Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!

Last night I finished my Greek Syntax and Exegesis final! Without a doubt, this was one of the most difficult classes of my seminary career, and now it is done! I am thankful for the opportunity to study under Dr. Rob Plummer, and I am thankful that I have the ability now to begin to understand the original languages of the Bible. With this class complete, I now have 77 credit hours toward the 94 required to complete a Masters of Divinity degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Only six classes remaining!

Pray for perseverance!

~ Todd ~

T4G Books - Investing in Us

At the second ever Together for the Gospel conference, the four friends who developed this conference (Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C. J. Mahaney, and Al Mohler) made a significant investment in the lives of 5500 or so people this week in the form of books. Here are the books that were given away this week at T4G 2008 (in no particular order):

*Together* for the Gospel 2008

I have so many things to say about this fantastic conference. Let's begin with "Together." I served with an army of volunteers from Boyce College, Southern Seminary, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Sovereign Grace Ministries, and Clifton Baptist Church, among other groups. The fellowship was gracious and warm! The conference was also filled with men I read in books and blogs. Here's a list of men I am grateful I had the opportunity to meet: Bob Kauflin, John Piper, Phil Johnson, Tim Challies, Tom Ascol, Dan Phillips, and Frank Turk. There were so many more people I would have enjoyed meeting, but I am thankful to be encouraged and to encourage those men that I did speak with.

I also met many people I didn't know. As I stood at my post as usher, I had the opportunity to speak with some from Cincinnati, some from Ohio, others from North Carolina and Illinois, and some from north of Toronto. It was a blessing to meet so many people gathered from across the world for the sake of Christ and his gospel.

Probably the best aspect of "Together" was the opportunity I had to hang out with my two good friends, Justin Guffey and Thad Noyes. (I was tempted to say, "two bloggers," but you have to actually post even rarely to be called a blogger, Justin.) My only regret was not getting to spend more time with them both at the conference, but, because of my ushering duties, my free time was limited. Thank you brothers for the fellowship! Hope you enjoyed the mango habanero wings!

I think I will stop here for now. I will try to post more thoughts on the week later.

~ Todd ~

Together for the Gospel *2006*

If you didn't know (yeah right!), Together for the Gospel 2008 starts tomorrow. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to attend and serve as an usher this year. Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate in the Band of Bloggers pre-conference ... conference ... because I will be attending a volunteer training session. Many of my favorite bloggers will be participating.

You may wonder what the big deal is about T4G. Well, to be perfectly honest, this conference is like the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby. The Major League Gospel Preachers Association is sending their finest expositors to crush their main points out of the park and deep into the souls of pastors and church leaders. This conference features many of my present-day heroes; Albert Mohler, John Piper, Mark Dever, R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, C. J. Mahaney, and more! Lest you suspect I am worshiping men instead of God, understand that I am simply praising our great God and King for using these men to work in my life, and I am excited to see many of them for the first time in person.

If you still don't understand all the hype, check out the 2006 conference for yourself. I found the entire Together for the Gospel 2006 conference, including all the sessions and panel discussions, on Soveriegn Grace Ministries web site. You can download them all in mp3 format. Listen in; you won't be disappointed.

I pray God will change hearts and lives this week; I pray that God will continue to shape me into a vessel in which he can trust to carry and deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ.

~ Todd ~

American Idolatry?

Did you catch the end of American Idol on Wednesday night? They sang "Shout to the Lord." It was surreal; I couldn't listen to the song. Instead of singing, "My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You," they changed "My Jesus" to "My shepherd." I just sat there with my stomach churning. I had to change the channel.

I thought about this some, thinking, "well, they have decided to sing this popular worship song without worshiping Jesus, the one for whom the song was written." Then, last night, they sang the song again, without changing the lyrics! And I don't know which song was more disturbing. What is Christian music? Is it just music? Is it not meaningful speech accompanied by instruments? I am not an avid American Idol fan, so I have no idea about the faith of the people singing in the competition, but what if one of them were Buddhist? Or any other faith? Were they required to sing this song? What if American Idol decided to honor a different faith next week?

I think this event exposes the "christian" culture of the U.S. that fails to be characteristic of true Christianity. Singing "Lord there is none like you" is not an honor to Jesus Christ if you don't mean it! "All of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love"?

Am I wrong here? Does the hair stand up on the back of my neck for no good reason? It seems that American Idol has united the cultural "christianity" of the Bible belt with Hollywood, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

What do you think?

