I finished a correspondence course last night at midnight. I began the course in May and had until the end of September to finish it but of course my "plan" to work away at it all summer did not occur and over the past 2 days I have been working non-stop except for a couple of hours to sleep.
Needless to say, today I am enjoying a rest. It doesn't mean that my life has stopped but I feel like I can relax without guilt.
I am taking one other course this semester which is the last course in my M. Div. It has been a long road since I started my Masters in the summer of 2000 at Dallas Seminary.
Overall, it has been a great experience-- I think the best thing I have learned is "how to preach". I learned some Hebrew but am disappointed that I didn't learn more. I also enjoyed the Church History component.
I was relating to some friends last week that it will be weird not to be in school anymore. I have been in school all my life except for 2 years between 1998 and 2000.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Why we don't go
I have been taking a missions course this semester and it has been very thought provoking.
One thing that I can't get out of my head since Tuesday is this:
The top 3 factors that North American Christians don't go to the nations:
1. Self-Absorption
2. Fear (all sorts, ie. suffering)
3. Someone/Something given greater rule in our lives than Christ
One thing that I can't get out of my head since Tuesday is this:
The top 3 factors that North American Christians don't go to the nations:
1. Self-Absorption
2. Fear (all sorts, ie. suffering)
3. Someone/Something given greater rule in our lives than Christ
Monday, August 14, 2006
Take a "Sniff"
I could retitle my blog for the next couple of days because apparently I have inherited a little cold from my sweet little girls. Its amazing how they reward your love and cuddling when they are sick... they just want to pass it on. Valerie has avoided it so far.
I am trying to remind myself of my own sermon I gave yesterday at Westmount... to enjoy the ride of life and all of its ups and downs. Ecclesiastes 3 says that everything happens for a reason... there is an appointed time for the good things and for the bad things. We don't understand what the purpose is all the time but God is working out his "good purpose". We don't have the capacity to understand all of what God is doing.
The best illustration I could think of was to equate life to taking Lael to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Nebraska-- an 18+ hour car ride. The last time we made the trek she started asking for "new books" about 1 hour down the road. Valerie and I looked at each other and said, "she has no idea!" As parents, we knew that it was a worthy venture for her to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma but it was beyond her 2-year-old mind to conceive of a 1500 km trip. So she would complain and whine-- just like we do, throughout life. We don't know where God is taking us and we don't have a full picture even of where God has brought us from-- but we are on the ride.
Solomon encourages us to submit to God's purposes and "do good" (ie. obey His Word). "Trust and Obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus" And then he says that we should "rejoice" or "be happy". I understand that as enjoying the rollercoaster ride that is life.
So I sit here with a sniffling nose and smile...
I am trying to remind myself of my own sermon I gave yesterday at Westmount... to enjoy the ride of life and all of its ups and downs. Ecclesiastes 3 says that everything happens for a reason... there is an appointed time for the good things and for the bad things. We don't understand what the purpose is all the time but God is working out his "good purpose". We don't have the capacity to understand all of what God is doing.
The best illustration I could think of was to equate life to taking Lael to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Nebraska-- an 18+ hour car ride. The last time we made the trek she started asking for "new books" about 1 hour down the road. Valerie and I looked at each other and said, "she has no idea!" As parents, we knew that it was a worthy venture for her to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma but it was beyond her 2-year-old mind to conceive of a 1500 km trip. So she would complain and whine-- just like we do, throughout life. We don't know where God is taking us and we don't have a full picture even of where God has brought us from-- but we are on the ride.
Solomon encourages us to submit to God's purposes and "do good" (ie. obey His Word). "Trust and Obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus" And then he says that we should "rejoice" or "be happy". I understand that as enjoying the rollercoaster ride that is life.
So I sit here with a sniffling nose and smile...
Friday, June 30, 2006
First Half of Summer and Memories
Well the 60 days have elapsed and so, as faithful as I am-- I am blogging.
The KLBC year ends at the end of April which means 4 months of "summer." Although I am in the office everyday, the pace of the summer schedule is much different than the rest of the year. Unbelievably the first half of this summer break is over.
We were privileged to take a week and visit our neighbour nation to the south and its fabulous capital. Although most of you have probably seen the pictures on my wife's blog (valerieeaston.blogspot.com)-- you have not heard my take on it. It was challenging but fun-- the farther I am removed from the actual event the better the experience seems.
