Now, I'm Really Finished!

Today has been a lovely way to finish the academic year. The whole college attended a farewell chapel service (where Michael Morrow's new CD was launched, by the way - see http://www.morrowmusic.com). We all then enjoyed a BBQ lunch on the lawn (and what a glorious day for it!) before a competition between faculty and students.

Then later in the afternoon, a group of first-year girls got together for a high tea celebration. This was such an encouraging time of fun and laughs, sharing with each other the highs and lows of the year and praying for each other. Some of those girls won't be returning next year, although some of them have husbands who will be continuing study. I pray that God will continue to sustain each one of them and that they will find new ways of enjoying and serving the One who sustains us.

Last One!!!

Yesterday afternoon, I completed my final exam for the year. 3 hours of Doctrine was an exhausting yet exhilirating way to finish.

I've really enjoyed Doctrine lectures this year. It has been great to think through my understanding and knowledge of God and this world.

I expect that next year's lectures will be much more challenging but, for now, here are the questions I wrote on yesterday afternoon. If you want to talk any of them through, let me know - more than happy to discuss them!

• How is it possible for human beings to 'know God'?


• 'The Trinity is an impractical doctrine of relative unimportance.' Discuss.


• '... of infinite power, wisdom and goodness.' Consider the meaning and implications of this description of God.


• Respond to the suggestion that 'penal substitution' is unjust.


• Why must Christian believers take seriously the bodily resurrection of Jesus?

So, what's next? Well, today we have our final chapel service for the year, lunch together as a college and a high tea for the first year girls this afternoon. I'll spend a few days in Shellharbour early next week before coming back to college for much of the holidays.

I'm looking forward to reading for the sake of enjoyment (even re-reading some of my textbooks, just because I can), enjoying time to watch some movies, doing some scrapbooking, catching up with people, attending a silly number of weddings, doing Christmas shopping and even cleaning up my room and getting into Greek summer assignments!

In the meantime, I will be preparing to finish up at Shellharbour City, starting at Panania in January, attending CMS Summer School and assisting at Next Generation (previously known as Katoomba Youth Leadership Conference). As much as I first thought the holidays would be difficult to fill, now I'm pleased there at least seems enough time to fit things in.

Well, off to prepare to face today and all its celebrations!

Mission Foundations Exam

Well, here's a first - I walked out of the exam smiling!

Mission Foundations is a subject that looked at the biblical theology of mission before looking specifically at how people have engaged in mission since biblical times. It has been a fascinating subject, one that I've felt I could sink my teeth into.

The questions I wrote on were:

• In what ways did Paul's conversion launch him on a path of world mission?
• What is the message of the book of Revelation for world mission?
• What relationship does action for social justice bear to proclamation of the gospel?

All that's left now is the 3-hour Doctrine exam tomorrow afternoon - it's a BIG ONE!!!! Wow, are we nearly done?

Philosophy exam

For better or worse, I have finished my Philosophy exam. I have to admit that I've really struggled with Philosophy - the ideas seem so enormous and, quite frankly, weird or even useless. So, although I've done some hard work on it (maybe not as consistently as I should have?), I went into the exam feeling as though I really wasn't sure about any of it. On top of that, I'd had my first bad night's sleep in the last couple of weeks (praise God that I've had such great sleep over the last few weeks) - I've been awake since 3.43am!!!

This exam was different to the others in that we had some idea of what the questions would be before we went in. In some ways, this seemed to increase the pressure of feeling like we'd really need to know what we're on about for this one. Additionally, I think everybody was a bit surprised that not all of the questions seemed to particularly resemble the ones we'd been told. At the very least, they tended to be narrower in scope, meaning you had to understand a particular part of the question you'd prepared for.

The questions I answered (or attempted to answer at least) were:

• How successful is Plato's ideal republic when it comes to formalising the relationship between the One and the Many?
• To what extent did Augustine's challenge to the skeptics enable him to make judgements about the Truth?
• How successful is Kant's categorical imperative when it comes to making moral decisions?

Whether it was the tiredness, the anxiety I was trying to keep under control about Philosophy, or that I still really don't get it, I left the exam about 15 minutes early because I had simply run out of things to say about Augustine and Kant. To my surprise, especially given I was in tears over Plato on Saturday night, I felt able to answer that question quite well.

Well, no time to dwell on it too much - still have 2 more exams in the next 3 days. Better get to it!

