welcome to the story.

Well I'm back from Yale. And I can't lie. It was not what I expected. On many levels. I was expecting snow and didn't get it. I was expecting to have someone join me in making fun of the Gilmore Girls and it didn't happen. And I wasn't quite sure what to expect on the theological conversation side of things, i.e. "the conference", but it didn't go down like I thought it would. And that's not a bad thing. It just wasn't what I expected. Over the next couple of days, I'm going to try and break out into a few different posts some of my personal reflections as well of some of the theological "musings" of Miroslav Volf and others. I enjoyed it. I just don't know that its for me. I consider myself very much a student. I like to learn. And so on that end, it was very stimulating. It was so highly academic. Which I should have expected with it being at Yale and with a Yale theology professor doing the lecture. And it was useful for me in my understanding of embrace and how that impacts how I relate to everyone, especially those that are different. On a very practical level it helped to begin to shape how I view my marriage and how I treat and respond to Anna. And on the issue of homosexuality . . . it clarified my thoughts in a very profound way. I'm not going to get into that on here for many reasons, but will be more than happy to share with anyone some thoughts on that later. Just ask. All in all, I think the resources (books, sermons, etc) of Emergent are very helpful and stimulating to me. I just think that its a conversation that I will probably follow more from afar than immersed like I have been. The academic side of things just seems to be a bit cyclical at times. Talking to hear ourselves talk. Dropping names and ideas just to see who can outdo each other. Or at least thats the feeling that I get. I'm getting more and more concerned with doing than talking. And I think this may just be a reaction to all the talking that I've been doing and the lack of doing. Some may be able to balance the two. I just don't think I've found that balance yet. Nonetheless . . . the ecumenical diversity that was represented, as well as the rich perspectives and theological imagination that was being shared was worth the trip. And being able to walk around the school with Nick and the Wolfes and eat some of New Haven's famous pizza. On a side note, Nick and I did some research on the Skull and Bones Secret Society. If you're not familiar just google that really quick and check out some of the conspiracy theories and history out there. Or watch the movie Skulls. But we went to the tomb where supposedly Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, stole the skull of Geronimo (the indian) and brought it back to hide. As well as some German gold. And a bunch of former President Taft's stuff. Its really interesting. Both Bush's were in the society. So was President Taft, John Kerry, and a bunch of Senators, and other political figures. And I don't know how much any of you know about the Masons or the Illuminati, but they're all interconnected. Just do some research. I say all of that to say, we almost died. We knocked on the Tomb's door a couple of times and ran. Took some pictures. It was good. Below are a few of the pictures from our trip. Skull & Bones Secret Society Headquarters Wall Etchings Keypad on the Door The Works of Jonathan Edwards Library