Just in case you missed it on one of the four million other places I’ve posted the news , my new Christmas EP is ready & waiting to get into your hands & ears.

I’m offering free shipping on all orders placed through my new website until midnight on 11-30-08.  After that, it’ll be available through Indieheaven

At both locations, the new songs previewed before being purchased .

Happy listening & happy holidays!

A lot has happened this year. Sure, we’re getting married, and that by itself would be a major event for a year. But, both Amy and I have more going on than a wedding. Which is good, as we have just enough to almost help us pass the next month and a half without entirely obsessing about our upcoming celebration.

Amy, if you hadn’t heard, was back in the studio this past summer and fall. She recorded a Christmas album. Eight songs. Four of them are brand new, written by her. Four are classics, given a unique Amy approach. The CD is called That Holy Night. It’s not for sale quite yet, but just about. We have a website where you can learn more and listen to some excerpts: That Holy Night.

As for me, I’m now fully engaged with the PhD in Theology program at Fuller Seminary. This is my first quarter and I’m taking a class called Theology of Beauty. I have inspiration for this class. Every time I look at Amy I know that God is a maker of beauty. The course, of course, isn’t nearly as delightful as my bride to be. It’s mostly pretty intense readings and deep discussions, that fairly make my brain feel fuzzy and light after a session. But, it’s good for me. My main paper topic is likely to be discovering a theology of beauty in the writings of Jurgen Moltmann, with beauty to be found, I propose, in the intersection of his pneumatology and eschatology. I know what you’re thinking… yes, you can borrow it to read when I’m finished.

This quarter also got me a wee bit of teaching experience as I took over five class sessions for Systematic Theology II. I’m a TA, and the professor, my mentor, was traveling. So handed me control. It was good fun, and I got some encouraging compliments. Seems like maybe there’s a career in that for me.

I also have another bit of news. My second book was accepted to be published by Barclay Press. The basic idea of the book is to look at the idea of Christian spiritual growth, especially as problems and frustrations try to pull us down and away. I used the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt as the model of how God seems to work in our lives. He doesn’t bring us problems, but he doesn’t always shield us from them. And while we can’t often know the why of evils, we can know that we can trust in the God who has called us and will bring us to His end. No settled title or publication date, as it’s currently in its initial stages of hearty editing.

Life presses on for both of us, each of us seeking to follow God’s call in our lives, as we have for so many years. We press onwards, now no longer in a solitary pursuit but soon to be joined together.

Isn’t life fun?

Hello, friends!

Just a quick update:  Though the original plan was to get married in Canby, we have–due to a long, drawn-out explanation involving a whole lot of polysyllabic words & complex mathematical formulas–recently changed the venue for our happy day to Grand View Baptist Church in Beavercreek, OR.

Fortunately, the change was made before the invitations were sent out, so those of you receiving invitations will find the correct address & directions included.

Speaking of invitations–holy cow!–this is a more complicated process than I anticipated, and I am still working my way down the guest list.  So please don’t be offended if you are expecting one & haven’t gotten yours yet .  It’s coming.  Eventually.

46 DAYS ‘TIL I AM MRS. PATRICK ODEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(sorry, little splatter of  bridal excited disbelief there)

Love to you all!

My first weekend here in Portland capped off a very busy half-week in which every day had something important to get done.

We finished it all with quite the flurry yesterday.

On Friday, it seems we may have nailed down where the wedding will take place.

Canby Grove Conference Center. The papework and details have to be signed still, but Amy and I went there and we felt a lot of peace, had a lot of ideas, and very much enjoyed the tour Shelly gave us, and her enthusiasm.

If you go to their website have a look at the Mt. Hood Pavilion. That’s where we’re getting married… and maybe/possibly/hopefully/likely also having the reception. It’s going to be a bit of a creative setup, but we got excited about the possibilities. Plus, in an Oregon winter who wants to go outside, walk around to a different location, and thus leave the cozy fireplace?

Saturday was just about us. I insisted we don’t do anything wedding, and don’t do anything that involved other people. We went to an art festival in Portland, after which we did a little, tiny bit of wedding shopping at Kathleen’s of Dublin. Looking for wedding bands, don’t you know.

Then, a relaxing afternoon and an amazing dinner at Salvadore Mollys. My favorite restaurant.

And a relaxing evening capped it off. I can’t remember the last whole day we were able to spend just about us, and so we needed this.

Sunday had a different focus. Morning was church. Amy led worship. There was communion. It was a great time–even if all the distractions before hand didn’t exactly enhance our eagerness beforehand. God still works in bringing nice surprises. Plus, I was able to catch up with the fine folks at Two Rivers, which has been so supportive of Amy, and oddly enough the church most supportive of my efforts as well. Curious that. Check it out if you’re in the Milwaukie, Oregon area.

