Future.

"So, did you graduate?"
"No I have one year left."
"Oh, what are you going to do?"

Some version of this happens, I'm going to say, about, 17 times a week, usually all at church functions. But I think I've slowly worked through the entire congregation of Gateway, so maybe it will stop. I know, I know, wishful thinking.

It's not that I don't like talking about the future. It's just that I have no idea what I'm doing. I have it down to two options. However those options are 1)grad school, 2)something else.

I've had some really good lunches with some people that have led me to this conclusion: I need to let God's voice/judgment/opinion be the only one with any influence when choosing career/school/life. That's been a pretty big deal for me, but I'm going to avoid the rant and leave it at that. Furthermore, I know that ministry is always going to be a big part of my life, but I see myself doing it bi-vocationally. And so for that reason, until God says otherwise, I'm going to pursue being a professor because that is the only career I can imagine myself having/liking and it would give me the best schedule ever with which I could plan life/ministry.

I don't know why I'm using so many slashes. I apologize.

So option 1 is split into 6-- which is up because I added another school to the stupid list. But if that is the route we continue then in one year I will either be at: Duke, Vanderbilt, Union Theological Seminary, Texas Christian, Wake Forest, or Fuller Theological Seminary. Fuller is the new added one and it is on the list because 1)I could go all the way to doctorate, 2)I really respect the people I know who have studied there, 3)Dallas Willard, 4)Glen Stassen. Before it was not on the list because it is in Pasadena. A big part of me doesn't want to live in California, but a bigger part of me says, "Hey, two of your top three favorite theologians currently teach there and it's non-denominational." So really, it wasn't included before because of my own stubbornness.

All of that to say, I'm visiting four of them this summer and hopefully I will get a chance to visit the last two at some point. I'll be at TCU some time next week and Duke, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest in August. I have no idea how I'm going to afford a visit to New York or Pasadena but, we'll see.

Option 2 is still open because sometimes God surprises us and I just want to leave room for that in my mind so that I don't freak out if/when it happens.


Blerg. Life is hard to figure out but I feel pretty good about what seems to be going down now. :)

love.