End of the Semester Break

Well, my month-long hiatus from blogging is nearing it's end. I'm in my exam week at seminary. I still have a couple of papers to finish and one exam left to take. I certainly have a lot of thoughts to share--thoughts that have been gathering over this busy last month. Grace and peace.

Drinking from a Fire Hose, Week 2

Well, it's time for my second week-long seminary course. Last week I took Church Planting and Renewal (which was great). This week I'll be in Systematic Theology III. These classes require pre-class readings and papers, as well as post-class readings and projects. Modular classes are like drinking from fire hose - lots of information in a short time. Hopefully I'll be able to share some insights that I've taken from these class in the coming weeks.

Earthquake in Haiti

As most of you have heard by now, Haiti was hit by a massive 7.0 earthquake yesterday. In the Lord's providence, a mission team from Erskine college and seminary is in Haiti at this time. We have not heard from them yet. Please pray for them. While it is certainly good for us to pray for their safety during this time, we must not stop there. The Lord has strategically placed them in a time and place where they can be ministers of light and hope. My wife spent some time in Haiti when she was in high school, and she can testify to the spiritual darkness that fills that place (voodoo, witch doctors, etc.). Pray for the salvation of many. Our prayers go out to the people of Haiti.

Another Semester Ends

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me during my week of finals. As always, the Lord's grace and mercy has surrounded me. On Sunday, we'll be arriving in Virginia in order to visit with our family. Be on the lookout for a number of new posts. I've got a lot of thoughts floating around in my head, and I'm sure some of them will make their way to this blog.

Fall Semester is Here

I'll be taking three classes during the Fall Semester at Erskine Seminary:

-Hebrew I
-Systematic Theology I
-Worship and Preaching I

Of these three class I expect for Hebrew I to be the most taxing. I've already taken Greek I - III, but I've heard that Hebrew is a lot different. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to learning the language so that I can become a better interpreter and teacher of the Old Testament.

I Need Sleep, But He Does Not

I am tired and weary.

As I type these words I am having trouble keeping my concentration. You're probably thinking, "why don't you go to bed?" And that is good advice that I will heed in a minute or too. But I wanted to take a moment to praise my God, my Strength, My Keeper.

I'm at the end of my Summer session for seminary. Over the last week I've read, written, and studied both early in the morning and late at night. So, when I way that I am weary and tired, I mean both mentally and physically. Yet, as I read Psalm 121 tonight, I was reminded of God's greatest. When I am weary, I am reminded that He does not sleep or slumber. When my strength is gone, His strength is magnified. Where would I turn if I did not have the Lord? I lift my eyes to Him, and I find help.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Crawling Out of a Deep Hole

While on vacation I decided to leave behind all...well...most of my seminary work. While that decision allowed me to more fully enjoy time with my family, now I'm in the process crawling out of a deep hole that is filled with books, papers, and lectures. I'm just taking it one task at a time. Of course, getting all of this work finished would be easier if that is all I had to do, but I've got a family to love and a church to serve.My plan is to finish The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education within the next few hours. Then, I'll begin making my way through The Christians as the Romans Saw Them. That will still leave me with two others to finish (but certainly not today): Revelation and Reason: New Essay's in Reformed Apologetics and Education That is Christian. Hopefully I'll be poking my head out of the hole soon!

Easily Amazed

This afternoon, as I was finishing a paper for seminary, Alora came and sat beside me on the couch. She wanted to know what I was doing, so I showed her the paper that I was writing. After seeing the paper she said, "What in the world...that's amazing!" If she thinks that a three-page paper is amazing, maybe I should show her one of my 25 page papers. I better be careful though...she might pass out from amazement.

Exams are over...

...so blogging will begin once again. Soon.

Back to School

I'm really thankful to be back at seminary today because I haven't been here for three weeks. We had Spring break three weeks ago, I was in Virginia two weeks ago and I was at Presbytery meeting last week. This semester has gone by so quickly. We only have two weeks left!

Getting Ready for O.T.T.

