"Did you learn anything?"

I must have passed Hermeneutics, because I found myself in my first OT501 class tonight: Genesis through Ruth. I typically adore the first day of class -- getting to know my professors, getting my syllabus and the verbal walk through of it...and getting a sense in my head for how the class is going to be. I can get a general idea of these things before class, but it really does take that first session for me to get my bearings.

However, as my professor began to outline the Bible -- basic book groupings, the TANAK, etc. I was taken back to my intro to Bible course. This first class ended up being a great refresher of some of those things that I learned in undergrad. I find myself holding that knowledge in tension -- knowing that I've got a good and solid foundation for my studies at seminary, but also knowing that I can't be cocky because there is a lot that I don't know.

On the other hand, I'm in a Spiritual Formation class -- one that I think will clench for me by the end whether or not Marriage and Family Therapy is a legitimate path for me to consider. It's completely like (in the best possible sense) and completely UNlike (again, in the best possible sense) the spiritual formation class that Yomi's took (so, basically Jess and Dan will know what I mean when I say that this is the anti-Sherry Mortenson formation class).

They placed us in small groups of 4 for the next 9 weeks. And whaddaya know -- I'm in a group with my least.favorite.person.in.the.class. I had to consciously uncross my arms and make sure that I wasn't unconsciously throwing out some hostile body language. You think God's up to something there?