overproportioNATE

 "What do you want?" I've wrestled over this question more than most. For years I spent time trying to answer the question, but as I've grown a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, I've thought more about whether that question matters whatsoever. It is very egocentric, in the grand scheme of things. A soldier in war cannot spend time on that questions. It matters not. The truly poor of our world needn't bother with this question in the midst of their struggle to survive. It matters not. There are many, a majority, in our world who spend little time on a question such as this. It matters not. But I still think about this question. Not just the answer, but the worthiness of this question as it stands. I think about the Garden of Eden and the purity of freedom that existed there. This question mattered there, and for a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. This question was unadulterated by sin or compulsion. They chose, at least for a time, that what matt

  To do anything, a person must be convinced that there will be some kind of benefit, tangible or intangible. We all need motivation. I believe that anyone who considers taking up the craft of blogging must consider the benefits of doing so. Will enough people read it? Will they benefit from it? If no one reads my thoughts, is that alright with me? In what ways is blogging different from journaling? Is it really just "journaling with accountability"?  You might wonder, if you've stumbled across this writing, why I stopped blogging, and why I am not, at least for the moment, attempting to begin again. Good questions... I stopped blogging for the same reasons most people stop doing good things. I was tired, I was busy, I was unsure of its ongoing benefits. I am a pastor, and blogging was a space for me to share opinions, opinions which were not worthy to be printed, certainly not worthy to be shared from behind a pulpit. It is my firm belief that I should avoid preaching op

I write this from my final class at Denver Seminary. My Prof left the room so that we could complete our course evaluation forms, but I have already completed mine. I have completed everything. I handed in my final paperwork today. I'm done. I have an Awards Ceremony to attend on Friday, and the Graduation Ceremony itself on Saturday. I have spent some time reflecting on what we've given up. What we walked away from to be here. We left friends and family. I left 3 jobs. We left a home. We cried and they others cried. That is what happened. We were grieved. We will grieve when we leave this place too. I believe now that grieving is a healthy part of moving, of leaving a place. Something must be loved in order to be grieved. If a person does not grieve leaving a place, I would question their love of that place and the people they have left behind. I have loved the people here. I love the people back home. I have fully felt it all.

I've been married 8 years. Today. The best years. We're standing at the fulcrum today. 8 years of marriage. 3 years of seminary. 3 years of seminary that I will cap off next week. I was always envious of the men and women that have graduated the last couple of years with their future laid out before them. I didn't want to head into an unknown future. Riding off into the sunset looks cool, but it just isn't my style. I don't like how that feels. Thankfully, we're not doing that. We're returning to the Midwest. We're finally settling down. Finally making a home. We're pretty excited. Maybe it is weird, but I've been dreaming about having office hours, time for sermon prep, the opportunity to put all my energy, love, and effort, toward one group of people, since I was in my teens. Life keeps turning and changing. Its been turning for us lately.

What is lacking in our society: 1. A general, common reasonable attitude. 2. Conversation. 3. Wisdom that comes from above. Reason is incredibly important. It allows both the assertive/dominant person in an argument as well as the meek and humble to be have a conversation. It not only demands a coherent and fair argument to come out of a person's mouth, it also requests information and answers from the other person with clarity and understanding in mind. There are few easy issues/dilemmas in this life. Reason seeks truth and welcomes all parties. Conversation is lacking at every level. It is most obviously lacking in our politics when politicians don't ask and answer real questions. We see it when our politicians don't even speak to the same groups of people anymore. Left and Right have completely different audiences to whom they speak. The Left rarely addresses the Middle and Upper classes. And, more troubling to me, I cannot recall a single Republican candidate th

I completed my M.Div Orals Exam this past monday. I finished my capstone paper for the New Testament program today. It was a rather large research paper on Romans Ch. 13. It was my final large paper. I have… 3 or 4 small paper left to finish up. Then I will be done. So what comes next? Well. I am in process with 4 churches. Plan A is to work at one of these churches. This is what I have been training and preparing for. But. If my graduation date comes and goes without a job offer. Plan B is to continue on here. I would pursue an MA in Clinical Health Counseling. I want to be able to be the best pastor I can possibly be. I also don't want to sit around waiting for a church to connect with me. I want to use my time well. I never thought this would be an option. But here we are. I have loved my time at Denver Seminary. It has blessed me (us) and with the space to reflect, learn, and grow together. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll keep you posted. But unti