Stardate: -315006.82

As another semester approaches, I find myself in a transitional phase of my life, but at the same time feeling like nothing extremely dramatic is happening:

• My relationship with Bethany is going well, nearing engagement and the time to start planning a wedding. All considered, we're in a very good place in our relationship, perhaps one that I didn't expect to get to this soon.
• I had to switch to taking classes on Mondays this semester in order to get two classes that actually go towards my degree. This means that I'm taking a year off Greek -- not ideal, but a necessary detour at this point. I don't have anyone to carpool with yet this semester. I'm taking Christian History and Theology II and New Testament II, and a one unit spiritual formation intensive class called Spirituality, Shame and Grace.
• Basketball season is in full swing, except for the two weeks off that just happened over Christmas. I usually do four or five high school freshman or JV games a week. I haven't been doing much middle school this year, probably because of an influx of rookie officials.

In the last three months I have:

• Aced a Greek final exam and written a research paper on The Problem of Institutionalization in the Christian Church.
• Followed the Blazers closely during their bleak and harsh month of November and their 13-game win streak in December. Ironically, I watched very little of those 13 games on TV.
• Gone on my first dress-up-romantic-evening-out kind of date.
• Got a flat tire on my bike on my way to morning work and had to walk four miles home.
  

Stardate: -315006.73

It's time to break the silence. Interestingly, three months without posting to this blog (I did post to my as-yet-undistributed Blazers blog back in October) is not specifically a reflection of a lack of time. Seminary has happened, yes. I had about five weeks of near-constant homework at the end of the semester, yes (partially from procrastination). It can be hard at times to want to blog when I have to write for homework, yes. But lack of time? No.

It may be more of an illustration of the fact that for things that don't come naturally for us, it takes priority, and planning, to do them over and above other things. I'm not the kind of blogger (at least, not yet) who comes home at 10 pm and naturally gravitates to writing a blog entry. My best writing is done in the morning, actually, or in the middle of the day. And as yet, I haven't made blogging a part of my routine during that time of the day. Will that change? Perhaps. I certainly would like to procrastinate less in other areas of my life (read: homework), and maybe it will carry over to this area as well.

Stardate: -316732.9

I started graduate school three weeks ago. The reshuffling of my schedule since then, coupled with the fact that Bethany started working full-time at about the same time, makes it clear in retrospect that blogging got lost in the process.

I've said it before that even all the best intentions can't necessarily get me to blog regularly. And because I believe that blogging, for me, is about more than freedom of expression, or the ability to communicate with people who care about me, I'm going to make blogging a priority. This is being encouraged by one of my spiritual formation classes, Spiritual Life, in which we talk about spiritual disciplines and are strongly pushed to take up at least one regular discipline for the duration of the semester.

Now before you wonder in your mind how blogging ever came to be considered a spiritual discipline, let me explain. Our professor described how there are different traditions of spirituality (or Christianity, if you will). One of these traditions, and the one that I am focusing on this semester, is the incarnational tradition. In this tradition, spirituality is discovered through the everydayness of life. That means that any activity that can be God-centered is fair game. Writing, artistic expression, experiencing nature, music, short little prayers that you say throughout the day, time with family and friends, or anything else you can think of.

So what is blogging about for me? Blogging is not only me conversing with God casually. It is developing my mind, my ability to communicate my thoughts, and ultimately, using a gift that God has given me. It's about more than what some would call philosophy. It's about the idea that even if no one else is ever affected by my writing, I write and I am changed. Through writing, all of my thoughts that would otherwise be simmering under the surface, are let out so I can use them. Blogging is a huge technological opportunity, because it means that even if I never get a book, essay, or article published, I still have an outlet, a means of communicating my thoughts. If other people benefit at all from what I write, that's wonderful also.

One note: Most of the aforementioned posts to come will probably be found on my profundus sententia (profound thoughts) blog. See the link in the left sidebar if you don't have it already.

Stardate: -316640.71

I guess it's easy to figure out that I like black and white photography when I post a black and white picture of Crater Lake, easily one of the bluest lakes in the world, especially on a day like this one.

Bethany and I went camping there with Vjera and Eddie a couple weekends ago. We camped on Diamond Lake, which in its own right is a very good lake, then spent the next day driving most of the way around the rim of the more famous one. We had a good time, definitely helped by the fact that both Bethany and I like taking pictures. There's not a whole lot to do at Crater Lake except look at it and marvel at its blueness.

