goodbye summer

Goodbye Summer,
You sure went by fast.

Today is our last day of summer. We seized the day! I got up and made the family pancakes & eggs which we enjoyed with blueberries. Then we went to the Botanical Gardens and had a nice stroll through the park. Waterfalls, pretty flowers, and a nice summer breeze all had a calming affect on me. After that we came home, ate a quick (small) lunch and all rested. I did a few chores this afternoon to get my house ready for the semester (ya know, when am I going to have time to dust everything in my house again? Probably December!). I even cleaned out and organized my closet. That is first time my closet has been organized since I moved in to this apartment... oh that is just shameful to admit! I have organized & reorganized Hunter's closet at least three times, but never got around to doing mine until today! Hopefully it will stay organized through the semester... we'll see?!?!

This evening I made a pizza with Trader Joe's pizza dough. I topped it with pineapple, spinach, and tomato. It was tasty!!!! We had that with broccoli. After dinner we took Hunter out to the playground and had a wonderful time on the swings. Hunter has mastered what my parent's called the "four-wheel drive crawl" where you crawl with your hands and feet. He does this now on any surface that is too hard on his knees like asphalt or on the wood chips at the playground. It is sooo funny! Hopefully soon he will decide that walking is better than that weird crawl! But for now, he is a fast little guy on his hands and feet! He was soooo determined to crawl UP the slide. And he did (with a little help from mommy) and he was very proud of himself!

Summer has been quite eventful... I completed 6 hours and Josh completed 3. Josh was able to work a lot & we had some fun family time. We got to spend time with family & enjoy seeing my brother get married. We had some fun visitors including family. We got more adjusted to St. Louis life. We aren't sure we feel rested enough to be starting a new semester. Sorta feels like summer was a blur.

But now it is time for semester two. I will be taking 9 hours and Josh will be taking 15. Josh will be working 10 hours on campus per week & drilling 1 weekend per month. We are very excited to see what God has in store for us this semester. I feel very privileged to be here at Covenant. I am nervous about starting my program tomorrow, but also very excited.

Hello Fall,
Please be kind to us!

summer reading

When I haven't been traveling or taking care of a sick child this summer, I have filled my time with a lot of reading. I took 2 courses for a total of 6 credit hours. For these two classes I was assigned 11 books to read and parts of 2 others. Woah! Talk about overwhelming! Surprisingly, I have really enjoyed most all of the reading.

My favorite is between Through His Eyes by Jerram Barrs or The Bible and the Future by Anthony Hoekema. The first is about what the Bible says about women and how God views them. It was written by the professor of one of the class and is a good summary of what we learned. Each chapter has study questions so this book would be perfect for a Bible study either for individuals or a small group.

The Hoekema book is about eschatology, which means the doctrine about what is going to happen at the end of time. I have really enjoyed learning the theology of the kingdom of God and what happens to people when they die. It is very technical, so it takes time to dig through, but it is worth it. I recommend this to anyone who has questions about these topics and is willing to think deeply.
Though it has been a lot to manage and balance, I am really thankful that I am able to learn so much. It is fun to talk to Josh about what I am learning. I feel so blessed to be at this school. God has provided a lot for both of us to be able to be in grad school.

Hymnody

Josh & I took a weekend class this semester called 'The History of Hymnody.' It was taught by Kevin Twit, the director of Indelible Grace Music. We are both huge fans of their work. They take old hymns and re-work the music to make them more modern and add more instruments.

The class was amazing. But this week, we have had to do the work to get the credit for the class.... not so amazing! It has been a lot of work. One of our assignments was to pick a hymn and write an 8-10 page paper on every aspect of the hymn from the author, to the time it was written, to deep exposition of every verse. Here is the hymn I wrote about:

With tearful eyes I look around;
Life seems a dark and stormy sea;
Yet, midst the gloom, I hear a sound,
A heavenly whisper, “Come to Me.”

It tells me of a place of rest;
It tells me where my soul may flee:
O to the weary, faint, oppressed,
How sweet the bidding, “Come to Me.”

When the poor heart with anguish learns
That earthly props resigned must be,
And from each broken cistern turns,
It hears the accents, “Come to Me.”

When against sin I strive in vain,
And cannot from its yoke get free,
Sinking beneath the heavy chain,
The words arrest me, “Come to Me.”

When nature shudders, loath to part
From all I love, enjoy, and see;
When a faint chill steals o’er my heart,
A sweet voice utters, “Come to Me.”

“Come, for all else must fall and die;
Earth is no resting-place for thee;
Heavenward direct thy weeping eye,
I am thy Portion; come to Me.”

O voice of mercy! voice of love!
In conflict, grief, and agony,
Support me, cheer me from above,
And gently whisper, “Come to Me.”

Beautiful hymn, by an inspiring woman. This hymn is a picture of the Gospel. Charlotte Elliott had a wonderful gift of exposing her emotions to the Lord in exemplary verse and then applying the Gospel to her very situation. Elliott shows that the Gospel is necessary for both the unbeliever and the believer. The Gospel is enough. God truly is our portion and gently whispers “Come to Me” to all his children, just as they are, with no need to pretty themselves or hide their true selves. Elliott shows us that it is in honesty and brokenness we are able to receive God and experience His presence.