Christmas Greetings, Both Merry and Happy!

Both the joy and meaning of Christmas are amplified and magnified
when Christ's nativity is set within the larger Gospel story. Two anci-
ent creeds found in the New Testament set Jesus Christ's birth with-
in the recognition and declaration of all that God has been doing
through Him.

We believe in the Gospel,
promised long ago through the prophets,
written in the Holy Scriptures.

We believe in God's Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ:
as to his humanity,
born a descendant of David;
as to his divinity,
shown with great power to be the Son of God
by his raising from death.
Amen
(Romans 1)


Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ-
he was revealed in the flesh,
attested by the Spirit,
seen by apostles,
proclaimed to the nations,
believed in throughout the world,
and taken up to glory.
Amen.
(I Timothy 3)

If you live on this side of the 'Pond'- Happy Christmas!
If you live on the other side- Merry Christmas!
Christmas blessings to you and yours this Christmas season.

God the Father's Advent Preparation

As we enter into the final day of Advent, I'd like to share one way
some Christians view the Advent candles:

As we light the candles in our Advent wreath we remember the prep-
arations which God our Father made for the coming of his Son into
the world.

Our first candle reminds us of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and David who
looked forward to the coming of Jesus.

Our second candle reminds us of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Micah
who told of the coming Messiah.

Our third candle reminds us of John the Baptist who came to prepare
the way for the Lord.

Our fourth candle reminds us of Mary who was obedient and became
the mother of Jesus.

(from Prayers for the People)


Blessings to you and yours as we draw near to Christmas!

An Advent Prayer from Me to You

In my wanderings around Scotland during the past three years, I be-
came aware of a group of women and men of great and lively faith with
whom I have a sense of kinship. They were Celtics who lived in Ire-
land, Scotland, and northern England from the 5th century to the 8th.
There are people in these days who are fascinated with Celtic spiritu-
ality from that era, and rightfully so. But what attracts me to them is
that there was a number of them who yielded their lives to God, exper-
ienced the forgiveness of sins based on the death of Christ, and moved
in the power of the Holy Spirit.

For these Celtic Christians Advent was like a second Lent, a time of
preparation and repentance in anticipation for the Second Coming of
Christ. Believers spent time apart from daily activities in order to wait
upon God. Advent was a special time of wonder, warning, and waiting.
They took time to reflect on the four great facts of life: death, judg-
ment, Heaven, and Hell. This has given Advent and Christmas a whole
different sense for me the past few years. I would encourage you to do
the same.

A dear friend and Christian brother who, for many years, has ponder-
ed the meaning of Jesus Christ, Advent, and the Christian life has writ-
ten a prayer that is my prayer for you and me this Advent season:

Calm us to wait for the gift of Christ;
cleanse us to prepare the way for Christ;
teach us to contemplate the wonder of Christ;
touch us to know the presence of Christ;
anoint us to bear the life of Christ.
(Ray Simpson)

Advent: The Three Comings of Jesus Christ

Throughout the ages, purple has been a primary color of the Advent
season. Not all churches observe the Advent season, but for those
that do purple represents both repentance and royalty. In many
churches, especially those that are Roman Catholic and Anglican, pur-
ple is a primary color of suffering that is the foundation of Lent and
Holy Week.

This has enabled me to be sensitive to the intimate connection be-
tween Christmas and Good Friday, that Jesus was born to die on the
Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. How often I need to be remind-
ed of that! During the Advent season I have always been reminded
that the Son of God's birth as a baby boy could not be separated from
His redeeming death on the Cross of Calvary. Although it is some-
what lost in these days, Advent has traditionally been a season of pen-
itence and fasting. Because Advent and Lent were linked together as
times of penitence, the two seasons shared the color of repentance,
purple. Jesus, the Word made flesh, came into the world in order to
reveal God and God's tenderloving mercy through His suffering, death,
and resurrection.

