takes it further. Rather than the only sinner in this situation being the perpetrator who requires forgiveness and redemption, the sin also falls on the victim. The victim becomes enslaved by anger and resentment and requires liberation from oppression. I never really thought about my displeasure or anger at another's sin needing liberation for myself.

However, the more I reflect on it, the more I wonder if that is how one is able to forgive his/her neighbor when their neighbor sins. "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." This line from the Lord's prayer strikes me as particularly relevant in this discussion. I've heard in the past that if one is to be forgiven and cleansed by Christ's gift of redemption, one must be able and willing to forgive themselves. Using Park's idea, I see that both the perpetrator and the victim of the sin must forgive themselves before being able to forgive the sin completely. If I am the victim of another's sin, I must allow Christ to take that sin of oppression from me; only then am I able to forgive the other, thereby helping them to release their sin into the arms of Christ.

Woah. Only one day and I'm thinking of the redemptive power of Christ and how that affects my/our mortal, temporal relationships. This might be a long semester...

The Minnesota State Get-Together!

2009-09-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

Today I attended the Minnesota State Fair with a friend of mine from school back home, her twin sister, and their mom (and later, dad). I arrived at the fairgrounds at 8:30am (the grounds opened at 6) after finding my way to a free shuttle so I wouldn't have to park at the fair. An hour later I met up with my friends, and our adventure began!

I started my fair experience culinarily, of course! I had a fried egg and bacon sandwich; deliciously simple. After breakfast we went to a llama judging, where youngsters showed their llamas. It was interesting...and Minnesotan! After the llamas we wandered over to the swine barn, where we saw the pigs and sheep that were being shown, as well as the state's largest boar: four years old and 1,310lbs! From there we followed the line of barns and saw the cows; bummer, we just missed the milking! As we were walking out of the cow barn, a HUGE cow was walked past us. I tried to snap a photo, but couldn't quite get it. But trust me, it was HUGE!

Next was the Mircale Birth Center, where, if you you're lucky, you can witness a farm animal giving birth! Right there! Veternarians were on stand-by. But again, nothing was being birthed while we were there. Darn...? Next up was the Diary Barn! I had been ordered (note: not just encouraged or recommended, but strictly ordered) to get ice cream while were there; I did. My host treated me to a caramel apple malt, with real apple chunks and caramel on top of the ice cream. It was good, but a little too sticky when I dripped some caramel and ice cream over the edge of the cup. Also in the dairy barn was the butter sculptures. I'm not even kidding. The winners of a kind of beauty contest among young ladies from dairy families had their likenesses carved into butter. They sat in a chilled room (around 40 degrees) for 6-8 (with breaks). They start with a 90# block of butter. Seriously. No joke. A 90 pound block of butter. Then, after the fair is over, the winners take their butter heads home to do with what they please (Imagine Sunday morning over pancakes, "Dad, can you please pass the butter? I'd like the nose please. Or the left ear. That'd be about right."). I heard that most donate their butter selves to local clubs or churches who do pancake or lefsa feeds after the fair. Crazy, but Minnesotan!

Next up was the poultry barn where we were able to listen in to the rooster crowing context. They counted how many times each rooster in the round crowed in 5 minutes (or something like that). It was strange. But kind of fun to see all sorts of different roosters, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and ganders. And right next door were the goats. So we walked around looking at them too.

Next we did some window shopping, ending up at the Horticulture center where they had the largest produce of Minnesota on display. My favorite was the zucchini club. Next was the Crop Art, where all the pictures we created out of seeds exclusively from MN. The Obama picture made me laugh, as did the Frank Sinatra and Sherlock Holmes likenesses. Also a part of that exhibit was the scarecrow competition. There were some clever entries, like the shark and the space man.

Another staple of the fair were a smorgesboard of "As Seen on TV" type infomertials, including the Sham-Wow and a nice set of knives. Next were the quilts, including a huge Candy Land game board. Clever and funny. We just walked around for a while after that, seeing the tractors lined up, the Spam store, a Swedish Lutheran Church booth serving breakfast (including egg coffee), and some touristy photo spots.

I was excited for the next stop: lunch! The food bulding, a mecca of the culinary Minnesotan masterpieces, such as: S'mores on a stick, Spaghetti and Meatball dinner on a stick (which I had; messy and awkward, but I've now had spaghetti and meatballs dipped in batter and deep fried), deep fried cheese curds, and Swedish Meatballs on a stick. Crazy fun.

Next was the Barrel Races. It was as close to a rodeo as I've ever been. Those horses can move! They've got a lot of weight to throw around. It was impressive. Also impressive were the performers in the daily parade, including my host's high school marching band. That sure brought back memories. Good times.

Oh. My. Goodness. After the parade we shared something incredible and amazing: a deep fried Snickers bar. No joke. Topped with powdered sugar. The chocolate, caramel, and peanuts were all melty and mixed in the middle, but held in place by the fried batter. Strange but too delicious for my own good. I'm glad I only had a few bites (though I certainly wanted more)!

