Special Occassion

I'd just like to wish my wife a very happy birthday...and I hope she forgives me for attending classes today...

Topics to discuss when I have time

What is rationality?

What is the sacred? How do you know it when you see it? From the artist's perspective...

Is theology a science?

What is science?

What is the Christmas story really about?

Possible names for a child?

Redefining recreation...



Feel free...if you have any ideas before I jump into them, go right ahead...as of now I'm unclear on all...right now it's off to dogmatics with Karl Barth...

Time does not exist outside of thin sheets of paper

Since I've been in school here I have hardly had time to breathe (partially because I have a sinus infection). It's not the school work that is a problem so far...it's the transition common day activities that take up much of my time...cleaning...adding/dropping classes...filling out paperwork and more paperwork...opening up bank accounts...calling doctors all over the city to schedule an appointment for my pregnant wife...fixing my truck which has decided to stop starting at the present point in time...going to Wal-mart dozens of times...having dinner with the neighbors...checking in with friends and family. Once I got settled a bit more and into a routine of uninterrupted study (which will probably never happen) then perhaps I can really feel as if I'm a student at PTS. I'm also deciding whether I should take a Religion and Society Course or a course on the English and Scottish Reformations along with Puritanism...hmmm...deadline is next Tuesday for adding or dropping a class...plenty of time to decide...yeah right.

All is well with Amy and I...it is very hectic and busy...there is really no such thing as free time. I read so much that my eyes begin to really ache...of course hours and hours of reading will do that. Also, reading requires maneuvering into different comfortable positions so that different parts of the body do not take too much stress. And comfortable positions tends to lull me sleep much of the time. Reading in the morning when I wake up has become perhaps the best time to read. I better get to my precept class...

What am I doing here?

This morning I got out of bed, took a long shower, gathered my materials needed for the day from around the house, kissed my wife good-bye and scurried to the offices at PTS to accomplish everything needed before my registration appointment this afternoon. And in this time one thought haunts my mind: what am I doing here, at Princeton, in NJ? My wife is pregnant, money is very short, there is no family member within a 800 miles, most things are unfamiliar...

What if...scares me. There are many people I can talk to here, but it has not been natural for me to socialize, to ask someone else for help. Slowly, my wife is teaching me that asking for help is no bad thing, but it still seems contrary to some innate feeling...

When I graduate, the possibility of finding a mediocre to high-paying job is slim. And though that would not matter to me, I feel that the responsibility of caring for my wife and child falls upon myself. My wife is very independent and will no doubt receive a prestigious degree after having our child, or perhaps find a good-paying job herself, but as of now we both feel hopelessly in debt, and hopelessly tired from the strenuous move. Perhaps I should quit my incessant worrying and do...

As I was arranging my class schedule for the semester I came across a specialized program that PTS offers come middle year of a seminarian. There is a program that I can apply to at Rutgers that will add a year onto study, but will present the opportunity for an MSW -- masters in social work. Psychology has always been an interest in mine as I began my collegiate studies in the field and so the opportunity to participate in a social work program at Rutger's is very attractive. My original intent was to work through the MDiv degree and perhaps move to the ThM program in which I can gain a masters in theology so that I might have the opportunity to teach at the higher education level, or perhaps be better informed when I start parish ministry in the Presbyterian Church. But now I feel that the SMW might be an opportune route that really adds to my growth and ultimately to my ministry. Being undecidedj/unsure as to what form my ministry I should pursue, my hope is that all three of the programs might be a grand opportunity to grow.

The atmosphere here is wonderful for just an opportunity as this. The cultural diversity is great, the fusion of theory and praxis is comforting, the community and its resources are rich and diverse, the libraries are a once in a lifetime opportunity...

Still, I am worried...perhaps I will visit the Trinity Counseling Services for a few appointments...it can't hurt...and it's free...

Today, Amy and I have an appointment for blood work on her and perhaps a sonogram and a toxicology test...keep us in your thoughts...and I'll keep you informed as to our status.

Hello from NJ

Not writing for over a week has been a little strange, but with all going on here there has not been time to take a deep breath or relaxing stroll. Moving from Illinois to New Jersey has been a real culture shock. The linguistics are different having conversed with the people I've met so far, the cultural diversity is outstanding with the many international students attending Princeton Theological Seminary; but beyond this, the area is extremely busy. Cars ceaselessly speed down roads where left turns are something of a foreign, far-off culture. Fortunately, there is a familiar Barnes and Noble bookstore just a few blocks from our apartment.

The people here are extremely generous and giving, and if they do not have children of any sort, then they have a dog or two. In fact many families have both furry children and bald.

So far I have counted around a dozen barbecues just outside our apartment building in the last two weeks that my wife and I have been settling in. The weather is nice, seminarians are living in their apartments again (many of them having come back from various states and countries where they have been doing field work), the golf course behind our apartment buildings is overcrowded, and school is getting back into swing around here.

My wife and I are still settling in and finding ourselves engulfed in a lethargic bubble of sleep almost every day. It is amazing how stressful a cross-country move can be, and how tiring that stress can be. Fortunately almost everything is taken care of and we still have enough money to survive. "Miraculously we escape unscathed."

I will write more later when I have more time, but I need to make a "to do" list for tomorrow since school is only a few days away from getting under-way for me...