To this day many churches have used an advent wreath with five can-
dles to help people reflect on Advent. The wreath is a circle of ever-
green branches laid flat in order to symbolize eternal life. The circular
aspect reminds us of God and God's loving forgiveness, of which there
is neither beginning nor end. The green aspect points to the hope of
newness, renewal, and life eternal that we have in Jesus Christ. There
are three purple candles on the wreath representing hope, peace, and
love. A fourth candle is rose colored, and represents joy, It is lit on the
third Sunday of Advent while the other three are lit on the first, second,
and fourth Sundays of Advent. The ancient and more historical churches
have tended to associate the the lighting of the candles to be a gradual
process from repentance to rejoicing. Younger churches have exchanged
the theme of repentance for the themes of hope and anticipation. On
Christmas Day a fifth candle, a white candle, is lit, representing the birth
of Jesus Christ. There are other variations of the colors and the order of
lighting of the candles. Regardless of the differences, they all remind us
of the hope, peace, and love that we have in Jesus Christ, when He came
and dewelt among us and died on the Cross on our behalf.

If I listen carefully to the Advent season, especially to various Scripture
passages that are read, I hear of another Advent, Christ's future second
coming. Through the ages Christians have confessed that Christ will come
again. They meditated on the realities of death, judgment, heaven, and
hell. Men and women of faith throughout the Christian centuries have
eagerly awaited His coming again when He will judge and put every-
thing right. And so, I believe it is proper for us to do the same.

I also believe it is right and proper to speak of a third coming of Jesus
Christ; then He is present with us, we are God's people, and God is our
God. During past Advents I have been aware that I constantly wander
from God's presence, hide myself from God, and seek to do my will rath-
er than God's. Advent is therefore a season in which I not only celebrate
Christ's coming into the world and eagerly await His coming again, but
also yield more and more of my life to Him.

My prayer for you is that you would know the joy of the three comings
of Jesus Christ and the blessings that He brings to the world.

Advent Gladness for the Heart

Advent is my favorite time of the year. It is a season in which I learn
more about Jesus and reflect on Him in relation to my life. Even though
Jesus has been central to my life for more than thirty years, only since
1990 have I come to appreciate the riches and treasures of the Advent
season.

Our word advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means
arrival. Living here in St Andrews, Scotland, I was surprised to learn
that Advent begins on the Sunday closest to St Andrew's Day, Novem-
ber 30. This year Advent began on Sunday, December 3, and continues
for the following three Sundays, concluding at sundown on the fourth
Sunday of Advent, December 24. Then, technically, Christmas Eve be-
gins. But in other years, Advent ends at midnight between the 23rd
and 24th, and Christmas Eve is all of the 24th.

Advent helps us to prepare and wait for the arrival of Christmas, when
we celebrate that Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem almost 2000
years ago. God dwelt among us, and the world has never been the same.
Christians in ancient times not only saw Advent as a season that pre-
pares us for Christmas Day, but also as the beginning of a new year of
the Christian Church. The Christian year follows the life of Jesus. The
first Sunday of Advent is the Church's New Year, and the most impor-
tant day of the year is Easter Sunday, when God's People celebrate
Christ's victorious raising from the dead by God. I have much more
to share with you about Advent, but that will come in the days to
come.

I also share with you-and I do so in a whisper- that I have been writing
on my dissertation the past several days. Today I did 500 words, which
was my goal per day before the surgery. I am excited about that! But I
want to keep it quiet. That's why I'm telling you in a whisper. Don't share
it with just anyone.

May you be richly blessed in this Advent season.

The Reader, the Thinker, and the Writer

Over the years I have come to appreciate three companions who have
been important in my life as a pastor/scholar: the Reader, the Thinker,
and the Writer. The Reader has always had a hunger to be engaged
with a book or an article. It is dangerous to take the Reader into any
bookstore because I find it difficult to restrain the Reader from buying
any book that captures his interest (which can be quite varied and
broad). The Thinker likes to brood and ponder over big and impor-
tant thoughts and some that are not so big and important. Friends
have told me that sometimes the Thinker has me so involved with
him that I am oblivious to people saying hello to me as they pass me
on the street. The Writer nags me about my writing, no matter how
small or unimportant. Nothing seems to satisfy him, and so he is con-
stantly on my case!

