What I learned in my classes...

Heading to church at our wonderful little Presbyterian Church here in Pasadena - Knox Presbyterian.

Being a dad of daughters demands some compromises.

Happy Birthday Jesus!  With our new friend Caleb and his parents.

Christmas day was a wonderful time for us as a family!

I love Minny Mouse and my new Minny shirt!

Reading the story of Jesus' birth at breakfast.  We read from our children's Bibles most mornings and if I forget, Bella always reminds me - "Dadda, Bible!!"

"Look Dadda!  Baby!"

 Merry Christmas! 

We are still in Pasadena!  Although it was strange and sad not to be near family and friends for Christmas, there has been a sweet gift in a more relaxed Christmas season and in a very special Christmas day together.  We had great gluten-free french toast, went to church, played outside (in 65 degree weather!), opened presents, and had our own turkey dinner.  The highlight of the night was when we watched our family video from the last year and a half that Janelle put together for the girls.  Bella was doing non-stop commentary for 45 minutes straight.  It went something like this:
"Bella and Esther!"  "Bella!"  "Bella and Dadda!"  "Esther!"  "Esther and Bella!"  "There's Bella!"
"Dadda, what's that?"
"I'm not sure."
"Mama, what's that?"
"I think it is one of your toys"
"Dadda, it's one of my toys" (in the most serious tone you can imagine a 2 year-old having)
"Bella!"  "Bella and Esther!"...
Janelle and I couldn't stop laughing!  Bella is getting more verbally expressive every day, and she and Esther continue to grow in playing together and enjoying each other.  It is a sweet gift to watch.  I'm thanking Jesus for a great Christmas time so far.

Now, to what was advertised!  In previous posts, I have talked about some of the big-picture things I have been learning from my time here, but today I'm focusing on my actual classes.  I decided it would be helpful to me to write down a few sentences describing what I got out of each of my classes, learning both about myself and about the subject.  Each sentence is a key takeaway for me.  I thought I'd share them with you...
Wealth and Poverty in the New Testament:
There is no single New Testament dictum about possessions.  The Bible does say clearly that we must not obtain goods through unjust means, we must share, and we must discern, in community, God's leading about the use of our possessions.  Possessions and wealth are issues that are significantly addressed in the Bible and should be talked about in our Christian communities!  Our Christian journey and ethics need to be addressed in community!  It isn't just about me and Jesus!
Biblical Theology of Mission:
The Mission is God's mission (in Christ by the Spirit).  The question for us is, "How do I get to participate in God's mission?"  Gods mission runs through the whole Bible!  God is a missionary God; if you (individually and corporately) want to grow with God,  join God in his mission!  Mission is living on the boundary between the people of God and the "nations" - all those who are not yet the people of God.
Communication:
I need to use humor in my communication; taking myself lightly is very helpful for me! (I tend to take myself too seriously).  Becoming a good communicator is a long process.  Basic organizational templates can be really helpful for me as a communicator because they set me free to actually communicate instead of getting stuck in the organization of ideas.
Exegetical Methods:
When studying Scripture, "Context is queen" and try to withhold judgment on the meaning of a passage as long as possible.  Asking questions (lots of them, about everything) can be a great way to study the Bible.  Letting go of my prior conclusions allows me to really engage with the text.  There is a two-way conversation when reading the Bible; there is always the text and the receiver, so no two readings are the same.  Allow others to wrestle with tough questions about the Scripture before jumping to tell my "answers" or conclusions.  This is the course I had the hardest time appreciating for a variety of reasons, the most significant was that it introduced many different ways of looking at Scripture that were new and foreign to me.  I'm glad I was exposed to them; I'm not sure how much I will utilize the different points of view, but I'm glad to be aware of them within the Church.
Hebrew:
I really enjoy languages because for me success is directly linked to hard work, which is not the case in some of my other courses.  Teaching languages well is truly a gift (that my teacher has); he somehow teaches us what we need to know to learn without getting stuck in unnecessary details.  "Jehovah" as a name for God is an invention of Europeans in the late 19th century that came about because they were trying to pronounce the word "Yahweh" (LORD in Hebrew) with different vowels.  Maybe the purity laws are based primarily on what God does - God doesn't have sex or touch dead things or eat - those things are all restricted for people in interacting with God.

