Postcard from the End of a Semester
Dear readers,
Just a note to let you know that the ol’ Foolish Sage hasn’t lost all typing ability in a bizarre gardening accident, nor has he been sent into his seminary’s witness protection program because of recent comments deemed critical of a professor.
Nothing that exciting…just the end of a semester with papers and exams and such.
But not just that. Some of you who know me these days on a “face” basis have picked up that I’ve been “going through something” lately…and you’ve picked up correctly. I don’t choose to share much about that (there are a couple of very close people who are walking through this with us, and for them we thank the Lord!), but just want to let you know that God is good and faithful…and that those two words are coming to mean more to me than ever before.
Suffice it to say for now that I think God is at work to produce a much chastened and (let us hope) more humble Fool for Christ. And that I am more thankful than ever for my dear, dear wife. I’d goofily given her the nickname LSW (Long Suffering Wife) a while back, but few know just how much lies behind that name. The joy is that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3b-5).
So thanks for your prayers, those of you who have sensed I needed prayer. Know that God is at work and that redemption is a powerful, irresistible, wonderful grace.
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December 1st, 2005 at 10:53 am
Thanks for LEAVING ME OUT!
Seriously though … I hope you find your feet.
Me, I’m taking the cue from my semi-crisis at the first half the year to head down the road of Holy Orders. It’ll be something on the order of a 6 year process … so hopefully I’ll figure out if it really is God or what it is He really is bothering me about along the way.
I’ll pray for you if you pray for me
…
oh okay, I’ll pray for you anyways.
December 1st, 2005 at 5:07 pm
As always.
December 1st, 2005 at 6:52 pm
You know we’ll be praying for y’all. But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop coming into the bookstore to distract you from doing your work. The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without that!
December 1st, 2005 at 7:44 pm
Holy Orders, Batman!
Wow, AC, that’s quite a step. Sometimes enrolling in seminary has felt like the protestant equivalent of Holy Orders to me. I even shaved my head!
Thanks for the prayers, Geof and all.
And Justin…please, please don’t ever stop bugging me…in the bookstore or anywhere. Your “bugs” are always welcome!
December 1st, 2005 at 9:30 pm
:hugs:
December 1st, 2005 at 9:33 pm
Thanks, Hannah…you can’t know how much I look forward to getting that hug in person in just a few weeks!
December 1st, 2005 at 10:51 pm
Hey Hannah,
Do I get a hug too?
December 2nd, 2005 at 3:28 pm
Mark,
We are anxiously awaiting your arrival (with your LSW!). The fire will be roaring and hot tea will be brewing:) We love you guys so much! Please try to save a big hug for us! Much prayer and love to you and Karyn!
Melissa and the “gang”.
December 4th, 2005 at 1:25 pm
Mark, here’s wishing God’s grace and peace to you this advent season as you walk through whatever trail he has given you to bear . . .
December 4th, 2005 at 2:03 pm
Being an avid hiker, Rachel, I could always bear any “trail”
(Don’t you just love Internet typos?)
Seriously, thanks again everyone for your prayers. We love our community more than ever, and appreciate all of you more than we can say.
December 4th, 2005 at 6:04 pm
(oops) Trails/Trials - both for walking through, I guess!