Well friends! This is the long anticipated update that I promised to do days ago. This is the first time I've had available to sit down and write out all the things I wanted to. So here's an overview of them all: My Jewishness, rugger time, and the big news.

Ok, so if you're a fundamental Christian who read that first subject line, you're probably thinking, Jason is a Jew now or something along those lines. Well part of me says, yeah I am. I'm taking a class called Hebrew Roots of Christian Faith, in which we learn about the ties Christianity shares with Judaism. If you're upset by the following statements, perhaps you need to examine your Christianity: Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, The Old Testament (or first Testament) still has purpose for us today as a whole and not just for the references where we insert Jesus into it, The first Testament should be read standing alone (understand its original meaning) from the Second Testament and with it (how prophecy is fulfilled), and the Second Testament is very Jewish. Those were a couple of the top of my head. But the thing I've been learning mostly in this class, is that as a whole Christians are ignorant of their Biblical roots to Judaism. It's from Judaism that we have any identity, 80% of our Bible (makes me mad when I see those "diet" Bibles with just the Second Testament) comes from these fathers of our faith. If you've found yourself disregarding Judaism, or Jews as your brothers and sisters, start to study some. Learn your roots. Take away the roots and the branch dies. If you think of yourself more as a Gentile, think about this. Most scholars relate that term to pagans who had no connection to Judeo-Christian values and faith.

Rugby is going well. We lost last night to Ball State, so badly that I didn't remember the score. We play again tomorrow which I'm really not looking forward to, against Depauw. It's been rough, because I'm starting to feel my age, being sore more and longer. But I don't care, I'm enjoying what I can now.

And finally the big news....
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Ja ich spreche Deutsch. This is my senior year. I'm slated to graduate, but I'm not going to now. I've decided, in my longing to further learn the German language, to pick up either a German major or minor so that some day I might be able to teach it. And this isn't even the biggest news. I'm planning for Fall '05 to travel to Germany to study at a language school in Göttingen, which is 3 hours southwest of Berlin by train, for the entire semester. This is not all set in stone yet, but after I speak with the head of the language department on Monday, things will be setting into place. The biggest reason I want to study abroad and pick up this German minor or major, is because I know that once I graduate from college, I'm going to have less chances to do things like this. I'm doing all that I can now, while I'm young and unattached. Who knows? Maybe the girl of my dreams is over there right now! Well anyways, that's the big news!
Hope you all are doing well. I promise I'll try to write more as the year goes on and as things develop. Hope to hear from you soon!