Van Minutes

Hello everyone! We hope this update finds you healthy and looking forward to Christmas. I know that we are. Three more days and a bit until we leave for Canada on a jet plane, for family, friends and snow! I get to wear a winter jacket again! (Karin already is) People make fun because I often don’t wear a jacket when walking to the library or class. They say this must be like ‘summer’ to me. 6C is not summer :) Karin has gone to over 4 women’s group Christmas parties and has made a whack of cookies for one of them. We are really getting in the mood for Christmas. We are very much looking forward to just hanging out for 3 weeks in Canada and enjoying the relationships with y’all. Also, Karin’s 30th birthday is just around the corner! I won’t mention it (since Facebook probably told you) but the number starts with a 3 now. Good thing 40 is the new 30. Wish her happy birthday!

I got the chance to travel to Atlanta just around American thanksgiving to attend the Evangelical Theological Society meetings again this year. A generous friend helped with my travel and accomodations after I backed out of driving over concerns with our car and money in general. He had not gone before and was quite excited to have me along to chat with him about it. The topic this year was “Justification by Faith” and one of the leading proponents of the “New Perspective on Paul,” N.T. Wright, was there with Rob Schreiner and Frank Thielman for a lively panel on the issue. N.T. Wright has kind of smacked the beehive in the evangelical world over this topic, so it was pretty lively discussion. For those who are interested in justification issues, and Judaism in the Second Temple period (the reason why Wright has a ‘new’ perspective) I have leads on some reading, from 1o minutes worth to monster treatments, if you are interested. All in all an over-stimulating conference with 2600 of the world’s leading evangelical theologians, profs and writers.

It’s been a challenging wrap up of the fall semester on many levels: academic but also personal, spiritual and health. Having Karin gone , deciding what I want from my thesis, an earlier major medicine adjustment and, I believe, spiritual trial have all played a part in this being a challenging time. I believe that Satan does not want me or the rest of us students here, training to bring truth to the ends of the earth. He hates our aims here, and he will try through constant accusation (Rev 12:10) and temptation to convince us students it’s not worth doing anymore. It’s the first thing  that happened to Jesus, immediately after God said he was pleased with Jesus and he began his ministry (Matt 4:1).  Jesus was tempted to throw in the towel in the desert, it wasn’t pretend since he was God anyway. I think I understand that on a deeper level now, and I’m glad my Jesus went through it first for all of us. We talk about this in class, chapel, the women’s groups and with friends. We have been encouraged to lean on some people here for prayer, encouragement and council and have done that. It works, because God gave us the church body as a gift of his grace. We really appreciate the benefits some of those good godly people here have on the both of us.

Well, we will see you soon unless you live here in Dallas, then we’ll, uh, see you less soon!

God bless all of you and thanks for those among you sticking it out with us in prayer and financial support. We don’t forget and are very grateful.

Love,

Dan and Karin

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