I hope that makes some sense to you!  Don't hesitate to ask if anything there sparks your interest and you'd like to talk about it more. 

One more minor development in our world...after lots of deliberation and prayer, we have decided to apply to Duke Divinity School in the ThD program (essentially the same as a PhD) for next year along with the two schools in Scotland.  It is a super-longshot to get in, but I am going to give it my best shot and see where God takes us. 

I hope you are well.  May you know the blessing of "God with Us" in this Christmas time and in the year to come.

Forrest.Janelle
Esther, Bella, and Baby Boy (due April 11)

What do Fresh Cut Christmas Trees, "Snow Day," and Term Complete have in common?

Our two princesses on our way to Disneyland for the special Jesus Christmas celebration.

Knott's Berry Farm on Thanksgiving with the Sweeneys - a great day for Thankfulness.

Our "personal swimming pool" at Malibu beach with the Sweeneys!

My two little Christmas Tree helpers!

That is a real saw!  We got to choose our tree and cut it down - so fun!

Decorating the tree was a delight.  True to form, our tree touches our ceiling (only 8 feet high here!)

What do Fresh Cut Christmas Trees, "Snow Day," and Term Complete have in common?
They all happened in Pasadena in the last 3 weeks!

The pictures tell the story of an awesome Dadda-Daughters adventure to Nancy's Tree Farm where we got to choose and cut down our tree for the year.  We had a great time, and Nancy herself gave us each a candy cane.  Having a decorated Christmas tree has made our apartment feel more like a home than ever - we are very grateful for that.

Snow Day!  You may have heard about the crazy winds a few weeks ago in and around Pasadena that caused multiple closures and forced Pasadena to declare a state of emergency.  Well, that is where we live!!  I was on my way back from the library at 11pm the night the winds hit, and I was reminded of some of the pounding winds we experienced in the winter in Superior the past 6 years.  I don't think the winds were significantly stronger here than we experience in Boulder a few times a winter, but apparently they don't make trees as strong out here because trees were down everywhere!  Lots of huge trees were uprooted and laying across roads.  Over a week later, there are still trees laying in major roads because they haven't been able to clean them up yet.  So, last Thursday, the last day of regular classes, Fuller canceled school - Pasadena's version of a Snow Day! 

As of 11:30pm last night (Dec. 9), the quarter is over.  I might throw out some more serious reflections soon, but the overall take on the quarter:

• Great courses - challenging academically; profs who love Jesus; assignments and reading that helped me grow and learn; little to no busy-work.  Although studying about Jesus is definitely NOT the same as connecting with and serving Jesus, my courses stretched me to see God in new ways that I think will continue to bear fruit as I grow with Him by his Spirit.
• A lot of work - Wanting to get the most out of our time out here and taking a very full course load (18 hours compared to the normal full time 12 hours), I worked very hard at school!  Although life is definitely simpler out here with only two real foci (family and school - under the umbrella of Jesus), I definitely got less sleep through the Fall than I have in previous Falls while working at First Pres.
• Writing - I am growing as a writer, and I have a long way to go.  My engineering education didn't prepare me for writing 20 page papers that are logically structured and are properly footnoted!
• Community - I have awesome classmates.  it has been fun to get to know some of them more closely as new friendships develop.

I have lots more reflections, but that is all for now!

Other great stuff going on:

• We had a wonderful Thanksgiving visit from Janelle's parents and sister!  (Pics above)
• My sister, Arnica, just got engaged - so we are super excited for two Buckner family weddings coming up and we are delighted for Kevin to become "Uncle Kevin!"
• We had a bit of a scare with some ultrasound feedback from the Baby, but after some discussions with the docs, it looks like all is well with Buckner Baby Boy.

We are really going to miss being home for the holidays and seeing all of our wonderful community. 

May you know God's rich love expressed in the coming of the King as a baby,
Forrest