It's been a while...

I reckon it’s time to return from my blogging hiatus and to share a little about how my summer went. You might recall from the blog that I kept during my stay in Israel that I would be self-employed in Ohio this summer. Now that it is September, I can say with a big smile that God provided abundantly for all my needs: as a man who needs to be kept busy during the day, God gave me plenty of work and opportunities to take my grandpa for long car rides; as a college student who needs money to pay for the rent in Georgetown, God gave me plenty of financing; and as a study-abroad student looking to settle back into American life, God gave me a patient family and the countless comforts of home. It was both a gift and pleasure to spend the summer in Ohio working by the sweat of my brow by day and growing in relationship with others and God by night. I appreciated home more than I ever expected was possible, and rare was the day when I took for granted my summer life. Highlights were a trip with Luke to a weekend bluegrass festival in Kentucky, the annual Midwest Camp Bike Trip, and the Steidl Family Reunion. More than a couple friends got engaged, a woman younger than my mom passed away at church, and now, at the beginning of September, I find myself three months older than I was in the middle of June. I began lifting weights and wearing cologne this summer to see if I might trick some unsuspecting girl into marriage. So far I’ve had no luck, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled, my muscles toned, and my Wrangler perfume close-at-hand in these last couple semesters at university.

In this new blog, I hope to keep you and me updated twice a week on the goings-on in my life. Thoughts and opinions and commentaries are constantly running through my head, and every once in a while I hope to capture them in writing for my own clarity of thought. As a Christian believer, I think about the Kingdom and witness and sin and salvation and God’s will and the world and Heaven and mystery. As a government student, I think about politics and elections and international relations and justice and law and parties and theories. As a theology student, I think about the Bible and hermeneutics and languages and doctrines and histories and cultures and religions. There is often no method to the madness in my mind, and in the same way there will probably be no systematic approach to what I share in this blog. Hopefully, though, it will provide a window through which everyone can see me and the fella whom God is building me up to be.

I’d encourage your input in the process. If it seems like I’m departing from sound teaching, doctrine, or thought, please let me know -- I promise to think long and hard about it. I won’t pretend to know all the answers, but I will look forward to correction and/or encouragement. Thanks for reading along, and I hope this new blog is helpful for everyone who gets to participate.