They were always demanding my attention, and sometimes I just
wanted to forget them and escape to a movie! After the movie I
would again realize how much the Reader, the Thinker, and the Writ-
er are who I am. Just before my recent surgery and during the recov-
ery period, they started to act strangely. For example, this summer, as
I waited for a surgery date, they were unable to do much work because
they said they could not concentrate on the dissertation. The week be-
fore the surgery was a complete waste of my time because they were
so preoccupied with it. It seems that the surgery itself traumatized them
so much that they scattered to the four winds. I didn't see any trace of
them until four or five weeks after the operation.

Just over a week ago things started to change quite rapidly. The
Thinker had been relating to me for several weeks and the Reader
and the Writer wanted to start doing that too, but were reluctant to
join in. My strategy was to act cool and uninterested, giving them
the impression that I was doing quite well without them. I had learn-
ed that if I revealed any interest, the Reader and the Writer would
get frightened and scatter into far off regions. The closer they came,
the more I would exhibit disinterest and coolness to them. It was a
slow process, and I had to control myself because I was eager to have
them back. I appreciated having the Thinker present, but I really need-
ed all three. I need the Reader and the Writer working together with
the Thinker. I think my strategy is starting to work!

As I sit at my laptop now, the three are present around me, yapping
away with one another. The Thinker sits on my desk, pondering some
idea connected with my dissertation. Occasionally I have to ask him
to move out of the way because he is sitting on something I want to
work on. The Reader has been chatting up a storm with the Thinker
and is eyeing the books and stacks of papers around me, trying to
find something that supports what the Thinker is thinking. Although
the Writer has been the most reluctant to get back into things, I sense
he is starting to work on writing what the Thinker is thinking and what
the Reader is reading. They may soon demand that I give up non-aca-
demic reading, watching DVDs, and hanging out in the common room
to talk to people so that I can get back to work.

Now that the Reader, the Thinker, and the Writer are starting to get
back into the dissertation, I realize how much I would like to have more
time to read the great bunch of books friends lent me, or continue my
vacation from the dissertation until after the New Year, or take pleas-
ure doing fun reading while my academic colleagues slave over their
own dissertations. I continue my strategy of acting cool towards the
three, hoping they won't want to get serious too soon. The more they
get serious about academic work, the more I wonder if I shouldn't take
it easy for a little longer.

I am torn about what to do. When the Reader, the Thinker, and the
Writer were no where to be found, I was wanting them back; now that
they are in my face, I am yearning for the free time and the easy life
to continue. I'm still recovering from serious heart surgery seven weeks
ago, you know! Unfortunately I expect that I will be back to my disserta-
tion very soon. It's only a matter of time.

The Crockpot, the Microwave, and the Crackpot

For several years now I have realized that people think in at least
two dominant ways: in a crockpot sort of way or like a microwave.
During these past seven weeks of recovery from open heart sur-
gery I have been able to distinguish the differences between the
two ways of thinking in my life. I once thought that I was either a
crockpot thinker or a microwave thinker, but never both. I now rea-
lize that there are times that I think in one way and later in the other,
or even in both ways at the same time.

I have often tended to see myself as a crockpot type of thinker. My
thinking was more of a gradual process than a quick cooking of ideas
and thoughts. As a thinker I was more like the plodding tortoise than
the blazing fast hare. Ideas and thoughts would suddenly come to me
after a considerable time of pondering a matter, or even after letting a
concern rest for some period of time. This often meant that I would
come up with witty remarks or brilliant comebacks well after the per-
son for whom they were intended had gone away. I carry 3x5 note
cards and a pen with me so that I can quickly write down ideas, in-
sights, or thoughts that come to me in the least expected times. This
way of thinking is like a crockpot: it takes a long period of time to cook
a good meal, and you can keep adding stuff as the meal cooks.

But I also notice that microwave thinking is a part of my life. There
have always been times when I had to make a reasonable decision
within a short amount of time or quickly form sentences and para-
graphs as I wrote papers or my dissertation. I did not have the lux-
ury of time to process an idea, or I was facing a looming deadline.
Many times I have had ideas that suddenly came to me and I was able
to run with them and put them into practice with little time spent in re-
flection. There always seemed to be a momentum that quickly led to
resolution of an issue or problem. There are all kinds of things, whether
problem solving, writing, decision making, remembering directions, or
engaging in conversation with somebody, when microwave thinking
was clearly needed.

