A Short Update

Doe Memorial Library, University of California at Berkeley

I apologize to my few readers regarding my dilatory approach to blogging.  Just two posts ago, I was reflecting on where I am in my doctoral program in Berkeley.  At the time, which was January of 2015, I was on the edge of entering my comprehensive examinations stage.  Now that it's June 2016, I am happy to report that I am currently a doctoral candidate, meaning that I have passed my comprehensive exams, had my dissertation project approved, and now am writing it.  Much can happen in a year and a half, indeed!  I am blessed and yet it is a "roller-coaster-type" blessed, in that my program is moving ahead at a relatively fast speed, but yet it was full of turns and topsy-turvies. If the comprehensive exams were indeed a jump into an unknown, the dissertation is a great bungee leap.  Much can happen in the course of writing, for writing is not the equivalent of being a scribe.  To write is to process your thoughts as the thoughts, with the inspiration and partnership of the Holy Spirit (this is, after all, a theology dissertation), organize and re-organize.  Hence, good writing is tremendously difficult.   In the meantime, I have done four paper presentations at various conferences, and am on track to do two more before 2016 draws to a close.  

You can follow my dissertational thoughts at A Nicene Academic, which unfortunately is also sparsely updated.  But I will have an update soon on something related to my dissertation.  In the meantime, I trust you, dear reader, are doing well and are in your own processes of organization and reorganization.  May we find ourselves at the other side of the edge of the unknown, having grown deeper in thought and character!