Scriptures read for class devotions: week 5

It's getting harder to prepare the Hebrew readings for each class session, rather than easier as I thought it might as I gained more experience in this practice. But I will not give it up; rather, I may take time in the next couple of days to plan out what I'll use the remainder of the semester in each class, since I didn't even select my passages until late last evening. I was still practicing the Pentateuch reading just before lunch, with class meeting at 1:30 PM and, as you'll see, I cheated again somewhat and doubled up one of the readings. However, it's only partially cheating, because I have been working through in Intro to OT some of the call stories. I've done Joshua, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and now Moses. Perhaps I'll find some others since, again, I can choose anything in the canon. This is not to mention that I'm a bit leery about sticking too closely to the Psalms because, even though these are wonderful material for what I'm doing, I don't want to get too much reading out of one book or even one block of literature in that class.

Intro to OT:
7/29 Isaiah 6:1-8
7/31 Exodus 3:1-15

Pentateuch
7/29 Exodus 3:1-15
7/31 Genesis 45:1-11

Course offerings update

I've been asked by the president of the seminary to teach Doctrine of Holiness in Semester II, and to compensate Biblical Hebrew is being put off until Sem II 09-10, by which time there may be a theologian in place at least in an adjunct relationship. I'm bummed about not teaching Hebrew, because that's where my passion lies, particularly because it's language. But Doctrine of Holiness is a keystone of the curriculum in a holiness seminary, so I am willing to take on the challenge. It's also upsetting that Hebrew is being put off because a couple of students have expressed interest in Hebrew, mainly because of my practice of reading from the Hebrew Bible in class devotions. But I can possibly fold Hebrew instruction into the Historical Books class if anyone expresses any interest. We'll see. And I'm also not entirely opposed to overloading, though that is probably an option of last resort, especially in view of each course being a new preparation for me still, and Doctrein of Holiness is an out-of-the-field new prep on top of it.

It will be a challenge, because even though I am convinced of the correctness of holiness doctrine, I am not a trained theologian so I am being called on to stretch myself in ways not previously imagined. I think this is a good thing for me, not least because it looks pretty on the CV when I go back into the hopper for other jobs. And it is certainly also a good thing for the school, because this is a required course, and many students may not have had opportunity to take it yet. So we'll see. Basically, I need to start preparation now...

What do you really want out of life?

This is the devotional meditation I delivered to employees of the Asia-Pacific Resource Center. I had thought simply about delivering my testimony again as I had done for the student prayer meeting. But some people in attendance today had read that on the blog, and moreover at least one person was present at both occasions, so it wasn't any good to do that. Besides, this was a better meditation for this context in that it was written with this group in mind, and it actually generated a good bit of healthy discussion afterward. The textual basis was formed by the two OT options and the Gospel lection for Pentecost 12, which was yesterday. A note on the format: a saint of God named Reuben Welch, long-time chaplain at Pasadena College/Point Loma Nazarene College/University (all different incarnations of the same place) wrote his books and his sermon manuscripts without regard for margins. I use this form in order to remind myself where I want to emphasize something in the manuscript, as well as for blocking:

“What do you really want out of life?”

Gen 29:15-28; 1 Kgs 3:5-12; Matt 13:31-33, 44-52

Pentecost12(A), July 28, 2008

Devotional for APRC

At least in the US, my generation, those born between 1965-1982, are known as “Generation X.” In American usage, the letter

X

is used to indicate

mystery,

strangeness,

secrecy,

and forbiddenness.

On a treasure map, X marks the spot where the buried treasure is supposed to lie.

Illiterate persons are asked to make the mark of an X to indicate they are present.

When identities are concealed, people are referred to with the name “X.”

And “X” or “XXX” is the rating of the movies in the back room at the video store.

When

X is

applied to a

generation of people, it

means that these people are

the problem children, the ones that

seem to have no direction and who

always seem to have problems with the authorities.

The music that was popular for my generation reflects this:

We’re not gonna take it! Parents just don’t understand!

We are the youth gone wild! There’s no hope!

In life, you can only depend on yourself!

This life is all that there is.

I will be happy one day,

and can expect to die

on the day before.

There was nothing

to plug

into.

And

then, even

the churches were

largely irrelevant to the

needs of youth like me when

I was growing up. I was a little

different because I had always grown

up in church, but I could never get my friends

to come with me because they didn’t see how God

and religion and all that stuff could have any relevance

or meaning for their lives. They were plugged only into the

moment, only into instant gratification, only into what could be had

now. This way of living not only made it into daily relations with people

but also into the economy. Everyone had to have the latest gadget, the best

stuff, the hottest fashions, the most sophisticated electronics. For it was during my

teenage years that the first personal portable stereos were invented, giving people a way

to live their own lives and enjoy their own music in isolation from everyone else. If those

years could be summed up in a word, that word would be isolation. They wanted what

they wanted and mostly what they wanted was to be left alone. They had no sense

of being connected to their neighbors, except in the brief flashes of time when

they recognized that other people were going through a similar kind of

struggle, though even then they believed that not even their friends

could really understand what they were going through. The

teenagers of generation X were the problem children,

the ones society wanted to forget. And so they,

for the most part, forgot society as well.

And especially they forgot God.

They didn’t want to take the

time to learn what it meant

to lose themselves to find

something greater than

themselves, for that

is all they ever

had out

of life.

In

contrast

to this way

of living, the Bible

has a lot to say about

plugging into a vision of

life that is greater than the individual,

greater than the isolated self so beloved by

my generation of anxiety-ridden, isolation-craving,

pleasure-seeking, misunderstood by parents, teachers, authorities,

society and God teenagers and young adults. When King Solomon asked

for wisdom in 1 Kings 3, God approved of it precisely because he didn’t ask for long

life or power or anything for himself, precisely because he was not focused only on his

own ambitions for power. And Genesis 29 tells us the story of how Jacob worked

fourteen years to get what he wanted, and how the swindler was swindled.

