After winning the first playoff series in franchise history, the Astros look like they are up to their old tricks. I missed most of game 2, but from what I could tell, middle relief gave up the game yet again. We’ve gotta win these two at home to stand a chance.

On a totally separate note, my fiancee is out of town and I miss her. I hope she is having a good time.

Tomorrow I get to look over the lesson for my 6th grade small group on Sunday night, work on an assignment for Dr. Lambert, write a summary of the second half of Augustine’s The Spirit and the Letter, write one paper, and attempt to start at least two others. It’s a good thing I’m on my own this weekend so I can maybe get some stuff done. Prepare for rant…

Rant: I really love school. I really do. I know I’m in the right major because I love reading just about every single book that I have to and I enjoy all my classes. The problem is, I just don’t have time to do it all. History of the Christian Church might be the best all-around class I’m taking this semester, but there’s lots of nights that I don’t have time to do the readings that I actually want to read. I’m very intrigued by the primary source material we have for that class and wish I had time to look at it more. I have a pretty big paper due in this class that I would love to spend lots of time on and attempt to publish, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.

Communicating the Christian Message is a class that I would like to take seriously, but it simply takes a back seat to all my other classes this semester. Yet again, I enjoy the reading about different theories about preaching and communicating.

Philosophy of the Christian Faith is a great class with lots of reading from Augustine. Yet again, I’m not able to read everything for that class as often as I would like. I loved reading Confessions and am drawn to the way he lays things out and presents his thoughts. I have a pretty large paper for this class as well that I think might be worthy of publication if I have enough time to do as well on it as I know I can.

New Testament Book Study and Hermeneutics is a wonderful class that I am keeping up with the reading. I feel like too many youth ministers are lazy Bible scholars and I’m doing my best to change that. This might be the class that I am taking the most seriously and am putting the most effort into. The paper for this class with be the largest paper I’ve ever written and I plan on kicking butt on it. If this paper isn’t the best in the class, I won’t be happy. I really want to do well on it.

Foundations and Practices of Youth Ministry is a great class that has a manageable amount of reading. The two books we read are good and the assignments about them are well-written to make you think. I think that JBU has a fabulous Youth Ministry program. I feel prepared to go into any ministry as a result of this degree because it teaches you how to think theologically, not how to be a youth minister. We just adapt our thinking to youth, but it’s not very difficult to apply that to any context. Anyways, Youth Ministry at JBU rocks. I recommend it to anyone. Bring your thinking cap though.

On top of school, I’m working about ten hours a week for Dr. Lambert and spending about 12 hours a week doing church stuff. And trying to plan a wedding and keep my fiancee happy. Oh yeah, I have to eat too. And sleep.

I know a lot of people have much busier schedules than I do. I don’t know how they do it. I feel stretched as it is. For those who look at me and think “I wish I had it as easy as him” I have the utmost respect.

Rant over. Back to work.