The Month of May

For one who works, studies, and plays at home, my life could be quite a mess without some rather careful borders that separate study time from work time from family time from blog time. The last of these falls into the evening hours, after the kids go to bed. As the kids get older, they go to bed later, and there are fewer evening hours in my life. Some other pursuits have been pushed into the same slot as I try to guard the more central hours of my day. The result is that I usually have to turn in before I’ve had a chance to consider something for the blog.

I’m going to steal the last few minutes of the month of May to write a brief summary of a few items of significance this month.

1. I’ve already noted the completion of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands. I doubt that I will ever do a project as large as this in the future. (Before the millennium, anyway.)

2. Publication of the photo collection does not end related work, however, as websites still need to be updated and expanded, and support provided for potential and real customers.

3. The photo work has taken second seat to the dissertation in the last two weeks. I have begun research in earnest, adding to what I did in previous years in writing an exploratory paper and then crafting a proposal. I am enjoying getting re-acquainted with the 9th century BC.

4. Though technically a few hours beyond the month of May, four of our kids are expected to pass their grade in the last day of school tomorrow. We ‘ll then have a pair of 8th graders, a 5th grader, and a 3rd grader.

5. This week our home was invaded by not one but two electronic devices. They ‘re tablet-type devices, not phones, but two of the kids saved their money for a long time and within days of each other crossed the desired thresholds to order the device of their dreams. Now on my wishlist: a device to make parenting easier.

6. I spent the four Sundays of the month teaching through Daniel 9. I enjoyed this great section of Scripture. Chapter 10 has me more mystified.

7. At the beginning of the month I was in Israel, finishing a two-week tour with a group of 45 from my church. That was a special trip in many ways. Two days ago I finished naming the 1,100 photos I took. Someone please tell me that I can stop taking pictures already.

8. I had the opportunity for a quick flight to California to honor a professor retiring at Talbot with whom I’ve worked for many years. Teaching Talbot Bible Lands since 2000 has been a great blessing for me.

9. Especially on plane rides, I read a few books: Domestic Life in Palestine, by Rogers (4 stars), Unbroken, by Hillenbrand (5 stars), The Reason for God, by Keller (4 stars), Scholars on the Record, by Shanks (4 stars), and Sinking the Dayspring, by Jackson (3 stars).

Back at Shechem for the first time since 2000