Buckeyes in Town!

So, I was walking down the street yesterday afternoon and I noticed a group of guys dressed in all red Buckeye jumpsuits. Since I had seen several fans walking around town the last few days, I didn't think much of it except for getting excited that more fans were around. But then, I noticed that the guys were fairly young...and really big. As I looked around, I noticed several small groups of guys in similar apparel walking all over the city square I was in. "These are no ordinary fans," I thought to myself. "These are the actual Buckeyes!"

Being the fan that I am, and well, just a generally personal and gregarious man, I walked over to one group and said, "It's great to have you guys here!"

"Yeah, thanks man," responded one player in a very bored, monotonous tone. "Our hotel is right over there and coach is letting us look around the city for a few hours."

I told him I just moved here, and I loved having the Buckeye world come to Pac 10 country. He asked if I was from Columbus. I told him I grew up there. I asked if they were feeling good about the game.
He said, "yeah." Again in the same bored, monotonous tone. This guy was hilarious.

After basking in the presence of greatness for a few moments, I walked home.

13 hours 40 minutes and counting...

Hopefully, they'll make me proud.

Pleasure Reading is MOST DEFINITELY Over

One week and I'm already out of black ink. I've only sat in four classes, but I've already printed out enough articles to empty an entire ink cartridge.

It's a good thing I like to read...

This week has been fantastic, but busy. Orientation, beginning classes, reading, and a good ol' friend from Taylor, John Molineux, happened to stop by in town for a few days. I've loved every minute of it, but it has kept me away from the blog...
So, here's some visual enjoyment during my written absence - I took this on the ferry ride in the Sound last weekend.

First Day of School

Everyone needs a first day of school picture, right?


Today is also my last day at UPS.

My nephew Jonah would have loved my life today, because it was definitely a roller-coaster. Actually, I suppose it was just one big up-hill, and then an exhilaratingly fast down-hill.

Before work last night, I jumped on the Mars Hill website and decided to check the syllabus for today's class. I thought there may be a slight chance that I'd need to read for today. Sure enough - two reading assignments accompanied by a specific style of notes on each was due today (this was me getting on the coaster). I read a few pages, and then left for work at 9:15. Up until 1:00am or so, all seemed fairly normal, except for a slight concern about finishing the reading (the first few cars crept upwards). But as the boxes ceaselessly slid down the ramp into my trailer, I began to feel my nerves tighten (I'm now beginning the ascent). By 2:00, Dr. Jekyl was gone and Mr. Hyde began to appear. The stress of the Ft. Smith house, the long, physically exhausting hours at UPS, the late nights, the lack of sleep, the academic work that was already piling up (before I even started my first day!) was becoming too much to bear. Literally, I almost began crying in my trailer - I was having an emotional breakdown. And it was happening during the night shift at UPS, which is not the best place to receive sympathetic support. By 2:30, my body was shaking, I felt weak, and I was fighting the urge to throw-up (now, I'm slowly ticking up the hill, wondering if I'll ever reach the top). 3:00 - I race to the edge of my trailer and grap the first open container I can find - I'd rather not discuss what happened next.... At 3:15, my supervisor said I was free to go, even though there was no end in sight to the endless flow of cardboard packages.

I still don't know if I got sick from dinner, or if I had reached the point of physical exhaustion (my scanner told me I had loaded 1100 boxes, so exhaustion wasn't out of the question). Possibly, my body was reacting to the overwhelming stress. Whatever the reason, I'm glad it happened, because I was able to get to bed sooner.

Orientation began this morning, but I was miserable. I didn't know how I could keep up the 30 hour schedule at UPS and still pour all of myself into Mars Hill. I was angry too. I sold my house, left my friends, and moved across the country to a new town and a new life - all for school. A program I might add that requires a lot of cash. So why was I already contemplating how I could "get by" with my assignments so that I could continue to work at UPS??!! This was not what I came here for!

I thank God for good friends, and I thank God that Jason Jost is now working at Mars Hill. After orientation, we walked back to my place and talked. Sometimes, you need a shoulder to cry on, and Jason was just the friend I needed. Ashley eventually joined us after she got off work, and we all discussed what was happening to me. Between the tears and sobs, I was able to communicate my flat-out desire to pour everything into this counseling program. I've been wanting this for so long that I can't bear splitting my loyalties with a job like UPS. Still, I needed permission; I wanted to know that it was a reasonable, calculated decision. I didn't want to listen to my soul speaking to me - it's hard to acknowledge our desires.

But even thinking about leaving UPS brought immense relief. Over and over again, deep breaths found their way into my lungs - life was entering me again. I could let myself be thrilled about school; I didn't need to panic about unfinished assignments. I could have the time; I could have all day!

So, this is where we're at. I'm a full-time student and that's it. I don't know the details of everything else, but for the time being, I'm going to give Mars Hill everything I've got - and I'm going to love giving it to them.

Labor Day Weekend with the Benedicts

Here are a few pics from the Benedicts weekend visit:

On the ferry to Bainbridge Island (it was a little windy).

