Things got a bit busy the last couple of days in the summer intensive class what with readings and classes and dinners and such. It’s been a great week, but I just can’t think of anything in particular to mention at this moment. That’s why I really need to write posts immediately. Of course, it has been a busy day at home as well. I find myself looking forward to a day off for the July 4th holiday this week because it has been so busy this week.

Maybe I will have the energy to be more coherent about something tomorrow.

Day three started with a walk of just about two miles interrupted only by a stop at Coffee Amici for an iced chai latte, which served as breakfast as it was already approaching 80 degrees in the morning and a hot coffee for the second half of the trip was just not going to happen! Later, Dr. Sherman (the professor for Biblical Worldview and Christian Life Views, which is the lengthy, but accurate name for the class this week) told me the owners (at least, I think he said owners) were Christians and musicians who frequently have open mic nights and live music, including Christian artists. It sounds like they are doing something that I have often thought would be a great addition to my own town.

I was distracted by the fish flopping in the river below me as I walked over the bridge along Main Street. I tried to get a picture, but it just didn’t work out so well.

The walk took only about 45 minutes, including the latte stop, and I arrived at the seminary before the rest of my classmates. Good thing because my hair was in dire need of a good brushing and I needed to cool down a bit before being around people. At least after that little excursion, I didn’t quite feel like a blob anymore. Three full days of driving and/or sitting in a classroom will transform a person into a bloblike consistency rather quickly.

Class … very interesting … all about creation, the fall, redemption and new creation today. I’d say more about it, but there is so much still swimming about in my head that I am afraid it would not be coherent at all. Although I do believe the abovementioned professor did, at one point, admit to being a Crowder fan. It’s all good …

At lunch, I met with Will Miller, whose title I don’t really know, but he is the campus ministry guy at UF. It was a great meeting. General talk about campus ministry and his experiences. Another encouragement that if I am being called to campus ministry, God will provide. He also had great stories and interesting ways to look at things. My favorite was the Methuselah question. Did he die in the Flood? Check out Genesis 5 and 6. We’re told that Methy was 187 when he became the father of Lamech and that he (Methy) died at 969. Lamech had his son, Noah, at the age of 182. Noah entered the ark and the flood came when he was 600. Add it up. 187+182+600=969. So, did Methy die in the flood? Interesting. I think there’s a post there in the future. But not today. Today, it is still simmering.

So class ends with a video of the Newsboys singing He Reigns. Interesting thing about that video is that the band’s faces are never shown. They are always shown from the back. At the same time, the people of “every tongue, every nation” are shown from the front, praising God in all sorts of ways (including dancing!). Subtle message there?

After class, I found a little bench on the campus to sit on while I read more of the book due at the end of the week. I really, really, really liked the chapter that I just finished that outline the triune idols of scientism, technicism and economism. The authors suggest that the angst in our society today stems from the fact that we are figuring out that these false idols don’t work and the solution is a healing response from the Christian community.

There were supposed to be storms this evening, but they have yet to materialize. I suspect they will start when I step out the door to start the walk home. I can’t decide if I should stay here to finish the book or simply head back. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring something to eat so I will have to stop on the way - a development on which I had not planned when I budgeted for the week. I wonder what’s on the way home?

To be continued tomorrow …

Who would have thought that a day of talking about worldview would have gone so quickly? Somehow, I thought such philosophically-tinged discussions would devolve into the esoteric realm, but that hasn’t been the case. The class has had wonderful insights and the professor has said some things that I actually took down word for word as quotes simply because they were spoken so well when they seemed to be off-the-cuff discussion.

For instance, he was talking at one point about the reality of spiritual warfare and how Satan will do what he can to mislead us especially when things seem to be going well. He noted, “Where the true spirit is, the lying spirit is not far behind.”

