Why Fuller…? 

I’ve been asked on a variety of occasions why I decided to apply to Fuller Theological Seminary and not one that would be closer to home: Trinity, Asbury, Gordon-Conwell, etc.  So, I thought it would be pertinent to express a few of the main reason why I wanted to come to Fuller in the first place.  Below is a brief summary of my answer to that question and is actually an essay I wrote for my application into Fuller Theological Seminary:

When I observe the books on my shelf that have deeply impacted my worldview, ecclesiology, and theology, I take note that many of their authors are in fact alumni or former professors of Fuller. Rob Bell, Rick Warren, John Piper, and Richard J. Foster have influenced me in deep and profound ways.  I desire to be mould by the institution that formed the minds of those that have changed my life.  

GOD is in the midst of revealing to me that orthodox Christianity is vast, broad, and beautiful.  It is full of diversity, encompasses different traditions, and has many facets.  I desire my studies, relationships, and the seminary that I attend to be just as diverse.  This is one of the many reasons why I desire to attend Fuller.  In the fall 2010, over 100 denominations and 70 nations were represented at this seminary.  I want to experience, learn, and encounter the breadth and depth of Christianity, not only in the classroom, but also through the campus body.  

My vocational goals, life’s calling, and greatest aspiration is to teach, invoke, and instill the Way of Jesus in the local church.  The sacred texts were written thousands of years ago, in a language that is foreign to myself, and surrounded by a context I am not familiar with.  If one is called to teach and lead the Church, they need to be trained and equipped to properly study, exegete, and teach the scriptures.  Though the message of Jesus has never changed, the method in which it is conveyed has and will continue to change.  The leaders of Fuller know teachings will only be heard if its listeners are captivated which is shown in their partnership with the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts.  I desire to ascertain the wisdom of church history, skills of exegeses, counseling techniques, and amongst other subjects, in the art of the homily.  I believe that Fuller will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and passion to instruct and lead the local church in ways that will stick and invoke change.  

Fuller’s Masters of Divinity curriculum is heavy in biblical studies, theological studies, and biblical languages.  Not only is this degree designed to outfit the head of its students, but also the heart.  The other side of this program is in leadership and ministry development.  Overall, after graduating from Fuller, not only will I have obtained a greater depth and breadth of the Bible, but I will also be more mature in my walk with GOD, have a greater passion for serving the community, and be more equipped as a leader.  

Fuller Theological Seminary is known for having a deep track record of producing dynamic leaders.  They entered Fuller’s doors, left equipped, and forged new paths for the Kingdom of Heaven.  I aspire, pray, and ask that I might be given the opportunity to be one of them—a Fuller alum. 

An Introduction

Well well well…

Where to begin?

I suppose a good place to start would be when we loaded up the big yellow truck.  With what we did not store at our parent’s homes, we packed into the back of the truck and attached the trailer with our car on top of it.  Rachel stayed in Indiana for a few more weeks before flying out in order to help her friend with her wedding, and my Pops and I began the three day trek to Southern California.  We were able to see the Blackwood clan along the way as well as the slow changing, captivating geography as we traveled westward state by state by state.  

That was a little over three months ago.  The end of August to be more specific.  A decent amount of things have taken place since that trip in the big yellow truck.  Places have been explored, trails have been hiked, family has visited, as well as papers written, books read, lectures attended, and noun and verb patterns memorized…

I would like to share of our experiences from where we are, some reflections from my studies, and tell of the community that Rachel and I are developing.  In this way, in a sense we can stay connected with our community back home: our church, our family, and our friends (and often these three are one in the same).  

So, here are my thoughts of a theological persuasion.  That is, some reflections from what I am learning (both formally and informally) as well as the stories of Rachel and I’s shenanigans during our time here at Fuller Theological Seminary.  

Handcuffing the Arms of Father Time
The time is currently 1:39am and I just recently finished my last final paper. It was enjoyable to write, I learned some, and I think it turned out alright. What kicks me though is this: in less that 24hrs I will be on my way home. I vividly remember my first encounters here in Israel. I used to stop and be in wonder and amazement that I had shekels in my pocket. Now, I have the same feelings and thoughts as I consider the reality of how soon I have to leave.