~ Todd ~


Update: Here are some related links:

• Andrew (and Abby) Lindsey
  
• Bob Kauflin
  
• Josh Harris
• Trevin Wax
  

When Children Believe the Gospel

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." -- Romans 10:9-10

Several weeks ago, I asked Brandon when he was going to become a believer in Christ and be baptized. He told me he didn't know. We didn't talk about it very much, but I did tell him that when he becomes a Christian, I would not only be his Daddy, but I would also be his brother in Christ. I said this, in part, because I believe Brandon has already exhibited faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins; I believe God has been working in his life for some time.

A couple of weeks ago, just before bed, Brandon came into the office where I was studying and told me, "Daddy, I'm ready to confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior." I was thrilled to see God answer my prayers in this way; I had talked with him, but I intentionally did not put pressure on him to make a decision. He came to me on his own after thinking about things, and he answered God's call.

He makes me think of Samuel. Samuel was a boy who had been dedicated to God by his mom and dad after God answered his mom's (Hannah) prayer for a child. Samuel heard the voice of God and thought it was Eli, the priest. Three times he woke up Eli, and finally Eli realized that God was calling Samuel.

All Eli did was point Samuel in the right direction. And that's all we have done for Brandon. I believe this is one of the best ways to teach children the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called to love them and teach them, but not pressure them. God doesn't NEED our help, but he does allow us to help point our kids to Christ.

If you're interested, we have used several tools to help point Brandon to Jesus. Here are some:

• The NIrV Discoverer's Bible for Young Readers - Brandon spends time reading his Bible (almost) everyday
• The Jesus Storybook Bible - This Bible helps us see how Jesus relates to every story in the Bible
• A Catechism for Boys and Girls - At one point, Brandon had all of section one and much of section two memorized, and he still remembers the main idea of the answers for many of the questions

We are praising God for his saving work in Brandon's life!

~ Todd ~

Why I Haven't Been Blogging Much Lately

One word. Greek. It is a ton of work. I am two weeks behind before a mid-term next week. I have about 100 vocabulary words to stuff into my head over the next week, and I have to keep the other 550-600 words from falling out. I have to translate 1 John 3:19-5:21 (here in Greek), bone up on my Greek syntax, finish 1 John in Stott's excellent commentary on The Letters of John, and complete two more 20 minute, audio-recorded readings/ translations/ meditations.

I'm tired! I've been working mornings and evenings on Greek, to the neglect of my family (!), and I even dream Greek vocabulary words!

So, I'll post when I can!

~ Todd ~

Gracious Engagement of Google Geeks

Wow. I think Tim Keller is an incredibly gifted minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He recently spoke about some very difficult questions (discussed more fully in his new book, The Reason for God) with a skeptical, and packed, audience at Google, and he blew me away with his gracious attitude and mastery of the philosophical subject matter.

Here's the video on youtube.

I believe God is using Tim Keller to engage people that many other ministers cannot.

Interestingly, one questioner commented that the only recent guest to draw half the crowd that Dr. Keller did was a sex-blogger giving a talk on sex education. May the name of Jesus Christ be praised.

~ Todd ~

ht | Monergism.com

Unclean Made Clean

Yesterday, as I was studying my Greek vocabulary, my children were "helping" me. I began trying to use some of the Greek words to describe everyday activities, like "get your ποδος (foot) off me!" Or, "raise your χείρ (hand)!" It was just silly.

My son had just finished with his shower, and so I asked, "are you ακαθαρτος (unclean)?" Of course, he didn't understand, but when I explained my question in English, he said, "Yes."

"Yes?" I asked. "Didn't you just take a shower?"

"Oh!" answered Brandon. "I thought you meant unclean because of sin!"

The poor boy doesn't have a chance. He's already pondering theology on a regular basis. Sometimes I'm shocked by how clearly he is like me. He even summarizes, restates, and illustrates things that I teach him. It is something that I have always done--a tool for trying to understand and clarify.

Did I mention that he's seven?

"Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace in creating a little one who is so much like me. He is made in my image, just like I am made in yours. I only ask that you help me not to pass on the sinful tendencies of my heart. Make the unclean in both of us clean before you through the sacrifice of your Son, our King, Jesus Christ the Righteous!"

~ Todd ~

Up Next on the MP3 Player

Have you heard of Arturo Azurdia? He's the "Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Director of Pastoral Mentoring at Western Seminary in Portland, OR." He is the author of Spirit Empowered Preaching, and he founded and served Christ Community Church in Fairfield, CA, for 19 years.

While serving at Christ Community Church, Azurdia preached several book series, including my next audio adventure through the book of Revelation. While listening to the introductory sermon, from 1 Corinthians 13 of all places, I became convinced that I will not be disappointed with this series!

