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| Thursday evening as Physics lab wound down, I received the usual call from my wife. She told me that both her folks and mine had arrived and by the way, she had been having contractions 7 minutes apart for a solid couple of hours. Now that did not mean we were headed in that night. After all she could stay at 7 minutes all night long. However, by the time I got home from school she met me at the door to say they were now 2 minutes apart. I took a quick shower, ate a bite, and we headed off to the hospital around 6:30. At 10:01PM Kariana Irene was born after a quick bit of labor. Now school has started and the baby is here. The only thing left waiting for is sleep. | | |
| Waiting for the new baby (past due, to be induced on Friday if she doesn't make a earlier appearance.) Waiting for school to start (tomorrow morning, as Judson University.) Waiting to give a placement exam (any minute now.) | | |
| So this Saturday our Team from Judson leaves for our mission trip to New Orleans over Spring Break. I'm excited to finally get going on what we've been planning since fall. Please pray for the team as we make our final preparations. I have a question for all you Judson students. In your classes at Judson, approximately how much is lecture, group discussion, team work, etc. Give me percentages if you can. (For Example: 50% lecture, 30% discussion, 15% working in pairs, 5% cartwheels.) I'm trying to get a bit of a sense of the campus to help with the self-study we are currently working on. Thanks for your help. | | |
| This morning while packing lunch for my family a realization suddenly clicked into place in my brain. It came from a few different conversations, real and virtual, over the last few weeks including the self-study on campus as well as preparing for my Elder retreat at church this weekend. What I finally understood is this "Some people make decisions about Christianity based upon Christians." I know its a simple statement but the reason it stuck with me is because it is so different from my views. I understand that Christianity is about Jesus Christ. A person's choice to become a Christian is ultimately an acceptance or a rejection of Jesus Christ and the gospel message given in the Bible. The decisions we make to continue a life of obedience to Christ, to live in community with other believers, is a result of our faith choice. But if what I said above is true, then sometimes people choose to go to church, to study the Bible, to go to a Christian college, based upon other people rather than on Christ. That is inconsistant with my understanding of Christianity and is probably why the comments I had heard were rattling around in the back of my brain for the last couple of weeks trying to find a place to fit. What does this mean? For one, it has to have an impact upon our outreach and witnessing philosophies. For another, it means that we need to help people who choose to come to church because of Christians move to a relationship with Christ, which is true Christianity. What about you? What kinds of decisions do you make based upon Christians rather than Christ? | | |
| People that only know me as a Math or Physics professor are often suprised at my musical ability. I can sing, play piano and trombone. I regularly play keyboards with the worship band at my church and the occasional Judson chapel. There is substantial anecdotal evidence that science and math types tend to also play musical instruments. One of the theories that I have heard is that we are well trained in precise logical language such as mathematics and music, at least classical music, is nothing if not a precise formal language. However, that argument seems a bit flat when applied to the kind of music the average worship band plays, with only chord charts, and a significant amount of playing by ear, which I, at least, do well. But more suprising, even to me, is what God has opened up to me this summer. I'm now writing music. I can't craft lyrics to save my life, but I have been sitting down at the piano, opening the hymnbook to obscure songs and creating new music to someone else's words. And it has been very productive with somewhere just under ten songs in various stages of finishing since June. God in his extrodinary generosity gives us each gifts. There is nothing more enjoyable than discovering and using those gifts to bring praise back to him. I hope you do the same. | | |
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