Breather for Now

I pulled the first all-nighter of my seminary career last night, writing 20 one-page reflections and cramming for the final exam for my Old Testament History class. I went to bed from 8:30 to 11 p.m. last night, got up and worked until 5:30 this morning, dozed for half an hour before getting up and [...]

Not Even Jack Bauer Can Get Us Out of This One

Powerful episode of 24 Sunday night. “Redemption” caught us up with illegal expatriate Jack Bauer (played by Keifer Sutherland) coming to the aid of African children kidnapped to be made into child soldiers under a would-be dictator.
As always, the show’s story was straight out of news headlines, even including a presidential transfer of power in Washington, [...]

The Reverse

As mortgage payments tend to be more than the rent kind, I started a second job this week working part-time in Covenant Seminary’s bookstore. It’s a good schedule for me that works with my teaching: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., and about every other Saturday from 9:30-2:30. In addition, Megan will cover the [...]

Summer Seminar: A Summary (part 2)

After another 50 miles of biking on the Mickelson Trail (broken up over two days), the novelty of the South Dakota experience began to wear thin. At times, it was downright burdensome, as I was dealing with 28 high school seniors who I so desperately wanted to see “get it” with regard to the academic [...]

Top Three Jobs I Wouldn’t Want Today

In light of the news, this short list of not-so-great jobs came to mind. I’m glad I’m not

an Olympic torchbearer in San Francisco
a debate coach for General Petraeus
a desk attendant for American Airlines

Others?

No Joke

I had an appointment for some academic advising at Covenant this afternoon and, in the process of doing the old degree audit and figuring out what I’ve taken and what I still need to take, I got some good news this April Fool’s Day.
Barring any major screw-ups, I should finish my MA in Theological Studies [...]

Bittersweet Break

Due to either brilliant planning or pathetic procrastination, my Westminster Spring Break is turning out to be more about remembering what it’s like to be a full-time student than what it’s like to be a teacher with a week off. On the docket:

Listen to seven 45-minute lectures, read five chapters, complete a study guide, and [...]

Wow (and Whew)

Yesterday after school, Jim Marsh, headmaster at Westminster, walked into my room, shook my hand, congratulated me, and then gave me an envelope with a contract for the 2008-2009 school year. Unless I do something really stupid (or stop doing something I am apparently doing right) between now and the end of May, I have [...]

Of Murder, Offerings & Dogma

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been slow with original material. I think this is due to an experience earlier this week in my Biblical Ethics class that has caused me to pause ever since with regard to creating content. Let me explain.
We began walking through the sixth commandment (”You shall not murder”), and it [...]

TwentySomeone at Cedar Crest

We hung out with 20 twenty-somethings this weekend near Santa Fe, MO – beautiful weather and play buddies for the kids topped off a fun weekend of teaching on this decade of transition.
I forget how much I love doing this.

One Big Game of Chess

Fellow teacher (and chess coach) Thom Johnston took this picture of Megan and the girls at Westminster’s annual Carnival this past weekend. Our two oldest had a good game and played for quite a while, while their little sisters pretended to understand all the moves.
The picture makes for a good metaphor of what the next [...]

Bulimic Productivity

I’ve spent way too much time in a staring contest with my computer this week, but at least it’s been productive. Today I’ll submit the first draft of my article for byFaith and maybe check email a couple of times, but that’s about it. All work and no play makes Craig a very dull boy.
I [...]

Ramen from Heaven

After a busy day of class and study yesterday, I met with Dick Schamp, one of the elders at Memorial, before attending our church’s session meeting later that evening. It had been a few weeks since Dick and I had gotten together, and the plan was to meet at 5 p.m. for an hour at [...]

The Interview

For those following along, my interview at Westminister (the high school, not the seminary) went well. The initial meeting with the headmaster and the four other administrators around the table was probably the toughest part – not because of them, it’s just awkward to walk into a room and wax eloquent about yourself with men [...]

Jerry Maguire Moment on Education

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Jerry Maguire is at the very beginning of the film when, on a drunken binge, Jerry (played by Tom Cruise) writes and publishes his thoughts for all to read in an essay titled “The Things We Think and Do Not Say” concerning his profession as a sports [...]

A Church for Everyone…Except for Me

As many of you know, I’m beginning the part-time/full-time job search for when we leave support in May. My tension here is trying to find a job that pays enough for our one-income family to live on (that is, eat and pay rent), while not having to work an excessive amount of hours in order [...]