(Hopefully now that we are back on schedule, blog posts should be coming more regularly!)
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| New Zealand Students! |
It is a Saturday
evening as I begin to write this post. I am currently 42,000 feet in the air
somewhere over North Dakota and about to cross the border into Canada.
As part of our
Ministerial Apprentice Programme (MAP), we are required to preach at least 8
times during the school year. The
opportunity came up to preach in a vacant church in Calgary, Alberta. So I am
undertaking a whistle stop journey into Canada. I will be there for Saturday
evening, take two worship services at Bethel URC in Calgary on Sunday, and then
head back home to Chicago on Monday evening.
In the morning I
will be preaching from Psalm 126, the theme being "We are to have Joy
because of the Lord's control of our path in life." It was the last sermon
that I preached at Pompton Plains. In the evening I will be using one of my
favorite sermons (so far) on Judges 3:12-30 - Ehud and Eglon. The blessing of
writing a number of sermons over the Summer means that I have a ready supply
for the beginning of the year. While I would like to write a new sermon for
each service that I take the reality is that this is just not practical with
the workload of the semester. I will be writing some new sermons for class
during the year, and I will be able to use those also.
It's such a blessing
to meet other Reformed people around North America, and certainly something
that we are finding a very valuable experience in our time here.
This Semester, while
busy, is not looking to be as heavy a workload as last Semester. I also have a
much better idea of what I am doing, and how to organize myself as well. Due to
our being required to take services during the year, we also have no class on
Monday, to enable us to travel back from wherever we have been preaching. So,
if I am not travelling, it is also a great opportunity to get some work done.
This year I am also
going to spend a little more time with the girls in homeschooling, to help them
along with their language arts. I have also volunteered to take the devotions
and PE for our homeschooling group that meets on Thursday. Hanneke and I decided
that it would be a good way for me to have the opportunity to spend more time
with the girls. Something that I have learnt over the past year is that I need
to have structured family time, otherwise it does just not happen.
This week another
milestone was passed. I have been married to my best friend for 15 years. Wow!
God has been good, and the exciting thing is that it just keeps getting better!
Thank you Hanneke, for sticking by me, and putting up with me, and agreeing to
follow me on this new path in life that the Lord is leading us down.
We also said goodbye
this week to Oma van der Horst. We had a lovely 3 weeks together with her, and
we enjoyed some of our adventures out in the country side. She also spoiled us
rotten with all of the goodies that she brought over with her. It was lovely to
show her around where we live, and Seminary. She now knows a lot more about our
temporary home over here in the States.
Next time I will
fill you in on some of the courses that I am taking this Semester, as well as
some of the books that I am reading.
Blessings,
Albert
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