Blowing my mind!!

Well, I'm on my lunch break and sitting in a pizza place that has free wireless internet. It's the first chance I have really had to sit and just think about everthing that has gone down so far. Let me fill you all in on the past couple of days.

Wed...I arrived in SoCal to some beautiful weather. It was about 65 degrees and sunny. Beautiful. I got all checked into my hotel, the Hyatt in Irvine- close to the airport, and then got all unpacked. Then I went adventuring. I drove down the coast on PCH to Laguna and ate a late lunch. The Pastry Bistro...it was alright. A little too froo froo for my liking...but healthy and on the coast...so that was cool. Then I went to South Coast Plaza and did some serious...and I do mean serious...shopping. Good deals and a good way to just relax and get ready for a long 9 days ahead. All in all a great day of fun. Back to the hotel to just relax and get some sleep.

Thur...I got to HIU early in the morning (7:30 am to be exact) and was still asleep I think. It had started raining, and that was no fun. It certainly wasn't the SoCal I was hoping for. I met a few people and got oriented into what the whole thing was gonna be like. There are 12 men in my section of the program...Leadership Studies. There are some women here in the worship program, and I think total there are probably about 35 students in this program...in 4 different sections. So then it was off to class.

The first order of business was a four hour session with Barry McMurtie of Crossroads Christian Church. He was interesting. He's Australian, and he has some pretty interesting ideas about leadership in the church. He approaches it from what I would call a "CEO" model. I dont mean that in a negative way at all...I just think he takes it very seriously and is very responsible to his calling and role in the church as a leader. It was a pretty challenging morning.

At lunch, in my effort to find a way to connect online and be in touch with the outside world, I ended up at a japenese place that I think was a combination of a sushi bar and a tea room. It stinked and smelled good at the same time. The sign said "free internet" but I never actually got it to work. And, since I didnt want to feel like a jerk, I ordered some tea...mango tea to be exact. You would think that would be good...but I couldnt really understand the cashier when she was asking me something. It ended up having some round squishy ball things in the bottom of the glass that kept coming up into the straw. They were so gross. Think Fear Factor and you'll get the picture. And the internet didnt work. All in all...a bad experience.

After lunch, another session with Barry. He showed us some really cool plans for his church. They have such an interesting idea of church and reaching the lost. Very cool. I dont know if I would do it that way...but his energy about it was contagious. I liked! After class it was back to the hotel to sleep. I think I hit the sack around 9pm. I was soooooo tired.

Friday...Yesterday was a really really long day. Three long sessions that lasted from 8 am to 9 pm. First, we had a section called "Pneumatology and Leadership" It was all about the Holy Spirit and how to begin to lead "in" the Spirit. I loved it! It really challenged some of my ideas on the Holy Spirit, and I learned some new stuff. I will explain more to those that are interested.

After this, it was lunch time. I found this pizza place...Round Table(the one I'm at now)...that has free internet. I was able to log online and get some stuff done for church on Sunday. Good sandwiches too!

After lunch we had a section called "Organizational Leadership." I went into it with a bad attitude...haha...suprise right?...but it was actually really good. I mean, I could probably go through my life without it...but none-the-less it was pretty good. Basically, it was focused basic principles of leading an organization. There was some good stuff that I can take home and try out.

Dinner was interesting. I tried to find this cool mall that I heard someone talking about. I was really tired of sitting, and I thought it would be good for me to just get out and walk some. So I went on another adventure. Well, this time it didnt end so pretty. I soon found myself in the mexican ghetto of Orange County. It was really kinda scary. I dont really know how I ended up there or how I got out...but I did, and I'm here to tell about it now.

Friday night was the beginning of a three part class on Christology. Hmm...how do I say this. Well, the professor is a man named Gene Sonnenberg. He's a great guy...extremely intelligent. His class has continued on into today. ALL DAY!!! I'm trying to find a way to help you understand what it's like. We're exploring the Biblical pictures of Jesus' life...Son of Man, Son of God, King, etc etc etc...OK? Well, I'm not exactly a Bible scholar, but I think I have a fairly average working knowledge of the Good Book. This guy?! He's brilliant. Brilliant! Brilliant to the point of being really hard to understand. Know what I mean? It's hard just to follow his train of thought sometimes. But I dont doubt for one second he knows what he is talking about. It's just I dont know what that is! Ha ha. I'm hoping it will all come together soon.

Well, that is all for now. That brings everyone up to speed. I have a few mins before class starts, so I think I'm gonna run by Starbuck's and get a mocha. That ought to help with the afternoon. Check back tomorrow. I'll let you all know how the churches are that we visit tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.