Church History exam

At least today's exam didn't seem as bad as the New Testament one. We needed to do 3 essays and there were 3 questions that I felt really comfortable with - couldn't hope for better really!

This year's Church History course focused on the early church, from the time of the apostles up to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The lectures have actually been really interesting - I just wish I'd had more time to really absorb some of the detail

For those who may be interested, the questions I answered were:

• Evaluate the claim that Constantine's Christian faith was little more than a political expediency.
• What advances did the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed make?
• Discuss the legacy for the Christian church of Augustine of Hippo (355-430).

Now, to start looking at Philosophy - my real nemesis if there is one amongst my subjects. I don't get it!!! Please pray.

New Testament exam

Our New Testament exam was this afternoon and it felt much more difficult than the Old Testament exam on Monday.

Throughout the year, we have been studying Mark's gospel, Paul's letter to the Ephesians and Peter's first epistle.

Part of my problem in the exam was that I seemed to draw a mental blank on almost all of what I had learned about 1 Peter! I couldn't remember the structure I had memorised and, in a panic, seemed to then forget everything else about the book!!

Anyhow, see what you think of the questions I attempted:

• How does Mark's structure assist the telling of his story?
• 'Your faith has saved you.' What is the relationship between faith and salvation in Mark's Gospel?
• 'Four Gospels. One Jesus.' Explain the advantages and disadvantages for Gospels study, of having four Gospels.
• How does the Christology of 1 Peter serve to motivate readers towards doing good?
• In what ways does Christ change human relationships, according to Ephesians?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Now onto study for the Church History exam on Friday!

Free Money for New Lives

Check out the following sites on this joint initiative between Moore College, Anglicare and Women's Forum Australia. Please consider if you can help in any way.

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/sydneystories/free_money_to_free_the_unborn/

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/socialissues/080_free_money_for_new_lives/

http://www.freemoneyfornewlives.com.au/

Old Testament exam

Just to let people know that I survived my Old Testament exam this morning.



The following are the questions I answered - feel free to ask me about them sometime.

• What is the purpose of the book of Deuteronomy?


• What made David's reign different to Saul's?


• Why does the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament contain so little reference to the particulars of Israel's history?


• 'The book of Daniel is about wisdom.' Discuss.


• A Christian, troubled by the marginal notes in his Bible, poses the following question. Provide an answer: 'If we are not certain about every word of the Old Testament, how can we be certain about any of them?'

Five essays in three hours - my head and my hand hurts! Oh well, time to move onto preparing for the New Testament exam on Wednesday.

One Year Down - Well, Almost!

It's hard to believe that I have already finished lectures for the year! Where has my first year at college gone? Although it still seems daunting to think of another 3 to go, if they all go this quickly, then it will fly by.

Presuming I pass all my exams (maybe that's a big presumption at the moment :-)), the year will be completely over in less than 3 weeks. In the meantime, however, I still have 6 more exams to face, with 24 essays to write in them! 24 essays!! That's still a lot of information I need to absorb during the next couple of weeks.

Please pray that I will be diligent in my studies, that I will be able to keep in perspective the fact that lots of others have done this before me and survived (and that my salvation and worth as a person do not depend on my results at college) and that all the students will be supportive of and gracious to each other during this stressful time.

Most of all, please pray that I will be excited by what I'm learning, that it will not be a merely academic exercise and that God will be working in my life as I learn and understand more about him.

PS for details of my exam timetable, see my post dated 23 September.

A Full Saturday

I'm feeling a bit sore and sorry for myself tonight - but in a good way!

A couple of friends and I decided that we would go to Chinatown to have Yum Cha for lunch. It was agreed that we would walk - but somehow it ended up being a walk that encompassed Sydney Uni, Glebe, Pyrmont, Ultimo and Darling Harbour before finally reaching Chinatown!

Lunch was, of course, a real treat - very yummy indeed! Thanks Tho, Jen and Dee!!

After coming back and preparing for tomorrow's church events, Dee and I spent time reviewing our lecture notes for our exam this coming Friday on Jonah.

All in all, a busy day.

I think I might go to bed early.

PS Happy 8th birthday Sam!!

Community Living

One of my friends recently wrote a blog post on community living at College and it struck me how different everybody's experiences community living are.

So many variables have to be taken into consideration in order to gauge one's response to the idea of living in a college environment. Personality is a significant factor - an extrovert can enjoy sharing with a large number of others but be frustrated when others are busy and there seems to be nobody around. An introvert can struggle with being overwhelmed by people always being around and a lack of personal space.