I became increasingly aware of these two ways of thinking in me dur-
ing my time of recovery after surgery. My brain seemed to be set on
a crockpot mode of thinking, and churned out ideas, thoughts, connec-
tions, and insights at all hours of the day, and continues right up to the
present moment. I have been filling 3x5 card after 3x5 card with the
results of the lengthy process of the activity of my mind. I don't force
these thoughts, they just come. I don't think I do anything to promote
this, I just receive the results of the processes of my brain.

In contrast, my microwave style of thinking seemed to disappear.
From the days just after surgery until just a few days ago I noticed
that I had serious difficulties focusing, concentrating, doing basic rea-
soning, making decisions, giving or following directions, reading, con-
versing, and writing. I realized how much I took for granted that way
of thinking. Fortunately, over the past three weeks, my mind has been
clearing and the mental fog has been lifting. My mental processes seem
to be back on line. The only processes I still have to wait for are my abil-
ity to think, write, and read in an academic mode. But I sense that is
coming soon.

I desire that my crockpot and microwave modes of thinking may soon
work together, especially as I get back to work on my dissertation. I
put crackpot into the title because it is a reminder for me to guard
against taking my thoughts too seriously. I put premium value on my
mind and what I think, and there is a danger in that. In reality I do not
see myself to be a crackpot, but I need to constantly remind myself
that my mind and my thinking are only dimensions of who I am. So,
to refer to myself as a crackpot is to remind myself to put my mind
in its appropriate place in my life. May I never lose sight of that.

Remembering and Reflecting

Nearly 25 years ago I remember my doctor had received the results of a recent test done on my heart. He looked me in the eyes and gently said that I should expect to have major heart surgery done sometime in the future to replace my aortic valve. At that time the doctor was not concerned about my valve, but he saw evidence of leakage and he could only expect that it would get worse over time. He did not predict when I would need the surgery, but he seemed certain that it would be necessary at a future date.

I must admit that since than I had always dreaded the possibility of having open heart surgery. The thought of having my chest opened up and my heart worked on scared me. Those feelings and fears came back to me last February when a local cardiologist looked over the results of recent tests on my heart. He noted that I had not been experiencing the symptoms of heart disease, but the tests revealed that my aortic valve was leaking at an increasing rate, and that if it were not tended to within the near future I would begin to experience serious medical problems. It was so serious that he recommended surgery within the year.

Major heart surgery was something that I did not desire to undergo, especially because I was in the final stages of writing my dissertation. I began to think of reasons to put off the surgery. The only thing I can say is that at some moment in that office I realized that my reluctance was not good for me, and I made the decision to undergo surgery as soon as it could be arranged. I have not regretted making that decision.

It has been over six weeks since my surgery, and it is all behind me now. My recovery has gone well and I feel ready to get on with my life. The fears I had were ill-founded. I was well taken care of in surgery and recovery. Even though I went through a serious chest infection there was never concern whether I was going to make it or not. What I suffered through were periods of waiting for medicines to take effect or wondering when staff would move me onto the next phase of the recovery process. I was often bored out of my mind. But those things or something similar happen both inside of hospitals as well as outside them.

As I reflect on my surgery and recovery I can only see good. I am glad that I went through it because the surgery gave me so many physical and spiritual benefits for which I am increasingly grateful. The surgery that I had feared for close to 25 years became a source of rich blessing for me. I am thankful to God that God put me through it and I am realizing that it is one of the most significant events in my life.

Meanwhile, just over six weeks since surgery, I feel fit and healthy, and I don't feel sluggish or out of breath. I easily do everything that I did before the surgery, and that demands a lot of walking. Perhaps if I pushed myself to do things I normally do not do I would sense my physical limits. Physically I feel great. My mental abilities continue to steadily improve and I am doing a considerable amount of reading and writing. But I have not sensed that it is time to get back to academic matters yet. The time will come, but I won't push it.

