News, News, and More News. Also Some Random Ramblings by Wes.

Jess: So we've been terribly bad at updating our blog, and this is clearly an important time in our lives. I'll let Wes tell you the best news of all, and I'll do a little updating on how things are going in general.

We've finally gotten what I would call "settled" into the parsonage, most of the dirty things are now clean, most of the unpainted things are now painted, etc. We know where to shop, where to go to get local produce, how to avoid traffic jams, etc. I have to say that I'm so excited to have our own house (and it's wonderful to not have the actual responsibilities of owning a house). I have thoroughly enjoyed making the house home, and I think Wes has, as well. It's great to have some pride in the place we live, instead of just moving our furniture and other junk into it and knowing it's a temporary thing, as we have for the last 4 years of college and the time I took off/we were living at the seminary. It's truly home and we feel truly blessed to have it.

Speaking of home, we had the churches' potluck at our house this last weekend. Twenty-seven people crowded into our living room, and we had some of the greatest food. Everyone from the churches mixed well together and we had some pretty amazing conversations. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to do that, and hilarious to see people try to get in and out of the seating! We ended up passing all the desserts around because we weren't sure we would get everyone back in the seats after all of that eating!

In other news, I've been taking an online class through Luther Seminary on the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible). It's been a wonderful experience and not as scary as I originally thought it would be to go back to school after almost a year and a half off. I've learned a lot and it's great to be able to talk about my academic life with Wes again. It also means I'm going to be able to accelerate my time when I actually attend seminary full-time, so we'll hopefully be back in Texas working a year earlier than we originally anticipated. Not that I don't love NJ, but I sure love Texas...

Speaking of NJ, it's been raining cats and dogs for almost a week now, with no end in sight. We finally slipped below the 60 degree mark and had to turn the heat on. I'm so excited to see a fall and winter here, and I hope NJ doesn't disappoint. We only have so many northern falls/winters to go through before we head out of here!

Wes:

So there is good news, and there is bad news. As always, the bad news first, so we leave remembering the good (thank you, standardized testing, for teaching me how to write a cookie-cutter essay). The bad news: I've lost my rain coat, and that makes me sad.

The good news: I met with my candidacy committee--formerly known as the San Antonio District's District Committee on Ministry--a couple weeks ago and was unanimously voted to continue on in the candidacy process to become an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. Golf clap, please. AAAAAnnnnnddddd, they also voted to recommend me for local pastorship, which means that in the next few months, I will be able to administer the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism at Ellisdale and Crosswicks UMC (those are the churches that I am pastoring if you didn't know). That deserves a standing ovation. Not for me, not for the committee, but for God, and all of the wonderful things that God is doing in and through Jessica's and my ministry. We are truly blessed to be a part of it.

In other news, I have started my second semester at Princeton Seminary. I thought it was weird being a new student in the Spring term... It is even weirder being the only second-semester first-year student at the seminary! I feel the need to explain to everyone that I am not just a junior, but a second semester junior, which is why I know where all of my classrooms are and don't have that look of foreboding on my face as do the other wide-eyed first years. Not that I'm much better--I still don't know the names of all of the buildings, or where everything is. Pretty much, I know where my classrooms are, where the computer lab is, and where I eat.

My classes are going well so far. I am taking a speech class, which is kind of redundant after extensive theatre work and working in churches for so long, but it is a one hour required course, and so far it's been nice to have a class that I don't have to prepare for at all. My class on the Apostle Paul and Karl Barth is very interesting. We are going through the book of Romans, looking in-depth into Barth's commentary on the epistle, but also bringing in a lot of other commentaries and popular interpetations of the text. I'm not gonna lie, a lot of it goes over my head, but I love the book of Romans, so I'm not complaining. I am also taking a class on Rienhold Niebuhr and Martin Luther King Jr., which is by far my favorite class. It is very practically driven and looks at the theological aspects of the Civil Rights Movement. Cool stuff. Finally, I am taking a history class that is all about early and Mideival Christian artifacts, very interesting, but most of the readings are absolutely BORING. And it's a three hour block class, so today I had to bite the side of my mouth to stay awake through the whole thing.

So, when you move past church stuff and school work, I don't have much going on in my life. I have re-acquainted myself with that glorious concoction known as coffee, and we have picked up our relationship right where we left off last semester. This leads to me being very awake in the morning, and slightly droopy around mid-day, but hey, it wakes me up, and it tastes oh-so good.

Well, my friends, that is all for now. Jess and I have promised each other and God (that's called a covenant) that we will write on here more often, so come back often and read up on the exciting roller-coaster ride that is our life. For now, though:

You stay classy, World Wide Web!