For some of the girls I live with, moving to college has been the first time they've moved out of home. For them, college can be an experience of the freedom they have yearned while living at home as an adult. Some of them go back home on weekends to catch up with family, friends, washing, etc.

For others, moving to college has meant moving from interstate or from country NSW and all that is familiar is a long way away.

In some ways, I've been surprised by my own reaction to living at college. As an introvert who has lived alone for a number of years, I expected the adjustment to be significant. And it has been. However, not always in the ways that I imagined.

I had had more than 12 months to really adjust to the idea of moving to college, of moving away from friends and family, of living in one room. Of course the reality is always different to the idea but I think, overall, that I had prepared myself well mentally.

People have often asked me if I miss having my own kitchen and I have to say that I generally haven't. Although I don't mind cooking, I don't find it relaxing the way some seem to and I really only enjoy it when I feel I have time to enjoy it. Throwing something together for dinner after a long day at work was never my idea of fun. So having meals provided suits me fine. Having to go up the road for every meal and being told what time I'm to eat every meal is, however, sometimes a real drag. Having to engage in small talk over every meal is also sometimes just hard work.

What I have really missed is a loungeroom. I spend a lot of time in my room and, quite frankly, I get really tired of only having my desk or my bed to choose from. Somewhere to kick back and unwind is sorely missed.

I also get frustrated by the bathroom arrangement. I've lost count now of the number of guys who I've unexpectedly found in the corridor as I come back from the shower in a robe. Not usually my preference!

There are definitely advantages in living in community - the commute to college is a breeze and there are always people around when you need help of some sort.

However, please pray for me (and my housemates) as we deal with living together. Pray that I will be gracious and tolerant and that I will be always looking out for the needs of others.

Prayer Points

Firstly, apologies once again for the lack of posts over the last few weeks. As a way of updating you a bit on what's happening in my life at present, I thought I'd post some prayer points.

Praise points

• Praise God for the baptism yesterday of my niece, Jessica.
• Praise God for the opportunity to celebrate my nephew's second birthday and to spend time with family yesterday.
• Praise God that I survived the Greek exam on Friday and the crazy lead-up to it.
• Praise God for a terrific night's sleep last night - best one in several weeks!
• Praise God for the fabulous friends that he has given me and for their encouragement and support.
• Praise God for sending Jesus to die for us.

Prayer points

• Pray that Jessica will grow up to know Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. Pray that the adults around her will be faithful in telling her of God's love for her.
• Pray that I won't forget to keep on top of my Greek over these next weeks and months so that next year won't be a shock.
• Pray for diligence and the ability to study well for the other exams that are coming up.
• Pray that my studies won't be merely an academic exercise, but that I will be aware that I am dealing with the living word of God, which can change and refine my heart.
• Pray that we students will be gracious and loving with each other as we approach exam time.
• Pray that I will continue to get appropriate rest and refreshment so that I can apply myself well when I am working.
• Pray that I will be able to work out living arrangements for the time of the college holidays (with a minimum of stress).

Thanks for your ongoing support in this area.

Pornified Culture

I apologise for the shocking title but this was the name of a talk that I heard this afternoon that looked at how pornography, the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls harms us as individuals and as a society.

Melinda Tankard Reist of the Women's Forum Australia came to Moore College to speak on this disturbing subject. From Bratz dolls to sexualised clothing for children to the mainstream advertising of sex services to internet porn, there is no doubt that we are rapidly becoming immune to the reality and the enormity of this issue.

Melinda went through some shocking statistics about the rapidly lowering age of sex offenders, the amount of money spent in Australia on pornography, the availability of porn to adults and children and the impact of that porn on sexual relationships and expectations.

Young girls (ie as young as primary school age!) are reading magazines (Girlfriend and Dolly are mainstream) that tell them how to perform sexual acts, and suggest that they need to be flirtatious and sexualised in their behaviour and their dress. In the meantime, the statistics indicate that young boys are far more able to access porn - and are watching it regularly!

These things distort the views of both girls and boys about what is 'normal' and OK in relationships with each other. To think that it is not impacting on kids is to be living in a dream world.

My question to parents who are reading is, do you know what your children are reading and viewing on the internet?? What are you (and I) doing to fight against the trend of sexualising children's toys, clothes and advertising materials? What are we doing to protect ourselves as well?