I continue to ask you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

Blessings, Jeff

The Steady Unrelenting Incoming Tide of Recovery

One of my favorite places to go is a tiny tidal isle off the northeast
coast of England that is identified as Holy Island Lindisfarne. Not
only is it rich in Christian heritage going back to the 5th and 6th cen-
turies, and therefore a holy place of pilgrimage for Christians of Eng-
land, it is also an amazing wildlife refuge and a place of rugged natural
beauty. Unfortunately the result of all this is that it is overrun by tour-
ists for much of the year.

Holy Island, being a tidal island, is cut off from the mainland twice in
a twentyfour hour period. It is inaccessible for significant lengths of
time, depending on the tide. Knowing this fact, the wise inhabitants of
the island have restricted guest accommodation. Therefore most visi-
tors to the island have to leave while the causeway is still safe for pas-
sage. One of the great thrills of my life has been to have lodging on the
island and to stand on a bluff watching the stream of vehicles flooding
across the causeway before it is itself inundated by the rising tide.

At the time of lowest tide, I like to go look out over the bay. I see des-
olate mud flats and occasional basins of standing water left by the pre-
vious outgoing tide. It is just over three miles to the mainland side of
the tidal basin. A permanent channel of moving water hugs the oppo-
site coast. But the basin quickly fills up with onrushing tidal water
from the North Sea. The area off in the distance begins to fill with the
tide, and then the waters start filling the areas between Holy Island
and the main channel way over on the other side. Gradually, but all
so unrelentingly, the sea water advances upon the beaches of the
island. Soon the middle distance of mud flats is covered by water,
and then the portion of the basin closest to me is covered with a shal-
low level of water. When I go down on the beach I am surprised by
how quickly the approaching water creeps unrelentingly to where I
stand.

At times I have wondered if the water is eying me and trying not to
scare me away so that it can quickly grab me and pull me into the on-
rushing water and carry me out to sea. I marvel at the steady prog-
ress of rivulets that inch their way forward, steady and sure in their
advance. I am forced to retreat to higher and higher ground. How
quickly once-dry rocks that had served as benchmarks of the tide's
advance are covered with water and the tide has reached it's high wa-
ter mark. I am struck by how slow, yet unrelenting and steady is the
tide's advance. I just go with the flow of it.

This scenario best describes how I feel at this point in my recovery.
I don't recall having experienced anything like desolate mud flats
during my time in the hospital, but I experienced something like
the incoming tidal surge of Holy Island. My recovery is like the in-
coming high tide: it seems slow at times, but it is definitely unrelent-
ing and steady. I have marveled at the steady and relentless ad-
vance of the recovery of my body, mind, and spirit.

I feel great physically, and I am becoming increasingly confident in
my ability to walk anywhere in town. Recently I tackled two major
challenges in my recovery: I walked the twenty minutes from home
to the office rather than taking the bus, and I walked up a major
steep portion on the way to church that had intimidated me before.
I am naturally waking up after 7-8 hours of sleep at night, but I
still have enjoyment in an afternoon nap. My mental ability is be-
coming more and more clear. I am savouring the word-smithing
and story-telling of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy and I am starting to
write again. I still am not ready to do academic work yet. I am en-
joying this time, but I try not to flaunt my opportunities for such
pleasures in front of my academic colleagues who do not have such
luxury of time. They are hard pressed by scholarly books to read,
chapters to write, and papers to present. I am experiencing a de-
sire to be back doing that sometime in the future, but I hope I can
at least finish Tolkien's trilogy first.

I've also resumed attending Morning and Evening Prayer, as well as
picking up on my own personal discipline of prayer and Scripture
reading. These activities nurture me and help shape my day. My ap-
petite is still not what I had hoped it would be. I still find it hard to
make it through even small portions of food. Although my appetite
has picked up a little this past week, it remains a concern to me.

Meanwhile I am thankful for the positive progress of my recovery.
My body continues to be strengthened, my mind is becoming clear-
er, and my spirits are increasingly lifted; many times I sense this day
by day. I continue to ask for your thoughts and prayers as I continue
in my recovery. Thankyou for the emails and letters.

Blessings, Jeff T.