Azurdia argues that we should avoid falling into either of two very common categories: becoming one who is obsessed with John's Revelation and all the related charts and graphs, and becoming one who shuns this book because of all the wild and difficult to understand interpretations. We should not avoid this book, and he pleads with his congregation to embrace one another even when differences of opinion might arise (thus the 1 Corinthians text).

I look forward to sharing some of "Art's" thoughts as I listen through the series. Feel free to join me by downloading the sermons here. You can also obtain the free two-CD set of mp3s from monergism.com for the price of shipping.

May God bless the hearing of this particularly difficult and often mis-interpreted book!

~ Todd ~

Free Download of the Gospel of John by Max McLean

Get a free download of John's Gospel as narrated by Max McLean. This is the NIV from The Listener's Bible. Download it, listen to it, give it away for evangelism.

Check it out here.

~ Todd ~

"He meant to pass by them..."

Sometimes the Bible says things that just make your head spin. I am convinced by Scripture that God "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11). He is large and in charge.

And he became a man. He continued to rule over nature (Mark 4:35-41), to cast out demons (Mark 5:1-20), and to heal the sick (Mark 5:21-43), and yet he imposed some limits on his power and knowledge.

Mark 6:48 is a prime example of this. Jesus, having sent his disciples on across the Sea of Galilee, decided to walk to meet them. But he didn't want to walk around the lake, he just decided to walk across it. And he meant to pass by them. He was going to just walk on by during the storm and greet them on the other side.

Here's my question: if God (Jesus) intended to do something, but didn't, how do I reconcile this with the facts that I know about God from other passages in the Bible? Like the fact that God "does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth" (Daniel 4:35). If Jesus intended to pass by them, what prevented him from doing so?

If the Bible had simply said that Jesus intended to prove his deity (once again) to his disciples by walking on the water right up to the boat and joining his disciples, this passage would be much easier to understand. Or he could have passed by them without being seen and greeted them on the other side, and they would have been amazed by how he beat them across the sea.

I think this passage reveals a.) something about the relationship that Jesus, the God-man, had with God the Father, and b.) a behind the scenes picture about how God sometimes works. First, we see that Jesus intended to pass by them, but that was not in God the Father's ultimate plan. The God-man, who never sinned, planned one course of action, yet yielded to God the Father's sovereign providence without sin. Seriously, this is making my head hurt. So we, too, may be perfectly obedient while following one course of action, and God may redirect us.

Second, we see that Jesus used supernatural means to accomplish his purposes, even in mundane things like travel. This is not the first time someone traveled supernaturally. Elijah traveled for 40 days without food or water (1 Kings 19). Philip was carried supernaturally from the Ethiopian Eunuch to Azotus without knowing what had happened to him (Acts 8).

All we are left with is wonder and amazement at how God works in this world.

~ Todd ~

Eight Years of Romans

How long does it take to listen to eight years worth of sermons on Romans? For me, with a thirty-minute commute each way to work, it took about 2 1/2 years. Yesterday I finished listening to John Piper's 218 sermon series on "Romans: The Greatest Letter Ever Written." What a blessing! I have been helped and shaped in ways I might never understand. Piper has been the closest thing I have had to a mentor without my having ever met him.

I praise God for his work in the lives of men like John Piper and for using them to make disciples.

~ Todd ~

When Did Jesus Become Famous?

In Mark 6, Jesus sent out his disciples, two by two, into the surrounding cities and villages. They were commissioned to cast out demons, heal the sick, and call people to repentance. And so his disciples did. I wonder what they must have felt as they traveled and healed and exercised authority over the demonic powers. Strangely enough, this was the means by which God used to introduce the world to his Son. You mean he didn't just audition for "Palestinian Idol"?!?

Notice in verse 14, king Herod heard about all the things Jesus' disciples were doing. "King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known." Don't you see? Its the same today; God calls his followers to go out and heal and pray for and minister to people. By doing so, the name of Jesus becomes known. Doesn't this sound quite similar to the Great Commission?

So, how are you doing at making the name of Jesus famous? Are you even considering making the name of Jesus famous? Or are you actually causing damage to the name of Jesus by the way you act and speak and think and don't act? Imagine Jesus' disciples' reaction when Jesus told them to go without money or clothes. "Don't pack, just get out there and help people in my name."

I'm feeling convicted. How 'bout you?

~ Todd ~

A State of Emergency

New Albany, Indiana, has received about 10-12 inches of snow, and it fell rapidly. Our county government has declared a state of emergency and asked that everyone stay off the roads. Our family ventured out this morning to play, and despite the cold, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, we will not be having church tomorrow, so we will miss meeting together with our church family.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool." -- Isaiah 1:18

~ Todd ~

Thunderstruck!