Parenthesis: The theory of Memory
(Memories are based on fact but they are preserved by post-discussion and review. Most of my childhood memories have pictoral documentation. Why is that? As time progresses, the pictures help me review the event in my mind so that the most reviewed aspects of the event are what I now have preserved in pictures. My wife asked me the other day if I remember the first time something clicked in my mind. Nothing came to mind-- how sad. She had 2 such memories. In St. Augustine's confession, he goes to great lengths in the discussion of memory. The memory is an amazing thing and curious. St. Augustine says "What happens when the memory itself loses something, like when we forget anything and try to recall it? Where do we search for it but int he memory itself? There, if one thing is offered for another, we refuse it umitl we find what we are looking for, and when we do find it, we recognnize that this is it. However, we couldn't do this unless we recognized it, nor could we have recognized it unless we remembered it. Yet we had forgotten it!" When Valerie asked me that question... immediately my mind began to race back through the annals of my life and times and tossed out various options for me to approve as fitting the criteria. To recall memories, one does not do anything physically but sit and think-- sometimes exhausting work and perhaps what you are doing now as you try to sort through this interesting phenomenon.)
If I haven't lost you: back to D.C.
... It was challenging to camp with 2 little girls. On more than one occassion the thought of heading home crossed our minds. But we tried to enjoy the happy moments. Having small children means choosing to do things that you might not normally do in such a historical and interesting city. Instead of touring the Capitol we instead visited an Aquarium. This was 800% more interesting to Lael and ended up being a very happy memory because of her excitement. Because Valerie had to feed the baby periodically-- that meant times when Lael and I could just relax and play "empty the contents of the diaper bag" under a shady tree. Such times are important parts of family vacations and the most important thing about our trip-- or lives-- whether we are at home or taking in the sites of powerful cities-- spending quality time with our families.
Thank you, Lord, for granting us that week. Help me remember the good times and help the girls remember them too!
Next week we are off to Nebraska to see all of Valerie's family. Her parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary with family and close friends.
The KLBC year ends at the end of April which means 4 months of "summer." Although I am in the office everyday, the pace of the summer schedule is much different than the rest of the year. Unbelievably the first half of this summer break is over.
We were privileged to take a week and visit our neighbour nation to the south and its fabulous capital. Although most of you have probably seen the pictures on my wife's blog (valerieeaston.blogspot.com)-- you have not heard my take on it. It was challenging but fun-- the farther I am removed from the actual event the better the experience seems.
Parenthesis: The theory of Memory
(Memories are based on fact but they are preserved by post-discussion and review. Most of my childhood memories have pictoral documentation. Why is that? As time progresses, the pictures help me review the event in my mind so that the most reviewed aspects of the event are what I now have preserved in pictures. My wife asked me the other day if I remember the first time something clicked in my mind. Nothing came to mind-- how sad. She had 2 such memories. In St. Augustine's confession, he goes to great lengths in the discussion of memory. The memory is an amazing thing and curious. St. Augustine says "What happens when the memory itself loses something, like when we forget anything and try to recall it? Where do we search for it but int he memory itself? There, if one thing is offered for another, we refuse it umitl we find what we are looking for, and when we do find it, we recognnize that this is it. However, we couldn't do this unless we recognized it, nor could we have recognized it unless we remembered it. Yet we had forgotten it!" When Valerie asked me that question... immediately my mind began to race back through the annals of my life and times and tossed out various options for me to approve as fitting the criteria. To recall memories, one does not do anything physically but sit and think-- sometimes exhausting work and perhaps what you are doing now as you try to sort through this interesting phenomenon.)
If I haven't lost you: back to D.C.
... It was challenging to camp with 2 little girls. On more than one occassion the thought of heading home crossed our minds. But we tried to enjoy the happy moments. Having small children means choosing to do things that you might not normally do in such a historical and interesting city. Instead of touring the Capitol we instead visited an Aquarium. This was 800% more interesting to Lael and ended up being a very happy memory because of her excitement. Because Valerie had to feed the baby periodically-- that meant times when Lael and I could just relax and play "empty the contents of the diaper bag" under a shady tree. Such times are important parts of family vacations and the most important thing about our trip-- or lives-- whether we are at home or taking in the sites of powerful cities-- spending quality time with our families.
Thank you, Lord, for granting us that week. Help me remember the good times and help the girls remember them too!
Next week we are off to Nebraska to see all of Valerie's family. Her parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary with family and close friends.
Monday, May 01, 2006
A New Season! A New Blog!
