Ah....another year....

It's the beginning of yet another school year, which means...new student orientation is wrapping up. Orientation weeks always bring with them several things--new students (obviously!), fresh energy, excitement and anticipation about the year ahead, and the wonderful set of questions one is expected to answer about 50 times a day: ("Where are you from? What is your program? How did you end up at Fuller?") So I dutifully reply "I'm from Sacramento and Seattle, I'm a 2nd year MDiv student, and I'm at Fuller because Gordon Conwell lost my paperwork." Not that this is the only reason I am at Fuller but it is usually an entertaining conversation starter--my least favorite reply to get from students is "I'm at Fuller because God called me here..." I usually end up wanting to ask "Ok obviously, but HOW did God get you here?!" Other than having an overwhelming sense of peace last year that this really is the place I am supposed to be, not Boston, I didn't reflect too much on the implications of me choosing Fuller over Gordon Conwell, or anywhere else. But this fall I have, a lot.

Don't get me wrong, GCTS is a great theological seminary, doing some wonderful things in the theological world, but I know it isn't where I am supposed to be. This quarter I am taking a class entitled "Women, The Bible, and the Church" taught by one of Fuller's most popular and esteemed professors, David Scholer. It's one of the most popular classes on campus and I'm so excited to have finally been high enough on the registration list to have received a spot. Dr. Scholer has been one of the most out-spoken, well-educated, front-runners of advocating for women in ministry throughout the last 40 years. He used to teach at Gordon Conwell, back in the 70s, and it was here that he first began teaching this class--a class on a topic that no other seminary in the country was willing to touch in the early 70s. He began teaching it in 1972 at Gordon Conwell, a school that at the time had about 170 students, 3 of whom were female. So he taught this class to a room full of men, and his stories are fascinating. Let's just say he wasn't exactly the most loved man on that campus! (I'm not sure too many other professors can say they have had students threaten to beat them up over what they've said in class!) Throughout the last 35 years, Dr. Scholer has continued to speak to pretty much every major denomination and on many many campuses on this topic (He says he has even guest lectured in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and as he says "yeah they didn't really like anything I had to say!"). He came to Fuller a long time ago and has sense continued teaching classes in the New Testament (he's an NT scholar) and every year he offers this class I'm in now. What does all this have to do with me being glad I am here and not at GCTS? Well, he mentioned in class yesterday that while GCTS is doing some wonderful things in the world right now, they as a whole, are not in support of women in pastoral ministry. Their views tend to change depending on their current president, and they are about to install a new president who is not in support of women being ordained into ministry. He went on to say that practically from the beginning, Fuller has been supportive of women, so much so, that now they are one of only 2 evangelical seminaries in the nation that use that issue as a "litmus test" for incoming faculty. No professor can get a teaching job here unless they affirm that they are in support of women AND men being in ministry together, in ordained ministry. Our presidents for the last several terms have been fully in support of women, and have worked hard to make Fuller a place of equality and support. I've spent too many years thinking women are unable to be pastors, that if I had gone to GCTS in the midst of that questioning, I probably would not be working towards my ordination now, I wouldn't have received the encouragement and support I have needed these past years to see that I have been given pastoral gifts and that there are places in the church I can use them. So, how did I end up at Fuller? Well, Gordon Conwell lost my paperwork, and I praise God they did and that He can work through even something as ridiculous as a misplaced application!

Other "beginning of the year" news---classes are going to be wonderful and a LOT of work (well what else is new?!). Besides Scholer's class I have The Exegesis of 1 Corinthians (a fancy way of saying it is a class that uses the Greek I have learned to really dig into the book, to learn the historical context, the culture of the city, look at the reasons for Paul writing this letter, and practicing translating and using Greek to uncover things we miss in the English translations.) and I'm taking the Writings of the Old Testament (a class that looks at Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth, Esther, Chronicles, Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesasties, Song of Solomon and probably something I am forgetting--any book that isn't part of the Torah or the Prophets!) So classes will be a ton of work but I am going to love all of them (which is rare in a quarter--usually there is 1 that is just not fun at all!). Our Presbyterian group is up and moving...we have our fall kick off bbq tonight, our first chapel was last Monday and went really well, and we're excited about the group of new students that we've gained! My internship starts on Sunday at First Presbyterian Church in Burbank & I think it will be an amazing experience. I'll have the opportunity to function as a pastor in the church, experiencing all aspects of pastoral ministry (leading worship up front each Sunday, hospital visits, committee meetings, staff meetings, session meetings, preaching, teaching adult education classes, doing community involvement, funerals, weddings, pre-marital counseling, pastoral counseling etc). Ross does a fabulous job of really letting his interns try anything they've never done in the life of the church and really lets us shadow him and experience the ups and downs of ministry. I am SO thankful for this opportunity as I continue figuring out what aspects of ministry I have been called to. Anyways, I think that's about it....I should be reading right now, so I am off to do that!

Welcome new students!

Yesterday we had our annual orientation session for new Presbyterian students to come and meet their leadership, hear about upcoming events, and hear more about the ordination process and how the Office of Presbyterian Ministries can support them in the years to come.

