Yesterday I finished up a two week intensive course called Presbyterian Creeds, designed to help us explore the Presbyterian Book of Confessions (a book full of documents throughout the history of Christianity that Presbyterians ascribe to), and to help us prepare for our ordination exams which are coming up in August. Intensive classes have definite pros and cons--on one hand, you spend 4 hours a day, 5 days a week with the same 18 people, so you definitely have a chance to get to know your classmates so much better than during a normal quarter, which I love. However, the down side is that you spend 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, sitting in rather uncomfortable desks listening to the same person talk. It's just way too much material to absorb remotely well in 2 weeks, so I'm not really sure it's the best schedule from a pedagogical perspective. I'm not sure Presbyterian Creeds is my new favorite class that I have taken at Fuller, but I will say that it is probably the most fun I have ever had with classmates in a course here. I won't go in to detail and get anyone into trouble, but I will say that the fun from this course came from side conversations with classmates, not the lectures themselves. Except in a couple situations. See, after awhile, it's just fairly impossible to pay attention to the same voice for 4 hours, flying through power point slide after slide. So, well...there might be other things (ahem ahem...the internet?) that might occupy one's attention instead of actually listening. And, when one is maybe not listening quite as closely as one ought to, one tends to mis-hear some statements that are being made. What is even funnier is if 6 of your classmates are also communicating with one another via ... um...well various methods and not paying attention and they all hear the exact same thing you hear. So for instance, when your professor mentions that another name for the Holy Spirit is "paraclete"...well if you're not really listening it is easy to assume that your professor just said an acceptable name for the Holy Spirit in the Presbyterian church is the "Parakeet." You probably had to be there to fully appreciate the hilarity of this comment, but it involved some unsuccessful stifled laughter, a few snorts from certain unnamed individual, and a joke for the rest of the week. The same thing happens when your professor says that God does not have a sex (God is not male or female), and you and your classmates happen to hear "God does not have sex." Hilarity ensued. Really, you should have been there.
Other random high lights of the week--I got to play Hitler in an in class skit...which my classmates found absolutely hysterical...I don't really understand why....I mean I can be intimidating and dictator-like....ok well maybe that wasn't the best role for me....
I have also had the chance to spend this last week serving as a teaching assistant for a beginning preaching class, sitting with a small group of 6 students each day as 2 preach each morning and then having a conversation with them about what went really well, what could be improved upon etc. I have LOVED the expereince, and hope I get the chance to do this again at some point. It reminded me how much I adore preaching, and playing with words, and different ways of communicating. And I love encouraging people to grow, so in many ways I feel like I have had the chance to use my gifts this week in a way I have never done before and I have had SO much fun.
Last night was girl's night out to go see Mamma Mia, the new movie, and I think all 7 of us would highly recommend it to any of you who haven't seen it yet!
I think that's about it...tomorrow a group of us are going down to worship at Saddleback Church (Rick Warren's mega church) for the experience, so I am sure I will have thoughts after that!
No comments:
Post a Comment