Too Much Reading & Writing

By -
I am not a scholar. At least not in the technical sense. I don't know if I could survive in the world of academia where research and publishing are so important. Sorry to disappoint you if you view me as such.

Nevertheless, my last few weeks have been consumed by academic work. I am working toward a doctoral degree from Abilene Christian University, and I have two weeks of classes there in June. Pre-course assignments must be done by June 8. My classes are on spiritual formation (week 1) with David Wray & Jeff Childers; and preaching (week 2) with David Fleer. Figure I ought to learn how to preach now that I am doing it full-time.

So in addition to my "9 to 5 job," I've had to do research for a couple papers, read a stack of books and write a couple reflection pieces. It's one thing to write from the heart. It's quite another to be forced to write things that don't really connect with you at the moment. I know it's a good exercise, but I'm tired of it.

Oh well, it will all be done a few days. Of course, then I will have the post-course assignments hanging over my head. Fun, fun. But maybe I'll have more energy once I make it through this stretch of work.

It is forcing me to ask lots of questions about my new ministry setting. I'm kind of a curious soul by nature, but my professors are forcing me to dig deep and analyze things at the College Church on multiple levels. Considering the fact that SO MANY people are helping us understand the Valley & the College Church, I hope that this will all result in an accelerated learning curve for me.

God has great things in store, and I'm anxious to get a glimpse of what that will be.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 4:1-7 & The Confusing Apostle Paul

By -
Image
Does Galatians 4:1-7 confuse anyone as much as it does me? After studying this for some time, I am prone to agree with the words of 2 Peter 3:16. "There are some things in [Paul's letters] hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures." I hope I'm not one of the ignorant and unstable people. But I'm in the camp of folks who can say that Paul's writings are occasionally hard to understand. Let me clarify what I'm having a hard time clarifying. I don't really think it's difficult to understand Paul's point in Gal 4:1-7. The broader context makes it clear. Paul says that the Law of Moses is inferior to the promise previously made to Abraham. Gentile Christians, he writes, are descendants of Abraham because they share the same faith in God (3:6-7) that Abraham had (Gen 15:6). They therefore don't need to obey Jewish rules and customs. That's his point. from Anthony...
Read more

Love It or List It: We Sold Our Church Building

By -
Image
On October 8, 2023, we held our last worship service in our home of 59 years. We're moving on to a temporary location while we wait for God to reveal where our more permanent home will be. It's been a journey for which there is no solid road map, but we feel blessed by what's happening. We formed a giant circle for the final song at our longtime, northeast Fresno home. In late January, our elders announced a shock decision. We would be selling our church building and moving on. Among the elders, it was an uncontentious and unambiguous decision. They 100% believed it was in the church's best interest to put our property on the market and find a new home. Many congregations have hard choices to make about aging properties that are oversized for today's churches. Selling seemed the most desirable option to our board in our circumstances. I wrote about that decision back in January. You can read about it here . I had an inside seat to their decision-making process. As a...
Read more

In Memoriam of Larry Locke, My Father

By -
Image
My dad Larry Locke took his final breath this afternoon. He was in the comfort of his own home in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was as beautiful a spring day as Middle Tennessee can provide. Lovely breeze. Chirping birds. Blooming flowers. But Dad had been unable for weeks to notice the glory of God's created world. He was ready to go and be with the Lord forever. Over the last 2+ years, Larry had struggled with dementia and previously undiagnosed depression. A lifelong runner, he had never spent a night in the hospital prior to this sickness. The loss of his vitality was a blow to all who knew and loved him. While his first hospitalization returned him to a level close to his old self, subsequent declines and hospital stays left him a shadow of the man we knew. His time for this life would number 76 years. Larry Locke was born in 1942 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. His father, W. H. Locke, owned a small diner. His mother, Pansy Worley Locke, had done office work but as a mother was mos...
Read more