Like and Love, Ramblings of a Theologian in Progress

It occurred to me last night that it's been a bit since I've actually posted on this (appropriately as I'm typing, Jim Croce is singing "there never seems to be enough time to do the things we want to do" - such true words) because life's been a bit hectic. You may also notice that I'm writing in the 8 am hour, and yes I'm up at campus already by 8 or earlier everyday. Today, however, I'm struggling to concentrate on my Bonhoeffer reading so here we have a blog post. It's been almost 2 months since the move. I think we've more or less settled in to some sort of routine. I've settled into a routine since my day-to-day doesn't change weekly like Jack's does. Here's a general life update organized by the beverage I've come to associate most closely with it. Coffee No grad student will ever doubt that coffee is always in the back of their mind. We don't have a coffee maker (few people I know do). Every morning...

This past weekend seven of us ventured out of the city and into the Highlands of Scotland. Our tour guide was amazing. He's from Aberdeen and has been doing tours of the area for 25 years. Scotland is a beautiful and incredibly desolate country in the Northeast. Aberdeen is built from the gray granite that is local to the area. This is absolutely gorgeous in the sun. The light picks out the flecks of color in the stone. The city sparkles and glows. The highlands outside of the city are vast. At this time of the year the hills are covered with a violet heather. It's a muted purple, but with the green of the grass and the changing fall colors it's quite the spectacle. Colors are more vibrant here because of the rain fall that brings forth a variety of flowers and green grass. As beautiful as north east Scotland is, it's also incredibly bleak. The sun brings out the beauty of the city's stone, but the sun is absent for most of the year. Karl (our guide) said that...

I've been thinking what it means to trust since I went to bed last night. I blame my dear friend (and fantastic writer Seth ) for posting an adorable picture of his son and our pastor Steve yesterday. Seth wrote that it was an important moment in their family's life because it was the first time Steve asked his son to trust him. I've been mulling it over precisely because of the weightiness that Seth attached to this question. What does it mean to trust? (And I strongly suggest that it isn't hoping that your fellow youth or co-workers are going to catch you if you fall backwards into their arms...) This past month has seemed like an adventure in living in a perpetual trust that things will get to an equilibrium. Jack and I have said "trust me [....]" more times than I can count. We, as a society, use this phrase so flippantly at times, to reassure those around us, that I'm not positive that casually asking someone to "trust" involves any mo...