Even though he ultimately treated Leah poorly in contrast to how he

treated Rachel, the point is still that he allowed himself to be

expended for what he really wanted in life. And the five

parables of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13

also indicate something of the virtue of

spending your life in the service of

a goal that is greater than you

yourself could ever imagine

it to be. Think of it! If

Generation X were

only looking out

for themselves,

because

that

is what

they were

taught to do from

the very beginning of

their lives—because they were

a mystery to the rest of the society,

and to their parents who just didn’t understand,

then what a great opportunity to show the contrasting

picture of life that is presented in the Gospel! Because, you see

now Generation X, once the forgotten misunderstood youth gone wild,

are now the driving force, the leaders of society. And if we could show them

how wonderful, how precious it is to come out of a focus on one’s own concerns and

plug into something that is greater, what a difference we could make in our world!

Understanding the world view of cultures and generations is part of what we do

in making the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant to a broken and dying world.

The churches failed Generation X when we were children because they

only met the needs of the older generations and those who were

already in the fold, like me. I couldn’t convince my friends

to come to church because the churches were

keepers of the aquarium rather than

fishers of people. They didn’t meet

them where they were. But

now we have recognized

that to reach them

we have to

know

them.

For when we know them and understand their concerns and realize how they think and why they think that way and what they want and how they understand and the contrast between the way they live their lives and what the Gospel requires of them and of us too then, and only then, will we be able to break through the shell of isolation and protection, the cocoon that they have built around themselves.

If we can show them that their concerns are addressed in the Gospel too, then we can bring them along in the journey with us, and along the way we can apologize to them for not getting this earlier, for not meeting their needs before they went off in search of fulfillment in the things that do not satisfy.

If we show them that asking for wisdom rather than long life, working for what really satisfies rather than that which people and society try to foist upon us, that working the yeast throughout the whole lump of dough, that allowing the smallest of the seeds to become the largest of the shrubs, that selling everything to have that which cannot be bought for any price, are the things that really matter, then their lives will be changed, because they will no longer seek the things that only satisfy for a moment, and once that moment is gone then go on to seek other things.

And if they are changed, then they will change the world. For the final point of description for Generation X that I have not yet mentioned is their power to

motivate together to change things that they believe need to be changed.

Once the power of the unchained youth, the problem child, the teen

spirit is unleashed, then they will not take it anymore, they will

not take even the isolationist situation they have created for

themselves, but they will long to change it, even as they

longed to change the structures of their parents’

society that denied them the freedom to

live in the way that they wanted to

live. There is great power in

this generation, and when

we show them how

to use it, great

things will

happen.

Amen.

Haircut, bad burger, good movie

Got haircut yesterday...as usual, I feel like I've lost 2 1/2 kilos of weight. The stylist talked me into getting something called a mentholized scalp treatment, which included an upper-body massage. They don't do that at haircut places in the States. ;-) Anyhow, after all that was done I smelled like an entire package of Halls throat drops...haha. But I felt very pampered, and while it's not an experience I want to have everytime I get the mop lopped off, it was nice.

After the haircut experience, I was waiting around for The Dark Night and the evening showing. A friend was going to meet me so I was running around trying to find something quick to eat before we were supposed to connect up. This shall henceforth and forever be known as Mistake Number One. Never, never, never, eat something unfamiliar in a hurry. I selected a Tropical Hut burger stand, which offered cheap food. This shall henceforth and forever be known as Mistake Number Two. Never, never, never, eat something cheap in a hurry. If I can paint a picture for my American readers, this burger tasted like those things you might get at an old deli at a grocery store or something like that. It was actually closer to a vegemite burger than a "real" burger, with gooey cheese and mayo to top it off. Really nasty. And I'm paying for it still this morning. Let the reader understand.

Anyhow, the movie was good, much better even than Batman Begins, and certainly better than the original Batman. I never thought I'd say anyone played a role better than Jack, but Heath Ledger actually turned in a fine offering for his last performance. The superiority of his work is, I think, related to the inferiority of the original script and character design for The Joker, but still Ledger did a very good job.

Well, I'm running a little short on time this morning. I'm headed off to Antipolo First Church of the Nazarene for the first time this morning. I had already planned to attend when the faculty received an email that this church was having its annual APNTS Sunday this weekend. So I'm going as an unofficial/official representative of the Seminary. Which means I'll be asked to stand up and I'll get embarrassed, as usual, but I've gotten a little used to it now. The only time being recognized as a visitor was a less-than-savory experience was going to the megachurch in downtown Manila last week, for then they took me out of the service and talked with me for a bit--who are you, where do you live, how did you find the church, that sort of thing familiar from the Willow Creek model. I should have politely refused to go to the interview room, or better yet remembered that my friend Sam had warned me about not standing up to begin with. But no matter. It will be better this morning, because it's "friendly territory," or, at least, "familiar territory.

Scriptures read for class devotions: week 4

Here are the Scriptures read in/translated from Hebrew for the week of 7/22-7/24:

Intro to OT
7/22 Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (also a really good song by The Byrds)
7/24 Jeremiah 1:1-10

Pentateuch
7/22 Exodus 19:1-6
7/24 Genesis 22:1-14

The Pentateuch reading for Thursday, for the first time since the third meeting of class, actually matched what we were discussing in the lecture that day. This was pretty good, because I haven't been especially intentional with selecting Scriptures that fit what's going on that particular day. And, of course, Scriptures that "fit" don't necessarily have to come from the text(s) under consideration for that day.

Maybe some day if I have time I'll figure out how to post the Hebrew, but perhaps that a bit of overkill...

Name that God

Trivia question: Four of the following eight actors have portrayed God in a movie. Name the actors who have portrayed God and the movie in which they filled the role:

Alec Baldwin
George Burns
Matt Damon
Robert De Niro
Morgan Freeman
Val Kilmer
Alanis Morissette
Julia Roberts

Ping pong

Aside: I've adopted in my blog posts the style for titles that is becoming more fashionable, capitalizing the first word and then only words that would be capitalized in a normal sentence. Thus ends the word of the nerd.

Played my first ping pong match at APNTS today. I bragged that I had been the NTS ping pong champion. Nobody asked how long I was champion (evil grin). I am pleased to say I have upheld the proud Modine ping pong tradition!

Result: Def. B. Woolery 21-17
Record: 1-0

You will speak and write for me

I struggled long and hard with what I was going to say in giving my testimony to the student prayer meeting tonight. My writer's block finally loosened at 4:30 PM, and I wrote the following, lightning-quick, in about 90 minutes, ad majorem Dei gloriam (with apologies to the Jesuits):

One might rightfully consider it odd that a professor of Old Testament has chosen has the Scriptural basis for his first public remarks to the seminary community a passage from the New Testament. But as you listen to my testimony, you’ll see why these verses from the New Testament have been particularly significant for me over the past few months. I am also choosing an unusual way to tell my story. In the book Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit asks the king, “Where would you like me to begin, to please Your Majesty?” The king replies, “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Well, I am beginning at the end. It’s my story, so I can do that.

