Paperless bliss

Well it's done.  I turned in my last paper for this semester.  It was a 15 page exegesis paper of Hosea 11:1-11.  As much as I enjoyed reading about and engaging the text, I am glad to be done with it.  Writing a paper like that takes so much out of a person.  For weeks you will read and read and read; and then read some more.  For weeks you will think and write.  Then there is always the need to figure out how to translate the text.  And when you have a passage that is textually corrupt (like mine), that task is even harder.  Needless to say it was a good experience but I'm glad it's over.  I just wanted to share my happiness.  All I have left for the semester is translating Pss. 48, 50 and 84.  I also need to read more but that's never-ending.  Next semester's classes: Hebrew, Syriac, and German.  

Snow today!

It's not every year that Abilene sees snow. But today was awesome. We had a pretty uneventful trip back to Abilene today from Tyler. It really didn't rain on us much. But about 10 minutes away from Abilene I noticed that the temperature was 40 degrees. 5 minutes later it was 35. About a minute later small hail was falling. Within another minute we were in snow and so for the last 3 miles on I-20 we drove in the snow. And it was beautiful. When we got home we immediately got our camera and took pictures. Now I know for those who have lived further north this is nothing, but we were excited.

Silly Dad

I love this picture because my dad typically doesn't do things like this. But we forced him to try this on last Christmas and in doing so snapped a great picture.

Uncharted Territory

I am posting on my blog for the first time ever. This is uncharted territory for me. I have resisted doing this for so long because I'm one of those people who always tells themselves that their "not one of those kind of people" (i.e. blogging people, writing thoughts down people, etc.). Yet here I am. My main goal is just to update what is going on in my life. That will mostly include school subjects since I am engaged in those most often.
I recently wrote a paper (actually an outline) over Ezekiel 1-5. Like I said when I presented my paper to my class, I feel like I'm in bizarro world when I read the first five chapters of Ezekiel. It's humorous to read the different ways people have explained the strangeness of this section. Some (psychologists) believe Ezekiel was certifiable. And I must say, he certainly looks it. Others actually purport the use of some kind of drug or hallucinogen. What looks crazy though actually resembles beauty. What Ezekiel seeks to describe is none other than "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." Wow! Talk about confusing. Essentially what Ezekiel means is the Lord is incomprehensible. What I found pervasive through this text though is the sovereignty of God. I encourage you to read it and respond with what you think is important in this text. If you are into reading commentaries and doing follow-up studies, I recommend Margaret Odell, "Ezekiel" in The Smyth and Helwys Bible Commentary. She approaches the text having done extensive study in priestly literature. Her commentary draws on the theme of Ezekiel moving away from the role of priest to the role of prophet.
We returned tonight from a weekend in Tyler/Whitehouse. It was a good weekend of seeing family and relaxation. Rachel worked with her mom, my mom, my aunt, and Larissa at a garage sale which is great because we got rid of more stuff. I always like to see more tubs empty. We got to see our precious niece Shaye. She was a lot of fun. Probably the cutest thing ever is right after she has eaten. She gets a big belly that sticks out. And since she's normally very petite it shows a lot. My dad, Kyle, and I all went to the Whitehouse football game. It was actually a lot of fun. They won so they're going to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. I'm not sure that's ever happened in Whitehouse. And if it has then it's been a really long time.
So I know this was a conglomeration of several topics in one post, and that may not be the proper etiquette for a blog, but cut me some slack. It's my first time. I have yet to decide how frequently I may or may not post on this. For the time being, don't expect me to be an avid poster. But I'll do my best to update.