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| Watching the sailing at our neighbors house. |
It's been a while.
It's been a busy time for the family, and it's getting pretty busy at the
moment for me as well. Hanneke continues to do a great job with her updates,
and her gentle reminders mean that you get an update of how things are going
for me.
I have been working
pretty hard at my studies. I also had the opportunity to preach last Sunday. In
the morning I preached at Redeemer, our Home Church here in the US, and in the
evening I preached at Lynwood URC, which is the church where Andre and Anita
Holtslag and family were based. It was good to get 'back in the saddle' again.
It's funny, but it was a different feeling being in the pulpit again after a
break. I'm looking forward to my next internship already.
In the morning I
preached from Isaiah 55:1-5, simply entitled "Come", and in the
Evening I preached from Psalm 121, entitled, "Think Widescreen!".
Both were messages that I had written and preached over the Summer. I also used
a modified version of Psalm 121 in chapel.
As much as I would
like to write some new sermons to preach, it is simply not possible to do so.
With our workloads we are kept busy. And that is exactly the way that it should
be! I am working on two new sermons at the moment, for my classes. The OT sermon
is on Joshua 7, the defeat at Ai, working title "Sin Matters, Deal with
It!", and an NT Sermon on John 12:12-19, no title as yet. We preach them
in class, and are marked on them by our peers and professors. A tough audience,
but what a way to learn!
I also spoke briefly
at a Seminary Promotion Dinner in Michigan a few weeks ago, on my experiences
as an International Student. I also was part of a five man male choir, believe
it or not! There I got to meet Rev and Mrs de Jonge, which was a real blessing.
I also met Rev and Mrs Tyson a few weeks ago. It is indeed a small world!
We are also going to
a Church in Des Moine not this weekend, but the next. It’s about a five hour
drive, so we are going to stay for a few nights. A family that was in New
Zealand recently is going to host us, which is exciting. I will be preaching on
Psalm 125 in the morning: "In God We Trust", and Ephesians 5, HC
Lord's Day 17 in the evening, entitled "The Greatest Rescue Mission
Ever".
This week I am
working on a paper for Anthropology, looking at Romans 7, and what state Paul,
or the "I", is in, are they regenerate or unregenerate? It's a 20
page paper, so it requires a fair bit of work. I am enjoying trying to get my
head around the passage. It is not an easy one, and it is a bit of a minefield,
but it is a good challenge. I am realizing that I have bit off more than I can
chew, but it is too late to turn back now. I have done about 70% of the
research, so that will keep me busy for the next couple of days.
Next week is a Greek Comprehensive, so a lot of the week
will be taken up getting my Greek back up to scratch. It's amazing how quickly
it gets rusty! The tricky thing with all the work that we have before us is balancing
time on each subject. But you can only do so much each day. We are often told
that it is good practice for the Ministry. I am sure they are right.
Another paper that I
have in the works is a paper looking at the subordination of Christ, for
Christology. This should be an interesting one.
And that's my lot at
the moment. Thank you all for your continued prayers. We very much appreciate
it. At the moment you could pray for wisdom for me as I manage my workload, and
that everything gets done when it should! Also that I remember that I am a husband
and father first!
Blessings,
Albert
