Back to Classes!

I think it is going to be helpful to keep this blog this semester because I am deliberating out alot and I really appreciate the prayer support that I know you all give me when you take the time to read this blog.

I am back in the swing of things in Berkeley, CA. It is going to be a busy semester. I am looking for a different teaching parish site to complete my last semester of teaching parish at. I am doing Pace e Bene for an independent study, I am also taking: History and theology of modern church, American Lutheranism, Education, Old Testament. I was enrolled for a Revelation class which I decided to drop because I was not as excited about it as I was my other classes. With trying to get a new TP and in doing Pace e Bene and starting classes I have felt life feel pretty hectic.

I could work all the time if I am not careful. The key I think is going to be treating my commitments like a job that has parameters as much as possible in order to not drive myself crazy. This might not always be easy for me to do because I have a heart for academia. However I might keep myself from going mentally insane by doing this as well. I have my endorsement interview on Monday. Prayers for that please. Also I am working on applying for my internship site as well for next year.

Also, my time in MN this summer was fruitful. I had an amazing experience taking the mission developing class. I heard the most inspiring speaker, Ruben, when I was there. He put me on fire for being a mission oriented pastor. However at that conference I became aware that as much as I love Berkeley I do not feel like it really prepares me to be a pastor in mission. Ruben and I had a chat and he said that it was good that I have been exposed to this kind of church climate so that I am not naive about what is going on there. I am thinking critically as to whether or not I should complete my degree at Luther after this semester. I am feeling stressed out by my debt load (as a pastor I will never make what I need to make to pay back my loans) this year as well. The lower cost of living in the midwest and the fact that I do want to be a missional pastor are things that I am struggling through right now. I do love the GTU and I am on fire for Pace e Bene but I think that this is something worth considering. I think that there is a part of me that wishes that I can stay here quite a bit, however the fact is that I think I sometimes feel lonely in my perspective and being away from my support system (of all of you). The fact is that they do not offer a missional perspective on church out here much. Its one of the ways religion has been secularized out here a bit I think.

There is a lot going on in my life. Seriously, this is as much of a nutshell that I can make it right now. Updates and reflections you may be interested in will be posted on here as time goes by. Prayers are appreciated!