Picking blackberry's along the road. These bushes are everywhere! And they are sooo tasty!

Dan and Jeaneen in Paulsbo.

Good ol' Rainier.

The Ferry back to Seattle - these clouds came rolling in the last few minutes of the ride!

Pleasure Reading is Over...

Today, I began reading for school.

I love to read, but I'm not always fond of someone dictating what I read. So, I've spent the last few weeks reading some good books of my choice - probably the last books of my choice for the next three years...! The sheer volume of reading material required for my program will most likely not leave time for much else.

Since our trek to Seattle, I've had the pleasure of turning the pages of The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Night by Elie Wiesel...and now, the end has come...

I wish I could continue pulling books of my shelf, but alas, I must reach into the tote bag I received from the Mars Hill bookstore and commence the 3-year journey of subjecting myself to the will of others.

Open Theism scriptures - a response to a posted comment

First, Scriptural support is a very tricky thing because interpretation is not always as black and white as what is on the page (or as what our pastor preaches). We are deeply affected by culture, language, experiences, etc. So much that our reading of Scripture will always be distorted. Maybe I'll share more about these thoughts tomorrow...This being said, I share the passages below with the cautious attitude that interpretation is precarious. For me, these passages serve to generate questions more than provide answers.

Second, let me clarify that this is not necessarily my point of view. I do, however, feel myself resonating with many of the ideas concerning the nature of the future.

Third, this theology is complex. Boyd's "short" primer is still 169 pages. My blog is significantly less. Please understand that I cannot fully explain the nuances of this theology in short and simple terms.

So, if you think I'm off-track because my Biblical support is not sufficient, please read something other than this blog. I never intended to make anyone think like me; I'm just sharing some of the thoughts I wrestle with.

Before beginning, ask yourself this: If God did change his mind and some of the future was partially open to him, how would he let us know that this was the case? Perhaps one response would be: He would tell us in Scripture.

Boyd remarks that I Kings 20 sparked his first questions about the nature of the future. In this passage, God sends Isaiah to inform Hezekiah that he is "going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah then prays to God, and God responds by sending Isaiah back to Hezekiah. "This is what the Lord...says: I have heard your prayer....I will add fifteen years to your life."
1) Was God sincere when he told Hezekiah he was going to die?
2) If He was, how could we not believe that God then changed his mind?
3) How could God truly change his mind in response to a prayer if the prayer he was responding to was forever in his mind?
4) How could the Bible say that God "added" 15 years to his life if God was certain that he was going to live those years all along?
(these questions are all paraphrased to some degree from Boyd)

Clarification: the open view does not suggest that "all" of the future is open to God as possibilities (this would be defined as "process theology"). The open view suggests that "some" of the future is open while "some" remains determined or settled.

There are plenty of passages to support that the future is settled to God, but equal weight should be given to passages like the following:

Gen. 6:6 - "The Lord was "grieved" that he had made man on the earth." - Can God grieve over something he eternally foreknew would happen?

Num.14:11 - God asks Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse...?"
Hos. 8:5 - "How long will they be incapable of purity?"
- These two could be rhetorical questions, but that's left for interpretation to decide. Many people that take the Bible "literally" would choose to say here that these are not literal questions that God is asking...convenient...

Is. 5:2,4 - The vineyard yielded "bad fruit" although God expected good fruit. "What more could have been done...? why did it yield only bad?"

Jer. 3:7 - "I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not..." It seems like Israel "not" returning was unexpected to God (if we take this literally). How could it be unexpected if he already foreknew their response?
Again in Jer. 3:19 - "I thought you would call me Father and not turn away...you have been unfaithful...."

Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35 - Israel's behavior was other than God commanded, "nor did it enter my mind." At the very least, this suggests that God did not determine their actions. How could it never enter his mind, but also eternally be in his mind that they would do this??

Ex. 4:10-15 - God becomes angry at Moses for refusing to speak. If God always knew this would be Moses response, why would he then get angry when Moses refused?

Ezek. 22:30-31 - The Lord looked for a man among them who would stand up and build the wall, but he didn't find anyone. Why would God look for someone that he eternally knew would not answer?

Jonah 3:10 - "he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." What? Are his threats empty? I don't think so. Maybe he literally threatened them and because of his compassion, he changed his mind. If he foreknew that he would have compassion, why did he threaten them in the first place???

At this point, if I'm attempting to refute open theism, I'm beginning to make some accomodations to my "literal" interpretations (evangelicals love to pride themselves on their "literal" and "the Bible says it" interpretations)...

If you really want more biblical support, read these passages (or read Boyd's book):
Ex. 32:14; 33:1-3,14; Deut. 9:13-29; 1 Kings 21:21-29; 2 Chr. 12:5-8; Jer. 26:2-3; Ez. 4:9-15; Amos 7:1-6 - and there's more in the book (that is, both the Bible and Boyd's)

The first passages aren't more important. I just happened to see those first. And I stopped because I needed to go to work.