Well, summer has unofficially begun for me. Graduation occured on Saturday and that means that today is the first day of the summer. That means quiet halls and a different pace. It means eating KD in my office for lunch watching the beautiful weather from my window (hmmm... what is wrong with that picture). More importantly, it means my family gets back their husband and father without his emotional and physical exhaustion-baggage. It also means that some things are going to get done at home that have been needed to be done (ie. cleaning the garage, getting caught up with the financial entries, etc.) It also means that I might blog once a month. You who have been closely following my blogging consistency will realize that I missed blogging in April-- but not this month!! It is the 1st and already I have one entry. That means that I can go almost 60 days before my next entry. So see you in 60 days! :)
Monday, March 06, 2006
My wife is American--- But She's from the Midwest - Not me!!!
Your Linguistic Profile: |
| 70% General American English |
| 15% Yankee |
| 10% Dixie |
| 5% Midwestern |
| 0% Upper Midwestern |
What Kind of American English Do You Speak?
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Excuse me, I blogged!
So its February 28th and I haven't blogged all month. I have made a sort of resolution that I would blog at least once a month. That is to keep my family at least somewhat happy. Apparently they check my blog almost daily and are usually disappointed to find that there is never anything new there. I am afraid that after a while they will stop checking altogether. I can't say I would really blame them. Dave, I think I am doing even worse than you at this blogging thing.
But I am blogging tonight! It's 11:13 p.m. so I am beating my self-inflicted deadline by a good 45 minutes. So there, me!
I was going to blog/rant about made-up words like "blog", etc. but I can't now as I just learned this evening from Matt Foreman where the word came from. Turns out it is a shortform of "web-log". That makes sense to me and really isn't all that interesting. Sometimes short forms are just a lot more cooler, of which this is the case.
I am off to Kitchener tomorrow on a business trip -- which is a rarity for me. The Christian Social Service Agencies in Ontario are trying to team up with Ontario Bible Colleges to see if there could be a partnership which would provide the agencies with training facilities/programs and hopefully provide the colleges with students. I am representing KLBC to listen to what the possibilities might be. This is the second of such meetings. The first one took place in Guelph last May.
Good night from the 'Boro.
But I am blogging tonight! It's 11:13 p.m. so I am beating my self-inflicted deadline by a good 45 minutes. So there, me!
I was going to blog/rant about made-up words like "blog", etc. but I can't now as I just learned this evening from Matt Foreman where the word came from. Turns out it is a shortform of "web-log". That makes sense to me and really isn't all that interesting. Sometimes short forms are just a lot more cooler, of which this is the case.
I am off to Kitchener tomorrow on a business trip -- which is a rarity for me. The Christian Social Service Agencies in Ontario are trying to team up with Ontario Bible Colleges to see if there could be a partnership which would provide the agencies with training facilities/programs and hopefully provide the colleges with students. I am representing KLBC to listen to what the possibilities might be. This is the second of such meetings. The first one took place in Guelph last May.
Good night from the 'Boro.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Aria Grace Easton
Born into this world at 5:45 p.m. on January 24th, 2006, Aria Grace Easton declared to all in hearing distance, and in her case this was a fairly lengthy measurement, that "oxygen is hard to get used to." She weighed exactly 7 pounds and was 19 3/4" in length.
We left for the hospital at 2:00 p.m. at the suggestion of the obstetrician, since Valerie's contractions were getting very severe although the interval between them was more in the 8-10 minute range instead of 5 minutes (the usual signal to head to the hospital). Apparently things were very much in progress because when we arrived Valerie was already close to 6 cm and it didn't take long for things to progress. Three hours later, Aria had arrived!
Aria is perfect in every way. She looks a lot like Lael but has her own distinct nose. We discovered that her lungs are of exceptional quality. Her name means "A melody of grace". At this point the melody is rather cacophonous but we pray that through the grace of God in her life, her life will demonstrate the grace of God to all around her. "Ann" is a family name (Valerie's middle name is Ann; My Granny's middle name was Ann, my sister's middle name is Ann, Valerie's mother's middle name is Anne) but we chose "Grace" as her middle name because that is what the name "Ann" means and I liked the sound of it better. It is also one of God's attributes with respect to his children, which he bountifully has demonstrated to Valerie and I throughout our lives.
We thank God for a healthy baby girl and for her safe arrival. We thank Him for the strength that He gave to Valerie throughout these past couple of weeks and today in the final hours of labour. We thank God for our supportive family and friends who have been so thoughtful, caring and encouraging. God is so good!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)