Comps. Passed.

As I was waiting in line at the airport yesterday to board my flight home, I received an email from my advisor at school notifying me that I have passed all my comprehensive exams. Yea! I will now receive a Master of Philosophy degree and am eligible to apply for "candidate status" - meaning to begin work on my dissertation, the last step to a Ph.D. As of yet I am undecided if I will actually take this last step or step away. I will speak with my advisor soon and begin that discussion. Many other folks are giving input as well. It's not a small decision - lots of work involved. So we'll see.

But for now, I am going to enjoy and rejoice in achieving this milestone! :-)

Update

Well, time for a school update . . .

As I've posted before, I've been finished with my Ph.D. classwork for some time now and had my exams to take. I'd taken a leave of absence to deal with family issues, but the time had come to fish or cut bait, as they say. My congregation graciously allowed me to cut back on a few things this January - March, so that I could take my exams in April. As the year began, I registered and began studying.

Then my father went into the hospital . . . and went again . . . and went again. Again, as I've written before, this is tough because my wife and I need to be there with him because of his dementia. When he is sick, he is prone to agitation and upset when he doesn't have someone he knows there. So, my studying took a hit. Its just very hard to get much done in the hospital.

But I tried. In the beginning of March I had one exam to pass so that I could move onto my big, three-day, comprehensive exams. Well, I didn't do well. In fact, I was pretty sure I had not passed - 95% percent or more sure. So I was pretty bummed. At the same time I got slammed with an issue in the district that sucked up a lot of time, so for three week I didn't check my school email and I didn't continue studying. (For why study for exams I won't get to take anyway?)

Well, after about three weeks I decided to log onto my school email and just get the bad news over with. Except . . . I passed. As I told my advisor, I didn't know any human being had that much grace in them! But now I was in a pickle - for my exams were to come up in a couple of weeks and I was not prepared! Both because I got set back with my father's hospitalizations, and because I had stopped studying for a few weeks. But I also don't want to keep having these things hanging over my head, and my congregation had been so gracious. So I called my advisor to see how to move forward.

Turns out my advisor never got the email I sent him to register for my exams! I don't know what

happened, if the fault was on my end, his end, or somewhere in between, but no paperwork, no necessary signatures, nothing had been done! And this is all supposed to be in place 30 days before the exams which were now two weeks away. My advisor said he would see what he could do. Originally, if all had gone according to plan, I was to take them April 10-12 which, for those of you liturgically astute, is Holy Week! Yes, the first three days of Holy Week. My advisor realized these probably weren't the best days for a pastor to be taking them, but we'll see.

So he asks for permission for special days for me, which is sometimes done. I thought maybe the first week in May, since that was finals week. Kinda makes sense. These are like my finals. Administration says no. The logistics wouldn't work out; people wouldn't be in place. They counter with some alternate dates: what about April 17, 19, 20? Well that doesn't make sense, since the days aren't consecutive (which they're supposed to be), the 17th classes aren't in session and so the logistical and personnel would be a problem that day too, and the day after Easter is still not an optimal day for a pastor! So, we counter with April 24-26. Accepted.

That gives me one week after Easter to cram for the exams. So cram I did. The days for the exams came. I woke up each morning super early to study and get my notes together, reviewed them on the Metro, and then took them. Now I must say, in my opinion the exams were quite fair - no outlandish questions, no unreasonable minutiae. And I think I did as well as I could expect. My answers fairly reflect what I know. Now the question is: is that enough? I really have no idea. Just have to wait for the results.

But, as if all that isn't enough, one more heart-stopping thing happened. On Thursday, the day after all the exams were done and I was feeling quite a sense of relief, I get a call from the Associate Director of Graduate Studies . . . there was a problem with my exams. Oh no. They didn't have one of them. You see, each day I would go to an office with a computer they had ready for me, write my answers, and then email the test to the Associate Director. Except the third day, I emailed the wrong test. So she had two copies of the second day and did not get the third. Oh no! Was it still on the computer? In the trash? I really didn't want to go back and do it again! So I gave her my account logon information and waited while she went and checked it out. I think that was the longest 30 minutes or so of my life! Then she calls me back: she found it. It was there. All was in order.

Heart, you can start beating again . . .