After class, I filled a bag with books from the buck a bag sale mentioned in the previous post. Average vintage of said books is approximately 1953, but it’s all good. Speaking of books, I just pre-loaded my cart for the big Piper sale tomorrow (again, refer to post below). I have about $85 worth of Piper goodness in the cart. It will soon turn into … uh …. forgot to do the math … somewhat less amount worth of Piper goodness.

I had to get away for a little bit to catch up on the reading. I sat out on a bench in the sun for a bit to rewarm myself after turning into a popsicle in class. I have never been a fan of air conditioning, believe it or not, and to have such icy conditions really gets me in a foul mood. I finished a chapter and came back in to read some more. I always have to at least change my location to keep the concentration up. I picked what I believe is now my favorite window at WTS. It faces west so right now I can look out at the sun setting over the UF campus and type or read to my heart’s content … or until they close the building. I also was treated to hearing someone with a beautiful voice practice with a rather skilled piano player while I was reading earlier. Love that kind of background noise!

I finished an additional chapter then went in search of food to find the most amazing place. It’s called Chipotle Mexican Grill. Prices aren’t bad. More than McDonald’s, less than Applebees. Atmosphere is awesome. They actually have what I call tables for single peeps. These are smaller, taller tables with stools that have barely enough room for one person’s food although they always have two stools. Us single folk going somewhere to eat on our own always hate to take up an entire large table. Music in the background was eclectic, but definitely in the indie artist vein. Great atmosphere, good food. Now we just need one closer to home.

After that excursion, I am back at the seminary building taking advantage of the wireless to catch up on e-mails, fill the cart for the Piper sale and (after I post this) get back to reading. I wanted to take some time away from the house at which I am staying to give my hosts a little time on their own and to take care of some reading which I know I would never actually do if I were there and distracted by conversations and intriguing possibilities for card games that I simply can’t understand!

Tomorrow will be another day at class, but the big thing I am looking forward to is lunch with the campus minister here. I want to talk to him about what day to day college ministry is really like and get any advice from him that I can regarding pursuing such a ministry.

Anyway, reading calls …..

The intensive class adventure continues.

To bring everything up to date, I arrived home Friday night after an amazing week at the retreat center for Spiritual Formation class. It was rather eye-opening for me in that I was totally unconnected to the world for the time I was there. I never realized how often I checked my e-mail or blogged or thought about blogging until I was unplugged, so to speak. And, on top of that, I realized I could be unplugged and the world would continue to spin on its axis!

All the same, I’m reconnected, but hopefully not as obsessive.

Saturday was a whirlwind of checking in at work, doing laundry, running errands and packing for the return to Ohio.

I left after church on Sunday for a visit and overnight stay at my aunt’s house. That’s always a cool thing.

Left there at about 1:30 today and promptly realized I left the directions in a bag in my trunk. Rather than pull over, I tried to do it from memory to mixed results. It mostly turned into a mix of maps and instincts. I ended up taking a route that I really liked for the most part, but I will have to fine-tune the first little bit to make it a shorter and smoother ride.

This week’s class started with helping set out books for a book sale. I can be bought so easily when it comes to the written word. All they had to say was that we could have one free book for every box we emptied onto the tables.

I emptied three.

Class this week is Biblical Worldview and Christian Life Views. It started off pretty well. I’m kind of looking forward to it. If spiritual formation is, as the professor himself defined it, kind of squishy, this class is more academic … therefore, more up my alley!

I’m also trying to set up a meeting with the campus pastor here to talk about the ups and downs and daily reality of campus ministry. Either such a talk will fire me up even more or it will scare me off completely. Either way, I need to know …

I have returned from an amazing week at Our Lady of the Pines where our Spiritual Formation class was held. Right now, I am a bit tired not only from driving home, but also from thinking about the vast amount of stuff I have to do before heading back out to Findlay for Biblical Worldview class next week. I will try to write posts tomorrow and schedule them to be posted throughout the next week. It will be entertaining for me to check my own blog and see new posts on occasion!