Update on making time to write

I thought it would be helpful to provide an update on my Sept. 12th blog entry, "Making time to write". At that time I was just starting to roll out of bed early. Now, three months later, I am astounded how much I've accomplished and the ideas that are emerging.

In these short months, I've written and submitted two articles to academic journals; both are currently undergoing peer review. I sent one to Teaching Theology and Religion and another to Canadian Military Journal. Now I am in the final stages of editing my PhD dissertation for publication. By the end of the month I will submit it to Wipf and Stock. My editor is concerned with the title, "In Vitro Education" so I am revising it to be less edgy and more mysterious. I'm toying with the term "Glassroom" as a way to hold onto "In vitro" (meaning "within the glass" or "inside glass") while avoiding the ideas associated with fertilization. I am aiming to submit my manuscript at the end of this month and the title may be something like "Glassroom Learning: virtual culture and online pastoral education".

In the new year I have more projects to tend. I've committed to review two books: one on multivocational ministry for Faith Today and the other deals with chaplaincy and spiritual care for Religious Studies Review (RSR). I am also hoping to start two book projects, one on technology and theology with my colleague, Joel Houston, and the other on multivocational ministry.

It may sound strange but I think these ideas are from God. They seem to be part of my new vocation as a professor and academic administrator. I have such clear ideas about things to write about and the energy and capacity to do them, I'm becoming convinced they are part of a calling into academic service; they are truly gifts from God. I'm grateful for this new calling and I look forward to seeing these projects and others become reality. 

Spiritual Theology

I have been teaching Spiritual Theology in the college this semester. It's a first year course focused on learning how to live Christian theology in the world. We've talked about spiritual disciplines, money, sex, and power. We've also taken time to read excepts from the writings of long dead saints. It has been amazing.

The best part has been hearing how the students are processing the ideas that arise in the class. They have inspired me to look at things from a different perspective and I suspect I've done the same for them. This past Tuesday I divided students into two groups and asked them to prepare for Thursday's class but researching one of two approaches to handling Scripture: one group was asked to look at traditional Bible Study methods while the other was invited to dig into Lectio Divina. On Thursday they squared off in a lighthearted debate about which approach is better. There were so many excellent perspectives raised on both sides!

This week is our final week of class and I'm sad it is coming to an end. I celebrate meeting and growing with the Spiritual Theology students. After Christmas I get to do it all over again with a whole different group of students as I teach a totally new subject, public speaking.