Wow...that's embarrassing...but also good

I can't believe that it's been this long since I've posted to this blog.  It's not that I haven't wanted to wax poetic.  It's more like I didn't have a great deal of time to do so.

My last semester was a doosy.  I'm still not quite sure what overtook me but working on a plethora of papers certainly added to the fray. As soon as I finished the semester, I jumped right into holiday sermon preparations, CPE applications and various other proposals and projects.  

I promised that I would take some time for myself and, well, here I am a few days away from the start of the new semester and it just hasn't happened. Part of that came as a result of the multitude of snow days (some of them understandable) that our girls had off from school.  Part of that also came as a result of the demise and passing of one our cherished family pets.  And, part of that came from the regular onslaught of appointments and studies that I've engaged in.

All to say that life does not stop when you are in seminary.  It's a test of the will, of one's character and one's endurance.  And, yet, the Bible always seems to have something to say about our human condition and God's ability to reach out and embrace us and journey with us.  We find this in Paul's exhortation in Romans 5:2-5 where he noted that "we...boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

I am so grateful for the privilege of suffering for the cause of Christ.  Even if it means that my public utterings on this blog don't occur as often as I'd like. My absence means that life is being lived...and that's a good thing!