Catching Up

It has been some weeks since I last wrote on the blog. Some catching up seems appropriate. Since my last writing I have been hard at work with some fascinating (at least for me) experiences to share. Here goes:

1. I spent several days with Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, the renowned preacher and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. I became Fuller's official liaison for his "Preaching with Passion" Conference that the Seminary hosted. Dr. Ogilvie is an author (I have numerous copies of his books that he wrote as pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church) and a new, signed copy of his latest book, "The Red Ember in the White Ash". His inscription says, "To Jeff: God's man - a preacher with passion and my friend." Wow!
2. I have now given several lectures to M.Div students this quarter. I had to fill-in for my mentor, Dr. Schmit, who was on jury duty. I gave one lecture on "Text to Sermon" detailing how one goes from a passage through the daily process of study that will eventually end up in a sermon (I then spent the second hour preaching the sermon to them so that they might have a model to use and/or critique); Another lecture was on Narrative Preaching where I help the students understand the principles of how to do this genre of preaching. Most of that lecture was based on my book, which is required reading in the course.
   
3. Church of the Foothills (the Church of God congregation here in Pasadena that I am Interim Pastor for) is hosting an Arabic language service this coming Friday. It is supposed to attract a packed house of Arabic speaking Christians who live in the area. One of our Pre-School families left the Middle East after being persecuted for their Christian beliefs in a predominantly Muslim nation.
   
4. I am currently reading a book by Stephen Webb called, "The Divine Voice" which is an absolutely fascinating book about the Theology of Sound. His use of both the bible and dealing with the works of great philosophers and theologians, makes the book a unique read. It is helping to form my own understanding of the uniqueness and the power of preaching.
   
5. Joanie continues to get high marks from her new principal and the leadership of the school. I am so very proud of her and how she is growing in her life. She has been hired by Church of the Foothills to be their Minister of Music. Last week she shared her testimony with the Fuller Wives Support Group that she is deeply involved in. She is doing very well juggling her many tasks and the recovery from her hip replacement surgery continues to go well.
6. This weekend I will be holding a weekend revival in Whittier (about 20 minutes away). It is a big weekend for them and they are focusing on reaching out to their neighborhood, so I pray their efforts will be fruitful.
   
7. I have to register for Winter classes in a few weeks. It will be the last time I register for classes here at Fuller. After the Winter Quarter I will be preparing to take my Comprehensive Exams in the Spring and then I will be taking Directed Readings for the second half of my program as I prepare to write my Dissertation. While I have several years in front of me, it is amazing how time has flown by.