No, not the song by AC/DC. Thunderstruck by a thunder-snowstorm! It is bizarre. I hear the rumble and I think, "Hmm... lightning... rain... wind... hail?" Nope, snow! It is surreal. We're expecting 8 to 14 inches! More sovereignty meditations could flow, but not tonight. I'm working on Greek.

Greek... Even more reasons to ponder God's sovereignty!

~ Todd ~

More Valuable Than Many Sparrows

Every time I fly in a plane, I get a bit of a knot in my stomach. It's not that I'm afraid or even worried, it is just that I wonder if this will be my last flight. Every time the plane approaches the runway for a landing I recognize my utter helplessness; every breath I take is caused and sustained by the Sovereign King of Creation. I cannot cause my heart to beat or my brain to work or my eyes to see. I am completely dependent upon God for my every experience.

So, I close my eyes, and the Holy Spirit calls to my mind spectacular passages of Scripture like this one:

"29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. . . . 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." -- Matthew 10:29, 31

I know the context of this passage refers to times of persecution, but it still applies to my situation. Because God is Sovereign, or he is not. It is simple. And we can trust him even when landings are tragic, or almost tragic:

"Thank you, Jesus, for speaking words of comfort and peace, and for preserving them for your servants so long ago!"

~ Todd ~

P.S. - Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to fly; I was just reminded of the butterflies this past weekend.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

I've been listening to Jeremy Riddle's Full Attention CD tonight, and one track has really grabbed my attention. It's based on William Cowper's song, God Moves in a Mysterious Way, and it is captivating. This song makes me think of Jonathan Edwards' famous quote:

"The Doctrine of God's Sovereignty has very often appeared an exceeding pleasant, bright and sweet Doctrine to me: and absolute Sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God."

Here are the lyrics of Riddle's version:

God moves in a mysterious way
His Wonders to perform
He plants His Footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm
Deep in unsearchable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright Designs
And works His sovereign Will

And ye fearful saints fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings
Yeah (and) in blessings (yeah)
And in blessings on your head

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His Grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face
His Purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding ev'ry hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flow'r
Yeah

And ye fearful saints fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings
Yeah (and) in blessings (yeah)
And in blessings on your head

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His Work in vain
For God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain
In His own time
In His own way yes
In His own time
In His own way

I bow my sinful heart before a holy and righteous God who wrote history and included me in his family.

And all I have to offer is worship.

~ Todd

Angry New York City

We made it to New York! We've taken tons of pictures, and my wife, Heather, has already posted several. What an amazing place! So many people; so many angry people!

During our ride from the airport, Pala, our driver, told us that an average one bedroom apartment in Queens ran about $1,800/month! And that didn't include electricity, gas, water, etc. A 2-bedroom in Manhattan is $6,000/month! And automobile insurance is about $6,000/year for 2 cars, and that's a good deal.

"That's why New Yorkers are angry," he said. "We work 16 hours, fight our way home through traffic just in time to go to bed and get up the next day to do it all over again." Pala told me he had been looking at houses on-line in Texas. "$54,000 is a down payment here. There it is the whole house."

My conversation with Pala helped me put my life in perspective a little better. I thank God for the way he has blessed me and my family. We truly have no idea how blessed we are until we see things in the proper perspective.

"Thank you, Father, for your great blessings in my life!"

- Todd

P.S. - Heather will probably have more time to post than I will (because of class), so check her blog for more regular updates.

New York, NY

If you can't tell, I've been a bit busy with work and school and church. I hate it when work and school interfere with blogging! :-) I am part of a project team at work that is implementing a new help desk and change control system, and I've been pretty slammed for the past month. I am also taking Greek Syntax and Exegesis at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I've been pretty slammed at school for the past month.

One nice benefit of working on this project at work is that they are sending me to New York city for training. We made arrangements to leave the kids with Heather's mom and dad, and Heather and I are going to make the best of the opportunity. We are flying out of Nashville, TN early on Sunday morning, and I am hoping to visit Tim Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian Church for an evening worship service. We'll be staying only a few blocks from Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, FAO Schwarz, Saks Fifth Avenue, Radio City Music Hall, and the Museum of Modern Art, and I hope to visit Grand Central Station, the Chrysler Building, and Ground Zero, among other places.

I am really looking forward to taking this adventure with my wife. You can purchase a 7-day, unlimited ride subway and bus pass, and I hope this will give us the ability to explore the city as much as we want.

Too bad I have to go for training and not just for vacation!

Todd

Clemens: In a Class By Himself?

