a different kind of blue apron

after a crazy busy month in canada and america, i'm returning to life in the community and donning my blue apron again. i'm thankful to be back again (especially now that i have the time and energy to participate more fully - the first few days back were filled with quite of busy-ness - the result of catching up on things here while still having work from america with me). but i'm also thankful for the time with friends and family that i had.

during my visits, i got to do a lot of random things that i don't do here in the netherlands. probably the most unusual over the holidays, was getting to don a different kind of blue apron, and help make sausage. (my parents used to own a butcher shop, so this brought back a lot of memories.)

the following are pictures of my dad and me (my mom was taking the pictures):

Jerry has begun to earn his keep

as much as i appreciate Jerry just for who he is, there are still certain things that i expect of him as a cat. the two biggest ones are to cuddle and catch mice.

being a kitten means he's still rather wild and whines to play (i throw his food at him, which he seems to enjoy - and since he eats it, it leaves limited mess on the floor). nonetheless, he's learned to do a pretty good job of sitting happily on my lap and being pet. so he meets the first expectation.

and this morning i found a dead mouse on my floor, so it appears that he's figured out the mouse thing. he seemed pretty satisfied with himself (and obviously tired) this morning. i'm also quite happy that he's found his instincts since my house has a bit of a mouse problem - and i'd prefer if they didn't feel welcome in my section of it.

teaching has been my excuse for not posting

i've been teaching for 2.5 weeks already. next week tuesday is the final exam already - and after a flurry of grading, i should be done. and i'd pretty much say that's my excuse for not blogging more.

and i have thoughts from teaching - the random things i've learned, things i've used in class, questions about how to do this teaching thing better, and how i can not help but feel honoured to be allowed to be part of students lives in this way. but they haven't appeared anywhere yet. i am still sorting out how to say them and trying to find for everything. this january course is intense enough if all you're doing is teaching. the problem is if you're trying to do anything else alongside (like research or visiting or trying to develop new course ideas), it's really hard both to keep on top of things and not to be exhausted all the time.

and at the moment i'm behind on my grading (i'm hoping and praying that tomorrow i'll get some good work done there) - but other than that it's been going really well. i'll gladly admit that i'm glad not to see my students tomorrow - but that's nothing personal :) after all, i do think they're a good group of students - and i do generally enjoy teaching. only it'll be really nice not to have to wake up at 6 and spend 3 hours in front of a class trying to pay attention to as many things as possible, most notably evaluating how things are going and how much comprehension is taking place.

a normal day in grand rapids during interim

i started teaching yesterday - and that's been going well. as i haven't been teaching much in the last while, i feel a bit rusty and don't feel that i am teaching to best of my abilities. but i'm glad to be here and i've been enjoying the challenge and wonder of teaching.

the following is what a normal day looks like here:
- i wake up a bit before 6 and i lie in bed for a short while going through the lesson for the day (and thinking about what i still might need to do)
- then shower, breakfast, do some stuff on my computer and then put my stuff together and head off to calvin. getting out the door on time has been a bit of a challenge, as i've kind of forgotten what it's like to start work at a set time. that my parents have graciously lent me a vehicle (thanks mom!) helps a lot towards my being on time.
- class starts at 8.30 and goes until 11.45 - with a 40 minute break in the middle where there is the option to go to chapel.
- i open the class with some words and then pray - praying for the world, church, and our communities - taking the pattern of prayer from the community in Amsterdam.
- we cover one major concept/topic before the break and another after the break. it's a mixture of discussion (in small groups and as a class), a bit of note-taking, some powerpoint and references to stuff on the internet, my talking and summarizing things, and students being asked to write thoughts on the blackboard. the classroom isn't set up so well for discussion (no moveable tables or chairs), so i'm trying to think of ways to get around that - but the students seem pretty appreciative of discussion - and are more than willing to participate, so that part is going well.
- i eat lunch in my office (brown bread with chocolate spread) and i write down some thoughts from class, check my mail, and listen to the January Series online.
- i work at my computer in my cubicle until sometime after 3 and then i head home.
- when i get home, i do some exercise - either the rowing machine or shovelling snow (Grand Rapids gets an average of 21 inches (53 cm) of snow in January - i figure shovelling snow is not only good exercise but a great way to ensure that i'll be welcomed as a houseguest).
- the evening is spent having dinner, and sitting behind my computer preparing lessons and more. and pretty soon the grading will start...

so things are going well. i think the two things i like least are
1) driving in snow - but it has only been short amounts thus far, so that's okay. and i'm starting to get used to it again - it helps that it hasn't been too icy and my parents' vehicle is pretty good in the snow, and
2) missing life back in Amsterdam - both the rhythms and all the people.

