I Got Nothin'
One day this week, I taught 3 classes, read 60 pages in one of my Luke commentaries, wrote a 3 page "Text Profile" for my Biblical Interpretation class, did some after school tutoring, caught up on some personal correspondance, wrote an Algebra test, and still made my best effort to be some sort of husband and dad when I got home.It's been a busy week and there have been some frustrations too. Nothing big, just little things that aren't working (and some students who aren't either).During these times, the blog suffers. The well is dry. The cupboard is bare.But that doesn't mean I don't love y'all.
12/17/10
The Green Lantern Movie officially has a release date. I knew you'd want to know.
Monday Morning Fun
I hoped to get a few things printed before class started this morning, so I started the laptop up first thing and clicked on my browser."No connection to Internet." Rats! I did some other stuff and came back."You are now connected." Yay! I went to the website and clicked on the manuscript."No connection to Internet." Rats! I went and did some more stuff and came back."You are now connected." Yay! I clicked again and the manuscript came up. I clicked "Print.""No connection to Printer." Rats! This happens often and I know I have to reboot. I rebooted. This takes a fair amount of time, so I walked down to the office and came back. I sat down at the computer, opened the browser, went to the website and clicked on the manuscript. It showed that it was printing, so I clicked on the two other things I needed and headed back to the office where the printer is located."Printer offline." Rats! I turned it off and then back on because, for reasons far too majestic for my puny comprehension, that sometimes works. "Printer online." Yay! I pressed the "Go" button.I wish I had a "Go" button. I digress."Paper jam." Rats! I cleared the jam, opened and closed all the appropriate covers. And lo, suddenly there was a bright light, and I heard the voice of a great angelic choir singing, "Behold, the printer doth feed thy paper through."And I'll bet you thought it wasn't all going to work out. C'mon! Have a little faith, wouldja?Happy Monday!
Birthday Wishes
Lisa is out of town at a Creative Memories convention today. This will be the first birthday that I haven't been there to give her a hug, a gift, a dinner at Yoshino, for many years. She refuses to get a Facebook account (although I think she's cracking), so if you'd like to leave her a birthday greeting, this would be the place to do it. I'll be giving her a hug...a gift...and a yummy Japanese dinner tomorrow.
Sleep
The teacher in the classroom next to mine confessed to me this morning that she had a dream last night wherein she smacked one of her students. In the teaching profession we call this "wish fulfillment."It made me realize that I never dream about school. I dream every night. I dream about church a lot. I dream about the Angels. I dream about whatever show I watched before going to bed. I dream about whatever I spent a great deal of time doing that day. But I can't recall a single dream I've had about teaching. That's weird. And it speaks to how invested I'm not in my job these days. I know I'm going to need to rededicate myself to what I'm doing so that it will continue to be a ministry and not just a way to make a living.My wife has trouble sleeping. It's very hard for her. Not me. It's a rare night that I take more than five minutes to fall asleep. Her inability to sleep well affects her a lot. Aside from just making her tired all the time, it's a real health issue. She's had every test in the book done, but it still is a problem, one I pray about constantly.Last night I got a call from one of my best friends. He too has had difficulty sleeping for many months now and it is affecting his attitude. I ask you all to pray today for these two people whom I love. Pray please that God heal them of this and give them what many of us take for granted...a good night's sleep.
Seminary Speak
One of my seminary classes this semester is on the Gospel of Luke. I am reading four books for the course, mostly commentaries (one of which is over 900 pages long!). There are many parables in Luke and the commentaries often point out the paraboloic nature of the Gospel. The only problem (for me at least) is that the word parabolic does not evoke Jesus' storytelling when I read it. It evokes parabolas...and vertices...and axes of symmetry...and conic sections. Yes, I am finding that math keeps creeping into my Biblical studies.I think that might be a good thing. Every preacher should have his own unique style and mine just may turn out to be "Math Preacher." Or "Superhero Preacher" or "Star Wars Preacher" or some happy combination of many things. I have quite a few years to figure it out.In the meantime, I'm adjusting to the new vocabulary. No longer am I awash in Math Speak. Now I rush to my dictionary to better understand exegesis, hermeneutics, ecclesiology, soteriology, pericopes, chiasms, and so on and so on.I see that this week in my Biblical Interpretation notes, we are paying attention to "the symmetrical structure of parallel phrases around a central idea." Thank goodness!I speak Math!
5 Reasons I Love My Honey
5. The way she has supported my choice to begin seminary is incredible. She listens to my post-class stories, tries to help me get study time at home, understands when I come home from work late, and curtails spending so that we can pay for fees and books. Her leap of faith on this has surpassed my own.4. She provides a home. Taking care of bills, dinner, chores, James' homework, and a hundred other things...I know I can rely on her for everything.3. She watches Battlestar Galactica with me. And Lost. And Fringe. And not just because I want her to, but because there is a little sci-fi geek inside her too. Most importantly, she remembers everything, so when I have to ask whether the fifth Cylon is Ellen Tigh or Helen Tigh...or whether Jin and Danielle had ever met before...or who "The Observer" is...she knows!2. She is my favorite person to hug. I mean this by about 1,000,000 percent.1. Valentine's Day just isn't a big deal to her. I mean this in a very, very good way. She would rather relax and share some peanut M&M's while catching up on Survivor than exchange gifts after a fancy meal out. And I promise, she's not just saying that. She even puts up with me when I say Jeff Probst's lines before he does ("Once again, immunity is back up for grabs...worth playing for?...wait for my go...in this game, fire represents your life...etc. ad nauseum).Lisa, I love you more than ever. Happy day before V-day!