The concept of a “life-verse” describes a verse or phrase out of the Bible that has special significance for a particular believer. So, someone could choose John 3:16, or Jeremiah 29:11, or Numbers 6:24-26, or Romans 1:16-17. I have found that, at different times in my life, my life-verse has changed owing to the circumstances I am facing at a particular time. Luke 9:57-62 has been a life-verse for me in the last few months.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

I still remember clearly the circumstances of my first summons to APNTS. I had my laptop computer out on the kitchen table connected to a wireless network in my little apartment in Nashville. I had just sat down with a simple yet particularly American delicacy: the grilled-cheese sandwich, for whatever are the gifts and skills with which the Lord has blessed me, cooking is not one of them. A message came through on a secondary email account, and why this is important will become clear in a moment. The time stamp was February 6, 2008, at 2:32 in the morning. I didn’t have any idea who would be so crazy as to send me an email at 2:30 in the morning. The sender’s name was Dr. Floyd Cunningham, a name which I recognized but had difficulty placing. The message read, in part:

Dear Dr. Modine:

Greetings from Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. Our school is located near Manila in the Philippines. It was suggested that I contact you, and Dr. Coleson at NTS was able to give me your email addresses.

We are looking for a teacher in Old Testament…

Would you be interested in applying for this position?

Then it hit me. I remembered where I had recently heard the name of Dr. Floyd Cunningham. Now, let me back up for a minute. I said this was my first summons to APNTS, but that is not quite true. I graduated from Drew University in 2006 with a PhD in Old Testament, but I had had trouble finding a teaching job. I had a sense that after all the waiting something was going to happen very quickly. (This is what you call foreshadowing, boys and girls.) I counted it up the other day, and over the past three years I have applied to fifty—fifty—different schools with positions in or related to my field. For many of them, I was woefully unqualified; these were the top jobs in the field, the places where people go when they have established long track records of publishing and careers of teaching. But I had no experience outside of one summer session intensive course in the book of Jeremiah at NTS. And in other cases I am sure my file was immediately rejected because of theological fit, or, better, because of lack of theological fit. These were all over the theological map from very conservative to the very liberal; I even briefly considered sending in my credentials to a reconstructionist Jewish school. So my friend Dr. Alex Varughese at Mount Vernon Nazarene University wrote me on January 29, 2008. He asked me if I would like to be considered for an opening at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. He offered to send me name to—you guessed it—Dr. Floyd Cunningham.

I had ignored Dr. Varughese’s email, because going outside of the US hadn’t been anywhere in my mind. But now, in the first week of February, I had two independent sources telling me about the opening at APNTS. Dr. Cunningham’s email had been addressed to a Yahoo! address that I rarely use and to my Drew University address that has been defunct since February 2007. Dr. Coleson at NTS in Kansas City didn’t have my current email address, because we have unfortunately not kept in very good contact; it’s more my fault than it is his. Anyway, I thought and prayed about it for a couple of days and then sent word back to Dr. Cunningham that I would consider coming to Manila. I also told him what Dr. Varughese had done the week prior, and how I was amazed at the separate communication. He said, “When things begin to converge, one must sense that God is in it.”

Now go back in time a little further. The time is 1997, the location is the lunchroom at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. I’m sitting at the corner table with my back to the corner, and around the table are four friends: Mark, Scott, Jason, and Jeff. I’ve since lost contact with Scott and Jeff, but Mark, Jason and I stay pretty close. I was worried about an issue, and I was seeking the counsel of godly men to deal with it. By the way, I have learned in my journey the awesome power of godly counsel. I had recently experienced what I perceived as a change in God’s direction and calling for my life. I had graduated Trevecca Nazarene University in 1996 with a major in Religion, and had come to seminary, with the goal in mind of being a senior pastor. I had developed skill in preaching, and when I got opportunities to preach I was always received very well as a gifted and thoughtful communicator, even if I didn’t necessarily have the social skills to match. But the big change I was contemplating was going on to graduate school to pursue a PhD after seminary. I didn’t see how the two goals—PhD and pastoral ministry—were complementary; they actually seemed rather to be in opposition.

The consensus of the men around the table was clear. God has given me a gift for learning and teaching, particularly with regard to languages. It may be, they said, that God is preparing a place for me in academics. And the two of them are not opposed to one another. Teachers and preachers are both listed as historic offices in the church I the New Testament. Incidentally, it took me many years, and many twists in the journey, before I finally realized the wisdom of what they were saying. I kept wanting to limp along between two opinions, as Elijah accuses the people of doing on top of Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). I kept trying to argue that I wanted to be involved in pastoral ministry at the same time I was teaching, because I often found resistance to the idea of a professor being an ordained minister without serving in a local church. I always wanted to be ordained, and I still do, but I am lacking the requirement of practical service. Perhaps it is God’s will that this will happen; perhaps not. I am still waiting on that particular revelation. But anyway, the advice I received helped me make the decision to pursue a PhD after graduation from seminary and, since the foundation was already laid through a biblical languages minor in college and further study in Hebrew and Greek (more Hebrew than Greek) in seminary, Old Testament seemed the best fit for my skills and my previous training.

Now go back in time a little further. This time the time is July 25, 1991, 17 years ago Friday. The place is Orlando, Florida. The event is Nazarene Youth Congress. Dr. Gary Henecke, who at the time was senior pastor of First Church of the Nazarene in Portland, OR, was preaching. The topic of his message was God’s call on our lives, and he said, “When God calls you, he will go with you, and he will equip you, and will give you the ability to do what he wills you to do, for the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.” I felt the call of God that night in a way I never had before. I had always wanted to use the creativity God had given me for his service, but I very clearly heard the words in my mind, “You will speak and write for me.” Since then, my understanding of the call has gone through many changes—one of which I described earlier. But the basic understanding has been the same. You will speak and write for me.

