getting back to things

I have taken a bit of a hiatus from the world of blogging, primarily beacuse I have been recovering from writing the Barclay Press entries.

I was asked to review Ryan Bolger’s new book “Emerging Churches” for Barclay Press’s book review in February. I am really excited about this prospect, as I really respect Ryan’s work not only in this area but in the other area’s of academia that he pursues. For those who are unaware I am his teaching assistant this Quarter at Fuller. So not only do I get to know him from what he has written about in his book but have spent time learning from him. I am also in the process of writing a proposal for my PhD application to study with him Fuller, as well as the University of Birmingham (UK).

Emily and I spent sometime at the Huntington Library in Pasadena this weekend. It was a part of us celebrating her birthday which was on November 17, 1980! Huntington is beautiful, the gardens and museums are astounding but I would have to say my favorite part was going to the tea room and drinking tea and eating little savory sandwhiches and other great foods. It was a lot of fun to just do something different. It did cost $15 just to get into the museum (before paying to go to the tea room) and I do think that’s a bit much. Actually I am not so sure its really worth it, unless you are planning to go for the whole day and see everything, otherwise just wait till the one Thursday a month when its free.

It was really nice to celebrate Emily a little, I do feel as though she is an unsung hero around here. She is a very hardworker, very compassionate toward those in need, and has convinctions of a lion. She is always evaluating how we are living, what we eat, how we spend our money, and whether these things are appropriate for followers of Jesus, and point toward the kingdom of God. She has willingly lived in homes that are placed in the city (since we’ve been married) in order to live out the example of Christ in places where most white people are afraid to even drive through. When I tell people that we in the city, they will ask me “how does your wife feel about that” and I with a grin on my face get to say “It was her idea as much as it was mine.” The fact that she chooses to work in the school systems she has, has also proven how huge her heart is and how deep the call of God runs in her. She refuses to take the status quo at face value, instead she questions every aspect of it, and often times subverts it. She truly seeks to live life as one who has been “saved” and is being saved daily. I love the fact that she is stubborn Christ-following Quaker, a feminist, a vegetarian, a pacifist, a prayer, an intellect, a marvolous friend and that she is willing to do things that are culturally not cool (she wears make-up just a couple times a year) like ride bikes to school, drive old used cars (when she could have a nicer one), and shops at secondhand stores all because she takes seriously the call of Jesus. For all these reasons and many more she is a wonderful wife that somehow believes in and loves me. I continue to be challenged by her love and her life, and this is not only cause for celebration but what love and Christianity really should be.