happy Friday everyone!

YAY! it's finally here: FRIDAY!! I'm really sorry that i have been conspicously absent this week. I blame it on the fact that yesterday i turned in a 20 page paper! Aahh, a sign of relief! You know that when i hear people tell me how lucky i am that i am still in school, or that they would go back in a heartbeat, etc. I want to tell them, ok go ahead and do my next huge research paper and we'll see how you feel. I know it's just the 'grass is greener' thing going on, but still everyone's life is really stressful in different ways.

really i love being in school, i definitely like the flexible schedule, where i get to sleep in some mornings and get afternoon naps, but that is counterbalanced by the allnighters, finals that make me have nervous breakdowns, etc.

So yeah, the paper i turned in was all about john wesley (the founder of Methodism- for you non-methodists) and his theology of financial stewardship. He was a crazy man about this issue. people now discribe him as a socialist, and he really wanted to bring about a different society of people who helped one another with thier financial issues. he literally lived off of only 20 % of his income and gave the rest to others in need around him. what a high standard!! it really humbled me to think of how intense and passionate about living out the gospel he was! inspirational!

So now it is on to the second largest paper of the semester, 12 page exegesis (a theolgical explanation) on a passage of scripture of my choice. It's for my gender and race in Paul, so i guess not 'any' one that i want, it has to be from Paul's letters in the New Testament and it has to have to do with gender or race. So i choose to do it about Ephesians 5: 21-33. It is a household code, where Paul talks about wives and husbands being submissive to one another, like the church is to Christ. I haven't formed an opinion about it yet, the research just started, but I think it will be at least interesting to talk about. And after i turn in the paper i have to write a 20 minute sermon on the same passage, using what i have learned from all my research and exegesis.

so that's my life for now! really interesting to me, but probably boring to anyone else. i'm definitly stretching my brain these past few, and next few weeks! Hope you are also a learning alot in your life! Here's to being a lifetime learner, even when you aren't in school!

ttfn,

Julia