Wheaton in the Holy Lands 2010

So I know I haven't left the country yet, but this trip has already begun, and begun to change me, so here I go. This summer I will travel to 4 countries in 40ish days with 50 people, my new family, the "Holy Landers". Before that, however, we have 30 hours of class in 5 days, and I have have the pleasure of taking 4 finals beginning at 8:30am on Saturday. Here is a random smattering of thoughts:

-Straight-up theological lecture from 8:30 to 4:30 is intense.
-Doing handstands with your friends (whom you met yesterday) will help you persevere through said long lecture
-I think I may have been approaching the Bible incorrectly in terms of searching for meaning and application amid a highly contextual and culturally-influenced text, and perhaps drawing from it things that were not meant to be drawn. It isn't about what I get out, but about what the author intended.
-I am learning sign language. There is a boy who is deaf on our trip. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to join a group of strangers who cannot speak your language, while you have no way to even try to understand theirs. He is very brave. He is teaching us signs every night. He is hysterical, and we are all growing closer during these sessions.
-God never turns his face away. The trinity is 3 persons in the Godhead. The Father originates, the Son enacts, and the Spirit empowers. Father and Son are names, and not relations. We should describe God, not define Him.
-Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. He was human in mind, body and spirit as all these had to be assumed so all could be redeemed. How do you kill God? He dies voluntarily.
-Job was not on trial in Job. God's policies (which deviated from the retribution principle) were on trial. God's way is good, and we can trust it. From suffering we learn to depend on Him.

Okay, I'll stop now, but that is a glimpse of what is going on in my head. My prayer is that through this trip, I will learn how to better understand the Bible, how to better describe God, and that I will draw closer in relationship to Him. I am so thankful for this opportunity. I'm gonna go do some homework now. God bless.