I thought I might give you all a glance at what I’ve been doing recently (obviously not blogging), so here’s a quick survey I gave to myself.

What are you Listening To?
I’ve been listening to Jamie Barnes, and I just got Andrew Peterson’s album “Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ.” The lyrics on this album are fantastic. On the track “Labor of Love,” Jill Phillips sings along with Peterson. Here are some lyrics from that song:

“Noble Joseph by her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
On the streets of David’s town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move”

What have you been reading?
I’ve been reading a bunch of commentaries on 2 Corinthians, as well as a couple of books by Alvin Plantinga on the problem of evil. I just finished “Culture Making” by Andy Crouch. My favorite book that I’ve been reading recently is Christopher Wright’s “Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament.” I also started Mark Dever’s “The Message of the Old Testament.”

What have you been meditating on?
What Scripture has to say about itself. Also, how did Jesus fulfill the role of Israel in order to inaugurate the in-gathering of the nations, and looking at how the New Testament authors find Old Testament fulfillment in his life, death, and resurrection. Last, but certainly not least, is the role of suffering in Paul’s life in order to comfort the Corinthians (and others).

What have you been thinking about in terms of the local church?
Recognizing that I love studying the original languages of the Bible, and knowing that I have a long way to go, I’ve been wondering how I can take the skill set I currently have and use it missionally for the edification of the local body as a lay person. Specifically, how can I use what I know with humility, and without it being overt in the context of my local church, which serves a community of blue collar Christians, all while not making them think they have to have a seminary degree to be a Christian. In other words, how can I minister to the body with the original languages, without them realizing I’m using the original languages.

What classes are you taking?
Elementary Hebrew; Old Testament I (Pentateuch – Historical books); Greek Exegesis of 2 Corinthians; Systematic Theology I

Why haven’t you been blogging?
See the answer to the last question.