Middle of the Term

I just had my Greek midterm last night. Now through the years I considered myself a pretty good test-taker. I've had nightmares about being completely unprepared for a test, but it's never really happened, to my recollection. I do recall having some pretty rough times when I took physical chemistry, but that was about it. I never got nervous before the PSAT, SAT, or ACT. I guess this is about the closest I can relate to an athlete who doesn't get nervous before a game.

But last night's test had me a bit rattled. We're to the point where we know all the verb tenses in the indicative mood. I don't know if that sounds like more or less than what we learned, but I can tell you that it is quite a bit. We also have learned the basics of participles (-ing words). There was so much swimming around in my head that I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to perform on the test.

Looking back, I think it went well. I'll know more when I get my grade, but unless I missed a lot more than I think (I know I mistranslated one noun -- d'oh) I think I should be in the mid to high 90s, which is where I want to be.

I think my anxiety may be coming from my planned career change. I now have thoughts of going on to pursue a doctorate and that means I am going to need to set the bar pretty high for my grades. Plus, it feels different in seminary. I more or less know my professors and I feel like doing poorly on an exam would be insulting to them. I'd hate to insult them.

It feels good to have that behind me. Now I need to get cracking on finishing my research for my paper that I need to write this week...

Getting the Burning Back

We had a great meeting last night at Hope about a real estate opportunity. It seems that the owner of a nearby property is willing to sell it to us and our neighboring school well below market value. It seems like a no-brainer to do since it will give us instant equity and we can restructure our debt. It's exciting to see this door that God surprisingly opened.

I spent about 5 minutes getting myself fired up this morning. One thing I did was watch that video I linked in my previous post. The other was playing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and "Jesus Paid it All" on my harmonica. Those songs remind me of the days when I was taking my first shaky steps toward freedom from pornography. It kind of got me fired up a little bit.

I realize that my prayer life is once again becoming stagnant. But I feel like there is another one of those mini-revivals stirring in my belly. I like that feeling.

Do You Know Him?

We've seen this in church a couple of times. This is such a great reminder. Enjoy!

That's My King!

A Word of Encouragement and Warning

I just read this:

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV
(23) Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,
(24) but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

I'm grateful to have been gifted with some abilities. It's easy sometimes to focus on what I can't do. For example, I love watching sports, but I've had to admit that I just can't play them very well. But I would do much better to think on what God has blessed me with. I have a good memory and a fairly sharp mind. I have an incredible wife and daughter and we have another child on the way. I have a great job that pays well and, despite some complaints, is in pretty good conditions. I don't have to worry about being maimed or killed while on the job if I'm careless, but the paper cuts can be nasty!

I like this passage because it is so God-centered. Anything I can boast about comes from Him. I need this reminder to keep me in my place.

Still Alive

Has it really been more than 2 weeks since my last post? It really goes to show how my life has been lately. Since my last post I:

• Got my 1 Corinthians 5:5 paper written
• Have learned about Greek participles
• Painted Lily's bed
• Become more involved in work (in a good way)
• Had to dismiss a mentor from one of my groups (never fun)

That's just off the top of my head. I've had some ideas for blogging, but I just haven't taken the time to write them out. I guess I should take a few minutes some evening to close the books, leave the PS2 off (been loving Lego Star Wars) and do some online journaling.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Tiff are going to have Lily for Friday and Saturday nights. Amanda and I have dinner reservations for Friday. I think I'll be able to get some research done for my next paper on Saturday. It will be weird to be empty nesters for a couple of nights, but I think that we'll survive for that long :)