That last line of Dr. Henecke's sermon was particularly significant for me, because that phrase is on a plaque that has been hanging in my parents’ house for as long as I can remember. And if Luke 9:57-62 has been a life verse for me, then this has been a life-motto, of sorts. For, and here we fast-forward back to 2008 again, the next four months from Dr. Cunningham’s email and my positive response were a whirlwind tour, to say the least. I got in contact with World Mission in Kansas City, and they sent me a host of forms to fill out. I knew my process was on the fast-track when the second form I filled out said, “Please list the names of any children born since you filled out the first form.” I had to laugh because it had been only ten minutes since I filled out the first form.

I sent in the forms. Then I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. I had an initial interview over the phone with David Cooper in the Mobilization Office, then spoke with him again and Rev. Verne Ward, at which time they invited me to formal candidate assessment in Kansas City. Then I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. As I hear the story now, apparently it was already known around here that I was coming even before I knew I was coming. David Cooper called me on May 1 and told me I had been approved to come to Manila. Then they sent me to Baltimore the week after that to Cross-Cultural Orientation, which is supposed to be the first step in exploring missions with the Church of the Nazarene, even though for me it was close to the end. And the week after that they sent me for a quick boot-camp style field training. And all along the way I was marveling that one thing I had thought would happen was happening: everything was moving very quickly. I had been waiting for so long to see these things happen and now that they were I could hardly keep up. And I got my life in order as best as I could, resigned my job, and left for Idaho at the end of May to spend a couple of weeks with my parents before flying to Manila on June 15. For those of you keeping score, that’s four months and nine days from the initial contact I received from Dr. Cunningham.

What have I learned through this? I had thought it was crazy, thinking about going to Manila on the spur of everything. I hadn’t ever considered going out of the country for ministry and teaching until I received two independent emails about APNTS. Through all of the initial doubts—and there were many initial doubts—I have learned that when God calls you to go, he means for you to go NOW. No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. I never thought that I would be here, I never thought I would be able to put my life together quickly enough to get to Manila in four months. I had initially wanted to say to Dr. Cunningham, “Forget it, I don’t want to come to that place. It’s too hot! It’s too far away! I don’t want to be there!” And what if my excuses were written into the New Testament story? Lord, I’ll go with you wherever you go. Come to Manila. But it is too hot there. It is not as hot as the place from which I long to save people. It is too far away. I also came from far away. I don’t want to be there. My will will never lead you where my grace cannot keep you. Amen.

Testimony

Like I said in yesterday's incomprehensible offering, I've been called upon to offer my testimony in the student prayer meeting this evening. Four hours to go, and I still don't know exactly what I'm going to say. I generally despise just winging things, but it seems like that might be necessary in the present circumstance.

I really don't understand why I'm having such a hard time with this. I remember something from the New Testament about always being ready to give an account of your hope, of being ready in season and out of season (rabbit season? duck season?), but even for all that I have some generally undefinable discomfort about the pending presentation. I don't feel like the story is not worth sharing (got up, washed, went to bed), exactly. But at the same time it's not that kind of dramatic, earth-shattering, lightning-knocking-you-off-of-your-horse type of story, either. Normally, I would call this experience writer's block, because I have tried to write some things down that I might say tonight and the words have just been stuck in my brain.

I don't think there's a category for "testifier's block." ;-)

Rain, Sweet Tea, Behind and Ahead--Pretty Much a Catch-All

It's raining outside; not a big surprise. It's not for nothing that they call this the rainy season. But I had hoped to do some shopping or something off campus this afternoon. I guess that can wait until tomorrow. I don't really mind that the rain keeps me indoors, because there is definitely something to be said for sitting at home in comfortable clothes, sweet tea at the ready (even if it is instant sweet tea, truly an abomination before the Lord), and doing work rather than sitting in an office. Not that blogging is work, but I promise I'll get to that eventually. I mean, it's raining...what else am I going to do?

Speaking of tomorrow, I've been asked to give my testimony at the student prayer meeting tomorrow night. I'm a little unsure about this. It's not that I'm unfamiliar with the story or anything....hello! Protagonist! But what I'm unsure of is finding away to make it last 20-25 minutes. I guess you never really feel that your own story is as interesting as other people seem to think it is. I don't feel my story is boring, understand. And I can tell lots of ways that God's leadership and direction have been evident throughout the journey, but it's probably because I am so intimately familiar with the details that it's hard for me immediately to grasp any kind of overarching theme. That didn't make any sense, but it gives an insight into what I'm feeling as I begin to prepare. I also am not quite comfortable with beginning to prepare a presentation/sermon/lecture/testimony/speech the day before delivery. But I was only asked to do this yesterday so while I've had some time to let it percolate, I haven't set anything to paper (or to computer screen) yet. I still have 30 1/2 hours. ;-)

Oh, and I'm still both behind and ahead in my lectures. I am ahead in the sense that I have more lectures prepared, still right at the two week level, but I am behind in the sense that I never seem to quite get through what it prepared for a given day. I suppose that's a good thing, because it means that students are contributing to the class and I don't have to spend the entire 80 minutes prattling on. But it's hard to know what to do in this situation, because like everything in this experience it is brand new. Or something. I'm too confused to know what I'm trying to say...sort of like the testimony I've got to prepare for tomorrow...off to do that.

A Parable

Once upon a time there was a village in which lived all different kinds of people. Each person had a particular role to fill to ensure that the village ran smoothly and that conflicts were averted before they became serious. One villager had the responsibility of removing all garbage from the city limits and properly disposing of it so that it would neither affect the village nor harm the environment. All the villagers brought their garbage to his place of business through an elaborate yet efficient system of conveyor belts, pulleys, lifts, and windmills. The garbage man had an equally elaborate system of hauling the garbage out of the city. He had carried on his duties more or less faithfully for many years, and as a result the village lived in harmony--or, at least, whatever disharmony it faced was not a result of his failure to live up to his responsibilities.

By and by some strangers moved to the village. Much to the surprise of some of the villagers, the strangers brought with them many new things to be used in the village. The strangers were convinced, and attempted to convince the villagers, that these new things would be beneficial, and would only contribute to the better maintenance and sustained long-term growth of the village. While many villagers eagerly took to the innovations, some were resistant in varying degrees.