Bethany and I also spent a day at the Oregon Coast visiting my friend Krysten from Life. She was staying with her grandparents in Waldport. We spent hours talking to her, telling her the story of our friendship, and took a walk on a foggy beach. What fog lacks in beauty, it gains in surreality.

I went to orientation at George Fox Evangelical Seminary last week, which was a mostly boring two hours interrupted by a hilarious librarian and punctuated with heartfelt, brief addresses by a good portion of the faculty. Everyone seems very intent to challenge us spiritually and emotionally and not just academically, which is refreshing at an institution of higher education.

I have registered for seven credits, and might add another class if I can fit it into my schedule. I don't know if carpooling is going to work out as well as I had hoped, but in any event, one day a week is very manageable, especially when my car gets good gas mileage.

Stardate: -316596.01

Having recently found out that I will probably have no games during the month of August, the most recent question imperative for me to answer is, what exactly am I going to do with my free time?

On the one hand, though I have had a couple brief stints of temporary work during the last three months, I'm not exactly excited to do more right now. Perhaps that is because of the reality of starting at seminary in just over four weeks, and the accompanying shift of focus that means. Also, I don't want to look for a new job, though there are certainly advantages to having something more consistent than I do right now. I'm going to be full-time at seminary, and that means I won't be full-time at work.

What remains is to make use of the time in other ways. I read a lot, more than I have at any point since I came back to Oregon. It's no secret that I spend a lot of time with Bethany. However, the new thing that I want to jump start is writing. If it is a gift that I possess, I need to start developing it; and there's no reason to wait for seminary to do that for me. Blogging is good, and I hope to post more than I have recently. But I have a suspicion that blogging is just the tip of the iceberg for me.

It's highly unlikely that all of the things I write about will end up in blog posts. But rest assured, those of you who are faithful readers have a front row seat, so keep your eye on profundus sententia (link is on the sidebar).

Stardate: -316564.02

I have been back in Oregon for nearly a year. In the back of my mind, I knew that it was a possibility that in a short time God could bring someone into my life and that I would, sooner rather than later, be pursuing a relationship with her.

It's one thing to admit (for the first time in my life, perhaps) that such an occurrence is a possibility. It's another for it to actually happen...and it has, actually, happened.

It may be comical, or entertaining, to some of you who read this blog how the sequence of events has unfolded. Indeed, my favorite way to announce it to people is that Bethany and I are out of denial. To which, several people have responded, "What are you guys in, then?"

The most accurate answer is that we don't know. To say we are dating is not appealing to us. Courtship is probably the best term, though even it is somewhat antiquated, and to the extent that it is used in this age, can also imply a relationship or process that is not a true description of our journey.

Rest assured, though, that Bethany and I are not being evasive by refusing to prematurely label our involvement with each other. We are very serious about the process that we have begun. We don't know how long it will take, or where it will take us. Our goal is to deepen our relationship while carefully, prayerfully, and thoroughly considering whether we want to continue into marriage.

And ultimately, this process is to see whether God smiles on us and encourages us to continue on. I invite you to be a part of that process with us. Courtship, for us, is not about isolating ourselves, but about making an informed, wise decision while we look to our family and friends to help us, and to see whether God would be glorified in our unique friendship heading in a new direction.

Stardate: -316472.53

June is such a beautiful month in Oregon. I love the long hours of daylight, the mild heat during the day, and how the temperature drops when the sun goes down. I love the lack of humidity compared to where I was at this time last year (see Link below).

I love that I don't have to worry about hurricane warnings. I love the way the Willamette river can look blue and green at the same time. I love how when the sun comes up in the morning, I forget about the darkness of night and whatever happened the day before. I love how the sun reflects off the dew on everything green, and makes the world look like a new place.

I love that I get to work outside. That I have the luxury of biking. That I don't depend on an AC unit to keep me cool.

I love how it all speaks of God's stance toward the world. How He's unfazed by what appears to be going dreadfully wrong. Of how His mercies are new every morning, just like the sunrise. Of how it seems to me that He's walking around in His creation, not confined to some divine office cubicle or government building.

In fact, I think if we were to look for Him, we would find Him not in the places we most associate with Him, but in places like the sunrise.