Back at it again!

[Note: I heard several comments about difficulty reading the blog cue to the black background. Unless I hear an outpouring to the contrary, I will look at changing this - it just hasn’t happened yet.]

The stay in the USA – Dec. 7 - Jan. 28 – was a good one. Though my return was to the US was moved up several days because of the death of a senior church leader in my home congregation, that worked out very well in terms of my travel and use of time.

The funeral was certainly a sad and sobering time – though Brother Mose had lived a long, good life, his death was a shock to all (he was overcome by covid). It was good to be back, and though my return was a surprise to folks at church, it was good to be part of all that was transpiring. The remaining almost 8 weeks were also good to catch up with people, and it was as if I had never left. While home I was also able to update a number of legal and medical issues – my will is now in legal language (the attorney authenticated what I had previously written, just this is in “legalese”), also dental and eye exams. Also, the good news is my blood sugars have come down from 6.5 in June (the threshold for diabetes) to 6.0 in October and 6.0 again in January, for which I am most grateful!

The choice between Jerusalem University College and Veritas International University has been made - I will be pursuing the latter. It seems the first priority is to build what connections I can in east Africa, and that is not possible with some of the technicalities of the JUC program. Also, a serious part of a Jerusalem degree is to directly experience the Biblical sites, but Israel has been closed for 10? months due to covid, with no indication of when that will change. I will however be making a slight shift in the degree being pursued: from “Polemics & Apologetics to Islam” to “Apologetics.” the Islamics degree has a heavier slant toward Islamics than I need, and the Apologetics classes I’ve had have had such good, solid content - hence this tweak in this direction.

Jan. 30 I returned to Addis, and am living at the same place as before, seeing the same people, doing the same things, etc. Schoolwork has gone well, but continues to be a real uphill slog. The content is excellent and interesting; it’s just a continual pulling myself up by my bootstraps to complete the work as specified. For most of my adult life I’ve been able to process things in a l-o-n-g, slow, fashion, and now I’m needing to meet sudden deadlines where things must be processed in short order. I’m also needing to be careful since these classes are in a different field than my previous training, to be sure foundational things are not missed. This week I finish an excellent class on the defense of the Resurrection, and the classes for the next 7 weeks are Theology Proper and Creation, and Islamic History - the first 200 years (i.e. until it was written down). More on those later ...

“Ministry” items? This week I met with a young, highly trained adult from a Muslim heritage who I have been asked to disciple and train in the Christian way. I know he’s been looking forward to it, as I have been as well, and am using a curriculum specifically developed for him. His first assignment was to write the life story of a (fictitious) Christian – it will force him to clarify his thinking about what the Christian life really is, will give me insight into where he’s at and what he knows (or doesn’t know), and will be a platform to work from as we begin studying this together. I brought a small “motherload” of materials along to possibly use with him, and on completion of the first assignment plan to give him John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress to read – it will give him someone else’s response to the assignment to write a Christian’s life story!

I expect my blogging will settle down a bit, that posts will be every two weeks, if not a bit more. There was an incredible amount of activity in the fall, that I need to settle down a little bit and live a “normal” life.

God’s best to all until the next time!

O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory,
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98

A hymn: Rejoice in the Lord Alway