Since 1) most dissertations are little read, 2) my blog is little read, 3) I like jotting down exegetical thoughts, 4) I have views I want to promote, and 5) I value interaction, I'm going to share a few exegetical tidbits that occur to me while I write my dissertation. I'm currently past the proposal stage and on to the prospectus, the foundation-laying first chapter. Here's my working hypothesis / attack-plan: I am working on the topic of emotions in Paul (both in Paul the man and in his...

I'm going into treatment for a small addiction I have. It's called e-mail. While I'm working on more important things than e-mail, my serotonin levels drop until the urge to check e-mail is uncontrollable. Just kidding! About the "uncontrollable" part, that is. But not about the treatment. Here it is, a new e-mail schedule. I will check e-mail at these times: 10:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. That's it. For a period of one month, I will try this. If it works, I'll (by God's grace) stick with it....

Here's some humbling advice I read from Iain Murray. I boiled it down to what was most humbling and pointed for my own heart: Read the best books and only the best and read them with a pencil in your hand or with some other system so you can recall even years later what you’ve learned. Be sure you do not let emails and web sites control your priorities. We need very carefully to avoid losing time on controversies. Sometimes it is necessary but most often it is not.

I love the New York Times, I really do. It's just quality. And I think articles supporting my positions are more powerful when written from the opposite side of the political and moral spectrum; e.g., check out this one from a while back. (I'm sorry, but I can't stand Fox News and I never go there unless forced. All that brazen screaming—and that's just the graphic design. For a conservative perspective I prefer the Wall Street Journal opinion pages.) Of course, sometimes articles or, more...

The God of all creation put on a beautiful show for me and my wife last night. Here are just two shots of that show I got from our front porch!