Face To Face With The Devil
When Jesus explains his parable of the sower, he says, "The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Luke 8:12)"We may well wonder about this. Is it fair? Should some be lost just because Satan removes what was sown in them? How does the devil choose when and where to act? Are the hearers of the Word responsible for protecting it from Satan? How can I best guard what I hear?Two things strike me about this parable. The first is that Jesus is saying that how we hear is just as important as what we hear. He expects us to take the Word seriously...to keep it safe...and to act on it. The other thing is the difference between the storyteller and those who were listening. Jesus had met the devil face to face. He knew him. Those who listened to this story and those of us who read it today only know the devil by his acts. How much more seriously would we take him if we, like Christ, had looked into his eyes and seen the malevolence there?
My Ministry
Our new preacher delivered a sermon on "The Body of Christ" this Sunday. At one point, he asked us to think about what our particular ministry to the church was. I couldn't help the first thought that sprung to my mind..."You're doing my ministry!"It is still settling in that my preaching days at College are over. I'll still fill in from time to time, but I need to define my ministry there in new ways. I'll always teach, at least as long as someone will let me. And I don't have time to devote to much more with all the seminary study. But I am very much missing the pastoring that went with preaching. Whether I had a title or not, the mere fact of being in front of the church and delivering God's Message, caused some to treat me and share with me as they would with a full-time preaching minister.It is that joy in pastoring as much as the delight in preaching that spurred me to begin seminary. And I suppose I am mourning a bit over its current absence.
Luke 1: 5-25
I learned a lot in my first Luke class last night. We discussed who Luke was, whether he actually wrote the book, who Theophilus was, and many other things.
We also spent time looking at the great themes of the gospel and focusing our attention on Luke 1: 5-25. In this passage (this "pericope"...look at the new word I've learned!), we encounter most of Luke's major themes: The Holy Spirit...God at work...the salvation story set inside world history...joy, singing, and praise...attention given to the marginalized...and lots and lots of prayer.
The mathematician in me enjoys the symmetry of the text. At the beginning, we read about Zechariah's service, then about the temple, and then about the people outside. At the end, we read about Zechariah coming back to the people, then about the temple, then about his service. The passage points from both ends to the middle. It creates a focal point. And at the very center, we read this: "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God." The focus of the text is God's desire to have His people back.
Nobody knows for sure what Zechariah was praying for when he was in the temple. A personal prayer would have been for a child. A dutiful prayer would have been for the Messiah. God answered both.
The Gospel of Luke
Tonight I'm starting my class on Luke. I'm excited about the prospect of spending an entire semester on a single gospel.
I have three commentaries that I'm reading for the class. I've read about 450 pages already, trying to get a head start. I will have to read an additional book, once I decide what I will be writing my paper about. I'm leaning towards the role women play in this gospel.
I'm sure there will come a period during the semester when I'm crunched for time, but I've been able to stay on top of things so far. And, since this course will be taught by the same professor who taught the class on the church that I took last semester, I'm confident it will be excellent.
Banquets and Blackouts
Last night was the father/son banquet at Mt. View Christian School. James was being kind of a putz, so I want to say a few things about his school instead.
We are incredibly blessed since Mt. View has become part of our lives. James has blossomed as a student. He is treated with great respect and love. And he learns about Jesus as part of his curriculum. Lisa has found a wonderful working environment too, and has been blessed with great friendships.
Last night, Lisa was the entertainment at the banquet. The theme was "BUGS!" and the decorations were outstanding. Lisa showered us with corny bug jokes and everybody had a great time. Some parents are not strong in their faith, others really have none at all. Yet they choose to enroll their kids in a place that is safe and educationally respected. Through this, many people are exposed to Christ in a way they would not be otherwise. That is the definition of ministry.
Switching gears...
When we got home, I put on FSN West. They were showing a replay of Game 4 of the 2002 Divisional Series...Angels vs. Yankees. This was the clincher and I was really looking forward to watching it again.
Now, I may have mentioned that we have had some trouble with AT&T's U-Verse program. We do not get the new MLB network (which I have heard great things about). We have learned that they black out games from southern California...assuming, I suppose, that we should drive 4 hours to the game rather than watch it on TV. Customer service has been a nightmare. And there have been a few other problems as well.
Last night, when I put the game on, the screen simply read: "This game has been blacked out in your area."
...
So now, apparently, AT&T expects me to travel over 6 years back in time to watch a game rather than watch it on TV. I give up. We switch back to Direct next month.
Super Monday
I wasn't planning on watching the game. I figured I'd turn it on and do some reading. But it was captivating. I'm a baseball guy of course, but I enjoyed every minute of this, the first football game I'd seen all season.
My only problem came at the very end. As he was signing off, Bob Costas (who should know better), said something to the effect that the Steelers' 6 championships made them the greatest team in all of professional sports.
Really?
I mean, I'm the furthest thing from a Yankees fan, but they have 26...count 'em...26 world championships. 26 is more than 6. I'm just sayin'.
Hit Counters
