Things have slowed down. Last week, I asked for prayer for the whirlwind. Now, I’m in the eye. Not sure if whirlwinds have eyes like hurricanes, but you get the point. Things pick up next Thursday. Here’s an update of how the first stage of the whirlwind went (thanks for your prayers).
Last Thursday I got up at 6 am, prepped for 3 hours, taught Genesis for 3 hours in the morning, drove for 3 hours (to Baltimore), prepped for 3 more hours, taught and discussed for 3 more hours, then drove home for 2 hours (traffic was better–arrived at 12:30 am). I was speaking for the InterVarsity group at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County addressing the question, “Is God angry or loving?” I love hanging out with students.
The highlight was talking to skeptics, agnostics and atheists about the loving God of the Old Testament (YHWH) and the loving God of the New Testament (Jesus). It made me miss doing campus ministry. (I was on staff with InterVarsity for 14 years–Shannon is in the midst of her 27th year on staff.)
On Sunday, I gave a similar version of the Angry/Loving God talk at Woodland Presbyterian church in Philadelphia, the church that we attended from 1992-1997 when Shannon and I were the IV staff workers at Penn. It’s a great church with students from Penn (3 blocks away) and diverse mix of people from the community of West Philadelphia. They bought 15 copies of GBB and are planning on discussing the book in one of their small groups.
If you’re the praying sort, I’d appreciate prayers for Thurs through Tues (Nov. 17-22). I’m speaking a total of 8 times– at Biblical, at a retreat with Shannon and at churches in Santa Cruz and Palo Alto (CA). It’s good to be in a place of dependence.