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Tomorrow will mark the start of my third week back here in
St Andrews after nineteen days in two hospitals. I have be-
come aware how much St. Andrews has become home for me
and how marvelous it is to be home. Even though both the sur-
gery and recovery are becoming increasingly distant memories,
I am realizing how significant the experience of having undergone
serious cardiac surgery was on me as a person. But I would rather
reflect on that from the comfort of home and community rather
than from in the hospital.

Physically I feel that my body is healing and recovering, but I am
confronted daily with the limits beyond which my body cannot go.
For the past few days I have been sensing a spring in my step as I
start out on a walk and I feel as if my heart is firing on all cylinders.
I no longer feel the occasional dizziness and lightheadedness that I
was experiencing last spring and summer. But as I walk longer dis-
tances, sooner or later I start to breathe more deeply and to slow
down my pace. I was told to expect that, and yet I have been thrilled
to see my endurance and walking distance grow day by day. I am en-
joying sleep, especially afternoon naps. I have been pleasantly sur-
prised by the reappearance of my taste and appetite. Physically, I
feel that I am well ahead of where I expected to be at this point of
just over four weeks after surgery.

I entered the hospital the day before the operation with Tolkien's
Lord of the Rings and my journal, anticipating that I would be able
to take advantage of two or three weeks of leisure time to enjoy
reading and writing while I recuperated in the hospital. I did not
take seriously the warnings that I could experience loss of concen-
tration and focus for an undetermined length of time. For the past
four weeks I have not experienced any desire to read or write. Only
yesterday, on Sunday after church, did I spend some time reading for
the fun of it and enjoying it. But twenty minutes or so of light reading
made me tired enough to enjoy a wonderful two hour Sunday nap.
Last night I felt the desire to write on the blog and gave myself the
whole week to get at it. But this afternoon I felt the urge to get on with
it today. I sense that the desire to get back to journal writing is just
around the corner. The desire to write and to read are like shy fellows
who flee in fright whenever I pay them any attention. But if I act as if
they are not there they gradually feel safe enough to come out into the
open and enable me to read and write again.

I hope to write in my journal, reflect on my surgery experience, and
share some things with you in the blog. I can't promise you that I will
blog often, but I am confident that stirrings deep within me are slowly
working their way through me and seeking expression on the blog.

I have appreciated your letters, calls, visits, chats, and meals. I feel
richly blessed. It has been a wonderful time for me and I am enjoying
and savouring it.

Blessings to you and yours, Jeff T.

Recovery Update

Me again. (Ryan)

Jeff has asked that I update his blog, as he's not yet found the energy to write or e-mail much yet.

I can report that Jeff's recovery is progressing very well. He's back at home and he has even been taking the bus into town to stop by the office and meet friends for breakfast, coffees and dinners.

Colleen and I had breakfast with Jeff on Saturday and after a bagel, a bowl of porridge and a plate of pancakes, it was clear that the old Jeff is back!

He still has to pace himself and he is not yet ready to do any serious reading or writing, but he is enjoying his time back in St Andrews and thought that he might try to get caught up on his bible reading.

Jeff also wanted to let you all know to feel free to contact him either by phone or by e-mail to say hello. (Although e-mail responses may take some time.)

Please note that Jeff's cell phone number is in the below post.

Home Sweet Home

Jeff was released last night from Victoria Hospital and is resting comfortably at home in St Andrews. Special thanks to the Chandlers for going to get Jeff from the hospital.

I dropped by Jeff's place last night and he was very happy to be back in his own room and looking forward to a night in his own bed. He said that he felt great and he had an appointment to check-in with his GP on Wednesday. He even thought he might take the bus into town and stop by the office to check e-mail and say hello to some colleagues. He assured me that he would take things slowly.

Jeff asked that I post his cell phone number online, in case anyone would like to give him a call:

078476656798

Well, it looks like this may be my last guest post on Jeff's blog.

I'm sure he will be writing on his experiences and his recovery before long. So don't forget to come back for updates.

Special thanks to all those that sent me updates for the blog. Very much appreciated.

Sunday Afternoon Visit

Colleen was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't want to pass along any germs to our recovering friend, so I struck out on my own to find Kirkcaldy and to visit Jeff.

