Cause Depot

Hey Friends! I wanted to let you know about a new blog launching. It's called Cause Depot. My mentor and former supervisor, Jim Toole is launching this along with his wife, Pati. I get to serve as the honorary seminarian!!!

Here's a brief description from Jim:

Pati and I for a long time have wanted to do more about global issues. We have wanted to create awareness as well as give more back. So we have created a web site, it is an e-retail store, conversation and portal to innovative ideas. It is a small way for us to enter into innovation surrounding global issues while being pastors. Our desire is to showcase stories and encourage ideas of innovation and enterprise that can benefit cause-related organizations. Sixty percent of the profits from the store will go back to these organizations. Please take a look and please enter into the conversation. We would love to have everyone’s views even if it gets spicy. We want to wrestle with the world we live in.


http://www.causedepot.org/

My contribution will be showcased next week!

Observations . . .

Being new has afforded me one of my favorite pastimes, people watching. When I travel by myself, it's my favorite thing to do. I watch those around me and without engaging in conversation. I sit back and take in everything around me. As I have been building community here at Princeton, I've been able to do a lot of watching - not just of people but really of the environment as a whole, of the people with whom I've connected, and of me. And here are just a handful of observations I have acquired thus far

• This place is seriously competitive. People are working really hard for their grades. And this strange for me. I used to be the one of the few like this (and I played it down all the time). Here I am surrounded by my people. It's comforting and unsettling at the same time. I feel at home in conversations yet keenly aware that I don't have the market on book smarts - not by a long shot.
• Most of the students here do not want to be pastors. Now this really surprises me. I would say that the majority of conversations I have are with students who want to be in Academia for the long haul (ThM, PhD, etc, etc, etc)***. Or they are here 'figuring things out.' Please don't mistake my ' ' for condescension or sarcasm. I think it's kind of amazing that so many young adults are searching for a spiritual community and theological inquiry. But it is surprising.
• I miss San Clemente Presbyterian. I really do. It's been hard for me to find a church here at Princeton. This is not at all a reflection on East Coast churches. It's just not home. For all the discussions we had about engagement of the community, I don't know if I ever realized just how engaged I was until I left. My best friends worshipped with me. My spiritual needs were being met.
  
• However, there are some exciting opportunities ahead. Starting this Sunday, I'm on a mission to find my 'Field Education' site for next year. I have a list of five churches that should be a good fit for my needs and my growth objectives.

• I have finally fulfilled by my life long dream of becoming a server. Laugh if you must but I am actually really excited. I start next week at Cafe Teresa (a quaint, downtown Italian cafe). I will only work 15 hrs a week but I am very excited to
  

• a) be off campus for a while and
  
• b) hone my knowledge of wine.

Granted this is only a handful of observations/updates and certainly there will be more to come!

And . . . for Southern California friends and family: I will be home from November 16 - 24. I hope to see you then!



**I am actually considering both a ThM and PhD. However, I read the requirements online this evening. To be in the Princeton PhD program, you have to be reading proficient in 2 modern language. That means on top of Hebrew and Greek, I would need to take French and German . . . at some point. This is slightly overwhelming.