Thanksgiving

We didn't do much of anything for Thanksgiving this year. After taking the entire family back and forth to Wake Forest for 2 days every week of the semester, we were really ready to go nowhere and do nothing, so that's what we did. And it was a great time! I got to spend more time with the kids, and Ann got to focus on her cooking and her scrapbooking. We even broke out a couple puzzles and fixed them together as we talked. It was a nice break in a busy semester.

More on Baptism

Why did Jacen get baptized? First, let me try and answer a different question: what is NOT the reason why he got baptized? He didn't get baptized as a means to God's grace. That is, baptism has nothing to do with establishing a right relationship with God. You might recall that last February Jacen accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. That step of accepting God's grace only through faith is the ONLY thing Jacen needed to have a right relationship with God. So if baptism does not confer God's grace, why bother? Jacen gave two reasons in his testimony video, which was shown to the church. He said first he wanted to follow Jesus' example. Recall that John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. Why did Jesus get baptized? Did He need grace from God? No! He is God. He did it out of obedience to His Father and to set an example for those who follow Him. So Jacen was simply following Jesus' example. Jacen said second he wanted to be baptized because God said to. Jacen was referring to a portion of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you." Those who are disciples of Jesus should be baptized and should be taught. Jesus Himself commanded that His followers be baptized, so Jacen was simply being obedient to His Lord. These are great reasons for being baptized, and I'm very proud of my son.

Baptism

Today, Jacen got baptized. As you might recall, he asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior last February, and today he followed His example. Pastor Gilbert, the senior pastor at Calvary baptized him, and as you can see from the picture below, he graciously allowed me to assist. It was a great time.

The heat is on

In the living room of our condo we have a gas fireplace, something we've never had before. When the temperature dropped into the 30's one night this week, I decided to fire it up (no pun intended) the next morning. Wow! Within 15 minutes it jumped 8 degrees in the living room/kitchen area. I suspect Ann, who is still a Texas girl at heart, will really appreciate the heat when winter arrives.

John Calvin

If you're interested in John Calvin, I highly recommend a recent biography of him by Thomas J. Davis simply entitled John Calvin. The book is well-written, reads easily, and deals fairly with his beliefs. At just over 100 pages, it's closer to an overview than a serious biography, but on the other hand, it doesn't take too long to finish.

Biography on John Calvin from CBD

Preacher

Ann's parents are in town visiting for the week, and they came with us to church today. When Emilee saw her grandfather all dressed up, she said, "You look like a preacher!"

Walking with Emmy

Earlier this week Emmy and I went walking in the neighborhood behind our condo complex. We saw a big spider on a 6 ft tall web and a small snake (about 6 inches long). But the best part of the walk was the conversation, which ranged over a variety of topics including biology: "Daddy, do spiders poop?" (I don't seem to remember this from my biology class, but I said yes anyway.) and theology: "Daddy, is God on the moon?" I told her that since God is everywhere, yes, He's on the moon, and in fact He's here with us right now. She thought about that for a moment before replying, "Yes, He's right here on my shoulder."

Matthew 18:2-3 Calling a little child forward, [Jesus] had him stand among them. Then he said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven."

You need the faith of a four-year-old to get into the kingdom of heaven.

Routine

Life in Winston-Salem has finally started to take on a routine. The kids have started school; Ann is homeschooling them again this year. Jacen is in the 2nd grade, while Emmy is starting K-4. I'm working at Calvary on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, mostly doing sermon prep and critiquing but with a sprinkling of other ministries. The whole family travels together to Wake Forest on Thursdays and Fridays, so James and Ann can take classes. Yes, Ann's taking a class this semester, one designed to equip women who will be pastor's wives. We stay in the seminary's commuter housing, which works well. The remaining days are for family and study. So far, we really like being here in Winston-Salem. The church is treating us like royalty, and there is so much to learn and to do.

Humility

I found an excellent definition of humility. It's a quote from the "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia," which I read in Dr. Jim Berg's "Changed Into His Image:" "...the habitual frame of mind of a child of God is that of one who feels not only that he owes all his natural gifts, etc., to God, but that he has been the object of undeserved redeeming love, and who regards himself as being not his own, but God's in Christ. He cannot exalt himself, for he knows that he has nothing of himself. The humble mind is thus at the root of all other graces and virtues."

Winston-Salem

On Saturday Dad drove the rental truck for us to Winston-Salem. With help from some of the guys at Calvary we were unloaded in about two hours, and then we began the task of unpacking. So far we've gotten the kitchen and living room nearly done and the master bedroom started. We haven't even looked at the kids room, since we're not sure their furniture will fit. The church is graciously putting us up in a new condo, and it's really nice. It even has a pool. Here's a picture of the building:

Moving Week

This is moving week. The apartment is nearly all boxed up, the kids' beds are taken down, and a bunch of the furniture is stacked up in the living room. We've been eating all the remaining odds and ends of food (finished the last of the halibut today, Dad) and using paper plates and plastic utensils. We're nearly ready to go. We're going to miss our many friends here, but we're looking forward to the opportunities at Calvary. The second chapter in our ministry adventure draws to a close.

Greek Is Over

On Monday I took my final two exams: one was another vocabulary test and the other was translating five verses out of 1st John. They weren't too bad. Although Greek was hard, particularly the second semester, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'll be taking a third semeseter of it this fall. Although I know enough to do some translating, I suspect there's still tons I don't know.

June Bug Kites

I took the kids up to the seminary today to make some june bug kites. What? You've never had a june bug kite before? Here's what you do. Catch a june bug, preferably a large one. I use a tennis racket to pin them down to the ground. Grab one of their hind legs with needle-nose pliers, then tie a piece of bright thread to the leg. When you let go, the june bug will fly all around, but can't get away. It's a june bug kite. It's a lot of fun for your kids.

Another Move

Yep, that's right. We're moving again. This time we're heading to Winston-Salem. I've been asked to participate in the first class of the Calvary School of Pastoral Leadership, and I've accepted. It's a two-year program where I'll be on staff at Calvary Baptist gaining ministry experience while still working on my M.Div at Southeastern. I'm estimating that it will slow me down by only 1 semester, which is good, and give me a lot of practical experience, which is really good. Our target date to be in Winston-Salem is the middle of August. Yes, that's in only 6 weeks.

Calvary School of Pastoral Leadership
Calvary Baptist Church

Translation

In my personal quiet time I have begun to translate 1 Corinthians from the Greek and then study and apply it. I've finished the first five verses of chapter two. You might find this to be a helpful resource.