One person whose resistance took on a marked tone was the garbage man. Although never one to publicly state any concerns in town hall meetings and the like, he engaged in a passive-aggressive resistance campaign of which all the villagers and the strangers could not fail to take notice. On some days, the garbage man would allow the refuse that the villagers had sent him to pile up at his place of business so that the stench would waft through the rest of the village. When there were complaints, he responded that it was his job to take care of the garbage and he would do so when he was ready. Then, without telling anyone, he loaded all of the accumulated garbage onto the removal system and set it in motion. Unfortunately, he had overloaded the system, and while much of the garbage was eliminated from the city, further problems were created. When complaints came to him again, he once again shut down the business, declaring it was necessary to repair the removal system, and allowed the garbage to pile up like it had before.

This went on for some time, until village leaders elicited the help of a neighboring city whose technical knowledge of environmental concerns was of renown in the region. Based on the recommendation of the scientists living in the other city, the village leaders have now repaired the aqueduct system in the village. It is hoped that the transfer of fresh water through the city, including past the garbage man's location, will help convince him to return to return to his former efficient operation. It is also hoped that the innovations brought by the strangers will further enhance rather than detract from the beauty of life in the village.

Learning Tagalog

I just had my first formal lesson in Tagalog, with a dear lady named Ate Susing. She gave me a lot of good things to practice and learn. I can only afford both in time and in money one session per week, but I think I'll still do well. Next Friday it will be at the same time, 7-9 AM, then once other students who had that time slot return we'll arrange some other time, possibly 4-6 PM one day a week.

Ate Susing said she noticed right away that I was not going to have similar problems to some other Americans she has trained. In particular: Tagalog does not apsirate the "T," so it is made more with the lips and teeth without the explosion of breath typical of English. I told her that Hebrew has both an aspirated (Tet) and an unaspirated (Tav) T, so I understood that difference. In addition, the linker "nga" (and I'm not sure exactly what a linker is, yet) is a guttural sound made in the nose, if that makes sense. The guttural sound I can do from my knowledge of German, so I just threw the throaty Germanic noises into my nose and I was raring to go.

I can get along well here with English, since it's the official language of the seminary, but that seems to be cheating myself out of an essential piece of the experience here. Even though some of my students have told me that English (or, at least "Taglish) is spoken by the in-crowd/snobs here, I think learning Tagalog will help me very much. Maybe someday I'll even be able to do a blog post in Tagalog. Of course, I'll have to translate it into English right away, but it would be fun to be able to do it in the first place.

This Week's Scriptures

Update on Scripture read in class--

Intro to OT
7/15 Josh 1:1-9
7/17 Num 6:22-27

Pentateuch
7/15 Gen 1:24-2:4a
7/17 Num 6:22-27

I justified doubling up the priestly blessing in Numbers because it fits the chief criterion for a Pentateuch reading, namely, that it comes from the Pentateuch. But the readings for Intro to OT can come from anywhere in the canon, which is why I've been in the Psalms (23 and 121), Joshua, and Numbers, and I'm now working on a reading from Ecclesiastes (perhaps I'll be ready to roll that one out on Tuesday). Most of the time, my courses should be set up so two of them can take a reading from anywhere, and the third from the literature under discussion in the course. So readings for Old Testament Theology and Biblical Hebrew can come from anywhere, but readings for Historical Books only from the Deuteronomistic History.

Class discussions have been very good, even spilling out onto the steps after Pentateuch class today. I wish someone had been there to take a picture; it would've made a great shot for the school website. ;-)

I Just Slept Twelve Hours!

I don't know why I was so tired yesterday. I didn't even do very much. Classes met, but that's really the only taxing thing that went on yesterday. Speaking of classes, they're both officially behind an entire day right now. According to the class schedule, we should be beginning the topics for July 17th (Exodus in one class and the Abram/Abraham narratives in the other), but according to my lecture notes we're starting the information for July 15th (last half of Genesis in one and Cain/Abel down through Tower of Babel in the other). Oh well. Best laid plans of mice and men, right...?

But I did sleep twelve hours. I didn't have much to do this morning to prepare for the first Koinonia groups meeting. So I set the alarm for 7:30, then got out my stuff to work on a little bit of grading and maybe some writing as well. But then about five minutes into it, I found myself nodding off and decided it wasn't worth it to try and stay awake. I have basically all day today to get that grading done (and they are short papers, so it won't take long). So I'll do it after the Koinonia meeting.

What's the Koinonia meeting? A professor and a few students meet every other Wednesday at the professor's home to discuss issues related to seminary life. I have ten men in my group, so it looks like it'll be a good time. This is part of the "non-formal curriculum," a time to share concerns and pray for one another. I'm not sure how it's all going to work out, but we'll see how it goes. I think this is an important part of the seminary experience. As I recall, this kind of thing was supposed to go on in my seminary days, but fizzled out after only a few meetings. Too bad. I'm not going into the group with a specific agenda in mind; I'm instead planning to let the guys set the agenda. I probably will not report in the blog how it went, because rule #1, from my perspective, is what happens there, stays there.

So after having slept half of a day, I find that I'm still getting physically adjusted to the Philippines, even if the mental and spiritual adjustments SEEM to be going more smoothly. I emphasized the word "seem" in that last sentence because, of course, this time tomorrow I could be in the deep throes of culture shock and be a basket case either mentally or spiritually or, more likely, both. We'll see. I will probably also not blog about culture shock, because a public forum like this probably wouldn't be a good place to work through difficult things like that.

All in all, classes and life are going well. I love teaching even more than I thought I would, and I had an especially good conversation after class with a student yesterday. The students here are eager to learn and ask questions, which makes it so I don't have to talk all the time. I love that. Hmmm...I seem to be fishing for things to say now, so it's best to sign off. I still have two hours before the group meets, so I'll find something else to do. It's not like I have to look very far...

Frogger

I seriously doubt any of my professors played video games on their computers when they were trying to decompress on something. But here I am playing the old Frogger video game as I wind down a bit from lecture writing. For those who do not remember, Frogger was the game where you had to get a frog across a busy street, then across a river in which, oddly, things moved in alternating directions, until eventually landing it safely at home at the top of the screen. You completed the level when you successfully guided five frogs around the obstacles to their homes. At that point, the obstacles became trickier--the cars became more numerous and moved more quickly, and the number and speed of the things floating down the alternating-current river changed as well. This is not to mention the addition of a few moving obstacles like otters, snakes and alligators that just loved to munch on computer-generated frogs.

