a blast of cold

...sucks the air out my lungs.

...absolutely stuns. worse than jumping into a cold pool on a hot day.

...shocks me back to the reality of deadlines and due dates and such.

it's not a mixed blessing to be in chicago. it's a pure blessing. pure blessings, though, aren't made up of mushy gooey happy feelings. pure blessings are gifts from God. so, being in chicago is a pure blessing.

thanks mom.

it's exciting and troubling to delve back into theology books. to grapple with the Bible itself. face to face with the Word of God.

i'm so excited about this semester. [did i mention tired, too?]
i'm excited about reading the entire old testament.
i'm excited about reading the gospels.
i'm excited about asking questions of the text, of God, and of His followers.

last semester had hardly any structure. this semester is full to the brim. i did it again. i "got busy" again. but...this seems different. i'm very excited about all the things i'm busy with.

the only terribly frustrating detail is that i wish i had more time to phone Home.

hrmmm. off i go, i think, to experience some of the excited fullness of this semester - working for the [in]famous dr. j.