The Blogging begins

So far I've been all talk about blogging, but I've hunkered down and surrendered to a working blog.  Life in California has been amazing!!!  I'm all moved in, class has started, and I'm making lots of friends.  And did I mention I live in SoCal?!  

To your left is a picture of me on my first day of school.  My smile was inspired by my brother Garrison, master of the artificial school picture smile.  I've been to one week of school so far and it was awesome (minus the inhuman amount of reading there is to do).  It's so great to be in classes that are legitimately interesting.  It makes a really big difference to be in school when it's an actual choice and you've waited for two years for this to come about.  I've been blown away by the idea that I don't just need this information for a test...I need it for life!  This quarter (I'll save my beef with the quarter system for another blog).  I'm taking Clinical Foundations, Legal and Ethical Issues, Family Systems, and Development.  We're also meeting in small groups weekly to practice our counseling skills on each other before we actually start seeing clients.  SCARY!!!!!!  The professors are incredible here though.  I feel cared for not just as a student but as a person.  It was so awesome during orientation week to share meals with our professors.  I would listen to them talk about what they've done and was overwhelmed by the fact that these people are a big deal in marriage and family therapy and they're having lunch with me!!!!  Everything so far has been so reaffirming that I'm at the perfect school for me.

Probably my favorite thing at Fuller is the people.  It's so great to be around people that are so real about their faith.  In the south, most people give lip service to being a Christian and who knows for real if they are.  What I love out here is that if someone says they're a Christian, they're a Christian.  People at Fuller are so attune to being called to go, serve, and follow Jesus in bold ways.  Not to say that everyone has their calling figured out but they're expectant and preparing for it.  It is such a blessing to be around people who are living in this tension as I have since the start of my time in Cincinnati.  That was the first time that I stepped into a very uncomfortable calling.  I grew to love being so uncomfortable because of what it did for my faith and dependence in the Lord.  All this reminds me of one of my new favorite parables in Matthew 25:

"It's also like a man going off on an extended trip.  He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities.  To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities.  Then he left.  Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment.  The second did the same.  But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.  After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them.  The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment.  His master commended him: 'Good work!  You did you job well.  From now on be my partner.'  The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment.  His master commended him: 'Good work!  You did your job well.  From now on be my partner.'  The servant given on thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.  I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money.  Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'  The master was furious.  'That's a terrible way to live!  It's criminal to live cautiously like that!  If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?  The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.  Take the thousand and give it to the one risked the most.  And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.  Throw him out into utter darkness.'" 

God is undoubtedly going to call me into more risks.  He loves us too much not to.  The question is will I continue to be bold with the opportunities?  Will I continue to take risks and fight the "play-it-safe" mentality?  Tonight, walking around in downtown Pasadena, we saw these wishing trees.  They have been set up all over the world by Yoko Ono as an art project that will eventually be displayed in Iceland.  There are 21 trees in Pasadena covered with tags containing written wishes.  Anyone can add their wish to the art display.  We were reading through some of the thousands when I saw one that said, "I wish to have a comfortable life."  I could empathize with that temptation and felt so sorry for her at the same time.  My prayer and wish is the exact opposite.  I hope life continues to be uncomfortable.

ok that's all for now.  I'll post more pics and fun stuff i've been doing soon!