…apparently is time for blogging. This past few weeks my plate has been pretty full. In addition to an ongoing contest with sleep that Isabel has been having, I’ve just had a lot of deadlines and teaching assignments to prep.

In mid-May, I taught a seminar at the Urban Youth Worker’s Institute on the faith transition to college. You’d think that would have been easy to prep, considering that is what I do for a living. But it was challenging to prep because I didn’t want it to just be an information download. Plus, I wanted to challenge some of the common notions that college is only a faith killer. Did you know that for all of the hype about how between 50-70% of college students lose their faith, the number is even higher for their same-age peers that don’t go to college? Anyway, leading the seminar was very re-inspiring for me about both the strategic significance for spiritual formation, as well as what I enjoy most about working with college students.

For example, I love the opportunity for action that comes from immediacy and availability of students. After my UYWI seminar, I taught at CSULA from John 13 on intimacy with Jesus from serving. After talking about how Jesus flips the script on what it means to be important by giving an example of serving in the most dirty task of feet washing, we passed out toilet scrubbing brushes and trash bags and went around the housing units cleaning people’s apartments! Yes, they were just as shocked to hear that.

But it was more than just shocking, it was really transformative. One student who has been “checking out” Jesus this quarter, was initially very angry that we were going to do this. But when we came back together, his face was glowing with excitement.  Not only was it positive to serve, but he experienced something of Jesus that he couldn’t by just listening.  (I’ll share more about this in a later post.)

The rest of the last two weeks, I’ve been knee-deep in the book of Job, writing my paper due last Tuesday and taking my final last night.  As I continue to journey with Job, I’m grateful for the insights that I’ve gained, both from class and from the readings.

Next week, we’re taking our students to Catalina for 5 days of scripture study.  Its my favorite way to end the school year - in the scripture and away from the usual distractions of the school year.  I’ll update more just before we go, and then when we come back.

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