So that's the story right now. I am waiting for the result. What will I do then? I don't know. If I pass, the school can give me candidate status, meaning I am full steam ahead to write my dissertation. But do I want to commit to that? That means several more years of intense research and writing, including a boat load of translating that I would need to do. And will I be able? Will my father go back in the hospital and need me to be there? Will I be able to travel for sources and research? Did I have the energy to devote to such an endeavor? I don't know. I am leaning toward no right now, though many are encouraging me to keep going. If I stop (assuming I pass) I can receive a Master of Philosophy - not a small accomplishment. So we'll see.

Now, I'm trying to catch up on all the stuff I put off to study!

The Rack

Remember that Medieval torture device called the rack?

That's what I feel like these days! No, I'm not being tortured, but I do feel like I'm being pulled in four different directions: family, church, school, and district. All need my time right now. You see, my father is back in the hospital again. He was only home for a week or so before needing to return, and hasn't bounced back so far. I also should be studying for my school exams, and with everything else going on am falling behind. Problems in my district need my attention - more attention than I have been giving them. And then my church responsibilities - both the ongoing, regular ones, but also the special ones that crop up, like now having to help organize and fund raise for Bishop Omolo's trip from Kenya in May and June. So with those four things, I feel like each limb is being pulled in a different direction. Two limbs is great. Three I can deal with. Four is tough.

But I have a great family. My youngest is so understanding at all the upset with grandpa in the hospital and my wife and I being there so much. My sister came down to help last night, and that's a big help! My wife is amazing at all she does. My church has been incredibly understanding and has allowed my some reduction in my schedule to study for school. But the busyness, coupled with the emotional, creates a weariness . . .

One day at a time.

Circuit Meeting, Day 2

Got home yesterday. A rather enjoyable drive with some good discussion. I am quite tired. I don't think I slept very well in the hotel. The pillows were too big. Nice, but too big. I like flatter pillows to sleep on. So it's good to get back to my own bed and my own pillows!

The conclusion of my presentation on prayer went well. A few bumps I need to work out before I present again this summer, but overall pretty good. The ladies of the congregation were quite gracious and served up some good food!

This morning, I found out some good school news - my last exam reading list was finally approved and my registration for the Fall finally went through. This last was important so I could have library privileges over the summer. So now I just need to get the appropriate signatures on the reading list and prepare over the summer. I have been struggling with balancing this with family and church for quite a while now, so it will be good to finally get it done and buckle down with my writing.

A busy day today, so now I'm off to prepare for the Psalms Bible Study which meets at noon.

The Week in Review

Been some time since I've written, mainly because I'm tired. This new house has proven to be a LOT of work. But more on that in a moment.

First, the 12th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks was this week. I wove that into my sermon on Wednesday night. My wife mentioned to me that it seems like just yesterday that it all happened. But my oldest, Robbie, was in kindergarten then! We still have the stuffed animal he got at school, donated by some folks in Columbus, OH, to comfort the kids. (It is a gorilla which we named Columbus.) We were still in New York then. I still have vivid memories of it all. Not just that day, but all the days, weeks, and months after that day. Much of the country moved on, but in New York, it just kept going and going. The clean-up was so massive, and casualties (or pieces thereof) were being found in "the pile" months later. I remember traveling to Ft. Wayne in November and being away made such a difference! I hadn't realize what living with that constantly did to me.

I remember being at the pile (that's what the workers called it) and counseling the workers. Their stories were horrifying and sad, yet they returned everyday. Their stamina was amazing, and they were very appreciative of us pastors being there to support them. When I went back to see the memorial last year, it wasn't the memorial or the giant holes in the ground that got me, it was being back at the little church where I helped. For that's where I was. That's what made the memories come flooding back.

But now, we are fixing up our new house. When we actually moved in, we found out that the place was really pretty dirty and needed more work than we thought it would. So we've been cleaning (deep cleaning!) everything and doing a lot of painting. The floors were all very creaky and squeaky, so I've also been busy peeling up the carpets and reattaching the wood. I needed to get all this done now because we are getting new carpet installed on Tuesday and I don't want to pull up the new stuff once they put it down.  :-)  That should make a big difference! We also found out that the former owners had painted right over all the switches and outlets.  :-(  So in addition to repainting, we've been replacing all of them. Then there's been the work we've had contractors in to do - they're still coming. Electrician next week to fix some problems and install a lot more lighting in the basement which will be my study/office. And there's still a lot to do - but after next week, I believe all the major work will be done. Then we'll begin taking things out of our storage unit and settling in all the way.

My brother and sister came to help us move and they did a LOT of work! Not only did they help with the actually moving, but did a lot of patching, sanding, cleaning, and painting while they were here. I don't know how long it would have taken us without them!

