The end of it all, and the beginning of more

Well Ive finally come to the end of my 2nd year. Today I had the last of my exams and am officially free until september. I am glad for two main reasons just now: The first, I am free for at least a few days to gain back some rhythm in my life after the pulls and weights of revision and pre-exam stress. Secondly, things that have been on my mind for the summer, I can now concentrate on. Life Update: as far as those of you who are interested in my whereabouts in the next few months, I will be still based in North East Scotland due to working with the church, and rent etc, so I am commited to get a job...boohoo Oh well, hopefully it will be something good I can put on my CV, pray for that if you would. Secondly I hope I can get some good reading in this summer, I always make this a priority but then the end of the summer comes around and Ive read all but half on 2 books! Also some focus and vision for the next couple of years in relation to a)the future and also b)My current position and ministry. I am happy where I am and trust God for the step after Uni (in 2 years) but I think as this is the half way mark for my degree its a good time to take stock and get some vision for the future here, and elsewhere. Thats all for now I may update this post later.

Wondering around evangelism

While I have no time to blog, I, it seems have some time spare to read articles not related to my looming exam on monday. So heres a link to a great little article on evangelism. I know for me someone who's always said "Ooo my gifting is not in evangelism" this is the kind of thing I embrace, and I think over the last 2 years one of the things Ive really reconcilled is my inner commitment to want to see people being set free by Christ and the unattractiveness of traditional soap box evangelism. Being interested in people's lives has been a good way for me to learn that its a way of extending God's interest in them, and the realisation of that in their lives. Wondering into Christ Found this link at Scott McKnight

Ill be right back

Just dropping in to say Im busy, busy studying for exams in two days (Monday and Friday) Thanks to everyone who offered supporting comments on the blog, email and over the phone about Alex. There making a film about Kyle Lake, both the trailers are shot beautifully and it is a tribute to a great man of God (http://www.kylesfilm.com/) My iBook, after much verbal amrwrestling with apple is being fixed! yey!...but right now Im stuck with my desktop and the crappy blogger editor which never inspires me to blog. I think Part I&II of Ephesians study is all your getting as I ran out of steam on that project, but maybe it will be helpful to someone at some point. I also may endeavor to dump to knowledge on Romans that Im collecting, which no doubt will fly away shortly after my exegetically based exam. Apart from that, Im using the Google Reader Favourites bar alot, check it out on the right, it gets updated pretty much daily with the best posts Ive read. Also check out pandora.com great project! nb. sorry for the 1Dness of this post but all the button seem to be broken for links and pictures. Sorry

Struggling to grieve

(Alex is the one in the middle) Well the irony of last nights post is not lost on me today. I found out today that a good friend from University died tragically a few weeks ago and I didnt even know. Alex was a german biology student who lived above me last year, I spent a good few evenings hanging out in her flat with her and her other german friends and we all had a great time together, we were all setting out on an adventure together and having a great time doing it, for them it was being in scotland for me it was starting my studies and living so far from home. I dont really know what to say about it all except that Im really upset about it, but cant seem to cry or externalise any of it to the point that I feel like im being unhealthy. Im so used to just experiencing things in my emotions right away and I dont know quite whats happening. Alex was great fun, and we had plenty of good chats about my faith and her faith in evolution (being a biology major) she was really kind to the people she was around and welcoming and looking back on the year where we lived so close she was a good friend. Tonight Im praying for her family, who must be experiencing my sense of loss to an extent I cant imagine, For me I think this is the first person Ive known well in my mature life that has died, and in such a tragic way. She was touring scotland with her family when she was trapped in a fire in a youth hostel near skye. Heres the BBC news on it 1 and 2 I was preaching on worship tonight at church, I had half a mind to call our pastor and ask for him to step in as I hadnt finished preparing when I found out and I couldnt collect my thoughts well enough but then an hour or so before I went out I just decided to bust it out. The stuff on the paper was the stuff my heart was passionate to share but I didnt really connect and flow as well as I wanted to, and knew it as I was preaching. I had to stop for what felt like 3 minuites though probably more like 20 seconds when my thoughts about alex which I had surpressed all day popped up and i choked up, It wasnt the time for it so I pushed it back down and got on with it, not sure if that was the right thing to do but It felt like it at the time, I couldnt speak for a while because I would have cried but the silence was unbareable too. Anyway there are a few rambled thoughts for now, my iBook suddenly doesnt feel like such a big deal anymore. Peace