Anyhow, at the beginning of each level, the machine played a short musical piece, and on every level but the first your frog didn't appear until after it was over. The frog appeared actually quite early in the opening number, so this soon meant that one of the marks of a champion Frogger player was the ability to navigate the first frog home before the music ended. When I was young playing the actual game in an arcade I was only able to do this maybe once or twice in ten tries (much to the chagrin of my parents when they discovered I'd spent that many quarters). But I am able to do that now, at least on this version in the computer.

Where was I going with that?

In the faculty prayer meeting today, I shared about how in the whirlwind tour to get me here things always seemed to work out exactly when they were supposed to, sometimes even miraculously, and I thought that I should feel confident that the things still left in the air (like my shipment), and about which I am worried, will also get worked out when they need to. But in the process I often felt like I was playing Frogger, navigating the various obstacles and trying not to get myself smooshed or drowned in the process of doing something for which I was not at all prepared, emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually. But, the promise-making God is the promise-keeping God. This is made clear all throughout the Old and New Testaments, not to mention the history of Christianity. Why should it be any different now?

Frustrating

I don't know why I decided to come back down to the office tonight, after I already said that I was going to do some writing longhand and transfer it tomorrow. I did have to run my key down to the guard shack for my housekeeper, but that wasn't any reason to come back down here. ARRRGH! Leaving again!

Wendy's

After church today, I went with Dr. and Mrs. Donahue (missions prof) to Santa Lucia Mall and Wendy's. It's pretty much just like it is in the States. There were a few differences, but by and large the food is the same and the prices are actually a little bit better here than there, once you factor in the exchange rate. It was really enjoyable, one of those treats that you get from time to time...a little taste of home in this faraway place. When we got back a couple of hours ago, of course I came to the office but wound up playing more than working. :-) I think I'll go home and eat a little something. Maybe I'll take a pad and pen and write some stuff out longhand, then transfer it to the computer after faculty meeting tomorrow.

I finally figured out that it made more sense to print out my notes and bring those to class rather than try to read them off the laptop. I'd been carting the laptop around because my printer is on the ocean somewhere (I think). But then I found out that I can print things in the library upstairs from the office so I don't have to bug people in the central office and have them do it for me. I just went back and added page numbers to those two files, so that for the remainder of the semester and for the next time I teach those classes I'll be able to distinguish where I am. Or something.

Scintillating stuff, I know, but I think it's an interesting part of my historical record of this journey even to talk about mundane matters related to lecture preparation and class organization. It's not exactly a "Got up, washed, went to bed," sort of thing--I actually think the things I do are a little more noteworthy during the day, even if they are not earth-shattering by any means.

Why Computers are the Antichrist II

I give up. I've been trying for a little while to add custom elements to the blog here, but I can't get them to work so I quit. :-) It's frustrating when there's a button that says, essentially, "Make me do X," but then when you press that button X is precisely the LAST thing that will happen. I'm trying to put in some of the coolest pictures I've taken so far, to kind of spice this thing up a bit, but it's just not happening. Maybe somebody more experienced with blogging and Blogger in particular can come along and help me do what I want it to. I don't even know how to ask the question in the help section because, and this is another reason why computers are the Antichrist, you have to ask a question in just a certain way or else you won't get anything remotely close to the answer you're looking for. Searching for help or information on the Internet is, essentially, like searching for a needle in a stack of needles...

Is this better?

Still playing with the layout a bit...I'm told that the previous one cut off the "L" in my name, so now I've put the profile up on top to try to counteract that.

Comments Please

Instead of doing the work I came to the office tonight to do, I've spent the entire time monkeying with the layout of the blog. I think I like this one. I'd be interested to hear from what seems to be a rapidly growing fan base (which, incidentally, I find quite funny) on this design on which I ultimately decided. Thanks!

Long Naps are Very Bad

Well, I went briefly to a party for new students tonight (I actually showed up right at the end...the whole grand entrance thing). Then I went home, just back up the hill, had a little something more to eat, then decided I was going to go back in the office and get a little writing done...

I need to back up the story a bit. On Fridays I normally don't have any formal responsibilities except those which come up from time to time, like Dr. Donahue visiting me to talk about a student writing an M.S.T. (=Master of Science in Theology) thesis that melded his interests and mine. But today I enjoyed a wonderful time of Filipino cultural orientation at the field office. I got a lot of good information about this culture and why they do some of the things they do. On and on and I was working in the office in the afternoon, until I just got tired.

I mean, T-I-R-E-D. So I decided I'd walk back up the hill and take a short nap. Normally, I'm great at that sort of thing, listening to my body when it says it's tired and going to sleep for 15-20 minutes, then being completely refreshed for the rest of the day. But this time I think I slept about 45 minutes, because when I woke up I felt "like the floor of a taxicab," to borrow a line from one of my favorite movies. So I was working a little more in the office trying to shake off the groggy feeling, and that's when Dr. Donahue stopped by.

Back to after the party...I decided I'd come over and do a little more work, because I'm going crazy with the groggy feeling, right? Well, I've been sitting here over an hour and all I've done is make some improvements to the layout of the blog. I have typed I think one sentence on the Jeremiah commentary project, but that's about it for "real" work. I had thought about going down into town to check out the new Starbucks at SM Taytay, or possibly going to reload my cell phone's prepaid card, but I can do that stuff tomorrow.

This was a rambling effort...

Qera Et-Hassefer (Read the Book)

In a flash of inspiration that, once followed, has established a pattern I can only break at the expense of forfeiting gravitas (or something), I read devotions for my first class last Thursday directly from the Hebrew Bible. I took as my first text that which the Christian artist Michael Card uses in his song "My Help," in his Ancient Faith box set of songs inspired by the Old Testament. Card chants the Hebrew of Psalm 121:1-4, then repeats it in English (I'll give Card's translation, even though I do it differently):

Esa' `einai el-heharim
me'ayin yabo' `ezri?
`Ezri me`im YHWH
`oseh shamayim va'arets!
'Al-yiten lamot raglekhah;
'al-yanum shomrekhah!
Hine! Lo'-yanum, velo' yiyshan Shomer Yisrael.

I lift up my eyes unto the hills
from whence shall come my help?
My help is from the Lord God,
maker of heaven and earth!
He will not give to the moving of your foot;
nor will slumber he who keeps thee!
Behold! He'll not slumber, nor will he sleep, He Who Keeps Israel.