Although I'm out of school for a couple of weeks, that doesn't mean that I've been able to totally take a break. During the upcoming January term I will be taking Old Testament Theology, so I'm trying to get ahead on my reading. I'm almost finished with Gerhard Hasel's Old Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate. After finishing this book I'll also have to read three others:

Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke

Salvation Belongs to Our God by Christopher J.H. Wright

The God of Promise and the Life of Faith by Scott J. Hafemann

Writings and Exams

Well, this is my last week of seminary for this semester. Thankfully, I will be able to have a couple of weeks off from school before I have to begin my Old Testament Theology class in January. I still have two exams and an exegetical paper on Mark 1:14-20 to complete. Of the different assignments that I've had over this semester, I especially enjoyed writing a biblical-theological reflection on Genesis 6:9-22. After the semester is over, I'll probably take some time to post various insights that I've gained during this semester.

Back to Class

My seminary classes began yesterday (Old Testament I and New Testament I) and continue today (Greek III). I'm also taking a directed study (Contextual Theology) for missions credit. It has been a blessing to catch up with my classmates that I haven't been in contact with since the Spring semester. As far as classes go, I had a great time yesterday, and I'm looking forward to Greek tonight. This month is a busy one (new baby, school begins, preaching on two Sundays, traveling during two weekend, etc.) but I'm relying on God's grace in order to sustain me.

End of the Semester

Well, I'm finishing up my first year of seminary. I have to turn in one more paper and take a couple of exams...then, I'll be finished for a while. Since the summer is going to be so packed (with a new baby, vacation, youth trips, family visits), I'm not taking any classes until the fall semester.

Greek and Humility

At the end of C.J. Mahaney's book Humility: True Greatness he list a number of ways that we can cultivate humility. I'd like to add another suggestion to his list: study Greek. Let me explain why.

Over the last few days I have been preparing for a test in Greek II. During the first semester I had very little trouble memorizing and understanding the material. Yet, this second semester has been much more taxing. Last night I told my wife that I was stressed out because I felt like my mind was jumbled up with numerous verb, noun, and participle paradigms. I couldn't seem to keep everything straight. In response to my frantic ramblings Amy simply said: "Well, that's a good reminder that you're not God." In other words, Amy wanted to remind me that I am just a man who is limited in comparison to the God of the universe. My knowledge is so small when compared to the One who created the world out of nothing. What a humbling thought! While these thoughts will not necessarily help me translate Greek sentences, it certainly does help me to keep everything into perspective.

Unexpected Prize

Today, I attended an open house for EDEN (Erskine Distance Education Network). In addition to learning about the various class offerings and eating good food, I won a 4GB IPOD Nano! That's a $149 value! I am really thankful that the Lord blessed me with this unexpected prize.

All At Once

I wonder if professors coordinate their classes so that all major tests and assignments are due on the same day? I'm sure it's not some kind of conspiracy, but things usually do work out that way. Tomorrow I have two tests and a book review due. So, I'm going to retreat into a cave now.

Holy Spirit in Pauline Theology

Just in case anyone is interested, Dr. Gordon Fee is be at Erskine Seminary on February 21 to speak on the Holy Spirit in Pauline Theology. You can read more about Dr. Fee by going here.

Unexpected Paths

I really wish that I was already sleeping the night away with my wife, but instead I am finishing up all of my assignments for my class tomorrow. Thankfully, I've just finished my last assignment and it's currently printing. I had made every effort to be finished with everything before today, but that didn't quite work out. It would impossible to anticipate all of the unexpected circumstances of life...such having to take my Adalynne to the doctor because Amy was sick or needing to visit with someone or some other event. That's what makes them unexpected! Yet, I am thankful for the unexpected events because they give me another opportunity to acknowledge that my plans are always tentative, but God's plans are fixed. And as it turns out, His are always better.

So, good night (or good morning if you read this at a normal operating hour!) and may each of you find joy on the paths you did not plan to walk. May you find comfort in the providence of God, knowing that His ways are perfect. Remember, it is for His glory and our good! And now for my own good, I'm taking the path straight to my bed.

Neck Pain and Paper Writing

My neck is starting to be in a lot of pain since I've been writing a paper for my Counseling Children and Adolescents class for most of today. Forunately, I'm almost finished with the paper, but I still have about 400 pages of a book to read and summarize by Saturday. I hate getting behind but my book didn't arrive until the second week of class.