writings & reflections

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for sticking with my updates through my days in grad school.  In some ways my life feels boring:  filled mostly by sitting around either hearing lectures or reading books.  But in another sense it’s exhilarating:  engaging with the revelations of God and reflections on that revelation from the last 4000 years of history (or so).  These ideas engage not only with the abstractly spiritual, but with the very central questions of life as people have struggled to live it and understand it throughout history.  The truth I am discovering has huge implications for how I live my life from now to eternity.  Yet practically, it often feels like a lot of sitting and thinking and not enough engaging and doing.  Physically and socially it feels like my life is creeping along in slow turtle-strides, but spiritually and intellectually it’s like a fast pursuit.

The semester is now two thirds over in terms of class time, but maybe only half over in terms of reading done and projects completed.  I’m currently on Spring Break, and I’ve gladly escaped Read more

Hi everyone, (or as we are learning in ancient Greek:  ἀσπάζομαι πᾶσιν ὑμῖν,)

This semester has been full of discoveries and challenges; budding friendships and growing understanding… and a LOT of reading!  I feel very grateful for the incredible opportunity to be studying at Westminster.  One of the distinctive features of my studies has been the dedication of all my teachers to present one comprehensive view of all of life thoroughly based on the Bible.  In a world enamored by a diversity of views, in which each university tries to find the greatest variety of teachers with essentially conflicting viewpoints, this is a strange place where people basically agree that there is one way to go about understanding and communicating the truth.  It’s strange for me to have professors who actually agree on the great majority of things!

The central question of my first semester of studies is, “Who is the authority on which we base our thought and life?”  Is it my own thought and rationality?  Is it the judgment of scholars and experts within their various fields?  Or is there an authoritative God who has created all things and who determines and knows all truth?  If so, how do I know this God, and how does my own reason and the understanding of experts fit into the picture?  You probably know that Christians believe the Bible is authoritative, but how do we recognize this authority in such a way that we don’t make our own judgment the actual authority in our lives?  Answering these difficult questions is called the prolegomena–i.e. the first things–of theological study.

I’m now entering the final week of classes and I have a final paper and a significant project due this Friday.  Next week there are a few reading days for studying (and catch-up!) and then a week of finals.  I want to thank you for your prayers for me since my last update.  I’ve been getting more involved in my church and will have more opportunities to begin there serving next semester.  Each week I’ve felt a little more at home here as I’ve been building deeper friendships, and my brain has been adjusting to the massive amount of reading and study.  I’m deeply grateful and I hope you can share in my thanksgiving.  As I enter these final weeks please pray for faithfulness in finishing my semester well.  Also pray for wisdom as I make difficult financial decisions, since everything is quickly becoming more expensive than I had budgeted and I may have to change my plans to make time for a part-time job.  My hope is to be able to continue studying full-time by finding more financial support or scholarships, but I’m not sure how this will work out.  Please pray that God would provide for me either through work opportunities or gifts (or loans if I have to take that step).  God has never failed to provide and I trust He will lead the way forward.

Thank you so much for your friendship, encouragement and prayers.  It’s always a treat to hear from you if you have the time to write back.  In this advent season as we reflect on God’s coming to dwell with us in His Son, may you be filled with His comfort and joy.  Sincerely,

Hi everyone,

On May 19 I graduated from the Trinity Forum Academy.  My year on the Eastern shore of Maryland was rich with God’s grace and deep community.  I’ve been shaped by the daily rhythm of prayer, classes, work, communal meals, exercise, study, and rest.  The other 11 fellows, the staff, and the faculty with whom I’ve shared life for the last nine months have each left a unique imprint on my heart–a mark which will never be forgotten.  I’m exceedingly grateful for this gift and I’m eager to apply all that I’ve learned to my life from this point forward.

This Tuesday I’ll be traveling to Mexico City and then Miami and to visit friends and family. Read more

Dear friends & family,

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement during the heavy days of writing a few weeks ago.  The opportunity to do the research and writing this year was a true gift from God–it has allowed me to seek answers to some of the most perplexing questions I’ve wrestled with in my life.  Although I found the writing extremely challenging, I’m deeply grateful for all that I’ve learned through the process.   Read more