So I read those four verses in Hebrew, translating each into English after I read it in Hebrew. The students really seemed engaged, so I tried it again in Pentateuch later that day, reading Genesis 1:1-4 in Hebrew, again translating the verses into English as I went along. A student not in one of my classes, but a friend of one who is, told me that he had heard I was reading Hebrew in class...which presents me with the dilemma: now I can't quit. Not that I want to, however: I think it's a great practice, and one that develops in me a kind of discipline that I haven't had before. I've been able quickly to read some Hebrew here and there, but I am not at the level where I should be in that skill two years out of graduate school. So I am learning from my students and the things I say in class just as much as they are learning from me. Now my final lecture prep the nights before class is consumed with practicing and internalizing the next day's Scripture passages. I am enjoying this practice, and I'm glad the inspiration struck just when it did. There is no better devotional material than the Bible itself, and publicly reading the Bible in its original language (sorry NT people!) is a great way to introduce its riches to my students.

Here are the readings I have used so far. I have gotten a little bolder as I gain more experience. Now I don't stop and translate every verse as I go along. I usually wait until I've read the entire thing in Hebrew, and I think I will continue that practice from now on. I don't feel like I'm revealing any big secret to my Pentateuch students by posting this before class, so here goes:

Intro to OT:
7/3 Psalm 121:1-4
7/8 Psalm 121
7/10 Psalm 23

Pentateuch:
7/3 Genesis 1:1-4
7/8 Genesis 1:5-13
7/10 Genesis 1:14-23

You are Here

With the help of my brother, I got this image of the campus from Google Earth and I labeled many of the buildings on campus to give some kind of orientation to where I live and work. The first attempt was pretty small so I'm going to try a second one. The top one is a little bigger, but not much. I think the inscriptions are still pretty visible. Anyway, that's where I live, from a bird's eye view, so they say...

First Grades

Just finished grading my first papers and I'm always a little nervous about that. The line between expecting a lot out of students and being too tough is a blurry one that every professor must personally define. "Well, they really put forth a good effort," a professor might say, and so decide to overlook holes in the argument or inaccuracies with writing or imprecision with language.

Grade inflation is, I think, a rather subtle form of evil. It's subtle because when professors are participating in it or committing it or allowing it to continue it is very easy for us to think we're just being nice. But it is evil because it gives students a false sense that they have already achieved, that they need not press forward toward the mark (see Phil 3:12). In a sense, just like a student is breaking at least the commandments against stealing and bearing false witness when she commits plagiarism, so also is the professor when giving grades higher than she knows someone deserves just for the sake of being thought nice or, at least, not mean. The professor inflating grades steals a proper sense of the relationship between hard work and success. The professor inflating grades lies to students by making them believe that a mediocre effort is equivalent to a superior one. And education suffers. And no one is the better for it when that happens.

Accomplishing

I have had a productive day. I had classes, then I have gotten some other things done. It was quite funny today in Pentateuch class. Throughout the lecture and class discussion, I had been sliding in and out of giving a definitive answer about something--as is my usual habit. In this particular instance we were talking about reading Genesis with the attempt in mind to set aside, as much as is possible (and it's not very possible) the theological presuppositions with which we approach the text as Christians. One student in the back of the room suggested two or three different things that someone reading Genesis not from the perspective of faith (or from the perspective of a different faith) might get out of it: pure entertainment, pure foolishness, or an investigation of the probabilities of Genesis' historical reporting. So he asked me, "Now professor, we would like you to tell us which of these three things you actually get from reading Genesis outside of the perspective of faith."

I stood behind the lectern.










Took a deep breath.










Counted to ten.













And said, "Oops, time's up!" Good thing for me that this question came right at the end of class so I could get away with not answering it. Naturally, I'm not going to come right out and say the answer to something, because I want my students to be able to investigate the options and discover for themselves whatever answer seems good to them, most comprehensive and most coherent with respect to the issues involved. The point is not to pour my knowledge or opinions into them as if they were merely empty vessels. It is not even the point that they agree with me at every turn. Actually, I would rather they disagree with me, and sometimes even vehemently, because that makes for great and interesting, and greatly interesting, class discussion. At the end of the day I want them to be able to make informed statements and to hold onto informed beliefs.



In other words, I want to give them the pitcher.

Operator Malfunction

Websites with usernames and passwords usually work a lot better when the operator puts the correct information in to begin with.

My computer-savvy brother calls this an eye-dee-ten-tee PEBKAC error...for the first part, write it out on a piece of paper and you'll see it. The second part means "Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair." I got the website to work, because I had the user name wrong, not because the password change didn't go through.

Why computers are the Antichrist

I am trying to move my old 401(k) from the bank into the Church's 4o3(b). This should be a relatively simple operation, but I got locked out of the 403(b) website because of a misreported zip code or something. So I tried to call the investment company via Skype, and that's when I discovered there is some kind of problem with my laptop's microphone. The microphone on the webcam works fine, so that's my solution to that for now. Anyway, I got the login code reset, but then I reset it again because I didn't have what I wanted. It said it accepted it, but then I wasn't able to log on with the new code. I am afraid to try it again now, because it might lock me out yet again. Sigh. I really like being able to view things online so that I don't have to keep track of paper, but if the security system is so tight that I can't even get through it, then perhaps it's a tad too tight. And it's not a simple matter just to call the people and reset it, because they're in Ohio, 12 hours behind me here in Manila. So it's just another thing, and another thing, and another thing...thankfully I have lecture prep done a little bit in advance so I'm not having to scramble for that in the midst of all these ridiculous pieces of personal administration.

On Giving (and Receiving) Respect

I was specifically asked to post a blog entry, because I haven't done so in a while. I am afraid that since this one will be a bit longer not many people will read it, but I guess you have to run that risk every so often. :-) There is an issue that has been weighing on my mind as regards the differences between Filipino and American culture, so this is as convenient a time as any to talk about it.