That afternoon, I went to Starbucks. Amy went to her producers to record more Christmas CD goodness. Went very well. I’ll post some of the videos I took.

For a total change of pace, we then went and saw The Dark Knight. It was dark. And quite good. And dark (did I mention that?).

Monday brought all manner of busyness. In the morning we went to the Dahlia festival in Canby (pictures posted soon). Amazingly beautiful. Amy has a bunch of Black Satin dahlias to remind her of the morning.

Then over to the Gustafson family picnic, where I met again aunts and uncles and grandmother, and for the first time met cousins. Quite fun!

Then, it was off to business for us. First Macys. We walked through Macys and picked out all manner of new home goodness.

Then coffee and icee.

Rejuvenated, we made our Target walkthrough.

So, have a look at target and macys websites for updated registry fun.

A long day, a late evening. Definitely, a weekend well spent.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

Oftentimes when this verse is read, it is followed by the question, “Why don’t we see this kind of giving & sharing among believers today?”

Well, for anyone who has ever asked that, I’m here to share the happy news that we, in fact, do.

The three weeks of our engagement thus far has proven to Patrick & I that we have amazing, amazing people in our lives. Repeatedly over this time, friends & family have risen up to offer us things that have absolutely astounded us and made our planning so much easier and so blessed.

Someone gave us a generous cash gift to help out with wedding expenses! Someone offered to make our wedding cake for no cost to us! Someone offered us a horse-drawn carriage to ride off into the sunset in! Sunday, someone offered us china & crystal because they’ve inherited way too many sets themselves! Yesterday, someone wrote and asked if she could make me some special jewelry to wear with my dress!

(Not to mention–or rather, not to forget!–the hours, money, & resources our other family & friends are investing in us as part of this journey.)

It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful facet of the endeavor.

It’s so beautiful to both of us, mostly because even here in this, we see the Holy Spirit working through His Body. This is how life is supposed to work, this is the way He designed it. He gave each part of the Body gifts and talents and possessions to use for the benefit of the whole Body. And when we’re giving from our giftedness, we do so with joy, free of obligation. We see an occasion & we happily rise to it. We work all together, in every part of life. In births, in deaths, in joys, in failures, in crises…in weddings. That way the yoke is lighter for the one carrying the burden…and we all know, for as much joy as it is, planning a wedding is at times a burdensome task.

So, even at three weeks into this, thank you all, more than we can even begin to say. We are so thankful for your generosity, for your obedience to what GOD has moved you to do.

<3 <3 <3

So, it’s been a little over 2 weeks since I asked Amy, “Will you marry me?” That was a Sunday. That evening we celebrated with my brother and sister-in-law over wonderful French food.

The first day has to be set aside for celebration.

But, pretty soon after that we realized there would be a lot of questions asked of us.

Such as when. And where. And what colors.

First the when.

Amy’s job ends around the new year and she was moving back in with her mom for the rest of the year. Meaning, we could wait for summer and all my classes to end, but that seemed a bit long of a wait since she was going to move down here most likely anyhow. Instead of us each trying to find a temporary roommate, we decided six months was a plenty long engagement.

My class schedule suddenly became rather important. In case you didn’t realize, I’m starting back to school in the Fall. Starting a PhD in Systematic Theology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. There’s all sorts of aspects to that which are entirely not what I ever expected. But, that’s a whole different post. Fall quarter ends around December 12. Winter Quarter starts January 5. There’s the window right there.

Christmas, as you probably realize, is usually the theme event of December. Indeed, there’s a whole Christmas season and everyone is drunk on the Christmas Spirit. Before Christmas would be absurd because of that. Right after? That’d be December 27th. The Christmas Spirit doesn’t just disappear at bedtime, like the Memorial Day Patriotism, or Easter Day Reverence, or the Arbor Day Aura. Christmas is a high proof holiday, and tends to leave a lingering holiday hangover. Too much to ask for people to travel and plan and otherwise re-focus their thoughts away from the baby Jesus and onto Amy and Patrick’s nuptial bliss. My mom’s birthday is the 24th, New Years is the 1st. That’s far too many holidays packed into a week.

Plus, who wants an anniversary right after Christmas? It would always be lost in the Yuletide pageantry. Gotta think about the future, you know.

And so we found a day, a day enough after New Year’s Even and enough before my re-entry into theology.

Patrick Oden and Amy Gustafson will be married on January 3, 2009.

Where and what colors? We’ll get back to you on those details.