For the women out there, can I strongly recommend joining the Women's Forum Australia, an organisation that is aimed at speaking up against these and other issues related to women in Australia. They are an organisation that is not afraid to speak out and challenge advertising standards and other things that might not always win them any friends. We can be doing something to fight this trend in Australia - and this is one way of acting.

Fourth Term

Firstly, apologies for not updating my blog recently. You'd think that I'd have had more time to write during my holidays but it just didn't seem to be the case!

I spent the majority of the two weeks at my brother's place in the Lower Blue Mountains - a great opportunity to have some space from people and not have to live in community for a little while. The first of those weeks was spent writing an Old Testament essay, looking at what happened to those left behind in Judah during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BC. As tiring as those essays can be, I quite enjoy the research and the opportunity to explore a topic at more depth.

The second week was spent catching up on some sleep, catching up with some reading, catching up with some family and making sure that I took at least a little bit of time off before returning to college. It was capped off with a great weekend at Women's Katoomba Convention (more about that in another post).

Fourth term at college started yesterday and it's a little difficult not to start panicking about all that is coming up. Our Greek exam is a little over 3 weeks away (!) with 8 more exams following. The thought of exams is more than a little terrifying but I'm trying to keep in mind that many others have gone before me in this and, what's more, have survived.


Prayer Points

• Praise God for the break that I've had
• Praise God for the fantastic talks at WKC
• Please pray that I will apply what I learned at WKC and that it will lead me to be more godly
• Please pray that I will prepare well for my exams over these next few weeks and that I won't be overwhelmed by it all

Exam Timetable

• 17/10/08 - Greek
• 31/10/08 - Biblical Exegesis and Exposition (Jonah)
• 31/10/08 - Biblical Exegesis and Exposition (Pastoral Epistles) - take home exam due
• 10/11/08 - Old Testament
• 12/11/08 - New Testament
• 14/11/08 - Church History
• 17/11/08 - Philosophy
• 19/11/08 - Mission Foundations
• 20/11/08 - Doctrine

'Holidays'

Well, I'm officially on holidays for the next two weeks. However, I'm certainly learning that holidays around here do not always allow a lot of time for relaxing. I have a big Old Testament essay due in the middle of the holidays (although I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into the reading and writing for the essay). I have chosen to look at the topic of what happened to the people who remained in Judah during the exile of the 6th century BC. Although there is not a lot of data available, it should be interesting nonetheless.

I'll be spending the bulk of the holidays at my brother's house in the Lower Blue Mountains, as he and his family happen to be going away at the same time. After wrapping my head around the idea of packing a bag again, I'm looking forward to spending time in a place where I can spread out to write my essay and have some time to simply unwind.

However, as much as I'm looking forward to that, I'm still struggling with the number of holidays we have a college (I know that sounds weird!). After 15 years in the workforce, where my longest holiday was the four weeks I had before starting college, I have subsequently had another 6 weeks and am about to have another two! I just want some routine that lasts more than a few weeks at a time. I would much prefer that the pace at college was slowed down a bit and that the terms were therefore longer. Does that sound really strange?

Anyhow, we are on holidays, regardless of my feelings about it all, and I know that next term will be crazy as we approach the end of the year and exams. So, please join me in praying that I will not freak out about being on the move again and that I will achieve lots of work while also getting good rest and refreshment.

The Blessing of Friends

Thank God for good friends!!

This week I have been reminded of how we should treasure those friends and remember just how valuable they really are. I have not only been able to spend time with some friends but also have received phone calls and emails, reminding me of their encouragement, prayers and love.

To my friends, I do thank God for you and for our friendship. This journey would be much more difficult without you in my life. I love you guys!!

Remembering Grandpa

Today is the second anniversary of the death of my grandfather, Reg Philpott.

Grandpa passed away at the age of 89 years, after more than 64 years of marriage to my grandmother, Evelyn.

It's funny the times that I will think of him and miss him. There are still times when I have to pull myself up after thinking of something I want to tell him about.

I'd have loved for him to know about my decision to go to college. I'd have loved to have seen him with my brother's children who were born after Grandpa died. He would have been so proud to see how my grandmother has coped by herself. While she desperately misses him, she has chosen to continue to live life, even though she is now 87 years old herself. As she is currently on holidays, I can't speak to her to let her know that I'm thinking of her, as I know that she will be remembering today with sadness.

I thank God for Grandpa's life, for the man that he was and for the time I got to spend with him.

