Some Engagement Pictures

My wonderful friend Naomi took these pictures while we were on fall break in Red Wing. Thanks Naomi!

Home!

Todd and I went home this past weekend and had a wonderful time! We took engagement pictures, saw the fall colors, and went to the pumpkin patch with the Westphalls and William. Pictures to come soon!

BTS Jokes

So today, for Biblical and Theological Studies Senior Seminar class (BTS Senior Sem), we presented our group projects on different Hermeneutical trends from the beginnings of the church to contemporary trends. It's not as lame as it sounds.

Once we presented the overall themes and trends of each time period, we then had a person from each period present the parable of the Good Samaritan as an influencial person from that period. We had in chronological order:
Origen
Chrysostom
Aquinas
Calvin
Spinoza
Bultman
Bailey

Each person present 2 minutes about how they would interpret the parable and then they were all able to "duke it out" and ask each other questions/prove they are the best. The odd part, I laughed so hard in that class; harder than I have in a long time! It was so funny to hear John Chrysostom tell John Calvin they could have been wonderful John friends and hear everyone gang up on Origen and his allagorical approcah. Then, my favorite was, after failing to field a question, Julie Stoner yells out "Thomas Aquinas just got told!" It was the best time we have had in Senior Sem.

Maybe I should change my blog name to "More Proof I am a Nerd".

Side note: To preface this story, Todd is hairy. The other day, he had some dried blood in his ear, but not the inner ear. I pointed it out and he said "I must have been tagged in my sleep. You get used to that being a bear." I can't wait to marry that.


Annie just turned 1! I can't wait to see this little lady next weekend!

Senioritis and a New Obsession

I have been a school for a month now, and can't wait until I graduate, or at least get new classes. I like learning, but getting up to go to class I want to stop. I'm ready to be married and go to a job everyday. The only thing that scares me is having a job that I hate, and wanting to be back in school! Choices, choices, choices...

My new obsession is the wonderful British show "Doctor Who". It has been running from 1963-1989 and then restarted in 2005 and has been running since. The Doctor is an alien that can regenerate himself when he is about to die, so many different people (10 so far) have played the Doctor.

The Doctor travels around in his spaceship the TARDIS. It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. So he can travel anywhere and go to any time period. He travels to save the world and other plants and species again and again. The funny thing is that he doesn't want to kill anything, he always wants to help some other way, but some things die every once in a while.

Also, the Doctor is a bit of a player. He always has an assistant with him, and it is always a woman. Rose, his most memorable, he saved and then invited her to come with him and see the universe. It is always some thirst for adventure that brings them along.

I feel like there is some deep, theological meaning that I can pull from it. But for now, I am enjoying their adventures and the accents.

Classic Covenant

I have grown up in the Swedish Covenant Church. In the past few years, I have learned more about the theology and traditions of the Church and traditions of Sweeds, not being one myself. Today at work, I did the most Covenant thing I have ever done.

I am working at the Center for Youth Ministry Studies at North Park University. Tomorrow is a march to honor all the youth shot in Chicago in the past year. CYMS is bringing a group of people tomorrow, so Alison wanted me to get some things ready. She needed me to get everything ready for coffee and pastries tomorrow morning! It's just like a group of Covenanters to go to a march for Justice, but bring coffee and treats for everyone. And yes, I am proud to be part of it all.

What Rob Bell has taught me

Most of you know who Rob Bell is. And I'm sure most of you have seen one of his fifteen Nooma videos. I have seen about six of them, and learn a lot every time. Recently, I have seen two that have absolutely blown my mind.

First was "Breath". He talks about how the name of God, LORD, is YHWH. These letter all sound like breath in the original Hebrew language. So, could God's name be the breath we breath? It is the first thing we need when we lose it, we die. YHWH's breath is in everyone, whether you believe it or not. I'm not quite sure what to do with all this yet, how to apply it. But I am meditating on it for now.

The second is "Name". I have seen this one three times now, and have loved it more and more with every viewing. Rob talks about Jacob and his wrestling with a divine being. He wrestles with this "man" all night, until Jacob must break the "man's" hip and demand that he blesses him. Before the "man" does, he asks Jacob "What is your name?".

Names in that time, meant more than they do today. Names told of your character, your personality. Jacob's name was not a name he liked. It showed his shady past and failures.

Here is the kicker. Jacob must accept that name, accept exactly who he is, to gain a blessing. This blessing that he receives is a new name, Israel. To quote Rob "It's like God is saying 'Are you ready to be you? Because we have a lot of work to do.'" It makes me think every time, am I being who I need to be? Am I being the person that God needs me to be so he can work through me? Can I even accomplish such a thing?

Rob Bell. He blows my mind every single time.

Everything's Coming Together

Well, wedding plans are coming together quite nicely. Food, cake, pictures, dresses...it's all getting worked out, and we've only been engaged two weeks! It's funny how it's been two weeks since I have seen Todd, but I miss him more than when we went two months without seeing each other! What's that about?!


Here is us right after Todd proposed. Be on the look out for invitations in April and maybe a save the date in October.