I’m nervous, scared, and excited to come home. A lot of different feelings are being pumped through my veins.

Nervous because I am scared…

Scared because of what might or might not happen when I return…

And excited because soon the questions will be met with answers…

I’ve been in Israel for over three months now. I’ve seen, experienced, and learned quite a lot. New thoughts have been given to me as well as new confrontations. Victories have occurs as well as defeats.

What am I’m going to say to people?

How can I adequately relate what I have been through?

What are their reactions going to be?

What is my life going to look like in the not too distant future and is this going to bring me joy or sadness?

The answers to some of these questions are about to be discovered. For I have realized that they are only time, an ocean, and a conversation away…

Me, my sister, the Canadians, and a hole in the city wall that lead to...

Beauty and the Beast (a rather handsome Beast I might add)
So, my big little sister came to visit me over Thanksgiving and we had a good time. Hands down it was the best Thanksgiving I have experienced yet. We had amazing food, lots of laughs, and good friends to share it all with. Here are a couple of the experiences he shared together during Alicia’s trip to the Middle East.

Scary Suits
Towards the end of Alicia’s trip we rented a car and headed up to the Galilee and needless to say we had a couple of interesting experiences. We got up to the Sea of Galilee and decided that we wanted to take a little swim. We stopped at three different spots and they were progressively sketch.

The first one was down a gravel road and was simply a dirty beach and no one was swimming. An elder couple was eating and several kids were riding their bikes around, so we decided to move on.

We made our way on to site number two. Thinking back on it, I’m surprised I didn’t wake up in a bathtub full of ice cold water with one of my kidneys missing. This place was something out a horror flick. It was at this hotel and there was no one there. There was stuff all over the place though, such as a baby stroller, drinks, and chairs. It looked like there was a party and everyone disappeared. There was a pool, but no water in it and a couple of really big dogs barking at us. Alicia and I just looked at each other and decided to jet.

The final site showed signs of better days with a rusty ferris wheel and the remnants of a staff full of misfit carnies. We asked how much to use the beach and they said 50 shekels so we replied, “see you later.”

We gave up on swimming.

Pounds vs. Gravity
That night we camped out on the Cliffs of Arbel. By the time camp was set up the sun was getting rather low. So, I wanted to gather some firewood for a little fire, but there were only a couple of trees and they were on the cliffs edge. I climbed on down and got some wood and on my way back up I needed to use both hands to continue climbing. So, I yelled for my sis so that she would grab the wood and she eventually found me. However, instead of helping me with the wood she reprimanded me. She said she was calling for me earlier, but I didn’t hear her. She asked me if I was alright and I replied that of course I was. She thought I was hurt because I didn’t reply to her calling and she said, “I was trying to figure out how I could pull your dead lifeless body up this cliff.” Now that’s love.

Finale
Alicia and I went to the Galilee and camped and hiked on the Cliffs of Arbel, chilled at Elijah’s cave, and saw a beautifully landscaped Bahai temple. In Jerusalem we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Western Wall, and what kind of brother would I be if we didn’t go visit a hole with the Canadians (pictures soon to follow).

Bragging Rights
My sister and I are similar in a couple of ways. Hair and eye color (some people say we look alike but they lie). We both have very strong personalities and can be rather bull headed at times. However, my sister and I are different in ways as well. I’m a lot bigger than she is and she’s a lot better looking than I am (any guys reading this and are interested in my sis better be bigger than me…just an fyi). I’m athletic and she’s a genius. Alicia is much more of a stronger person than I am and I have a lot of respect for her because of this and for many other reasons.

My sister challenges me and pushes me for my own good. I NEVER would be here in Israel if it wasn’t for her pushing me to do a semester abroad. The finances and class schedule I didn’t think would come together, but they have. I didn’t think or care to check into it but I did because of her. My time here in Jerusalem has been the greatest opportunity and experience of my life. It never would have happened if it wasn’t for Alicia.