Driscoll-mania - Burn Your Plastic Jesus

Burn Your Plastic Jesus was billed as an opportunity to take a blow torch to all the plastic (read false) ideas of Jesus that are out there in Australian society.

Having avoided most of the Mark Driscoll hype, I have to confess that I really wasn't sure who the evening was aimed at - was it meant to be an evangelistic evening (ie aimed at non-Christians) or was it designed for church-goers?

Turns out there was a bit for everybody, although I'm not sure if that was necessarily helpful. After a couple of congregational songs (which were terrific for church-goers, especially with 10 000 voices!), an introduction by Al Stewart and a couple of songs performed by Nathan Tasker (again, great for church-goers, but probably unknown by many others), Mark Driscoll spoke for almost an hour about some of the plastic views that Australians have of Jesus. Similar to the talk he had given at Moore College earlier in the day, it was clear that he had done some homework about Australia and our interests, etc but I think there were maybe a few too many generalisations and that some of what Driscoll said was coloured by his American background (eg Country Jesus sounded more American than Australian).

Driscoll again had a dig at young Australian guys, telling them to get over the Peter Pan syndrome that seems to afflict them, to grow up, get married and take responsibility for their lives.

He went on to take questions from the floor via SMS (very culturally appropriate - and manageable with such a large crowd). After spending about half an hour answering questions, Driscoll then went on to spend another 20 minutes or so explaining who the real Jesus is and challenging listeners to put their trust in him, instead of the plastic ones. By this point, I have to confess that I was not paying a lot of attention - my knee was aching and I just wanted to stand up!

Interestingly, instead of asking people to move to a designated point if they were wanting to put their trust in the real Jesus (or re-commit to Jesus), Driscoll asked people to simply stand where they were and for the Christians around them to pray with them. In terms of getting the Christians involved, this was quite clever. Counsellors were still available after the event for anyone who wanted to talk in more depth (and hopefully were used) but a lot of the praying for people was inside the auditorium, often with people that were known to the person involved.

Whilst I remain concerned about the way in which people place Mark Driscoll on a pedestal, I don't regret hearing him. He is renowned for challenging people to think outside of the box and he definitely lived up to that expectation!

Driscoll-mania - what did he have to say to Moore College?

My last post told the story of how I came to hear Mark Driscoll twice on Wednesday. This post will look at what he had to say first of all to Moore College.

The seminar he conducted on Wednesday afternoon at Moore College was probably the best-attended college event I have yet seen. I doubt there were many students or faculty who were willing to miss the opportunity to hear what Driscoll had to say about preaching to today's generation.

It was quickly clear that Driscoll had done his homework about Australia in general and Sydney in particular. He knew statistics about Sydney that some had never heard before. He seemed to have gleaned a good understanding of the pop-culture of Sydney, of what things were in fashion, especially amongst the younger generation, and of what was considered to be 'cool'.

Driscoll also had done his homework about Moore College and determined what it was that he felt we, as a college, needed to be told. And tell us, he did! He was quite complimentary of the attention that is given to remaining true to the Scriptures by the Sydney Diocese and of not allowing the gospel to be compromised. He said that we were known as 'the Bible guys'. However, Driscoll was quite forceful in telling us that we need to polish up our act in how we present the gospel to our community. He said that there were two groups - the boring Bible guys and the really cool heretics. He suggested that we need to be adding a third group to the mix - the pretty cool Bible guys. He then went on to talk about some of the ways we could do that.

He reminded us that proclamation of the gospel is about the telling of a timeless truth but that contextualisation is about telling it in a timely manner. In other words, be unflinching in the gospel message but flexible in our approach. However, contextualisation is not making the gospel relevant, it's showing the relevance of the gospel.

Driscoll also challenged us as students to be thinking about how we are sharing our lives with non-Christians. It's true that it is very easy to lead quite an insular life here at College, one where we have very little contact with anybody outside of our immediate community. It was certainly a challenge that is worth further consideration. How do I go about ensuring that I have opportunities to share the gospel if I have no contact with non-Christians?

Driscoll also gave the guys a particularly hard time, bluntly telling the young guys that they, especially, need to step up, grow up and take responsibility for their lives, their marriages and families and for their churches. My understanding is that encouraging young guys to step up is a particular hobby horse of Driscoll's and he did not settle for less on this occasion. He also argued that a man is going to have little idea of how to head up a church if he has not headed up a family.

