Thoughts from a Belter who may be pure mental.

Seeing as Colby had an entire week with nothing else to do and still did not post, I am forced to make up for his stagnancy and post from the bus to Oxford.

A couple of business matters:
1. We apologize for our lack of updating in past two weeks. As we adjust more and more to our schedule here at Oxford (staying up late, waking up early, reading, writing, thinking without stopping) we should also get better at posting regularly.
2. Regardless of how you choose to interpret the word "knickers" I feel like my point remains unchanged.

Right, on to the good stuff. I've just spent the past four days in Scotland for our fall break. It was wonderful. I was able to relax without spending much money, see some old friends that I met in China a couple years ago, and make some new ones. I saw some castles, ate at the best fish and chips spot in Scotland, and climbed a large rock on the Scottish coast. I was also able to do some reading in Kierkegaard for fun and in preparation for one of the courses I am taking which will be starting this coming week. I really enjoy reading Kierkegaard. Quotes like, "One or another may succeed, for our age does not stop with faith,with its miracle of turning water into wine; it goes further, it turns wine into water," interspersed throughout grab your attention and keep you interested. I'm drawn to quite a few of his ideas, but not all of them.*

Through different experiences in his life and the implications of them on his philosophy, Kierkegaard considered the relationship between an individual and God to be the only relationship of any real importance. Other relationships can be good, but they fall short of man's fullest potential and calling in scripture, that is to be a "man of faith." In doing this I believe that he misses the great benefit and encouragement which other relationships can provide in our pursuit of a relationship with God.

This was made particularly clear to me this weekend as I stayed in St. Andrews, Scotland. My friend Gill who I was visiting didn't have enough room in her flat form myself and the two other friends, Dan and Aubrey who came too. So Aubrey stayed with Gill, and Dan and I stayed with a family from Gill's church. The Stirlings were one of the nicest families I have ever met. I had never met them before and yet they welcomed me into their already full house of four kids and a dog. And neither was this a one time favor for a friend. This family is constantly bringing young people into their house that are needing a place to stay and letting them live there for up to months at a time, feeding them, and giving them a home. Their hospitality has been a huge example to me. I hope to one day have a house that I can open freely to those who are on need, and to hopefully through that be an encouragement in their walk with God.
Our human relationships ought to be and can be a model and a fortification for our relationship with God, rather than a hindrance as Kierkegaard would suggest.

Thank you Gill, Sarah, and the Stirlings for being such a blessing to me and my friends. The trip was unforgettable.

*To be fair, Kierkegaard wrote most of his thoughts on this subject under a pseudonym so it may not be what he thought, just what he was thinking.