i almost forgot. i was in the library studying when today’s earthquake struck, and by the time i realized it wasn’t the heavy construction going on next door, but an actual earthquake, it was pretty much over. i stood up from the desk to see what other people were doing, and they looked equally perplexed. some freaked out and ran outside, leaving all their stuff behind, but it took me so long to decide whether or not i should grab my laptop that the shaking ended while i was still thinking. want to know what it was like?
okay, not quite exactly like that, but you get the idea. (more…)
i have a title! after many, many edits and revisions, it’s finally coming together. today my doctoral committee- plus an additional faculty reader and two peer reviewers- signed off on my revised research design proposal and tentative dissertation outline, so the remaining research is now within reach. one quarter of contextual theology, one quarter of tying together loose ends, and then it’s time for three consecutive days of comprehensive exams. if all goes well, i’ll get the green light to start writing my dissertation (possibly by early spring ‘09), and then the only things left before graduation will be the final defense and final revisions. okay, so that actually sounds like a lot now that i’ve typed it out, but hey, at least the end is in sight. (more…)
even though i should probably be studying since i’m down at fuller for a few days, i noticed that the guys over at jibjab have put together another amusing original, so i had to share:
you have to admit that the incessant media coverage of the presidential election gets tiring, and i’m sure there must be something more important to plaster all over the tv/internet than what obama had for breakfast, or how many cancerous moles mccain has had removed. (more…)
i had forgotten how good this book is… i just pulled it off my shelf for a few minutes while feeding jonas the other day, and it was so refreshing. i’m not sure what it is about contextual theology that comes from a place of oppression and suffering- it’s just so absent from the dominant streams of institutionalized religion, and that’s understandable, i guess. but in this absence is such a great need for other voices- the voices that have traditionally been silenced- to speak and have a place at the table. (more…)
i’m a few weeks behind, but i just realized that coldplay is back. after a disappointing third album, viva la vida is a refreshing reminder that coldplay still has some talent and originality. interestingly, it also turns out that jonas smiles whenever i sing the lyrics to coldplay songs. go figure. anyway, here’s a great video for violet hill featuring all your favorite politicians.
When the future’s architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You’d better lie low
word. (more…)
unfortunately, thanks to some bloggers i “met” on eugene’s post here, i couldn’t help myself and i inadvertently got involved in a few of those long, drawn out blog “discussions,” where people debate their points of view endlessly, and often get nowhere. i’m not sure how i convinced myself (again) to play “theology police,” but i’m hereby committing myself to word limits from here on out. the debates focused on a very (in my opinion) flawed view of black liberation theology and also a particular look at apocalyptic interpretation, both of which, in the larger scheme of things, are starting to fade in signifiance as i back away from the discussion. it’s not that i don’t care about racialization and eschatology; on the contrary, they are quite personal to me. however, more and more as i get into these occasional discussions, i’m convinced that theology can only be done in community, and this is where blogs really fall short. (more…)
i’m fairly confident that every parent thinks their baby is absolutely the cutest baby in the world. so with that in mind, here’s my asian gerber baby. thanks to my sister-in-law wendy for the nice shots with her DSLR!
and of course, there are more… (more…)