The basement which will be my study/office is what needs the most work now. It has an old and not very nice wet bar of sorts in one corner that needs to be torn out. Some brick around it will need to be chiseled out too. Then some drywalling and painting, and with the new lighting, it should be pretty good. I want to put some carpeting down also, but I think that may need to wait a while - I think we've pretty much used up our improvements budget with everything else we've done! There's other stuff that will have to wait as well, like a new basement door and some new windows in the basement, new light fixtures in various places, too.


What we'll do little by little after this major stuff is done is the painting of all the trim in the house, as well as the wainscoting in some of the hallways and rooms. I would like to try something like this picture, except with the color above the rail light and the color below the rail and in the squares dark - maybe a dark green. I think the contrast would be nice, but we'll see. As I said, we can take some time with that.

But what I also need to get moving on is my school work! I've always tried to place church and family before school, and with all this happening, the school work has slid a bit. But I still need to get it done, so I need to carve out some good time to make sure I do.

Finally, here's a picture of the whole gang around my father. We are making plans to move him down in November. It will be nice to have him with us.

Wrapping a Lot of Things Up

Well, another busy week has flown by. I was down in Florida most of the week for my Lutheran Haven Board of Trustees meetings. Left early Tuesday morning and returned late Friday night. The meetings weren't bad - we actually have an exciting building project just beginning, so lots to consider and think about. If all goes well, I think this will be an good addition to the campus and help turn the place around. Our new CEO has been doing a good job of that on the operations side, now we need to do so on the long range planning and facilities. The only bad part of the trip was that my flight was delayed 3 hours coming home. but JetBlue surprised me with a $50 rebate the next day, so that says something.

We settle on our housing this week - Tuesday. So this will be another busy week! At 11 am we sell our current house, and at Noon we buy the new house! Then we get to work cleaning and fixing and moving. My father, brother, and sister are all coming to help, and it will be nice to all be together again. That doesn't happen too often these days.

School is starting back up for the semester as well. This summer of moving has set me back a little. I am hoping to take my French exam in the not too distant future, and then try to buckle down on my reading. I was hoping to have all my exams done this fall, but as I said, this summer has set me back a little and now it looks like Spring.

I'll try to post some stuff a little more often now that most of the summer's upset is winding down. We'll see, right?  :-)

Ouch

A day full of me and French. Oh, my brain hurts!

Things That Drive Me Crazy!

OK. So I'm at school working on the bibliographies for my comprehensive/candidacy exams, cleaning them up and getting them ready for signatures. So I look up the books in the online, electronic card catalog to make sure all the capitalization is correct. (The professors are sticklers on this kind of stuff!) Well, the title are listed twice for each book. The first entry, every word of the title is capitalized. Always. The second entry, only the first word of the title is capitalized. Always. ARGH! How come they just can't capitalize the title as it is in the book? So, I have to go and physically check all the books that I can to make sure of this. Why do they have to make it so hard? Then, why do they sometimes use ALL CAPITALS for the titles? [Growl] I'll be glad when this is over and I can just read the stuff!

Father, fathers, and more

Well, I'm in northern Pennsylvania attending my circuit pastoral conference. I'm glad to be here. I've haven't been able to come much the past number of years due to my school class schedule. But now that I've completed my classwork, I can adjust a bit and start attending. It is good to be back with the brothers again. (They are the "fathers" in my title. There are some 12 of us here. A couple couldn't make it.) I led a discussion yesterday on "Luther and the Sacramentality of Absolution." It went well. Lots of good thoughts. Tomorrow I'll be up again and we'll talk about the more practical and pastoral issues dealing with private absolution. My only complaint is the driving. The traffic jam yesterday trying to get up here was terrific - and to add insult to injury, there was absolutely NO work being done in the lane closed in the "work area!" Then, after our time together yesterday it was a rather long drive to the hotel - which is closer to the church we'll be at today, but I was kinda tired last night.

The "father" in the title above is my father, who I spent Sunday night with on my way to the conference. He is becoming much more forgetful and lacking ambition. So I think we'll have to step up efforts to move him closer and give him more help and oversight. So sounds like it will be a busy time coming up and a busy summer doing that.

What's the "more?" Well, all the stuff that's been happening since I last posted, which has been some two weeks. Lots happening, just haven't been motivated to write and post.