DCM: Missing the Message?

for those interested in the class i'm teaching in the next month, the following is the description:

150 08 DCM: Missing the Message? Sometimes the message presented isn't the one that's heard. At times this is because of how the message is presented; other times, a person's own thoughts and ideas get in the way of understanding. This can be seen, for instance, in discussions about faith: some Christians (mostly those who'd call themselves postmodern) would argue that how one lives is a lot more important than what one believes. Yet, the Reformed view seems to argue that what one believes is most important. Or does it? The class will look not only at the Reformed message (and how it is presented) but will also cover a number of other areas in which there is potential misunderstanding of the message, such as: education, media, sociology, languages, statistics, psychology, and technology. A variety of formal and informal assignments will be given, with an emphasis on dialogue and participation. The assignments and class sessions themselves will be looked at in terms of how a message can best be heard and remembered. Lastly, the “message” of this course will be given from the perspective of a member of a monastic community in Amsterdam's Red Light District, highlighting further what can affect how the message is given and heard. B. Heyink. 8:30 a.m. to noon.

and for those interested in the textbook (including potential students who can't yet contact me via my calvin address - bdh2 - due to my being unable to access it), we are reading:
- Cornelius Plantinga, Engaging God's World (Eerdmans, 2002) -this is the standard text for DCM, and
- Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution (Zondervan, 2006).

a blessed Christmas

what i love best about Christmas is the mystery of it - and the crazy miracle that is Christmas.

there is soemthing strange about the fact that we sing all these praises to a baby. after all, babies are generally only good at eating, sleeping, crying, pooping, and receiving love. and even then, they're not always all that good at these things! and here all our focus at Christmas is on a baby.

of course, the baby we praise is also the king - but that's also strange, if you stop to think about it. the king of kings becomes human and comes to earth as a helpless, crying little baby.

the baby who is also the king points to an amazing impossible miracle (and his birth and presence on earth are full of many more miracles). and in this miracle, we are given hope that more crazy impossible miracles can still happen today.

having survived sinterklaas

a few weekends ago i got to be in charge of the Sinterklaas weekend. the verb used in that sentence is pretty intentional - i had to keep forcing myself to think of doing this not only as a chore but also as a privilege (see picture below of me trying to look happy).
more photos can be seen on the Oudezijds100 website

i didn't grow up with Sinterklaas. and i don't really know the tradition or songs. being enthusiastic about the whole Sinterklaas part was definitely pushing the limits of my capabilities. and yet, it was good. not great, but good. there were no disasters. there was good food. and Sinterklaas and two zwarte pieten even came. and on top of that, everybody got a relatively decent present, most of which had some kind of surprise or special wrapping and a poem [considering most of the group was even less familiar with Sinterklaas than me, this is quite impressive - an hour before we were to begin, i had to remind someone of who they were to buy a present for, the morning was spent making a lot of surprises and poems (thanks to the great group i had helping with the weekend), we sorted up a mix-up about a present bought for Sinterklaas himself - and made sure it got to the person who it actually was intended for, and we made sure there were extra presents (in case of disasters)]. i'm thankful for the efforts and enthusiasm of the rest of the weekend team - without them, it would have been much more work for me and a lot less enjoyable for everyone.

and what was nice was that afterwards, i wasn't even utterly exhausted. but having worked (fairly intensely) all weekend left me a bit off-kilter the next week. that that week was a bit more full of meetings and events didn't help, either! i've now regained balance again (writing this is evidence of that). it took a while for my perspective to come back - and to be able to see again that being part of the Sinterklaas celebration was the kind of chore that i find it a privilege to get to do. i'm not sure how much i'll choose to do it again - but now that i know what i'm doing, if i could get a couple of good helpers, i could probably be convinced to do it again (and maybe even next time look forward to it :))