Sorry!

Hey friends and family...
Sorry it's taken so long to get a chance to update everyone. It's been hectic over the holidays, as Aaron and I tore through Los Angeles like a whirlwind and spent time over in St. Louis with his family for Christmas and New Years.
It's quieted down a bit now, so here I am, back on the blog, and will hopefully answer all questions!
We arrived back in Dublin on the 3rd of January, after a ridiculous experience at Chicago O'Hare airport. Frozen water pipes, refueling, safety sensors going mad. I think we spent over 12 hours in that plane by the time we got home.
Then, it was straight to work for me. I had an essay due. 5-6000 words (or 20 pages for those not in the know) on a topic involving our course "Authority, Tradition, and Experience." I chose to write on the topic of the Left Behind series. It was an adventure, I must admit. Having read the books (a dicey thing for a Presbyterian seminarian to admit), I wanted to investigate the issues involved from the theological tradition of the authors and how it affects ecumenical dialogue. At first, this seemed like an easy task. Unfortunately, the more I read from the tradition of the authors, the more difficult it became to interact with the material ethically. Some of the comments made about other believers and other faiths are hostile at best. I've posted the paper on my theological reflections site, for those who want to learn about what I've found. It's long, and intense, but hopefully accessible for the non-theological reader.

So it was a difficult paper to write with the intention of honoring the authors of the series. But I did it, and I'm incredibly happy with what I've put together. Writing, however, took large amounts of coffee and time in the GSU Reading Room here on Trinity's campus. it's my new favorite place, I must admit. I show up, and start going, and it's like the most focused wonderful place to study. I'll probably wind up here a great deal if I do my PhD here.

That is some other news. After a number of meetings back in Los Angeles, and a meeting with Andrew, the director of ISE, it looks like I will be seriously considering completing a PhD here in Ecumenics. The timing and funding right now are the big questions and issues. We're not sure whether or not to return to Los Angeles to complete the M.Div first or whether to just push through. It depends on what Yahoo! says and how grant money and essays for my masters' pan out. I have a few grants I'm going to look into, but the reality is that it will cost approximately €40,000 for just the tuition to complete the degree. Aaron can cover the rent and daily expenses, and I'll probably be able to work a bit to cover travel back and forth from the states, but we will need help. So, if you know of anyone eager to support a PhD student or to contribute to the cause with information about other grants or scholarships that I would qualify for, please let me know. PLEASE!

The PhD will be dealing most likely with North American Evangelicalism and looking at a systematic theology that interacts more closely with Judaism. It is specifically not Messianic Judaism or Supercessionist or Marcionite Evangelicalism, but specifically understanding ways that Christianity and Judaism intersect and overlap and looking at those theological, ethical, and other ramifications. Answering questions like "How can North American Evangelicalism reclaim a tradition of lament and mourning? Can the Jewish tradition of Kaddish or interpretation of Psalms of lament help us?" or "While kosher laws don't apply to us, how do we incorporate the idea that what we put into our bodies is important to God?" or "How do we read Hebrews and understand our New Covenant with God in light of God's previous covenants with Israel?" So, super-nerdy, but really, really exciting!

Anyhow... As I'm working on another essay on the "Identity of Christianity" these questions keep coming to mind. I love that God is challenging me mentally and spiritually all at the same time.

Aaron is currently back in the states in San Jose training for the new program that Yahoo! will be working with. They apparently are having a rather big overhaul on their systems and so Aaron had to go back to get all sorted for training. After a nightmarish experience (again in O'Hare) of delays and an enormous layover due to delays and other such things, he arrived Monday and will be there through Saturday. So if any of you Northern Californians are bored and want to visit... let me know!

Our cat is fine, but we miss him. Thanks for all the prayers. He's off medication and while still a rambunctious little rascal, he's been spending his evenings with his friend Duchess, which seems to have calmed him down somewhat, and given my mother a much needed break. He's no longer lonely at night and that seems to be doing well by him.

Classes this quarter are incredibly interesting. If last quarter was the term of intense theology and philosophy, this quarter is very practical. I'm taking a number of classes, but it doesn't seem too overwhelming. Classes are mostly on Mon-Tues, so I have Wed-Fri to spend in the GSU Reading Room. Here's the list of classes:
Ethics of Globalization - This is all about globalization and the ethical ramifications of it. Living in global society, dealing with global economy, and understanding the politics of power as it shifts from nation-state to "other."
An Ecumenics of Loss and Reconciliation: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Violence, Loss and the Way of Transformation - A seminar dealing with issues of loss and healing in the context of post-conflict situations, including church response, memorials, and psycological implications.
Ethics, Theology, and Social Theory: Christian Ethics Between the Local and the Global
- I'll be presenting in this class on the issue of how ought Christians interpret texts and apply them ethically using Hays' text Moral Vision in the New Testament. Looking at issues of hermeneutics and the differences between ethics and Christian ethics.
Islam and Islamic-Christian Dialogue - basically what it says. A history of the faith and people of Islam and a way forward for dialogue and interaction.

So those are the classes, and the rest is writing papers.

We are still active in Dublin Vineyard. It's a good church, and we really are enjoying a smaller atmosphere, even though our "small" group is about 35 people :) We'll be joining the spinoff group that will be forming as an Alpha class. I'll probably be a discussion group leader for that. They've asked me to lead worship in the small group, but I'm resting and trying not to overcommit. So I've said no for now. If we stay longer, I might reconsider, but for now, I'm content to be involved as a participant. The pastor, Sean, and his wife Debbie, are both wonderful people, and our small group leaders Mark and Christine are as well. They support women in ministry and encourage spiritual gifts! Awesome.

There have been some issues with getting photos uploaded, so I'll just tell you that Belfast was beautiful, as was Grafton Street at Christmas. We are really looking forward to the spring, as we are headed to Jerusalem for our anniversary this year (although we'll be going a month early.) It's cheaper for us to go to Jerusalem than it was to goto Philadelphia from Los Angeles, if you can believe it. It will also be an amazing trip, because for a portion of the trip we'll be staying with some friends from the University of Judaism and experiencing all of the sites and things with the locals. I'm so excited I could burst!

We're also really looking forward to those of you planning to visit. Check out travelzoo and aerlingus for good fares! Flying on strange days always helps, too. :) As long as you give us a couple weeks' notice, we'd love to have any of you stay on our sleeper couch! I hear it's quite comfortable.

Well, that's it for now, but know that you are all loved. We'll try to update again soon!

Katie & Aaron