+ I'm moving forward on my comprehensive exam bibliographies. I have one completed and ready for signature, one almost done, and one still in progress. Hopefully soon. Then I just have to read it all and be ready for my exams in the fall!

+ The Walk-Run-Ride for Life on Saturday was, well, interesting. Why? Well, the ride itself went fine. But getting there . . . I left my house keys on the roof of the car. On the drive there, I heard something hit the side of the car, but it didn't enter my mind what it was until we were farther done the road. So, since they fell off close to home, I called my wife and had her go out and look for them so I wouldn't have to backtrack and be late. Thankfully, she found them. A little bent, but still in tact!

Well, that's must be it for now. Time to shower and get ready for the day.

This is Cool . . .

As a Ph.D. student who has spent some time looking at old manuscripts (though I am by no means a paleographer!) I thought this was cool. Some student were able to decipher some old notes by Roger Williams in an old manuscript.

In other school news, I have basically finished the paper for my class this semester - my final class! I had to finish it now since I will be traveling a bit next week and then have to turn it in. So I have a few days to sit with it, edit it, and improve it a bit. But it's basically done! I am quite excited that this phase of my schooling in now done. Next, I have some exams to pass, including my comps. Next semester I will begin to prepare the reading lists for my comps and do the reading. I plan to take the comps in the Fall. Then if I pass, I will officially have candidate status! It's a long road, especially part time.

But now with school done for the semester, I am quite looking forward to Advent and Christmas. Things don't look too hectic at this point. I hope it stays that way . . .

Death, School, and GMU

How's that for the title of a post?  :-)

The death was the death of my computer. My trusty (or formerly trusty!) MacBook died Monday afternoon. I took it to the Apple store Genius on Tuesday who could not get it to boot no matter what he tried. Probably the logic (mother) board, he said. I really wanted a new computer,but opted for the cheaper repair option - a flat rate to fix all that needed fixing. BUT, I agreed to this because the "genius" assured (but did not promise) me that I would get it back later that week - Thursday or Friday. To me, the time without it is more important than the money. So I said okay and off it went. But I still don't have it back and I'm very annoyed and frustrated at him. I really hope I get it back today!

Not having it made last week quite difficult as I had to find and port many things over to our new church laptop and use it for my computing needs. I am fortunate to have it and be able to do this, though it slowed me down greatly as it is a Windows machine. Just meant a busier week than normal.

Last week was also the start of classes at GMU which means the start of our Campus Ministry for the Fall. We had our kiosk there Monday and Wednesday and will begin Evening Prayer services on campus twice a month starting this Wednesday night. It is a ripe field, but one that has been quite difficult for us to crack.

My school also started last week. I have only one class - my last class! - this semester. There was really nothing being offered that I was really interested in, and since I had already fulfilled all my requirements, I opted for a history class: Topics in Medieval Spirituality. No professor was listed and none of the topics that might be covered were given. So when I went in on Thursday, I found out that it was a brand new professor (always a question mark) and the one and only topic was: St. Bernard and the New Monasticism.  :-(  Not really what I was hoping for. St. Bernard is last 12th century and I was hoping for topics closer to the time of the Reformation. But as I sat there doubting whether I wanted to stay in the class for the semester, I thought that maybe I could make it work since Bernard was one of Luther's favorite fathers. Also, we will be reading some of Bernard's sermons on Song of Songs, which should be interesting. So maybe it will be okay . . .

Finally, had our church Labor Day picnic yesterday. Though it threatened rain most of the day (keeping attendance down a little) we had no rain and a lot of fun. I was good and tired getting home last night! And you know, I like holidays - the problem is that by taking Monday off, I am now behind for the rest of the week!

Well, here's hoping that this week is better than last . . .

School and Thoughts on Vocation

Well, one down and one to go! I finished one class yesterday, my class on Sacramental Treatises. It was interesting, as we read Tertullian, Augustine, Cyril of Jerusalem, Aquinas, and then Trent. My paper was: An Examination of Three Early Writings on the Sacrament of Penance by Martin Luther from 1517-20 in Their Historical and Theological Context." (Long titles do sound more scholarly, don't they?) I think I did okay on it. We'll see when the grade and evaluation comes in . . .  :-)

In other news, I was also thinking about vocation the other day. I often make a distinction between who a person is and what a person does. It seems that in our world today, the emphasis and value is on what a person does - what they can give back to society, and who they are matters little. Yet with God, it's the other way around - who a person is (a child of God, by grace through faith) matters more than what a person does. From this we see that all people, no matter their age or ability, are important and valuable to God.

