o1mnikent

I recently came across a great blog post: Breaking Up According to Theology. Be sure to read the comments, too. They’re hilarious.

“From time to time I hear about people who have been dumped in the name of God.
Interestingly, the terribly awkward and heartbreaking ordeal that is applied by
virtue of theological principles actually reveals quite a bit about what a
person believes.”

A few others have reflected on the past year. I thought I’d do the same.

I jammed with Bob, Paul, Daniel, and Greg at the worship symposium last year. We led opening worship on Thursday morning, along with a session on playing together as a team. I also got to play piano for a video that accompanied the conclusion of Mary’s sermon.

I spent a weekend in New Jersey and New York last January and visited a Philipino immigrant church, a Dutch immigrant church, and a mid-sized suburban CRC. On the way home, our flaps didn’t work and our plane couldn’t land. In fact, eleven months later, we are still circling Wayne County International Airport and Northwest Airlines now owes me 17,569,421 airline miles.

Spring break in Florida with fellow seminarian Mark was fun. I sat on the beach and read as much Marilyn Robinson as possible, while enjoying climates unheard of in Michigan. We stopped in Nashville on the way home and stumbled upon an incredible blues gig at a back-alley, hole-in-the-wall bar.

I preached for the first time at my home church in June. It was Pentecost Sunday and I preached in the evening. I used John 14 as my text and talked about the Holy Spirit as our comforter – not just the spiritual dumping grounds of the Trinity. (Don’t worry, I didn’t use the phrase “spiritual dumping grounds of the Trinity” or anything like it in my sermon.)

My sister graduated in May and I got to go home to see her, after dealing firmly and malevolently with the Northwest Airlines ticket agent unfortunate enough to pick up his phone and hear me on the other end of it.

A roadtrip around Lake Michigan with Dave in July was fun. We stopped in Traverse City, Painted Rocks National Seashore, and at his parents’ home in Milwaukee for a few days.

I went to Asia for three weeks in August with a group from the CICW and Calvin Seminary. I was the youngest of the nine who traveled to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. The trip was life-changing in many ways. It reshaped my views on American churches, globalization, and made me question my own assumptions about the significance of culture. I learned much about Islam by spending a week in Indonesia and traveling with Anne, who is an Egyptian. I spent a lot of time pondering U.S. foreign policy. I met new friends, some of whom will be in Michigan in a couple weeks. I learned that, no matter how good that mango shake tastes, fruit and dairy should be consumed in moderation so as to prevent two kinds of digestive ailments that are fundamentally different but equally disruptive.

River Terrace Church brought new joys and new responsibilities this year. Worship Leader Brian moved to Los Angeles in August. For the third Advent Sunday, we assembled a choir of a couple dozen people to join our regular ensemble of drums, bass, piano, and guitar. The jazz leanings of the instrumentalists, the Gospel sound of the choir, and the anticipation and lament inherent in traversing through Advent toward Christmas was deeply moving.

I read some really good books. I started the year off with Steinbeck. I read East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. I read almost everything Marilyn Robinson has ever written, including a great review of The God Delusion. I read a book about the history of racism and crime in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan. I read too much Baudrillard. I read a couple books on language – including a book solely about irregular verbs – and evolutionary psychology by Steven Pinker. I read some Gerrit Keizer. I read a couple books by Bill Bryson, including his memoir, and A Short History of Nearly Everything, the best book ever. I read a lot of Stephen J. Gould – enough to realize that he’s a controversial figure. I read The Childrens’ Blizzard for its meteorological history and familial significance; it documents the winter storm that drove my great-great-great grandparents from the Great Plains in the 1890s. I read The Life of Pi. I read Thomas Lynch. I bought my first book of poetry. I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I also read with new eyes the Gospel of John, several epistles (I’m most intrigued by Paul’s epistle to the church in Thessalonica), plenty from the Psalms this summer and Isaiah this Advent, and I’m relearning the mysteries of origin, existence, and providence found in the first dozen chapters in Genesis.

I read some really good other stuff. I started reading the New York Times pretty regularly. I started reading ALDaily.com. I started reading the Economist. And I read some really great blog posts.

I got really mad about a few things, such as US immigration policy after spending time with Philippino immigrants in New York. I got really mad at the voters of Michigan for passing Proposition 2 (the affirmative action vote) after learning a lot this past spring about systemic racism. I got really mad at just about everyone in Lynden for racist and hypocritical opposition to a casino. Fortunately I was able to keep my mouth shut most of the time, and when I didn’t, I was blessed with gracious people who listened to my often-mindless venting, including Shelly, my family, and Northwest Airlines ticket agents.

I learned a lot about hymnology this year. I went to the annual meetings of the Hymn Society in Indianapolis in July. I spent the summer finding resources for a forthcoming Psalms songbook. I spent the fall on a New Testament songbook committee. I researched and wrote song notes for the forthcoming leaders edition of Sing With Me. I even wrote three hymns this year that are getting published.

I got engaged to Shelly, and we experienced the trials and joys that come with the initial stages of wedding planning, registering for gifts, and a wedding shower, along with our already-existing anticipation of spending a life together.

I went to my first wedding shower. When it comes to wedding showers, Hendrickses do not discrimate on the basis of gender, and so I, as a male, was included. We got some great gifts, and it was great to spend so much time with family. We’re still keeping our fingers crossed for the Calphalon pans.

So what’s in store for the year ahead? I’ll be one year closer to graduating. I’ll probably become a bit more conservative, to the dismay or delight of many of you. I hope to get back to Washington a couple times. I’ll probably spend a couple of months out-of-country for a cross-cultural internship. I’ll have watched Shelly graduate from Calvin. I’ll be married.

Looking ahead, the words of Isaac Watts are appropriate:

Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received its frame,
From everlasting you are God,
To endless years the same.