i'm back?

...i have a question mark there, b/c I really hope that this post marks my triumphant return to the blog world, except that I'm not sure how that will work out over the next few, busy weeks.

Well, needless to say, a lot has changed in 6 months...and my blog was not one of those things...it needs some serious updating. For one, this profile picture, as my girlfriend Amy says, "looks like a totally different person" than how I currently look. As of right now, I haven't cut my hair in, oh, about 6 months, and I'm rocking the full beard. And I've put on another 5 pounds or so, but you can't tell that from the picture. Anywho, I digress....

At the moment, I don't have regular computer access. Which actually, I've really grown to appreciate. I don't feel tied to checking my email 8 times a day, or wasting time looking at random blogs anymore. (Although I do miss getting the latest scoop on tunes. I've still managed to buy numerous CD's over the past few months, despite this.) So, I don't think about blogging as much, which means, esp. for me, that I will not blog. But now I'm hoping to make it a (at least) a once-a-week thing, either from the school library or from my girlfriend's house. I just have to remember.

Also, I keep putting more and more stuff on my plate (which is everyone's story in seminary, I'm aware, but still it is a bit overwhelming at times). I'm currently a full-time Fuller student, one of my classes being a doctoral seminar in philosophical methods (and I'm still very much a newbie to philosophy) with Nancey Murphy (who is pretty big-time); I am in about the 8th month now of leading a homeless ministry that I and a few others started at my church (Lake Avenue Warehouse), which is my internship for Fuller; I am tutoring kids for money (very) part-time, and I'm also a TA for a Fuller professor (who supplements my income with lattes); and I am also in a long-term relationship, now for almost 14 mos. (Wow, that's crazy)...which is awesome, but you know, such things take time. So there's a lot going on, and next quarter appears to be another step deeper into the bog of busyness.

So, I preached my first (in the US...I did preach one sermon in Kenya, actually) sermon last night, to my church. The experience was awesome, and I had several friends show up or call me yesterday, which I was very thankful for. The sermon was, in many ways, preached to myself...I spoke on ancient Christian prayer practices, and the need for us to be in tune to God in our increasingly busy world. (The irony was, working on the sermon came to dominate my schedule all last week...go figure.) But I guess that's my story, as I continue into the Lenten season...not letting my schedule dominate me, but to keep listening to God, making time to orient myself towards Him, so that I can be in tune with him throughout my day.

So, I guess what I'm saying is... if blogging becomes a chore, then I probably won't do it, but if it becomes a release and a time to process, then I'll start keeping up with it again.

The sermon should be online... I don't know when the mp3 will be up, but go to http://www.ourwarehouse.org and click on "listen"..it should be there soon.