Although the single women were told to keep serving Jesus and be prepared to change what this looks like when they marry (a generally good principle), there was no recognition at all of the fact that relationships are not always as straightforward as this, and not everybody who wishes to marry will have this opportunity. The obvious (and right) response is to keep serving Jesus. However, as somebody who did himself marry as a young man, it seemed to me that Driscoll had little understanding of just how hard it can sometimes be as a single person in a world of couples and families.

All in all, I would say that it was worthwhile hearing what Driscoll had to say. Despite not agreeing with all that he said, there was certainly stuff in there that we as Sydney Anglican Moore College students needed to hear.

Driscoll-mania - who is Mark Driscoll?

At one point during his talk yesterday afternoon, Mark Driscoll implied that he expected students would blog about him (although preferably not until after he finished speaking). I, therefore, thought I would oblige...

I have to confess to not having paid particular attention to Mark Driscoll prior to the last few weeks. It seemed to me that he was some American guy who everybody seemed to think the sun shone out of. That was enough for me to be wary of getting caught up in the hype that seems to surround this guy. Maybe I'm cynical of things that seem to be associated with American mega-churches or maybe I'm just a typical Australian who participates in cutting down the tall poppy. Either way, I didn't go to any trouble to find out anything more.

However, it soon became evident that there was real excitement about Driscoll's visit to Australia. It also became apparent that pretty much everybody at college was going to hear him speak at some point. People seemed to take him seriously so I began to wonder if I should at least hear what the guy had to say. I started to check out who he was and determine if I thought he was worth listening to.

Turns out that Mark Driscoll is a guy who is the same age as me, married, with 5 kids and heads up one of the biggest churches in the US. Driscoll's claim to fame is that he started off Mars Hill Church in Seattle 12 years ago (at the age of 25) with a handful of people. The church currently has approximately 7000 members! That is no small achievement. What does seem remarkable is that he appears to have done this without losing focus on Jesus.

The next thing that became apparent was that Driscoll is big on talking about Jesus as he is, without pulling any punches, but also talking about Jesus in a way that shows he is just as relevant today as he was 2000 years ago. The other thing that was particularly obvious is that Driscoll is a big proponent of encouraging men (especially young men) to step up and take responsibility for their lives, their families and their churches. Maybe Driscoll did have some things to say that were worth hearing.

On that basis, when I was offered a ticket to last night's event at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, I decided to take it. I then found out that he would also be doing a 2 hour (voluntary) seminar at college yesterday afternoon so figured I would go along to that also.

For a rundown on the two events and my thoughts on them, watch for my next posting.

Moore Revue videos

Some videos from the Moore Revue have already made it onto YouTube. Click on the following links to view some of what the night had to offer!

GASCon
Ode to Lunch

I will add more as I find them.

Moore Women First Year Supper

Moore Women is designed to include the women of Moore College - female students and student wives - as part of the College community. They arrange women's Bible study groups, training events and regular weekly meetings discussing a range of topics.

I've been along to a few of the events but not on any sort of regular basis. However, last night I went to the first year supper - put on by some of the faculty wives - for female first year students and their wives.

It was a great opportunity to spend time, especially with some of the wives of guys in my year. It was also terrific to spend time as a group hearing about how others are finding the college experience now that we are more than halfway through the year.

It is fascinating to hear the range of experiences - for some, the whole thing has wildly exceeded their expectations; for others, there have been various struggles and difficulties and, even in a Christian community, a sense of isolation and frustration.

The evening reminded me to be aware of others' experience of being at college, that it is not possible to assume that all are experiencing the same event in the same way. It has helped me to remember to be thankful for my own experiences (both the good and the difficult) and to be more aware of how I can help and support others.

I pray for these sisters in Christ: for strength and encouragement for those who are struggling; for those who are travelling well, the ability to rejoice and to offer strength to others. I also praise God that we are all so different and can contribute to God's work in this world in so many various ways.

Moore Revue

Wow, I think it's been ages since I've laughed so much and so hard for so long. Who knew that we had so many talented comedians amongst the students at Moore College???

From comic routines to witty songs to comedic take-offs of lecturers, clever editing of movies and even some serious acts thrown in, Moore Revue 2008 was an enormous success. My guess is that it won't be long before some of the acts make it to YouTube so watch this space for any links!

Even walking back to my room after it finished I heard people talking of plans for acts next year.

