Mid-term Time

I've just finished my fifth week of classes and I'm still going. It's been quite a ride thus far. My Ethics class is turning out to my favorite class. I have it on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8 am. I was really afraid that I'd be really sleepy and nonattentive because of it's early time but because my professor is turning out to be so great to listen to I'm finding myself totally geared up for class and joyfully expectant to hear what she has to say. I sit front and centre (as I do in two out of three of my classes) nowadays. I figure I want to be able to hear what they have to say and I'm kind of pass trying to be anonymous in school. I'm there to learn, right? So I might as well get the most out of each class I go to.

My faith and my knowledge of the Bible, God, and theology are really being turned upside down. Things that I've never thought about or ventured into exploring more are showing so much to me. It's been totally stretching but good at the same time. Yes, it is difficult having to put all of these things together but I know at least, that God is God and that I belong to Him and that my theology is being refined day after day. It really is in the midst of challenge and hard times that we must really face into ourselves and understand from which we came from and to try and figure to where to continue onto. I continue to remember that the Lord is with me and that He lies beyond the horizon as well.

My commute isn't turning out to be so bad. I carpool with my friend in the morning and I get dropped off at Union Station where I take the light rail up into Pasadena and I walk only eight minutes to campus. At the end of the day, I just take the train back down to Union Station, get picked up from by friend and then we carpool home. It's totally great being able to use the carpool lane during peak traffic hours because we just fly by the rest of the notoriously backed up LA traffic. The Lord's really blessed me by giving me the classes and schedule that I desired and my friend with whom I carpool. Overall, the commute ain't so bad.

Outside of school, I've started taking a basic sailing class at Long Beach. It's pretty fun! We had our first class last Saturday where we learned how to tie a few different knots (everything requires knots), rig the boat and sail it. I even skippered the boat! Granted, I did make a "wrong" turn but it was fine. We didn't sink or lose anyone overboard, so that's always a plus. This Saturday we'll most likely be on the water the whole class time.

I still haven't been able to settle on a church. I've gone to a different church each Sunday that I've been here in LA. I've been to multi-cultural and Chinese churches so far. Overall, my LA church experience can be summed as "it's just alright". I seriously miss ECC and being on staff with a great bunch of people. I wonder if I'll ever be back on a church staff again? Oh, I miss those times. Those were great times.

So that's me, kinda plugging along. Reading a whole bunch, trying to write papers, oh, and getting to know some very cool people at Fuller. It's a good place to be. I still can't really believe I'm a full time student again. But hey, the Lord's called me here and I'm privileged to be here. As Ralph Watkins preached this past Wednesday in chapel, "You gonna make it!"