She has taught me the meaning of family. As I said earlier, she doesn’t have any money because she works for a non profit, but she scrapped what she did have together and came to visit her baby brother. That act holds a lot of significance and love in my eyes.

Alicia challenges my thoughts on politics, religion, and theology. She opens my mind and eyes to new thoughts, ideas, and views. We disagree sometimes, but I’m glad she challenges me.

She corrects me on my dinner manners, which really annoys me, but I know it’s for my own good. Take smaller bites. Chew with your mouth closed. Blow your nose don’t snort it up. Wear a black belt not brown. The list continues.

It was nice to have my big little sister come over to visit, but its better knowing that I have a sister that loves me, wants the best for me, and will always be there to challenge and encourage me.

Israel and so much more vol. 4 (sister edition)
several thousand words from my sis' camera...

A Big Fat TurkeyThanksgiving is coming up this Friday. What a beautiful opportunity to spend time with our families that we love and be thankful for all that God has blessed us with. Well, that’s ideally what should happen. Another thing to think about this holiday weekend. I got an interesting email recently that shares some startling facts. The email read that if 20 people sit down at your table, representing the world's population, three would get a gourmet meal, five would get rice and beans, and 12 would receive a small portion of rice. The issue isn’t lack of food it’s an issue with distribution.

Check out: www.one.org

Anyway, the whole reason I started writing was to say that in the next hour and a half I’m leaving for Tel Aviv to go pick my sis up from the airport. This digression simply spilled out. She’s coming to visit, see the land, and to hang out over the holiday. She’s leaving on Monday, but it should give us enough time to go visit some stellar sites. I’m thinking about…

Giving her a tour of the city…

Snorkeling in Eilat…

Hiking in Qumran…

Swinging by the Dead Sea…

and hiking at En Gedi…

Should be a good time and I’m really stoked about her visiting. We have a lot to talk about and share with each other. I really value that she’s coming for a lot of reasons, but one especially…

My sister graduated from APU in 2003 basically paying for college on her own. After graduation, she spent 2.5 years in Togo, West Africa with the Peace Corps and now she is working for a non-profit organization called Illinois Citizens for Better Care. Needless to say my sister is an absolutely amazing person. Due to the call on her life she has no money and it doesn’t seem to bother her.

She values and loves her little brother so much that she scrapped what little money she had to fly to Israel to spend the holiday with me. I wouldn’t even be in this country if it wasn’t for my sister’s influence.

I think my little big sister is an amazing person and I’m completely stoked about being able to spend the holiday with her…

Jordan
As I wrote early I recently spent four days in the country of Jordan. The trip in general was somewhat of a shoulder shrug for me. I didn’t find a whole lot to be that interesting or exciting, but there were a couple of things that did enthrall me.

Ramoth-gilead
I’m sure this site had some historical/biblical significance to it, but I was a little distracted. As I wrote a couple of posts ago I want to build a bow. Well, my buddy Benaiah found a 30 lb flint stone for the arrowheads. I ended up digging it up with my hands and hauled it around from bus to hotel to bus to hotel to bus to hotel to bus to border checkpoint to bus to my room. This find was the highlight of my day because how cool is flint!?!

Body of a Greek God
Day two of the trip we visited the city of Ramon. We went to other places but this was the only one that was any fun. At this site were the remains of a Herculean Temple with these monstrously huge columns. The enormity of them blew me away. Also, there was a nice little museum that had some cool artifacts.

Petra
So, remember in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indy ends up finding the Holy Grail in a palace type structure that is carved into the face of a cliff? Yea, that’s Petra and it was by far the most stellar place in all of Jordan that I visited. When we got to the path that leads into the ancient city, I booked ahead of our group because I was so excited. Ever so conveniently my batteries in my camera died right before I got to the Treasury. So, any pictures you see of that are from some of the other students here. I looked at the Treasury for about 30 seconds and then said to myself, “I’ll be back to see this later today,” so I continued to blaze a trail. I found that there was another structure somewhat similar to this one called the Monastery. It was about an hour long hike up a trail, through this mountain, which lead me to my destination. I looked at the Monastery for a little while and then opposite the Monastery I saw a large rock hill with a tall standing stone structure on top of it. When I saw those standing stones on top of that hill the first thought in my head was not the following:

“I wonder why the person(s) built the standing stones…”

“I wonder what they were commemorating as they built this…”

“How long ago was the structure built…?”

