Hi Friends,
Here’s a real quick update for the end of summer.
It’s been a crazy few weeks here. After a short but lovely vacation with Shauna’s family, I came back to MA and quarantined by way of a short retreat to New Hampshire with my two roommates. Pictures below. Little did we know it would be a farewell tour of sorts. In a matter of about 72 hours I went from not being sure I’d be able to live on campus to grabbing a spot and having to now quickly scramble to find someone to take over my spot in Watertown. As I write this I *think* i’m all sorted for a fall move up to the campus. Please pray that the final leases, paperwork, and the daunting move goes smoothly so I can feel settled for the semester to begin on September 14
I’m going to miss living in Watertown, but am excited for the idea of having my own space for some time. I’ve never lived by myself, and though I’m sure it will be at times lonely, I know there are plenty of folks nearby and of course I’m now just a 10 minute drive to Shauna’s place.
The semester ended well with a couple real big papers. For those interested here are the three papers that concluded my semester. I was surprised how much I enjoyed writing these papers, chipping away a little at a time with of course a final push at the end to complete them. The contemplative listening paper is the most compelling to me for personal application. In it I argue for the need for protestants as a whole and evangelicals in particular to embrace the practice of spiritual formation for lay people and for clergy as well. I began meeting with a new spiritual director myself, and it has been wonderful to have the time set aside (just an hour a month) to explore how God has been speaking to me, make meaning out of past memories and events over the course of the month, and consider where God is leading me and guiding me next. I specifically explored the subject of gender and spiritual formation, which was an underrepresented topic in scholarship.
Theo Survey II – Personal Statement of Faith (pdf/27pgs)
Contemplative Listening – Integration Paper on Gender and Spiritual Direction (pdf/17pgs)
History and Theology of Worship – Statement of Worship and Culture (pdf/12pgs)
Hope you all had a lovely summer. The ‘quick update’ ended up a bit longer than I expected.
Here are a few pictures from our recent end-of-summer adventures.
Adam Kurihara 