Light at the end of the tunnel

I apologize for not posting more often.... yes I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and no, it is not a train coming at me!

Seminary will be over for the semester this week. I am almost done with my 1st of 2 degrees. In the fall, I will be taking three classes (two are to complete the current degree that I am almost finished with - Master of Arts in Theology with a Biblical Studies emphasis - MATBS -- one course is for the Master of Divinity-MDiv -- that I will finish once I get the MATBS) Sound confusing?

Basically, I started working on the MDiv in 2002. You technically have 5 years to finish the MDiv. I was at my fifth year with at least another two to go. After prayer and consultation, I decided to drop back into the lesser degree of the MATBS, get that degree, then apply those credits and the work I have already done to finish the MDiv (96 hrs). Lord willing, I will graduate with the MATBS in May of 2008 and the MDiv in May 2010 or sooner, depending on how I progress.

I have also entertained the idea of seeing what will be available for ministry positions once I get the first degree. It would be nice to get a ministry opportunity if possible (locally) while finishing the MDiv. We will see what happens there.

My work schedule will change once seminary is done for the semester which will allow me to be off on Friday afternoons, which I enjoy, my wife enjoys, and my son Joseph will hopefully enjoy having dad around a little more than usual.

Hopefully, I will be a bit more disciplined to post here more often.

What are in the two piles on my desk

I always seem to have book piles or stacks on my desk. Right now, several things are going on. We are getting ready to move, so half of my books are already packed in boxes and in a large plastic bin (we move on 2/23) I hope I do not need any of those books before then!

The other half of my books are still sitting in the bookshelf (for now) and I have two stacks on my desk. One stack is my reading stack that I try to have read in between semesters of seminary.

In that stack, I have the following books.

1)Jim Cramer's Mad Money - a Christmas gift from my infant son Joseph. Almost done reading this one.

2) Created for Community by Stanley Grenz - have not started this one yet, so it will have to wait until May.

3) Reviewing the Movies by Peter Fraser & Vernon Neal - I wanted to start this one right about the time all of the theatre debate was going on, but did not get to it. Another book that will wait until May

4) From Sabbath to Lord's Day by D.A. Carson -- I finished reading another work about the Sabbath and wanted to read this one, but again, did not get to it.

5) Mentoring Leaders by Carson Pue - started but have not completed.

6) Margin by Richard A Swenson - a great book -- about 1/3 of the way through and I started this one on Sunday night after church. This one will get finished before the semester starts next week. A great book about time and how we live. I should write a more thorough review when I finish it.

Now to the other stack to my left -- this is the stack of books for my two classes that I will be taking in seminary this semester. Remember I am only taking two classes

1) A Complete Guide to Sermon Delivery by Al Fasol

2) Putting the Truth to Work by Daniel Doriani

3) Preaching to a Postmodern World by Graham Johnston

4) The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text by Sidney Greidanus

5) The Church in God's Progam - Robert Saucy

6) Maranatha Our Lord, Come! by Renald Showers

7) Christian Theology by Millard Erickson

8) Polity by Mark Dever

Looking forward to an interesting and intellectually stimulating semester!

We are also looking forward to moving. The Lord has blessed us with a larger apartment about 9 miles north of where we are currently living. We are going to be paying $20 less a month in rent for more space. It will be nice to get done with the actual moving task itself, but I realize that there is a lot of work involved in packing and purging,etc.