Saturday Night Pictures

The Beardsleys, Preusslers, and the Waldron

To Life and New Life

On Saturday evening I had a refreshing time over at Ryan and Kelly's apartment with my old friends, Luke and Nicole Preussler. It was great to be able to spend time with these two couples who have been such great friends to me over the last three years or so. We enjoyed food, drink, and the hilarious, canceled television show, "Arrested Development," but the highlight of the night for me was meeting Luke and Nicole's new baby daughter, Sophia. Luke's toast as we had our drinks is the title of this post: "To life and new life." We thank God for our lives, and for the life of baby Sophia, and we especially thank God for the new life we have in Jesus Christ.

Peter 1:22 - 2:5

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

David Brainerd

I just read the following excerpt from "The Life of David Brainerd," the journal of an 18th century missionary to the native Americans, compiled by the great pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards. May God grant to each of us a resignation to his will, to trust him to take us to be in his presence at the time of his choosing rather than ours. But may God grant us first the intense longing to depart and be with Christ to such a degree that we, like David (and the apostle Paul for that matter), may actually be inclined to have such a desire as David writes about here.

"When I am in a sweet resigned frame of soul, I am willing to tarry a while in a world of sorrow, I am willing to be from home as long as God sees fit it should be so: But when I want [lack] the influence of this temper, I am then apt to be impatient to be gone. Oh, when will the day appear that I shall be perfect in holiness, and in the enjoyment of God?"

Back to School

A second year of seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is now well underway for me. I am taking four classes, all of which I thoroughly enjoy: Pentateuch and Historical Writings, Poetic and Prophetic Writings, Lukan Writings, and American Church History. As usual, I have more reading than am able to get read, but I enjoy (almost) every page and am learning much. I am still working part time at a funeral home as a visitation attendant, but have recently been employed at Christian Heritage Academy about 15 minutes from my residence as the Saturday "space sharing supervisor." I work every Saturday, unlocking the building for those who will be renting the school's space for the day, keep an eye on them while they are there, and lock up at the end of the night. It is a tremendous blessing in that I am able to earn some money as well as be able to do some studying in the process! This will have to suffice for the time being as a current update on my life and times down here in Illinois. As always, prayers for my continued growth in the grace and knowledge that are in Christ Jesus are welcome and needed.