Reflecting...

Right. Ok. So.

Yesterday it was August 28, 2007. Today, it is January 3, 2008. What happened?

In the past four months, we Bakers have lived through what has to have been the most busiest schedule we’ve ever experienced.

In the past 120 days, I have...

- Graded over 1550 papers, including exams, exegesis papers, genre reports, homeworks, etc. I only had two classes, so that’s a fairly light load of papers, I guess. It felt like a mountain to me.

- Written several chapters for my next book. I’m not done, but I’m close…really really close. My good friend Jay is a saint.

- Edited a 300 page book for a friend, passed it off to another friend for additional editing, then got it back for some tightening. It’s due back to my friend in the next few days. The next phase starts after he makes his changes, which includes layout and design, and then indexing the work. After that, it’s off to printing. I’ll leave the project with another friend for indexing, and part of the design and then jump back in for the printing phase. Lots to do to make his late spring / early summer release date.

- Begun searching for a marketing company to handle the work of promoting friends book.

-Written five columns for the awesome YouthWalk magazine. Laurin has been so fun to work with.

- Written one article for the incredible Journal of Student Ministry. Will Penner will always be my hero.

- Begun work on another book project due to the publisher in August, ’08.

- Sat with friends in the hospital. The most notable trip was a good friend who has dialysis three times a week. The more we talked, the more I was convicted about my eating habits.

- Prepared and delivered about sixty lectures on everything from Biblical Interpretation, Worldview and Biblical History (anything from Genesis through the New Testament letters).

- Taught bible studies and Sunday school to college students. Our Sunday School class has been studying the Judges. Judges is a fairly repetitive book with great stories and lessons about devotion and obedience. I’ve been reminded over and over that God tugs on the hearts of imperfect people.

- Worked on some advance planning with our Jr high and High School Student Ministry point people, Andrew and Gwen. We’re going to Mexico and I’m thrilled for our little group.

- Listened to hours of music, and a lot of it has become some of the soundtrack of my life lately. The first few that come to mind, in no particular order…
-Sinead O’Connor’s Theology
-Iris Dement’ s The Way I Should
-AFI’s I Heard a Voice
-Feist, Frou Frou, Imogen
-Dave Matthews Live at Radio City
-Dave Crowder’s Remedy

- Lived through the oddest series of broken things. Our 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan is perpetually broken. It turns itself off while driving and sometimes won’t restart, which is frustrating. Our clothes dryer. The plumbing under our kitchen sink. The refrigerator. Our desktop computer. Oh, and I lost my watch, too. Broken things stink.

And, finally, there have been incredible family moments. I baptized Jessica last Sunday which was such a great thrill. She did a wonderful job with her testimony in front of the entire church. Nicole has moved into her own room, my office (not my office anymore!). Jess is learning how to room alone, Coley is discovering her own teen hangout space, and I’m back to writing old school for me…writing in the bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc. I was under the baptistry on Saturday, and it looked like a perfect place to write. You might find me there one day soon! Jake is learning how to be the youngest male in the house. He’s five going on fifteen. The other day he handed me a piece of paper on which he’d written “BOOTOKS” (our family word for your behind). I’m not sure what he meant. I’m keeping it, and showing his entire High School graduation class.

So, good fall. Busy fall. Lots more happened, but I guess that’s those are the highlights.

What now?

I don't have any university classes this term, so, I'm going to write most of January, and hopefully, all of February – May. I've got a load of stuff that needs to happen at Hope, and writing projects to finish and flesh out.

I'll hopefully have more time to blog.