Here are Sophie, Jenn (Pocket), Becca and I at the main sign on Fuller's campus:

And Sophie and I realized when we showed up that morning that we had WAY too much in common! (notice the matching shoes and butterfly rings...)

Fun at Cursillo!

I couldn't get these pictures posted last night, not really sure why, but here are a couple of pictures that are "show-able" to the general public! :) This is Mike Cole, the executive presbyter of the New Covenant Presbytery in Texas who was our head spiritual advisor for the weekend and a wonderful presence on our staff team. I loved the fact that he was such a wonderful encourager, and was willing to be a complete goofball at the same time. Here he is with Sophie & I sporting a butterfly hair clip in his hair...I'm sure he'll love this picture being posted :)

So at one point on Saturday I came to sit down and found Mike in my chair, so I told him I would just go take his seat at the spiritual advisor table, but was told I couldn't sit there unless I was named Mike Cole. So we switched name tags for awhile---and I didn't look at the schedule to see what was coming next and Mike ended up having to participate in one of the more meaningful parts of the weekend with my name attached to him.....oh well, by that point in the weekend most people should have figured out that his name wasn't "Sarah Hanson" :)


Even Kernie had fun in Texas! He made a lot of new friends, spent a lot of time hanging out with our music team (Sophie is still trying to teach him not to go off with strangers without her permission but I think she has a little more teaching to do because they "borrowed" him overnight one night....but we were told he had a great time with them!) One morning Steve Retzloff even made him his own plate of food for breakfast....he loves being taken care of by all his Texas friends!

Yeah, it's a Big House alright....

Many of you know that music is unbelievably important to me--I have zero musical ability of my own, but God speaks powerfully through songs to me. This past weekend I had the honor of serving on the staff of Houston Presbyterian Cursillo #42, and I could tell hundreds of stories about ways I got to see God work in the staff and participants, but I'm a little tired tonight and besides, a lot of the stories can't be told in full because so many reading this have yet to experience Cursillo for themselves & I want them to have the chance to not know anything ahead of time so they can watch the weekend unfold for themselves. (Hence only a couple pictures actually get posted--pictures that don't give anything away--other than that there are lots of butterflies around which those who know Sophie & I are already aware of since we both went a little crazy looking for butterfly gear when we got home from our participant Cursillo!) However, as I tried thinking about what I could write about my weekend, the lyrics to Audio Adrenaline's song "Big House" will not get out of my head---so I think that is going to be the inspiration for this posting.

"Come and go with me, to my Father's House..."

This weekend, without a doubt, drew all of us into God's presence. The meeting room where most of our worship happened, became holy ground and God showed up. Sometimes the songs were older hymns, reminding us of the thousands of years before us that people have been worshiping the same God we worshiped this weekend. Sometimes the songs were newer and unfamilar to people, but God was very much present in those as well, reminding all of us that even though the chords or sounds of a song might change, the message does not--God is the same for all eternity. And sometimes the songs were just downright fun, silly and a little crazy (hence, "Big House") and God showed up powerfully in those as well--in the joy and laughter on the faces of the staff and participants as we all tried figuring out the hand motions and lyrics!

"It's a big, big house, with lots and lots of room..."

This weekend, we got to see that there is a LOT of room in this house--room for all kinds of people. We had a few folks there this weekend with some physical disabilities and seeing the staff and participants come alongside them and serve them and help them to experience the weekend as much as the rest of us was an unbelievably powerful testimony to the fact that ALL of us are equally loved by our Heavenly Father. We ALL need a place to belong, and we all need to be loved and to have others to love in return.

"There's a big, big table, with lots and lots of food..."

So obviously we eat at Cursillo--it's not a 4 day fasting retreat, but in addition to "real" food, we also were fed spiritual food in abundance. We joined together several times for communion and gathered at the Table to remember the sacrifice Jesus made so that we could approach Him in confidence. The Table is a central part of Cursillo (ok so it's not an official symbol of cursillo, but it may as well be) because of all the incredible connections and conversations that happen around tables during the weekend--in discussion times, at meals, and at communion. And we just got a small taste of the table fellowship that awaits us in Heaven!

"It's a big, big yard, where we can play football..."

(Touchdown!--ok that's for Stuart Smith, I'd never actually seen anyone do that until I met him!)

I realized when I was a participant that the thing missing in my life here at Fuller is play. Sure we do social activities and we have fun, but it is always a "reserved" sort of fun--it isn't filled with absolute joy, sometimes giddyness or sillyness...it's always very much "controlled fun." I had a blast at HPC 40 back in April, but it wasn't until this weekend that I was told by others that my "mask" truly came off. I had an unbelievable time in worship, in playing, in not worrying about what others were thinking....the gift of being completely free in God's presence, even when we're playing or dancing around the room doing hand motions to songs is an unbelievable treasure for all of us who spend our whole lives being "serious" and "responsible" and "in control." Praise God for a little sillyness every now and then!