It is, however, more than a little frightening that these people are the future leaders of our churches!! Nah, on second thought, it's great to see people with the ability to laugh at themselves and not take life too seriously! Who says life (even Bible College) always has to be serious???

Busy week

I'm feeling a little like so much has happened over the last few days that I'm not sure what to share first.

The Annual Moore College Lectures have now finished with the final instalment by Dr Mike Ovey being presented last Thursday. It has been so valuable being reminded of our need to repent and that a life of faith is marked by a life of repentance, seeking to become the person that God made us to be.

On the weekend, my church had its annual Houseparty. As we have done in the last couple of years, it was again held partly at the church (Friday night and Sunday services/lunch) and partly elsewhere (all day Saturday at Waterslea on the Shoalhaven River). It was terrific to feel like I could afford to spend time with people from church, just in conversation and over meals, without being as rushed as a Sunday often is.

It was also great to hear from Jim Ramsay on practical ways of connecting with those around us, challenging us to make the effort to be intentional about getting to know people and think about the conversations that we have with them. Given that it is easy to end up cloistered in the college community and forget that the rest of the world is out there, I need to think very deliberately about the opportunities I make and take to have contact with people outside my immediate church and college environments.

I feel very relieved that my Greek exam was over this morning, although there is already talk about preparing for the yearly exam (in about 8 weeks time). However, I've decided that today is not the day to worry about that and have given myself permission to have an afternoon off Greek study. It has been a big relief to know that I don't need to look at that list of words for the rest of the day.

This week is crazy on the Moore College social calendar! Tonight, we have the Moore College Revue - a night, I'm told, that is not to be missed, as members of the college community has the chance to show off their musical, poetic and dramatic talents. On Saturday, Moore College will hold its Open Day and Winter Carnival (contact me if you are interested in coming along).

Prayer points

• Praise God for the privilege of studying here at college and the daily opportunity to be learning more
• Praise God for the SCCAC Houseparty last weekend - for the time to spend together and for the talks that we heard from Jim Ramsay
• Please pray that I will be diligent in my studies and that I will not simply view them as an academic exercise but remember that the Bible is the Word of God

Joys of Bible college

One of the things that has surprised me about being at Bible college is how much I love the doctrine lectures. I always expected that something like New Testament would be my favourite subject. However, I've found that I love thinking through what it is that I believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc.

Today's Doctrine 1 lectures were a continuation of last week's lecture on penal substitutionary atonement. Put perhaps a bit more simplistically, Jesus paid the penalty that I deserved to pay for rejecting God and trying to live life my own way. This is not something that I could ever do myself, nor is there anything I need to add - Jesus has already done it. All of it! And, because Jesus was the substitute that God provided to pay my penalty, I can now stand before God on Judgement Day and not be afraid of God's wrath.

How can it get any better than that?

In the meantime, New Testament lectures are exciting too! We are studying 1 Peter this term - there is so much to take in from just 5 chapters!

Please pray that I will continue to be excited by what I am learning and not get bogged down in all that I need to do.

Beginnings

Well, it seems that I have actually succumbed to the whole idea of keeping people updated with what's happening in my life via the internet!

In some ways it seems rather daunting but it is also exciting to know that others can be kept informed in a fairly simple manner.

At college, we are in the middle of the Annual Moore College Lectures - a series of 5 lectures by a (usually) visiting speaker which are open to the public. This morning we have heard the fourth of the talks by Dr Mike Ovey on the subject of repentance. It was exciting to be challenged to think about how repentance and faith are related to each other and what role repentance has in our salvation. The fifth and final talk is this Thursday morning at 10.15am at Moore College - come along if you are able!

Everybody has been referring to third term at college as the 'term of fun'. There is certainly some truth in that as events like the Moore Revue and Winter Carnival happen next week. My struggle, however, has been in dealing with a lot of disruptions to my normal routine and working out how to cope with it all.

I seem to be very much a creature of habit who prefers things to be predictable. However, so often life doesn't operate in that way and we have to constantly be dealing with change. Praise God that He never changes and we can rely on Him to always be the same. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.' (Hebrews 13:8).

Prayer Points

• Praise God that He never changes and that we can depend on Him always being the same
• Praise God for the incredible privilege it is to study the Bible so intensively during my time at college
• Please pray that I will be disciplined in how I spend my time, especially when there is little in the way of regular routine
• Please pray for me as I study for a Greek exam that I have next Tuesday morning - it is just rote learning for this one but I need to put appropriate time into it