The last week has been very hectic - a significant part of the written work that fills this part of the program has been due over this period - so I'm giving you a look at a cable car in part so that I can remind myself that there is life outside of the library!


This last Sunday I went to an (unnamed) local Episcopal Church - I was reminded of just how lucky we are at St. Augustine's to have a family of people who are really interested in each other AND who welcome visitors! In my entire time at this church - from 10 minutes before the service all the way through the coffee hour a total of one person spoke to me! And the liturgy? Don't get me started! Suffice it to say that we do a great job and I miss it!

Here's where I've been living for the last (nearly) three weeks. Yes - it's a dorm room! I had forgotten what it's like to try and live out of a single room with the bathroom down the hall - a reminder that a lot of the things I have really aren't essential to living. Living this way really helps focus the mind on the task at hand.

And the task at hand at the moment is divided into three things:
1. An intensive study of the 8th Century Prophets: Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah. The 8th Century prophets were social activists who condemned the marginalizing of the poor, the manipulating of the legal system to steal their property, and the creation of huge landed estates committed to farming crops that benefited the elites but destroyed the livelihoods of the peasants. There are clear and disturbing comparisons to our contemporary society, and I have to say I will never be able to read them again without seeing the injustices of the period and their brave, prophetic response.

2. Trauma, Loss and Grief in theological and pastoral settings. I had just read one of the assigned books - and in particular the section called "when death comes unexpectedly" - when Rachel called to say her father had died. So this class has been a personal journey for me as much as an opportunity to learn more about the sorts of experiences that make up our lives as human beings.

3. Planning a dissertation. At the moment I intend to write about leadership (which should come as no surprise, since that's what I spent the last year studying!).

It's not all work, of course (though it certainly feels like it sometimes!). I have had a chance to take a few photographs, including the one below of the Marin Civic Center - this is the one of the major projects Frank Lloyd Wright designed in addition to all his houses - I love it!
I've also been looking for better pictures of where I am right now - here's one:

And now I'm entering the final stretch for this year. Next week I drive down to Anaheim to accept the Episcopal Network for Stewardship's triennial award on your behalf. More on that later!

Nigel

Books, Books, Books!

I’m coming to the end of my second week here at SFTS and so now I have a sense of the rhythm of the program.
What’s clear to me is the importance of pacing.
Classroom time for me happens mostly in the mornings and so it would seem as if there’s lots of free time. Nothing could be further from the truth. Without constant application it would be very easy to fall behind – a fatal problem considering the workload! I find that much of the rest of the day, and a good part of the weekends, are taken up with extensive reading and the preparation of papers.
In addition, I am working hard on developing a reading list for my dissertation and fine-tuning the proposal itself.
All this is new-old. It’s been over 30 years since I’ve done any formal academic program like this, and I had forgotten what it was like! At the same time there is so much new material now available that it offers a cornucopia of possibilities!
As I mentioned last time, I went to St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, last Sunday. While it was a quite remarkable experience it was also not the sort of thing I would want to share in every Sunday! The Bridge (AKA Golden Gate) was fun on the way though!
I find myself wanting to be somewhere else. This is not a bad thing – it does act as a reminder that home is not here. Being back on Whidbey, or in Maine, both have a strong draw for me. At the same time it is clear to me that what I am doing is important and will be beneficial, not just for me but for all of us.

On the Hill

I'm writing this at the end of my first week at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS), where I'll be spending June, as I continue with my doctoral program in leadership.

As you can see from the picture to the right, the seminary sits on a low hill in a valley between two higher hills. It's located just south of downtown San Anselmo, CA., a site it has occupied since 1890.

SFTS is a Presbyterian school, and a part of a nine-seminary consortium that is called the Graduate Theological Union. The other eight seminaries are all located in Berkeley, CA in the East Bay, near the University of California Berkeley campus. One of those other seminaries is my own - the Episcopal Church's West Coast seminary - the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

The SFTS buildings that actually sit on the hilltop reflect late 19th century era of it's founding, with 16' ceilings, 12' doors, and high windows, all of which reflect the monumental architecture of the time.

Classes are held in Scott Hall, the building to the left, and mostly take place in the morning, Monday through Friday. Such a schedule might seem fortunate - allowing for free afternoons - but there is so much reading that most of my time is spent in the library of Geneva hall, which sits on the pinacle of the hill above Scott.

It has been a very full first week, not the least because I arrived a day late because of Rachel's father's death. As most of you know, he died on the flight out to Maine - a horrendous and traumatic experience for Rachel, who was sitting next to him as he got increasingly sick, and - as a hospital chaplain - had a pretty good idea of what was happening and of her powerlessness in being able to help. I want to thank you for your prayers and thoughtful cards and comments - it is very hard not to be with Rachel as she grieves his loss.

I think it is not a coincidence that, when my phone rang at 3:21 a.m. on Saturday, May 30th - a time where the content of such a call is never good - I had been reading one of the books assigned for my class called "Trauma, loss, and grief in pastoral and theological settings" and, in particular, the chapter titled "When death comes unannounced."

That class has been impressive, as has my other main focus for these four weeks, a study of the eighth century B.C.E. prophets - Amos, Hosea, Michah, Isaiah - and especially the social setting that led to their prophecies.

This Sunday I will be attending St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. St. Gregory's has a reputation for wonderful liturgy - I'm looking forward to it!