Families that blog together…

I’m proud to say that my family blogs. It is so interesting to see how each personality is reflected in their blog. Here are their links, if you are interested.

My dad blogs HERE. He takes some amazing pictures and also reflects on Scripture.

My brother-in-law blogs HERE. He is quite the musician, as well as a great husband and father.

My Uncle blogs HERE. He shares some really good thoughts about the Word.

My wife blogs HERE. Her blog is my favorite, but I’m biased, of course.

My older sister blogs HERE. She has not updated her blog in a while, but she’s been a little busy chasing her two kids around.

My younger sister blogs HERE. She also is a mother of two, but somehow manages to find time for an occasional blog post.

Technical difficulties

I seem to be having problems with WordPress. I have written two posts recently, both of which get deleted when I go to publish them. It is extremely frustrating to put all the work into writing a post, only to have it somehow mess up. Know that I have been trying to offer more updates on my blog and will see if I can figure out what is going on. After all, I am not a new WordPress user, and have never had this problem before. In the meantime, you can check out my wife’s recent post to see what we’ve been up to (click HERE).

Blogging Again

Well, let me officially say I’m back and ready to blog again. As you may have noticed, I decided earlier this fall to take a break from blogging. Now I’m going to give you an update on what I was working on and accomplished during my blogging sabbatical:

• I finished my th.m. thesis (masters of theology). My thesis, which clocked in at 172 pages, was entitled “Interpreting Microstructures through Discourse Analysis, with Specific Application to the Text of James 5:13-18.” And, with my th.m. thesis completed, I graduated this past Friday and am officially done at SEBTS (which means I have no books checked out from the library, but soon can check out a maximum of 5 with an alumni account). Family was here for the weekend to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• I was officially accepted by the faculty of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität-München for doctoral studies. Now I am awaiting the final word from the school’s international office. The application process was quite thorough: I had to get several references, academic transcripts (including elementary and high school), even SAT scores from high school.

 

• I completed my application to the DAAD, which offers scholarships for students to study in Germany. In order to apply for this, I had to again gather transcripts, references, etc. I also had to take a German proficiency exam, which included speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension. On my test I received a 3 out of 5 on each area, meaning I can communicate in German in general topics and in scientific topics of medium difficulty. Before I can begin at Munich I will need to be completely fluent. Needless to say, I have spent and will continue to spend considerable time working on my German.
• Any spare time I had was spent with my wife and daughter, who is now a year old, beginning to talk, and walking up a storm.

So, there you have it. That’s what I’ve been up to. In my next couple of posts I’ll let you know what I plan on doing now. Also, tomorrow evening (Tues) we’ll be having my German conversation partner over for dinner. I’ll be sure to post pictures so you can “meet” her.

Hiatus?

You’ve probably noticed that I am not blogging as regularly as I once did. I have been seriously thinking about taking a break for a couple of months from blogging altogether. Why? Time. A lot of important things are going on in my life right now, and I simply do not have the time to blog. In my free time I find myself eager to spend time with my wife and my daughter Melody. Other reasons I do not have time to blog much these days include:

• my obligations as a student. I am finishing up my master’s thesis and doing tons of writing
• I am in the applications process for doctoral studies in Germany. There is a great deal of paper work for applying to the school and for scholarships
• I am working like crazy on my German skills

So, for these reasons, I have not been able to blog as much as I would like to. I’ve had plenty I want to blog about, just not the time to get my thoughts down. Am I taking a blogging hiatus? My answer to that is that I’m taking a partial hiatus. I may still post occasional pictures, quotes, or even an occasional thought. But I make no promises for the next couple of months. How long will my partial hiatus last? Probably until December when I graduate, or at least until I get some things taken care of this fall. Once I’m graduated and then get word from Germany, look out! I’ll be blogging lots about our moving process and then adjusting to the new culture, Lord willing.

Blogging up a storm

My wife has been writing some great stuff on her blog. You can read it HERE. How in the world she manages to teach part-time, be a full-time wife and mother, and blog is beyond me!

Another helpful blogging resource

For all you avid biblio-bloggers, be sure to check out The Divining Blog and its recent post The top 50 blogs by divinity and theology professors. As a student, it is always interesting to see what professors are blogging out there. Also, perhaps an interesting spin-off-post from the one I just mentioned could be entitled “top 50 blogs by ordinary joe-shmoe’s.” In fact, that is one of the things I enjoy most about blogging, the fact that anyone can write a blog. A lot of people hold this against blogging. I even heard a seminary professor once criticize blogging because “anyone can write a blog and air their opinions. Why should I care about what you think? What are your credentials?” Hearing such a statement saddened me; aren’t all believers being molded to the image of Christ and learning the tough lessons of obedience? Aren’t all believers learning lessons from the word and being guided by the Spirit? In my opinion, this means that every believer has something “blog-worthy” whether they have impressive credentials or not.

Check out this blog

Another blogger has joined the ranks. This one is very close to home, in fact, we share the same home. Hannah-Joy has started a blog. You can view it HERE.

More free books

I just stumbled upon another opportunity to receive free books: TYNDALE PUBLISHERS provides bloggers with books for review.

What has happened to the blogosphere?

So asks Dave Black in reaction to my videos of the baby’s hiccups (of course, he’s completely kidding, since he takes a jab at himself for all the pictures he posted of himself walking the dogs). But in all seriousness, while I classify my blog as a “biblioblog”, I simply cannot refrain from also talking about what’s going on in my personal life. I find that a balance of biblical/theological thought mixed with personal reflection is good both for myself and for my readership. Part of the reason I do so is to let the reader know that I am not just some blogger who enjoys meditating on Scripture and spouting out theological posts, but that I am indeed a real person with whom you can relate as a peer. Now, lest I become guilty of logorrhea, I’ll let you decide: do you find it helpful in reading other blogs or in writing your own to provide personal info about your own life?

Around the blogosphere

Matt at Broadcast Depth is back, you’ll want to check out his blog. Thanks to Alan, I’ve subscribed to WaterBrook Multnomah, a site that basically sends bloggers free books to review. Also, if you are in the process of figuring out where to apply for a PhD, Dunelm has some great advice about the whole process and refers readers to a grant of $27,000.00 for overseas study.