DTS has a program that pretty much all students have to go through called Spiritual Formation (SF). Basically, they assign you to a group with four to five other couples and say “have community, grow together, and like it.”
Joey and I were originally hesitant and unsure of how this process would go, but we doubted we would like it.
After two years of a LOT of community and even more growing together, I can safely say that we have not only liked it, we have loved it. I think we got the best SF group at DTS, and I’m so thankful for the experience.
Maybe a month or so ago, we got together with our SF buddies at Tietze Park on a blustery Spring Sunday afternoon to have a cookout and throw a Frisbee around. It turned out to be a little too windy for the Frisbee, but the weather was just perfect for sitting in the sun, talking, and waiting for the boys to finish grilling the fajita meat.
I forgot my sunglasses at home, though, so I ran home quickly to grab them because the sun was killing my eyes.
I did not find out until several weeks later what happened WHILE I WAS GONE.
I’m a little sketchy on the details, but I think it went down like this. Joey said to Danny, “I’m going to put Henry down the slide. You catch him at the bottom.”
Danny said, “Oh, good idea.”
Laura (who barely tolerates Henry, and only because he’s my child) said, “Let me get my camera.”
No one asked Henry his opinion.
Needless to say, Henry didn’t like the slide. It also appears that he slipped through Danny’s grasp.
Some things are better discovered way, way after the fact. (Like this one.)
I returned shortly after they were done terrorizing my child, none the wise to their shenanigans, and we ate copious amounts of guac while we waited for the fajitas to grill.
It was windy, so it took kind of a long time.
After we ate our lunch, we took our final semesteral group SF picture. (Semesteral is like annual, only it happens every semester.) But first, here are our friends…
Josh & Laura
Josh is good at math and Laura is good at photography. (This is not the same Laura that took pictures of Henry going down the slide, that’s a different Laura.) Laura works at DTS and currently spends a lot of time organizing Commencement, and Josh goes to DTS where he spends a lot of time studying. They have a kitty named Hendricks who had to wear a cone on his head for a really long time. Unless plans have changed since I talked to them last, Josh is going to enroll in Ph.D school somewhere and then teach theology at a university somewhere.
Luke & Becca (& Riley)
Luke & Becca were only married for, like, three weeks when we met them at our first SF meeting. Becca’s a 1st grade teacher at Grace Academy (the private school that meets in our church) and Luke studies his brains out. This summer they’re heading off to Haiti where they’ll take over for some missionary friends of theirs who are going to be on leave for the summer. (We were going to go visit them, but plane ticket prices skyrocketed.) I think they’ll go back to Haiti permanently after graduation, which will be in 2 years for them. We’ll totally miss them, but it’ll be a great excuse to take our youth group kids to visit them on mission trips!
Danny & Laura
Yes, this is the Danny and Laura from the “Henry down the slide” incident”. Laura really likes taking photographs, and she’s good at it too! She also saves tons and tons of money every week on groceries by being The Coupon Maven, which is awesome. Oh, and she works in the same building that I do, so occasionally I see her coming and going. Danny studies hard at DTS, volunteers at their church, leads a home group, and I’m sure does a lot more than that. These two are going to be church planters, and it’s something they’re passionate about. I think they’ll be great.
Joey & Me (and Henry!)
Gosh, what don’t you already know about the three of us?! Um, Joey’s due to graduate next May, and we’re going to do youth ministry. We are currently working with high schoolers at our church because they keep us young and hip. And mostly because we love them.
So, as you can see, these two years have been great for us. We’ve been surrounded by three other coupls who are mature, amazing, wise and so much fun. We have grown tons, laughed a lot, and had a great time. There have been definitely those moments where I wondered if it was going to be worth it, but in the end I’d have to say…
…it was.