God did some absolutely incredible things this weekend, and if I was more awake right now I would try to mention a few of them, but I'm quickly loosing my ability to put words together coherently! So you'll have to email me and ask me for more specifics if you want them!

And I wanted to post a couple of pictures but it's not letting me and so I'll try again tomorrow :)

A few more pictures of Megan and Nathan's wedding...

Just thought I would share a couple of my new favorite photos with ya'll (can you tell I just got back from Texas?!) Here are some of Megan and Nathan's wedding photos I just received...

My dad looks like he might be having a little fun here :)My beautiful little sister--hard to believe she is old enough to be Mrs. Backman now!

The one and only picture of the 2 of us that we got all night--luckily it turned out pretty well!It must be tough for Nathan to be so adored....he looks like he is having a miserable time!

Megan and her bridesmaids

I absolutely loved this picture of Grandma Hildie--she looks so beautiful and so joyful!
The wedding party--hey the photographer told the guys to "jump!"

a little disney fun...

So everyone has to have a little summer fun! My newly married little sister, Megan, left her husband in Rhode Island for a weekend and came out to join me in LA where we spent one day with her good friend Emily in Disneyland--definitely a fabulous place to relieve stress--there is just nothing like screaming on rollercoasters all day to make you feel nice and relaxed :) Here are Emily, Megs and I in front of the castle.
And here's our sister shot of the day

The girls definitely got a few strange looks while taking this picture...I think I can see a resemblance...
Megan, Emily and I waiting for the "Parade of Dreams" to start...unbelievably packed full of Disney fun and cheesy-ness :)
Is it completely heretical of me to say that one of my new heroes is Captain Jack Sparrow? I hope not....this photo is me being illegal and ignoring the "no flash photography" rules on the new Pirates of the Caribbean ride....

just some words I fell in love with

"We may however say to ourselves - one day these souls of ours will blossom into the full sunshine - when all that is desirable in the commonness of daily love, and all we long for of wonder and mystery and the look of Christmas time will be joined in one, and we shall walk as in a wondrous dream yet with more sense of reality than our most waking joy now gives us."
~ George MacDonald

The Wedding of Ryan and Alethia White (part 1)

Last Saturday was an absolutely perfect and beautiful Seattle day for Ryan and Alethia's wedding celebration. The weather was gorgeous, the ceremony beautiful, and of course, the bride was radiant! I thought I'd post some pictures from the day to share with you all...

One of the unique and wonderful things about Alethia is that she has the most amazing facial expressions, and those who spend a lot of time with her find that they are a little contagious! Here she is giving the camera one of her looks, and Ryan has a great expression too--he obviously adores his beautiful bride!

Here is Alethia with Ryan's groomsmen (from left to right: Max, Jeff, Dustin, Steven, Tish, Jared, and Elijah)

And here are Alethia's bridesmaids trying not to drop the groom! (Kelly, Laura, Rachel, Autumn, Katie, Jessica, and Teresa)--The guys made picking up Alethia look a lot easier, but the girls managed to not drop Ryan completely!

Laura and Kelly get Alethia's garter in position before the ceremony...definitely an important bridesmaid job!
Awww! The first dance (and a little kiss...) as everyone looks on

Ryan and Alethia's wedding (Part 2)

Apparently blogger doesn't like it when too many pictures are posted at once, so I thought I'd split them into two (or maybe 3) separate posts so I don't end up totally frustrated with technology!

One of my favorite pictures of the evening...here are my wonderful and beautiful friends from Seattle--(from left to right) Kelli, me, Missy, Jen, Lynn, Heather, Karen and Darbee...it was wonderful being up there and getting to spend time with each of them throughout the week!

Now that is some serious dancing! (the video camera footage is even better...!)
I'm not sure Alethia stopped dancing all evening--she looked like she was having a blast!
Ryan and his sister, Jessica, swing dancing
Our former PA staff, the Yup-Yup's--it is always good to have excuses for reunions! (Matt, Jeannette, Heather, Chris, Alethia, Ryan, Jen, Missy and I--Anu couldn't make it to the reception and we weren't really sure why Andrew never made it to the wedding at all...)
Darbee and Missy realized they don't have any pictures of just the two of them, so I thought we could fix that...and I happen to think it is a beautiful picture of both of them!

Ryan and Alethia's Wedding (part 3)

And just a few more pictures that it wouldn't let me add to part 2's post!

Alethia and I during the reception...I love that I got such a great new friend out of this whole relationship! I enjoy reminding Ryan that she was my friend first ;)

Ryan and I--it was a little surreal finally being at his wedding after spending the last 7 years listening to him talk about the girl he was going to marry--I am just glad that it was Alethia because she is absolutely perfect for him!

The car was just a little decorated! Ok it was a lot decorated. Ok they couldn't see out of it well enough to drive! (His cousins and groomsmen were the culrpits...) But this is one of my favorite pictures from the night before they drove away...

Alethia all ready to drive off into the sunset...or...the darkness... in her...uh....chariot...

One of the main reasons I love Seattle....I took this of Mt. Rainier from the airplane as I flew home--it pays to know which side of the plane to sit on!