Finally, a poem worth reading...

So, I am not much of a fan of poetry. But I came across this one recently and I was surprisingly pleased. In fact, if all poetry could be this profound, engaging, and inspiring, then I might become a bigger fan. I am definitely lighting the pipe tonight!

Smoking Spiritualized by Ralph Erskine

Was this small plant for thee cut down?
So was the plant of great renown;
Which mercy sends
For nobler ends.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

Doth juice medicinal proceed
From such a naughty foreign weed?
Then what's the pow'r
Of Jesse's flow'r?
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The promise, like the pipe, inlays,
And by the mouth of faith conveys
What virtue flows
From Sharon's rose.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

In vain th' unlighted pipe you blow;
Your pains in inward means are so,
'Till heav'nly fire
Thy heart inspire.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

The smoke, like burning incense tow'rs
So should a praying heart of yours,
With ardent cries,
Surmount the skies.
Thus think, and smoke tobacco.

I am so nerdy...

Welcome to Dan's world of seminary nerdiness! To the left is a picture of a mid-second century (~150 AD) manuscript of the gospel of John (1:1-14) that I just finished translating for my New Testament Canon class. For those of you not familiar, the language is Greek and this is a fragment that was copied by a scribe.

For those of you who have studied New Testament Greek, you'll notice that it is written in scriptio continua which means that there are no spaces between words and that all of the text is in capital letters. Needless to say this makes it a little more difficult that reading from a regular Greek New Testament.

However, it was fun doing it...and it is a lot of fun being such a nerd!

He is risen indeed!

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! Dan and I are very excited to have his parents visiting with us! We had a good service at church this morning and we're getting ready to feast on some turkey! We hope you all are filled with joy as you celebrate what Jesus accomplished for our great salvation! Here are some pics from this weekend:

Look at those trees! Aren't they beautiful! I love Spring! :-)











These are the pretty flowers that Dan bought me on Saturday!
















Here is a picture of us after church. Dan and his dad surprised his mom and I with corsages!

Lights out...

The look on Saluki forward Matt Shaw's face shown to the left at senior night last month pretty much sums up how all SIU fans felt during this year's basketball season. In fact, as I watched the Salukis play a zone defense for the first time in at least five years last night against Arizona State last night, I wanted to cry too.

Our run of six straight NCAA tourney appearances came to a halt. We lost three times on our home floor (to Indiana, Butler, and Illinois State - Meg and I were there for the Butler game, ouch). ESPN College Game Day came to SIU and, although we beat Creighton, we played one of the most boring games in the history of basketball. Matt Shaw and Randal Falker were supposed to be the senior leaders of this preseason nationally ranked team and they struggled immensely at embracing that role. I could go on and on, but it just hurts too much.

Well, the beauty of being a sports fan is that there is always next year. I am proud of the way the team this year overcame adversity, but we must do better. We have a top-25 recruiting class coming in and our younger players got some good experience this year. Let's hope we can turn things around and return to the form that so many of us have come to expect.

Nothing to sniff at...

I took the annual drive to Walgreens today to pick up my Allegra prescription. Oh joy! Don't get me wrong, I love springtime and I am glad to see everything coming alive. But I can't say that I enjoy waking up unable to breathe.

Speaking of spring, Meg and I took a look at the garden this afternoon and let me tell you, it needs help. The problem is that it gets so bloomin' hot here in the summer that we can't keep anything alive! So we're torn. Do we spend money on flowers that we know will look good for a couple of months and then wither away and die? Or do we just enjoy the jasmine, the rose bush, and the azalea plant that survived from last year? Maybe I can talk Meg into some silk plants...

My next move...

It has been a good week so far. I miss Megan -- this is the fourth night in row that she has worked. What that means is that I haven't seen her a whole lot so I am looking forward to the next several days.

Several things are going on right now...

* I am studying for a midterm for my Hebrews to Revelation class. Ugh...
* I am doing some Greek translation from a photograph of a 2nd century New Testament manuscript for my Canon class.
* I am working on a sermon I am preaching at our home church on April 13.
* I am co-teaching a Sunday school class on the Reformation at Uptown church and I am discussing Calvin and Zwingli this week so those notes need to get finished up.
*Then there is that pesky Hebrew grammar and vocab to go over. BTW, I think I am starting to really like Hebrew and that is kind of scary.
*We're getting the place ready for my parents' visit this weekend. We are really excited to see them!

So, life continues to be a juggling act, but God gives us the grace to get through. Plus he gives us really amazing gifts like the NCAA tournament which starts tomorrow. Now if only I can turn away from the TV long enough to get some of these things done...

A New Addict

I am officially addicted to facebook. It has sucked away over one hour of my day today.

Will you be my friend?