New School Year for the Minstrel

So ummm … yea: First week of school and Welcome Week, and some small BBQ that I’m in charge of planning. It piles up a bit. Anywho I’m not sure where this will go (serious or goofy) so I wish you good luck.

I am excited to be back in classes. I’m a little worn out from this week, but I was expecting to be. It has been fun seeing the campus alive with energy and movement as a bunch of first years gather on campus; each bringing a new story, new worries, new energy, and new anxieties. All of this energy is without the understanding of just how good Fuller is, and when they talk about their classes they only get more excited. Very cool to see. I think I have helped quite a few new students that I have met over the summer and just recently in giving advice on how to approach Fuller classes, as well as my personal biases on which professors to take.

I have started my internship at Burbank Presbyterian Church in … Burbank … (duh). I’m really excited as I sit down with (Pastor) Ross and discuss ministry and the inner workings of the church he leads. He reminds me of my dad in many respects in that he has found the balance between work, family, and personal study. While I have only known him for a bit he has a wonderful sense of humor but underneath it all is an honest caring of his interns, church, and the relationships that they have with God. While this week has been a bit nutty, I am trying really really hard to not jump into the deep end, but rather take it nice and slow right now and work out the rest.

Brings me to classes: I am taking 12 units and auditing another 4 for personal enrichment/enjoyment. I am taking Ethics, Systematic Theology 2 (Christ, Salvation, Spirit), and Exegetical Methods. The audit is Foundations for Youth Ministry of which I feel compelled to do the work even though I don’t ‘have to’. I’m excited about all of these and have friends in all the classes (although slightly fewer in Methods) that are fun to just hang out with.

All in all I have a nice peace about this quarter and the workload that is involved (no final tests). I suspect that Ethics and ST2 will probably continue to stretch my personal struggles, and Foundations will be a nice balance to these as I work out what it means to ‘do’ ministry.

There are a few serious musings that I'll work through after this week, and maybe post. But for now ... this is life