“How long did it take this person(s) to build this standing stone…?”

The only thought that was going through my head is the following:

“I have to go up there and build a bigger one…”

I wonder why that is?

What about my heart, character, ego, psyche, or DNA caused me to think in this manner?

Whatever it was I ended up spending the next three hours building a bigger, taller, better standing stone. From the time I arrived at that site until I left I carried stones, piled them up, and built higher and higher. That’s all I did and I had a blast. I felt like such a man grunting, hauling large rocks, and constructing. I spend three hours doing this and it was fantastic.

As I placed the final stone on top I then began to talk to GOD. I told Him that I wanted this to commemorate the life that He has called me to live. However, now as I sit and write this I wonder if I built it to pat myself on the back. I carved my initials, a cross, and YHWH in Hebrew, so maybe it was for mixed reasons.

I do not know…

Misc
After I was done playing with the Flintstone legos I made my way back to grab some lunch. On the way, I had some tea with a nice Nabatean girl and bought an overpriced camel bone box. I don’t know how profitable this type of business really is. At this girls store I ended up in a conversation with a British man, who has been living in Israel, concerning the absolute existence of GOD. Random.

Stupid Human Pet Tricks
On our last day in Jordan I was sitting at breakfast in between Meredith and Benaiah with a couple of elder Canadians across from me. I was eating my light breakfast when Benaiah made a statement. He said that he could blow an egg clean out of its shell. The Canadian across stated his disbelief, but I, yes I, had faith in the jungle native man named Benaiah. After a few moments of preparation the egg was ready for launch. Benaiah put his lips to end of the egg and out shot the hard boiled egg. I never saw that before and I found it to be impressive. So, I got a couple of eggs and Benaiah taught me a new trick. Oh joy.

End
Jordan in general was alright, but there were some major highlights in this prolonged textbook of a trip. I rode another camel, climbed some rocks, and saw a couple of stellar sites. Petra was by far the main event, so I’d definitely encourage people to go there. It was a good time and my last Field Study. So, the trip as a whole was a bittersweet symphony…

(pictures of this trip can be found below)

Israel and so much more vol.3 (jordan edition)

“No soup for you!”…well thank God
Here at JUC we have two cooks. One serves lunch and the other dinner. Lunch is always…interesting. We all know what I mean by that. Each day before I waste my time climbing the stairs into the kitchen to get my food, I look into the dinning hall to see what’s to eat and to get peoples reaction to it. Today I continued that trend. The main course was pita, fried cauliflower, fried eggplant, and fried peppers. I passed. But, then I noticed that there was soup. So, I asked how it was and here are some of the replies/conversations I heard concerning it…
__________________
“I think it’s a little…grainy”
-Joel
“It tastes like a burrito.”
-Jesse
“I don’t think so.”
-Ben
“So what do you think it tastes like then?”
-me
“I…I don’t know”
-Ben
_________________
“How’s the soup?”
-me
“It’s…it’s interesting”
-Jess
“Look what happens when you let it settle and then pull up what's from the bottom…”
-Hannah
“…gaaag…”
-me
________________
“If you want to get the full experience, taste the stuff that settles on the bottom. I heard it was ground up chickpeas…but I think its cornmeal.”
-Emilee
“It tastes like the remnants of potato soup.”
-Jeremy (The Canadian)
________________
"It tastes like pureed beans."
-Benito
“It tastes like a combination of pea soup, oatmeal, and cinnamon.”
-Johnny
“When I leave my spoon in the soup for a little while and then try to pull it out…I can feel the resistance.”
-Li
________________

Taking all of this into consideration, I ended up having two apples and a PB and J sandwich…