Papers, Tests, and Notebooks, Oh My!

Apologies for being a week late with this. There has been a lot going on and I just didn't get around to it last time. School is going very well, and next week is finals, followed by a Break Week where there is nothing to get done and no classes to go to.

This term has really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I hadn't paid very much attention to in the past. The historical reliability of the New Testament comes to mind immediately. The facts surrounding the New Testament as a historically accurate document, and the proof which surrounds it, is not something I was taught growing up, and indeed none of the 15-18 people in class with me, from all over the country, had been taught about it either.

Spiritual Disciplines is another class where I explored areas of our faith that were somewhat foreign to me, though less so. From meditation to fasting to spiritual gifts, just to name a few, and their place and effectiveness in our lives today, has opened up an entire new world within my faith for exploration.

These courses are just a couple of small examples of what I learned about and experienced in this first term at SIBI. I'm planning another series of posts where I talk about each class a little more in depth so that people can get a more accurate picture of life in the classroom here.

The workload is really something else too. Reading several books of the Bible, writing exegetical papers (what stuff means), more than a couple of books, and studying for tests is something that I had to get back in the swing of. I'm pretty sure I didn't have to do as much in college, but then again that was a completely different type of work. Meeting new people, making friends, and spending time with so many others all looking to become what they need to be for the work of Christ has really been a blessing and contributed much more to my own growth than what I could have thought.

Life is good, school is great, and hey, even my grades are quite a bit better than average. Once I have them (sometime after Break Week, I'm sure), I'll post them all up here. The first part of the journey is almost over, but it's also only just begun.

As always, we love you all and thank you for the support of all types that we have from you.

-Jared, Danielle, and Haden

Research Week

This week is what is fondly (and terrifyingly) known as "Research Week". We have no classes, this week, but rather have a break from classes in order to get caught up and get papers written, books read, and tests studied for. This is a list of what is getting done this week:

Reading:
Exodus 1 - Numbers ch. 17
Pages 74-206 of an Old Testament textbook
A 180ish page book on Spiritual Disciplines
40ish pages in a book on the historical reliability of the New Testament

Due next week:
Old Testament History Midterm
Life and Teachings of Jesus Midterm
2-3 page paper on "Discipleship" in Luke
5-8 page book review on the 180ish page book above
5-8 page book report on a book on Cline Paden (the founder of Sunset)

So that's pretty much the schedule for this week. I'm managing to stay on target with the goals set to have all these things ready, so that's a good thing. After Tuesday of next week I'll have a little bit of a respite from the load before I write the next 5-8 pager paper on 2 Thess. 2:3 (the Man of Perdition).

Oh, and please don't misunderstand. I'm not complaining about the work load at all. Just thought I'd give you a little glimpse into my world at present. I'm learning many great things and I'm extremely grateful to be able to delve this hard into these subjects.It is a little scary, to be sure, but it's great as well.

Here's to learning!

-Jared, Danielle, and Haden

Thank You

All,

I do not have words enough to thank you for your support. It is absolutely, incredibly amazing. I won't get all wordy here or anything, but I just had to say thank you for all that you have done and are doing for us.

-Jared