I remember during the commencement ceremony in which I received my Ph.D., the university president charged us to use caution in throwing around our identities as "Doctor" once we left the assembly. While it might help in securing a dinner reservation, he said, it would not speak well of us if we insisted everyone use the title when speaking to us. I've thought about this somewhat extensively, and I came to the conclusion that I wanted students (and colleagues talking about me to students) to use the title, but as for interaction between colleagues with no students around, it seemed unbelievably stuffy to use the titles. When I returned to the bank after graduation, someone asked me, "Do we have to call you 'Doctor' now?" And I immediately responded, "No," because the title did not make sense in that environment. I went for a year-and-a-half as "Doctor" in precisely the environment the president was talking about--where the title made no sense and insisting that people use it would be arrogant to the point of being foolish. But now I am in such a position, and I find it weird to hear myself addressed as "Doctor" and spoken of as "Doctor." This is just one of the myriad adjustments I am making in this place.

Anyhow, this conversation came up again when the missionaries gathered for July 4th festivities (which, incidentally, mainly involved running to and from the house to get out of the rain). We noted that Asian culture generally, and Filipino culture specifically, is very respectful and deferential, almost to the point of being obsequious. Someone suggested that he always had to think about who was present and what was the context as to whether he could use one of the professors' first names--because he, again, is a missionary colleague and not a student--or if he should use the title.

In all, it is an interesting question, because I have "earned" my degree and "deserve" to be called "Doctor." But I put the quotes around those words because they are subject to a good bit of negotiation. On the one hand, whatever I may have "earned," whatever it is to which I may be "entitled," it creates a significant distance between me and other people when the title is used. On the other hand, though, I do not want to rob the people here of their cultural need to be respectful and deferential. So I'll just go on being surprised and thinking it's unusual to be called "Doctor." And thinking it sounds awful even saying that I'm having this problem...

The First Thing You Do II

Just got out of the first class (well, it's been about twenty minutes now), and it was a great success! I didn't treat everything that was in my notes, but that's ok. The discussion took us in some different directions. I have some great, committed students in this class and I look forward to fruitful interaction with them throughout the course of the semester.

The First Day

It was cool and cloudy this morning as I made my way across campus to Owens Hall to make final preparations for the first day of classes. I kept eating the tasty apple which I suppose is the only thing I'll be able to keep down this morning as I went into the classroom and prayed, first for the students, then for me. I prayed that all of our hearts would be open, and that God would teach me again that it is not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit that these things are accomplished (Zech 4:6). And I prayed that they would consider themselves apprehended by God (to borrow from Oswald Chambers), that they would have a sense of rightness about being here, in this place, learning from some American how to read the Bible. As if they didn't already know how to do that. A monumental task lies before me. I know I am not up to it, but through the grace of God I will fulfill the role he has given to me. "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you," said somebody. I don't know who first wrote that down, but I think it's a pretty good summary of what we're about. Anyone who is on a mission from God knows that the mission cannot be completed; they know that "unless the LORD builds the house, the the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD protects the city, the guard keeps rounds in vain" (Ps 127:1). Would that I could live up to these words.

Class Rosters

I'm thankful that I'm only on the docket for two classes this first semester, even though this makes some of my faculty colleagues not like me. ;-) For I just got my class rosters today. There are 24 students in the Introduction to Old Testament class, and 20 students in the Pentateuch class. I'm not surprised at the large number in Intro, since it's required, but 20 students in an upper division bib lit course is amazing! We're probably going to have to change rooms, but we'll see...

I told the boss that I guess lots of people want to take my classes and get a slice of the new guy, to see what he's all about. He said, "Yeah, let's hope that next semester you don't have three students!" That was the perfect response! I'm still in stitches.

Now that I have the class rosters and the syllabi, I was tired this afternoon but I find myself energized. I might even be able to get some more work done this afternoon. I doubt it, but I can try...

Icemonster

Yum yum yum yum yum yum!

I was just introduced to a delightful snack place walking distance from campus called Icemonster. It is basically a snow cone with cream in it. And it is soooo tasty. I had the Mudslide flavor, which had chocolate syrup, white and dark chocolate chips, and shaved bits of chocolate cookie all over it. I didn't have my camera, so I kept the napkins and took pictures of those. Tell you what...I knew I loved this place the moment I stepped off the plane. ;-)

Bible Content Exams

I'm pleased that everyone who took the exam this morning passed it. Just for the sake of why not, I took both of them myself. The M.A. exam is half as long as the M.Div. exam, in order to explain the difference and why it mattered that I took both of them. I'm also quite happy to report that I myself passed the exams. :-) I think it'd be a rather bad thing if the OT professor failed the Bible content exam, but we didn't have to cross THAT bridge, now did we? ;-)

A Possessed Phone II

Turns out I'm hallucinating. The phone doesn't actually dial itself, which actually would be kinda creepy. It's odd, though, that I hear the ring that sounds like I'm dialing someone when someone calls me. Anyhow, that's what it is.

The First Thing You Do

I'm about to fulfill my first real function at APNTS. In 39 minutes I am proctoring the Bible content exam. This makes me nervous in a way I cannot explain, because I am not taking the exam myself.

Anyhow, I am still super-excited about classes beginning on Thursday. There are still a good number of preparatory items: ID pictures, finishing registration, revising my syllabi some more, continuing to write lectures (though on the last I'm a good ways ahead already), thinking about NEXT semester's classes, communicating with some folks back in the States, and on and on. I never quite understood how much there is for a professor to do. I had a general idea, what from having observed some of my teachers run hither and yon all over the place, but I didn't really get it until now. And the semester hasn't even gotten started yet! :-O

I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, just having come out of the station. Chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-rattle-rattle-chuck-chuck goes the chain that pulls the coaster cars up the first hill. Everybody's excited, a few people are scared, and we're all wondering who's going to be the first to lose the chili dogs she just ate. It's probably going to be me, I suppose. Chuck-chuck-chuck-rattle-chuck-chuck. I can see the loops and spins and corkscrews were about to be hurtled through. The potential energy is being built up...and once we get to the top of this hill we're going to be relying on gravity for propulsion forward...and downward. There might be a few more hills, but none of them as high as this one, and this is the only one with a chain. We've been given all the preparation, we've been given the resources, we've been given the assignments, and now it's time to run with them.

I have been waiting for many years for this opportunity. I am nervous, but I am confident that God has called me here, God has placed me in this place in order to carry out this purpose. Somehow, that goes a long way toward counteracting the nervousness that I feel as I get ready to step into this formal assignment. There is a lot of work to do, and every day there will be more, and every week there will be more, and every month there will be more...

Chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck-rattle-rattle-chuck-chuck-chuck.