A few notes on my life at the moment

Alot of peoples live are turning upside around me, and I feel like Im waiting for my bombshell to hit. Though I am quietly assured that God's plan for me will bring me to the trials when I need them. John moved out of our house last week, and I think God's been graceful in keeping me busy which has meant I haven't missed him in any painful sense. Fraser has/is moving upstairs to John's old room which is nice not to be rattling around up here on my own. Im listening to Creed Human Clay which all in all isn't a great album but reminds me of being mid-younger teens at Johns house, good times, and here we are who would have guessed it. I also got some bad news today, my iBook has been on the blink and wont come out of sleep mode, crossing my fingers hoping that it was something small didnt quite work, basically the repairs (I got the quote this evening) is more than I paid for the iBook 6 months ago, the logic board has gone £370 then £175 service charge. So that is a real shame but I am also preparing to give a sermon on worship for the last couple of days and having my mind in that place of not considering 'stuff' very important Im not devastated, though it's a shame to leave the lovely world of apple so abruptly.

Hosea 6:1-3

Firstly I am on a hot sweaty bus on the way home just now and would like to commend the inventors of air con! i was in a lecture on 1st and 2nd Corinthians and the lecturer who is a pretty popular Pauline scholar mentioned some verses in Hosea in reference to Paul using Old testament language when describing the atonement in the language possibly for the jewish Christians who were more likely to make the connection, so for example in Romans 3:25 Paul speaks of the passing over of the sins. Any way its not really that I wanted to talk about, it's the Hosea verse (getting back on track): I'm always struck by the prophetic connection of the Old testament talking about Jesus, and the redemptive acts of God, and for me his is one of the most beautiful verses, Hosea 6:1-3 Come let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before him. So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD his going forth is as certain as the dawn; And he will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth

Technorati Tags: bible study, Hosea, pauline theology

Today is a wierd day

Today is a wierd day....my best friend (so much so that he's just brother really) left today, went back to cornwall after 8 months here, it was a wierd leaving, not necessarily bad, just wierd. There was lots of talk about him not leaving, and possibilities of him staying so I didn't really know what to expect and so didnt rise my expectation in either direction, then last night I contained myself with the busy-ness of having an ad hoc leaving party, then this morning blearry eyed watched as he drove up the hill leaving the village with his arm out waving the whole way, and there it was, he was gone. John probably knows me better or as well as anyone on this earth and I think that has been the root of the joys and our fustrations together over the last 8 months. Over all we probably act like brothers more than anyone else we know, rolling our eyes at each others habits, but sharing a deep sense of identity together, knowing that were both intent on the goal, and journey. His leaving is a shame, an end of an era, and at the same time just another day but I know that God blesses a life given to glorify him where ever it is, Im glad for all our sakes that God's will is not a tightrope but at the same time he knows exactly what were about to do. This type of openess on a blog makes me cringe a little as I click "post" but its a good a place to process and dump as ever.

Scot McKnights E.P. Sanders Principle

EP Sanders Principle I read a book on the Paul (thr apostle) that I liked so much I bought it, I think thats the first time Ive genuinely bought a book outside of required reading texts. Anyway it was a very short introduction to Paul, which is a brilliant series by Oxford University Press.... So what Im swiftly blogging to say, is that Scott McKinght (apart from the fact that he should be employing me for the amount of links I give him!) mentioned a great story involving E.P. Sanders the guys who wrote the forementioned book, its all about going for coffee with Sanders and the story basically ends up: When the bill came, I asked to pay and he said this very clearly and directly. He looked me in the eyes and said... want to know the rest, pop over and read this short but great post on Kingdom generosity