Yet it occurred to me the other day that there are some places where these two things meet, or are at least much closer together. For example, the vocations of mother and father. That is both who you are and what you do. Husband and wife would be the same. They are quite different than, for example, computer programmer - that's a vocation I used to do, but it was not who I was. So it seems that not all vocations are created equal. Not that some are more important than others (though maybe they are), but there seems to be an intrinsic difference. What say you? Any good thoughts on this?

That also led me to thinking about being a pastor. Even how I phrased that gives you a clue to how I think of this vocation - that being a pastor is not only what I do, but who I am. In that regard, it falls into the realm of vocations like parents, not computer programmers. But there are pastors who do not agree with me on this, and think of being a pastor strictly as what he does, but not who he is. I think that matters. I'll have to think about this some more . . . Can you think of other vocations where being and doing are tightly connected? Does it matter? Am I off my rocker?  ;-)

Update

Haven't blogged lately - too much going on. Church, school, home. Hard to find time to get it all done. Classes are interesting but demanding. Spring break should really be two weeks: one week to rest and one to catch up! But it'll all get done. It always does.

Not really happy with how I preached today. I think I was just out of sorts. As I've said before, preaching every Sunday means that no matter how well or how poorly I think I did preaching each week, I have to put it behind me and start preparing for next Sunday. (And these weeks, for Wednesday night.) That's good. Can't get too high or too low - just have to keep preaching the Word and trusting that the Lord will work through His Word. And He does. He always does.

Finally:  Lehigh 75  Duke 70! My alma mater did well! I did not fill out a bracket this year, but if I had, I was actually toying with picking Lehigh. I probably wouldn't have, but I knew they had a really good player, but didn't think he'd be enough. They play Xavier tonight. For some reason, I think it will be a tougher test. Maybe not. We'll see. I should be home in time to see the second half.

Time to get to work.

Prayers, Please

Found out yesterday that one of the professors here (whom I do not have this semester, but have had for a couple of classes) just suddenly left campus on a leave of absence. No one is saying why or what is going on, but your prayers for him are requested. He is a good guy who I have learned a lot from. His name is Michael. Thanks.

School and Stuff . . .

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. School started up again last week. Both my classes look rigorous, so I'm really going to have to stay on top of things.

My first class is "Justification and Grace" with Dr. Michael Root, a former ELCA theologian for 39 years and now Roman Catholic. This is looking at the 16th century disputes and modern ecumenical attempts to come to agreement. With his background, knowledge, and perspective, this should be quite interesting. A big class - 11 of us, so the discussion should be good. I'm the only Lutheran (of course), but there are a couple of Reformed guys too.

My second class is "Sacramental Treatises" with the former dean of the school, Kevin Irwin. We'll be reading various treatises from church fathers, I'm assuming on *various* sacraments. This prof will expect a lot, so I'll have to be on my toes. A smaller class, only 5 or 6 of us.

The good news is that with both these classes, I believe I'll be able to research and write about Private Absolution, which is what I want to write my dissertation about. So these classes should be quite helpful in my investigation and framing what I want to ultimately write.

In other news, we had some new birds at our feeder these past few days: some Bluebirds and a Cedar Waxwing. This picture shows a male and female bluebird. We actually had two pairs. Very cool to watch. Don't have a picture of the Cedar Waxwing yet . . .

My son is also working on a science project, to determine if the length of parachute cords have an effect on how quickly they drop. So yesterday afternoon, a cold day indeed, I was outside timing his drops as he performed his trials. Boy were my hands cold at the end! But he got some interesting results. Once he firms up his conclusions and figures it all out, I'll have to report what he found.

And finally: reading late Medieval philosophical writings still makes my head explode!  :-)

Another Semester Put to Bed

Yes, yesterday I completed another semester of school. Submitted my last paper and now can relax a bit. I would like to have one more class with my Directed Research professor (kind of like an independent study research class but one-on-one with a professor) but that may not be possible. We'll see how our schedules jive before Christmas. Overall it was a good semester. Difficult, but good. Seemed like my church responsibilities increased a little and pushed me. I always try to put my church duties first and so felt like I was often playing catch-up with school, but it worked out. So today I will drive into school and return a couple bags of books that I had checked out of the library!

