So brill.

downtown at sunset...it's magic

One week of class down! And, I finally attended my first tutorial yesterday morning. I admit, attempting to read (seemingly) every text ever published on the purpose of Luke’s writing in less than a week to prepare for it seemed daunting. Especially when I opened the first book on my reading list to find that a) There were whole paragraphs in Greek, and b) Theology has an entire vocabulary of its own, which, in the same way as the Greek, seemed like a foreign language to me.

However, seven short days later I arrived at my tutorial with two crisp copies of my essay, ready to read it aloud to my tutor. The process took almost an hour as he paused me along the way to discuss my arguments and offer other insight into the topic. Stressful? Slightly. Incredibly rewarding? Definitely. Such personalised feedback to my research and clarification of my understanding will make for a good deal of learning over the next eight weeks, that’s for sure.

 St. Ebbe's Church!

Last night, after making dinner in a kitchen bustling with friends, music, and all sorts of interesting food, I headed to Focus (the student small group Bible studies at St. Ebbe’s). Diving straight into the scripture, we discussed the way we as Christians too often forget the commands Christ has given us because we are so focused on the “Christian” traditions we practice, and how, like the Pharisees, it's so easy to say all the right things while our hearts aren't in the right place (Mark 7, it’s worth reading!). It was an important reminder at the beginning of a new semester, and it was such an encouragement to see hundreds of students gathered to get into the Word here in Oxford.


I cycled home from St. Ebbe's in a light drizzle (and about 45 degrees out), and in that moment I just knew that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It’s a hard feeling to articulate in writing….A sort of tingly warmth and happiness and contentment and peace and eager anticipation for what is to come, all at once. It's great to know that regardless of the workload or anything else this semester, I'm where God wants me.


In other news:
1. I think I'm becoming weirdly well-adapted to the weather here. Yesterday, when I saw that it was a balmy 45° F out, I left my gloves at home to bike into town. Since when is 45° no-glove weather?! 
2. The Brits have shortened a word before we Americans thought of it: BRILL. Short for brilliant. I can't get over it. New favorite word.