All systems are go...

Well, the visa's here at least. ;-) So, I am set to leave on Monday, the 27th. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my good health and peace of mind, for focus as I begin my research, and for God to provide me with a solid community of friends and a church. Oh, and if you know anyone who wants to donate 50K or something, let me know. hehe.

Another delay...

Well, I am now scheduled to leave on Monday, Sept. 27. I decided to move the departure date back another week, just to be safe, since I still haven't received my visa. It's frustrating, but at least it's not too much trouble moving the flight since it's being purchased with airline miles. I guess I don't really have anything to complain about, I just wanted to be in the UK sooner. But, it's good to have more time here to prepare and relax before jumping headlong into this new adventure. I have shut off my cell phone (can't use it over there), so email or Skype is the best way to reach me for now!

One week until...

I move to the UK! Well, maybe... if my student visa gets here in time! :-P But, it's looking like everything is coming together, and I will be flying to London on Tuesday, Sept. 21. I actually had to move the date back one week, and I hope that is enough time for the visa to show up. If not, well... third time's the charm, I guess. hehe.

Anyway, I am back from my visit to Seattle - it was a good but stressful trip, for a variety of reasons. But all is well. God is good. And here's a little thought that I've been pondering today, courtesy of Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy:

"The acid test for any theology is this: Is the God presented one that can be loved, heart, soul, mind, and strength? If the thoughtful, honest answer is; "Not really," then we need to look elsewhere or deeper. It does not really matter how sophisticated intellectually or doctrinally our approach is. If it fails to set a lovable God... before ordinary people, we have gone wrong. We should not keep going in the same direction, but turn around and take another road.

Theologians on both the left and the right, and those on no known scale of comparison, are all loved by God, who has great things in mind for every one of them. They are our neighbors, and we are to share God's vision and love for them. They need to love God. The theologian who does not love God is in great danger, and in danger of doing great harm, for he or she needs to know God and believe with assurance concerning God."

I've been lazy...

Whoa, haven't posted anything for a while... to the three of you who care, I'm sorry! ;-) But, really, I haven't dropped off the radar completely. I have been working on getting the visa stuff squared away, and doing other things, like visiting relatives in MO and IL. I will be flying back to Seattle for a few days to visit friends - including my (ahem) girlfriend, Megan. She hates it when I say things about her on the internet, so hopefully she'll read this. haha! It will be nice to see everyone again, even if only for a short time. Pray for Megan and me, as the long distance relationship thing is going to be a challenge. Umm... not much else to say at this moment, just thought I'd give a brief update. Maybe I'll post something somewhat intellectually stimulating one of these days. We'll see. :-)

Visa issues...

Sometimes things don't work as smoothly as you'd hope. Profound statement, huh? Well, it's nothing terrible, but the 'getting a visa' process sure is one of those processes that, to be honest, seem designed to not work smoothly. It's almost as if they make it difficult on purpose, creating hoops to jump through just to see if they can weed out those who aren't fully committed. I don't know, but it seems like that sometimes.

In any case, I have to get the photo, the fingerprints, all the documentation, etc. and mail it all to the consulate in LA next week (apparently CA handles the visa apps for people in OK, but whatever) and hope that they get it all back to me before Sept. 14! Of course, it doesn't help that current U.S. loan laws have been changing, so Oxford was late in getting me my financial details. Oh, and it doesn't help that Oxford also lost my Fuller transcript, so I had to resend that - that delayed things as well.

But, I'm trusting that everything will work out and I'll still be able to leave on time. If not, well, I guess I'll be delayed a week or so. Please pray that there are no more delays! Thanks.

Besides that, I'm going with my parents to visit family in MO and IL this weekend. I'll see my brother and his family, and go to a wedding reception for my cousin. Should be fun!

Counting down the days...

Well, it's another scorcher here in OKC - should be over 100 degrees today. I am just not used to the hot weather after spending 10 years in Seattle. I probably sound like I'm whining. Ok, I'll stop.

I leave for the UK one month from today (Sept. 14)! Crazy! It's still so surreal to think that I will be moving to/living in another country in a month's time. Lots of details still to sort out, but I am confident that everything will be in place by Sept. Still have to get all the Visa details worked out, but I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

Looked at my luggage options yesterday, and I think I can just snag a couple of suitcases from my parents - yeah! Actually, I think I can take everything I need in two checked bags, and two carry-ons. That includes books, and what not. I feel pretty good about that. I've never been a person who needs a lot of "stuff" (well, besides books and musical gear!), and that is certainly a plus when making such a big move. Not sure if I'll take my guitar with me or not... maybe.

I feel like I'm rambling a bit here... not much else to report, so I guess I'll get back to my reading/writing, which I've been trying to focus on, as long as I have no other pressing matters to attend to. I'm a bit nervous about studying in the UK since it will be so independently oriented (doing research on my own a lot of the time), and I have noticed that it's easy for me to become lazy when I have no source of feedback or encouragement. Pray that God gives me strength and discipline!

Ok, that's all for now.

Mildly interesting update from OKC...

Well, I've been here for a few days now, and nothing exciting has happened. Not that I was expecting anything. :-) The weather sure is different - and it is NOT making me happy. We've averaged over 100 degrees every day here since Monday. It's muggy, gross, and... my parents like it much better than Seattle weather!? Yep, they say it's too cold and gray in Seattle. I guess I can understand that. They spent nearly 30 years in Haiti, so very hot weather is what they are used to. Apparently it was 50 and rainy in Seattle today.

I grew up in Haiti... still, I think I'd prefer 50 and rain to 100 and muggy. I guess over the last 10 years my body became somewhat acclimated to living in the NW. This all makes me wonder: If people can't even cope with different kinds of weather, how in the world will we ever get along theologically? :-) Haha... of course that's where my mind goes.

I've been reading a couple of books this week that are worth checking out: Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller and The God Who May Be by Richard Kearney.

The first is dedicated to exploring the idea that the scientific theory of evolution and belief in God are compatible. Yes, that's right, you can believe in God AND evolution! Crazy! (sensing the sarcasm?) Miller makes a compelling case, especially with regard to the strength of the evolutionary evidence and the lack of Y.E.C. (Young Earth Creationist) evidence. He also presents a fairly solid picture of why belief in God remains viable, although his theology is somewhat lacking in rigor at times. (Though, to be fair, he never claims to be a theologian.) His arguments seem reasonable for the most part and he is not overbearing or condescending, like many in the Evolution vs. God debate.

The second book is a "hermeneutics of religion," but don't let that frighten you. It's written by a philosopher, and does contain quite a bit of technical language, but if you are familiar with 20th century continental philosophy at all it should be fairly easy reading. Essentially he is arguing for a description of God as "possible" rather than a God who is absolute being (onto-theology), or a God who is absolute alterity/non-being (negative theology). Kearney sees God's possibility as a third option, one that is not only consistent with Scripture (though is careful to point out that he is not performing exegesis in the book), but also offers a more reliable way for us to approach God as human beings who also find ourselves suspended between being and non-being (or immanence and transcendence).

Both books are well-written, clever, and actually fun to read (well, I thought so anyway). If you're looking for something "intellectual" to read this summer, I would suggest either or both, depending on your literary proclivities. And, yes, I only said that because I wanted to use the word 'proclivities.' haha.