I now have three classes left. Two in the Spring and then one more next Fall. Over those two semesters I'll finish up my language requirements, and then its onto comps and the dissertation. So still a lot of work to go! But for right now, the focus turns to Christmas sermons, bulletins, hymns, and finishing up family things. I think I am going to enjoy the next week or so . . . reading, writing, and soaking in the end of Advent and the beginning of Christmas!

Yesterday and Today

Well, yesterday our Labor Day picnic went off without a hitch. The rains held off and a good time was had by all. A big thank you to the Evangelism Committee for sponsoring and hosting it - they are such hard workers! And to Roy and Jay for letting me win at horseshoes.  :-)

Today is reading day. After my e-mails and blog postings and stuff, I will read, read, and read some more. All for school tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have enough time to get it all done. Been a busy 7 days and I haven't been able to do much yet. But with the kids all back at school today, the house should be calm and quiet.

Which leads me to my next comment: no child should have to leave for the bus stop before 6:30 am. Our bus coming so early makes mornings tough.

Just Braggin' . . .

One day, Mrs. Peasant will realize how totally awesome she is!

Last week, she was chosen to help design the oncology unit of the new children's hospital that is in the planning stages. What works, what doesn't, what is good and helpful to the nurses - that kind of thing. So, on Wednesday, she will board a private jet (perhaps not unlike the one on the left) and fly to Grand Rapids to begin the process. She will return Wednesday night, tired, I'm sure!

And no, she didn't back into this because no one else wanted to go! She was their top choice!

Now, this presented some problems for us, as it is a school day for all the rest of us. But how could we not let her go and do this? So, I told my professor last week that I would get in as fast as I could, but would be late for class. But in His usual mega-God-awesome way (Is that a word? I guess it is now!), turns out the professor is returning from a trip to Brazil that very morning, and would like to go home and shower before coming in to teach. So we are starting class an hour later. Just too cool. Now, as long as traffic isn't too bad and I get home in time to pick up my youngest from kindergarten later in the afternoon (after my second class), all will be well.

Today's TDP

In today's treasury reading, we heard of how Obadiah hid 100 of the Lord's prophets during the tyrannical reign of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. What makes this even more amazing is that it occurred during the 3.5 years in which Israel had no rain and therefore a severe famine. Obadiah not only hid the prophets, but then, we are told, supplied them with food and water the whole time! That could not have been an easy task - first of all to find bread and water for so many, and then provide it without being found out. That took no small amount of courage and faith on Obadiah's part.

In other news, a new school year started for me yesterday. I am excited about my Directed Research class, which is a one-on-one class with a professor. I am doing it with an adjunct from the history department who wrote on "Sin and Confession on the Eve of the Reformation." So we're going to get to talk a lot about what Luther inherited and what he then did. The goal is that during the course of this semester, I'll be able to figure out more closely what I want to write on and really get a better picture of things. I'll keep you posted.

Yesterday I also got a chance to meet and speak to Dr. Michael Root a bit. Dr. Root is a new faculty member. He just recently left the Lutheran church for the Roman church, and left his position on a Lutheran college faculty and is now at CUA. (Some of you may remember him as a man who presented quite a controversial paper at the Ft. Wayne Symposia a few years ago!) Anyhow, I am looking forward to talking more with him. For even though he is no longer Lutheran, he will be a good reference for me and will be able to help me with his knowledge of things Lutheran. No, we don't agree on everything, but at least he knows (better than most at CUA) where I'm coming from. As I said, I'm looking forward to talking with him some more.

Now got to go and get some work done!  :-)

An Interesting Week

Any week that begins with an earthquake and ends with a hurricane must qualify as an interesting week! The hurricane actually wasn't as bad as many expected here, as it stayed far enough east that it really only skirted us, just like many of the snow storms last winter. We got a bunch of rain and some hard winds, but not enough to cause any real damage. Some downed trees and branches, some folks without power. No flooding (to my knowledge) in the area. As for me and my family, we only lost power for approximately 1.5 seconds around midnight, just long enough to . . . yes, you guessed it . . . reset all the clocks in the house! A few more branches down around the church, but an easy clean up. We even had pretty good attendance today! More than I expected. I have good folks.

Next week will have trouble living up this this past week! One of the guys on the radio said that after an earthquake and a hurricane, the locusts should be on the way! :-) Next week, however, I do start school on Wednesday, and we kick off another year of campus ministry on Tuesday - hopefully we'll be able to qualify for RSO status this year. So lots of good stuff going on. AND football season is almost here! Yes! Go Eagles.

That's all for now. Have a great week, y'all.