More walking around and window shopping brought up to Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, where we purchased a bucket of chocolate chip cookies to share. I still have a third of it left. And you know how much I love cookies. Baked fresh and plopped in buckets. We carried our buckets to the Got Milk? kiosk where we could buy a cup of milk (12oz), either chocolate or plain, for $1. The best part of it, though, is that it's all you can drink, as long as you bring back your cup. Delicious.

More walking and more sight seeing brought us back to the rodeo stadium where we watched a boring show of horses while munching on delicious cookies. After battling the urge to nap, we decided to refill our milk glasses and wander more. After much wandering we made it to the beer gardens, where we enjoyed a chef's salad, fried cheese curds, and Summit Brewery's Pale Ale (a local product, brewed in St Paul). After chatting with the locals and resting in the shade, it was time to find my host's father who was joining us late. He treated me to a corn dog sheathed in mustard, which I enjoyed as we toured another tractor exhibit. My host's dad was feeling overly generous, as he treated me again, along with his daughter, to an ice cream cone. Delicious. Some of the best plain vanilla ice cream I've ever had.

Shortly after, we wandered back to the grandstands, where my hosts had tickets to see Garrison Keeler record his radio program. They were super excited. So as they went to the show, I left and went back to the bus to take me 'home'. Overall, I spent a full 11 hours at the Minnesota State Fair. My research there was delicious and resulted in my stomach being stretched beyond my imagination. But here I am, still munching on a few cookies, debating if I want to go back tomorrow. Below please find a few select photos from my day.

Welcome to September

2009-09-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

I went to a Minnesota Twins game today at the Metrodome. The stadium is getting replaced this off-season, so I wanted to be sure to catch a game this season. Hopefully, it won't be my last baseball game of the season. Funny thing though: $8 general admission ticket, 2 $1 hot dogs (only on Wednesdays to the first 20,000 fans), and a $6.50 beer. Something seems a little out of place...

Anywho, great fun at the ballpark with a bunch of Minnesotans. And a Texan and a Floridan. Good times.

This weekend has some fun times planned. I'm going to the Minnesota State Fair on Friday (Deep Fried Twinkie on a Stick!!!) with a friend from school. Might meet up with some more friends Saturday and/or Sunday. Maybe try a different place of worship on Sunday too. I've got to make sure I get some good hearty fun in this weekend, as next week Tuesday classes start.

I think most of the guys on my floor have moved in, though I really don't know for sure. A few of them are pretty nice; I haven't met the rest. I've been quite introverted and fairly reclusive once I get back to my dorm room (I'm exhausted from the day!).

Thought from the baseball game today: What is the relationship between faith and sports? How do some people follow sports with varying shades of worship, including a litergy and praise? Interesting how some fans will follow a sport or a specific team "religiously", i.e. reading articles and scores in the sports page rather than reading scripture or articles about God. This is something I hope to improve upon myself.

I'm still getting used to the schedule and time difference here. I'm getting up a lot earlier than I was back home...

Peace and Joy,

-K.

Just a head's up...

2009-08-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

I want to warn you that I'll be using this blog to do a few things:

1) Update those of you who aren't in close proximity to me. I think that's basically everyone who reads this.

2) Keep a record of some of my thoughts, experiences, learnings during my time at seminary.

3) Ask theological questions that may or may not have/need an answer.

Now that we're clear...

First day. Uber busy. Stress headache. Overwhelmed. Pleased I saw people I know that I didn't expect to see here. Made some new friends. Met some amazing staff and faculty. Had dinner. Blogged. Went to bed way too early.

G'night!

Road Trip to the Next Big Adventure

2009-08-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Three days. 1,800 miles. Five states. Three weary travellers in a new and unfamiliar state. One silver car splattered with bugs. Wow.

So now I'm here, moved in to my new 'home' for this academic year. If you want my mailing address, just let me know via email. I'd love to start collecting more postcards and such. And by such I mean cookies. Yes, you know who you are. And by moved in, I mean all my stuff is in my dorm room here in MN. Very few things are actually unpacked, but at least everything is in the room.

To supplement what the room already offers, the parentals and I went to Target and Ikea today. Correction, we went to SUPER Target (even more crowded and insane than normal Target). And we went through IKEA in under 15 minutes, from Dad dropping Mom and I at the door to getting back into the car. And yes, we even made a purchase! A nice carpet to help muffle the tile floors in my room.

Hmm, my neighbor across the hall just walked by in flip-flops and boxer-briefs. Glad someone feels at home...

As near as I can tell, there are four of us living here on the men's floor in this building. I haven't met the other two yet, but I'm sure I will. We've got time.

Okay, it's off to sleep for me. Yet another night in an unfamiliar place and an unfamiliar mattress. But hey, it's 'home' for now.

Miss you. Peace.