Graduate 73: A bit on me
(composed on Saturday, 20 October 2007)
On a completely different note and tone from my previous entry, I would like to comment on my goings-on of late. Maybe some will think that I'm becoming hardened and gloomy, cynical and dark--only talking about sin and evil and the wickedness of society. In fact, I think that I continue to retain and maintain a fairly high level of jollity, though I don't always wear it on my proverbial sleeve.
(Moreover, I categorically repudiate any imputation of cynicism ever. --Ha!)
In fact, at this moment, my spirit is full to overflowing. Steve and Aaron visited me from APU today. We spent the afternoon and evening together--hanging out, sharing dinner, making cookies, reading the Bible; it was so much fun! Steve knitted me a scarf and I am absolutely delighted to have received it! And what a joy to spend time with them! UCR, I'm finding, is a very different place from APU. That probably seems a fairly obvious point to most of my readers; but you'd be surprised at the interesting and unexpected ways in which this fact manifests itself. So it was especially encouraging to receive a visit from established friends.
--
Reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer has been very difficult in some ways (and you've seen some of the fruits of that) but also marvelously refreshing and encouraging. I highly recommend both his Life Together and Cost of Discipleship. (They speak much more clearly and compellingly than I do in my blogs, believe me. And they say better things than I do too.) Indeed, God has been very faithful in the last couple weeks, and I continue to draw closer to Him and love Him more day by day.
--
It occurred to me recently that when people ask me about what I've been up to, I talk about my classes, the faculty and other grad students, my search for a church... and that's pretty much it. Sometimes there's more, but not much--in all my conversations. And one could get the impression that I lead a very boring and tedious existence. Some would say that spending seven or eight hours on philosophy in a day just is boring and tedious; I would tend to disagree and actually find the thought to be highly amusing. But just in case anyone is getting the impression that life is overall very dull for me, rest assured, that is not the case. Certainly there are moments and times and spells when things are especially slow or wanting for either excitement or else friendly interaction. But overall I am excited about what I'm doing.
And if you are interested in hearing about what I've been studying, do ask. I'm not really used to talking about it (as you may imagine), but am always eager and willing to share and attempt to make it as interesting for the listener as I possibly can.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
On a completely different note and tone from my previous entry, I would like to comment on my goings-on of late. Maybe some will think that I'm becoming hardened and gloomy, cynical and dark--only talking about sin and evil and the wickedness of society. In fact, I think that I continue to retain and maintain a fairly high level of jollity, though I don't always wear it on my proverbial sleeve.
(Moreover, I categorically repudiate any imputation of cynicism ever. --Ha!)
In fact, at this moment, my spirit is full to overflowing. Steve and Aaron visited me from APU today. We spent the afternoon and evening together--hanging out, sharing dinner, making cookies, reading the Bible; it was so much fun! Steve knitted me a scarf and I am absolutely delighted to have received it! And what a joy to spend time with them! UCR, I'm finding, is a very different place from APU. That probably seems a fairly obvious point to most of my readers; but you'd be surprised at the interesting and unexpected ways in which this fact manifests itself. So it was especially encouraging to receive a visit from established friends.
--
Reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer has been very difficult in some ways (and you've seen some of the fruits of that) but also marvelously refreshing and encouraging. I highly recommend both his Life Together and Cost of Discipleship. (They speak much more clearly and compellingly than I do in my blogs, believe me. And they say better things than I do too.) Indeed, God has been very faithful in the last couple weeks, and I continue to draw closer to Him and love Him more day by day.
--
It occurred to me recently that when people ask me about what I've been up to, I talk about my classes, the faculty and other grad students, my search for a church... and that's pretty much it. Sometimes there's more, but not much--in all my conversations. And one could get the impression that I lead a very boring and tedious existence. Some would say that spending seven or eight hours on philosophy in a day just is boring and tedious; I would tend to disagree and actually find the thought to be highly amusing. But just in case anyone is getting the impression that life is overall very dull for me, rest assured, that is not the case. Certainly there are moments and times and spells when things are especially slow or wanting for either excitement or else friendly interaction. But overall I am excited about what I'm doing.
And if you are interested in hearing about what I've been studying, do ask. I'm not really used to talking about it (as you may imagine), but am always eager and willing to share and attempt to make it as interesting for the listener as I possibly can.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 10:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home