Week 3

This past week has been about getting to know ourselves, our teams and the larger group through various activities. Personality and spirituality tests have proved to be interesting and thought-provoking. A personality test called the Myers-Briggs determined that I am a contemplative person that sometimes needs to be reminded to not stare into space. Another test evaluated how we each receive love. According to the test, the way that I most appreciate receiving love is through phyisal touch. I welcome words of affirmation and quality time with others nearly as much.

Spiritually speaking, I am a type 3. This means I view God as a mystery, not to try and wrap my mind around, but to develop a closeness with God based on an emotional connection or experience. There are a couple of theological ideas within this spirituality type that I particularly resonate with. One is the idea that prayer is eliminating any distractions and simply being. Another is the role of music, that it creates in me a tranquility and quiet passion that I relate to the presence of God. Themes that are important to this spirituality type are poverty, humility, wisdom, letting go, and transcendence.

Although I think my spirituality type rocks, an important part of this excercise was realizing that all 4 types are of central importance to the Christian body. I might be very effective in thoughtful writings and broadening the scope of theology, but I might not be as effective in being a leader in the church as a type 1. I also would be less likely to take an independent stance on an issue than a type 4.

Getting to know ourselves and each other a little better has been supplemented by actual experience. That's what the weekend should be for, after all. On Saturday, the entire group came up with a list of 4 or 5 different things to do around Chicago. A cheesecake festival, the Museum of Science and Industry and Navy Pier headlined the group. The challenge was agreeing on who would go with who to do what and when. My group was the last to leave the house. My new friends Scott, Sam and I were keen on picking up some free cheesecake, but we also wanted to hit the museum before meeting up with the others at Navy Pier. By the time we realized the Cheesecake Fest was too far to go, we were left to take the train to the Museum. We were not even halfway there when we realized it would close around the time we got there.

It was now late afternoon and nothing had been accomplished. We were vexed, annoyed. But we began to loosen up and realize the humor of the situation when we stopped for watered down ice coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Here we were, having spent 2 weeks learning how to get around the city, and we couldn't even get anywhere by 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

We met up with another group that actually made the Cheesecake festival. They said it really wasn't worth the hour bus ride except for the decent cheesecake and a seeing a man dressed in a cheesecake costume. At Navy Pier, I enjoyed a steak and egg sandwich at a joint that was known for not serving fries. After the rest of the group headed home, Scott and I enjoyed a twilight ride on the Ferris Wheel, with views of the Hancock tower on one side and the lake on the other. Our walk to the train station took us down the "Magnificent Mile" and I was reminded of all the outward beauty and consumerism and tourism that characterizes our culture.

These are just a few of the highlights from the past week. So far, the program is exactly what I bargained for. A fun challenge. Lm