I love church. So much. I love God's people gathered to love God and to love each other together.I love to hear them sing. I love to hear them pray. I love to hear the "Amen" arise spontaneously in the midst of a good sermon. I love the communal laugh (or groan) when the preacher tells a good (or bad) joke.I love Sunday school and youth group and lock-ins. I love Christmas dinner and Easter breakfast and pot-luck lunch. I love Saturday spruce-ups and 24 hour prayer vigils. I love Simon Says and Target Practice and rooms decorated with fish and hearts and heaven

A few months ago I listened to a message on the gospel and idolatry. The speaker was talking about how our living and proclaiming of the gospel always confronts the idols in our culture, the places we live, and of course, in our own lives. How are we to give ourselves completely over to God and his mission in the world unless the things we love more than that are unmasked?  I think this is a helpful corrective for those who would define or even emphasize the gospel as social justice

To be honest, I dreaded this quarter.  This is my second year as a full-time student, and I had a really rough summer quarter.  I was on the verge of burnout, but due to various reasons, I knew I needed to take a full load of classes this quarter.  The classes I needed to sign up for weren't all that appealing, but I need to take them.  After talking with my adviser, I decided to take 2 of my 3 classes pass/fail.  I still do all the work and it gets graded along with all the other students' work

  There is a phrase that I use too much in my California-grown, hippy sensibility.  This phrase is trite and immature but, I think, sums up so much of what I feel about my experience and time at Fuller.  The phrase is "what a trip".  Even as I look at the picture that is up on my blog bio, the first thing that comes into my mind is "what a trip!" (exclamation point added for impact).  This particular picture was taken back in June of 2007 in Nashville when my husband and I were out scouting for places to live

This will be a multi-part post, written over a few days. It's Wednesday, November 11. Tomorrow, I'm flying to Colorado so that I can help my wife finally move out to California with me. We've been apart for two months. She's been living with my parents in Louisville, CO and I with hers in Rosemead, CA. I know--sounds like a great situational comedy.  *     *     * Before moving to Colorado in 2007, I knew I wanted to go to Fuller. I had been reading a lot: N.T. Wright's Simply Christian, James K.A