Half way there

The semester is half over. I had 3 mid-terms this week, and I'm glad they're over. Now it's time to get to work on some research papers.

By the way, this is not Will, but I thought it was a funny picture. We're headed to the Texas State Fair tomorrow!!! Woo Hoo! There's nothing like spending too much money on food and walking around looking at cheap crafts while taking in the wonderful stench of livestock. But, hey, it only comes around once a year! My oldest brother and his family are coming up, so it will be great...not to mention the perfect mid-70-degree weather we'll be enjoying. One other highlight of the fair is that you can get practically anything fried...from oreos to snickers to ice cream to Coke! I'll try to get a few bites and let you know which ones are worth trying. Of the ones I've heard about, fried cheesecake sounds the most tempting.

Life in Cowtown is good. The weather is cooling down. Will continues to master the art of using the potty and continues to be an information sponge. New favorites for him include Buzz Lightyear and Woody. He likes to play cowboy...of which he refers to as Giddy'up, and he likes running through the house yelling "Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!" Blake celebrated his 3-month birthday yesterday. He's smiling and starting to giggle these days. God has truly blessed us by giving us a child who sleeps really well at night. Thank you, Lord, I know it may not be much on the scale of eternity, but it lets me know that you care about the little details of my life.

God has also blessed us with good friendships. There's a guy named Barry who is in every single one of my classes, and we've become pretty good friends. I call it a divine coincidence. We're able to talk about school, life, family, and ministry. His wife, Karen, and Amy have become friends as well, and they have a little girl, Abigail, who Will loves to play with. Thank you, Lord, for giving us meaningful friendships on this journey.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll post some picks of the fair in my next blog.

Family Pics

I haven't posted many family pics in a while, so here you go!

Out of the Cave

I have been buried in a cave here recently, and that cave's name is seminary. I'm so glad for this past week to be over. The short of it...3 papers and a major Greek test. I tell people I've not bit off more than I can chew, but I am having a difficult time swallowing it. The worst part of being so busy w/ work and school--not having time to slow down and be with God. The 2nd worst part is not having time to slow down and be with my family. Amy has been more than wonderful lately. She realizes it's a load and is doing more than most people would in order to help me know it's okay. I'm really struggling in the "quiet time" area with God. I go to chapel 3 days a week, we talk about scripture in class, and I go to church on Sundays. Most people would say, "You've got a lot of God time." Well, I enjoy all of this time, but I also long for simple, quiet moments alone with God to interact with him through his word and prayer. Time seems scarce these days, and I'm getting less sleep than I did any other time in my life, so I'm trying to figure out a way to make time for God. I've tried in the morning, and that's been rather unsuccessful. At night, I'm nodding off. During the day, I go straight from school to work. I'm at a loss. If you're out there reading this, please say a quick prayer for me. Thanks.

On another note, in the midst of my cave experience this week, God has hightened my interest in Church Planting again. It was Church Planters Week at Seminary, and I'm keeping my heart open to what God has in store for us. Some people (like our moms) my get petrified after reading these statements assuming that I'm saying that I am absolutely going into church planting. Rest assured moms, God hasn't said to go yet, but I do warn you that He's done it before and I'll say yes again if He does it again.