Roger Clemens is a Major League Baseball player, if you didn't know. And, as a pitcher, many believe he is in a class of his own. He has won seven Cy Young awards, played in six World Series championships, earned two World Series rings, an MVP, eleven All-Star nominations, 4,672 strike outs, and an ERA of 3.12.

And he cheated.

This week he testified before Congress about his alleged use of steroids, and his credibility took a nose-dive for me personally. In my opinion, Roger Clemens is not in a class by himself; he shares a class with Barry Bonds. Both have attained the lofty heights of baseball legend while arrogantly denying any wrongdoing. Both exude contempt for anyone who questions their integrity, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. And I know I am not the only one who noticed his lack of credibility.


Janine Driver, an expert on body language, teaches law enforcement officers how to analyze physical cues to determine someone's credibility. And Clemens rated an 8 out of 10 on her scale as probably lying. Not only that, Clemens was also obstinately disregarding the testimony of Andy Pettitte that Clemens was guilty. In each case, Bonds and Clemens, the testimonies and evidence points to guilt, while the accused arrogantly deny all charges.

Of course, I'm not in place to judge the truth of their claims, but we should exercise discernment. We shouldn't be gullible. What do Clemens' and Bonds' accusers stand to gain by accusing them? What do Clemens and Bonds stand to lose?

At the very least, Bonds and Clemens have earned the very unenviable reward of having their dirty laundry sorted through on a public stage. Unless, however, they put all their dirty laundry in Christ's hands, this will pale in comparison to the public trial they will face on the day of judgment. And in that day, Clemens will find himself not in a class by himself, but on a broad road with lots of company facing destruction.

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. . . . And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." -- Revelation 20:12, 15

"Forgive them Father, and us, and do not judge us according to our lives, but find us in the book of life!"

Todd

Weather and the Glory of God

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." -- Psalm 19:1

The weather over the past couple of weeks has been an interesting testimony to the sovereignty and power of God. Union University was rocked by a tornado, the same night my family was huddled around in our bathroom. We have seen near 70 degree weather, and we have seen near 7 degree weather. And last night we had beautiful 4-5 inches of snow turn ugly with a half-inch or more of ice falling on top of it. Here are some pictures:

“Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."
-- God speaking, Job 38:28-30

Lessons on Sovereignty During the Storm

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war?
24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,
or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? -- Job 38:22-24

I woke up groggily at about midnight last night thanks to the weather sirens blaring out their tornado warning. We checked the local television stations for weather information, and then we decided to wake up the kids and listen from the windowless master bathroom. As we were sitting in the bathroom listening to the wind and rain, I asked my children, "Who is in control of this storm?" Of course, the mini-theologians that they are, they said, "God." We talked for a few minutes about how God could make such devastating storms with his fingertips, and I pointed out that even if our roof were to rip off and we were to be hurt or killed, we trust in the God who makes the storms.

There is nothing like an object lesson during a tornado warning. Praise God that we had no damage to home or household!

Todd

Does God Care Who Wins the Super Bowl?

Last night, the National Football League celebrated its championship bowl game. As I enjoyed the game with several friends at our pastor's house, I wondered what role God played in the sports arena. Should we pray to win a game of ping-pong? What about a computer or video game? What if we were being paid to play a game? What if that game is televised and millions of people are watching? From Super Bowl to "backyard bowl", does God care who wins?

I don't know what purpose God might have in orchestrating such events, but do I believe Scripture clearly indicates that all of life rests squarely in the sovereign hands of God. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (Matthew 10:29). "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33). There are no truly random or chance events in history. If God does not rule over all of his creation, he is not Ruler.


So, how am I to understand this stunning win by the underdog, the New York Giants? Is God a Giant's fan? I'm afraid I have more questions than answers. But what I know is that Christ "upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3).

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Does Christ elevate men like Tony Dungy or Steve Spagnuolo on this earth in order to glorify himself? Does he use the world stage to humble the proud and exalt the humble? Does he work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose? (Romans 8:28) What about Christians on the losing team? How does God use them? We may never know how or why God does what he does, but if we believe God is Sovereign we must stand in awe of the way he works.

So join me in worshiping this year's biggest Giant's Fan.

They couldn't have done it without Him.

Todd

Gearing Up for Greek

The past couple of weeks have been a blur. One particular project at work has been monopolizing my time, and our evenings have been busy too! Unfortunately, I have successfully put off studying my elementary Greek for almost the entire break, lining myself up perfectly for a miserable first few weeks of Greek Syntax and Exegesis. I did however, have a nice review Wednesday night, thanks to Steve L. Thanks bro!

I am really excited to dive in again into this ancient language, but I dread all the mental sweat and time required. Thankfully, I will only be taking this one class.

Todd