When I arrived, Jeff was up walking the halls. He's been doing some serious hall walking since being transferred out of HDU. Jeff and I sat in the hall and caught-up while he sorted through his belongings. (With typical NHS efficiency, his bags were sent directly back to St Andrews rather than being sent with him to Kirkcaldy.)

Jeff seemed very strong and said that he was feeling great physically. We broke for Jeff's dinner and I went down to the cafeteria for a coffee. I came back up to his Ward after the dinner hour and we sat and chatted about St Andrews, his recovery and the upcoming US mid-term elections.

It was a very nice visit and it's good to see the old Jeff. -Apart from the location and the pjs you'd never know that he had just been through such a challenging surgery.

Update from the Chaplin

Here's an update from Jamie Walker, the University Chaplin -via Kevin Diller:

"I saw Jeff yesterday afternoon. He is now in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy and seems to be
doing well. He had originally been told he would likely be in Kirkcaldy for 10-14 days, but with
his staying extra days in Edinburgh he is wondering whether he might get home earlier -
but he has not yet seen his consultant."

Kirkcaldy Bound

Jeff has been moved from Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy.

This shows good progress and means that it won't be long before he's back in St Andrews. They intend to keep him in Kirkcaldy while they monitor his receptiveness to the prescription blood thinners.

He is in the Cardiac Ward.

Victoria Hospital
VICTORIA HOSPITAL
HAYFIELD ROAD
KIRKCALDY
KY2 5AH
tel: 01592 643355

Back on the Ward

I spoke with Mrs Priest on Tuesday morning. She was on her way to visit Jeff. She had called and the nurses informed her that he has been moved from the HDU to the regular ward (102).

This is great news. Jeff has been looking forward to this move for some time. His new room will have windows and a view to the outside world.

Waiting for an opening

Colleen and I went up to Edinburgh on Sunday to visit Jeff. He is still in the HDU, but only because they were waiting for a bed to open up on the regular ward. Jeff has made a steady recovery and they were ready to move him out of the HDU on Saturday.

The improvement in Jeff from last week to this week has been remarkable. When we arrived, he was sitting in the patient chair next to his bed. The oxygen mask was gone and he seemed strong and very alert. He pointed out that his blood oxygen levels were very strong.

The best indication that he is recovering is that he finally got into the goodie bag that Colleen brought him last week. The Dr. Pepper was gone and he had made a dent in the Oreo cookies. He even sent us down to the hospital store to buy him some Pepsi. He said that his appetite and his ability to taste were still not full recovered. He does appear to have lost some weight, but I'm sure that it will be recovered quickly.

We had a great visit and conversation. Jeff was looking forward to moving to the regular ward, to the hospital in Kircaldy and eventually back to his home in St Andrews. He told us that after speaking to friends back home in Washington, he was very excited with the possibility that he might visit when he was more fully recovered.

We updated Jeff on the Divinity speakers series back in St Andrews and other town gossip. In total, we visited from more than an hour before he began to feel tired.

Overall Jeff was recovering, in very good spirits and thankful for all the mail, telephone calls and visits that he has been receiving from friends and colleagues.

An Update from Tracy

Tracy and Yumi visited Jeff recently and here's their update:

Here's the latest:- Jeff is still fighting a chest infection and still in the High Dependency Unit, though he is hoping to be released soon to a more independent unit- perhaps Saturday or Sunday. - He will soon be moved to another ward, where they will continue to monitor him; he will stay in this unit until the doctors feel he is stable enough, and breathing well enough, to move him to Kirkcaldy. This may be a day or two, or perhaps up to a week.

His spirits are high however, and he says his heart feels much stronger. This is good news, indeed. But he is weak and has lost weight and has little appetite, though the doctors expect this to return when the chest infection settles down.

Yumi and I brought cookies, but he had no appetite to eat any; for Jeff this was certainly odd!

But as always, he is focusing on the positive aspects of this situation: his care has been wonderful, he says, and he has had many visitors, calls and cards which continue to buoy his spirits.

Yumi and I visited for about 45 minutes and Bob Gillies, the Rector of St Andrews, had just been there before. And though he is weak, he was chatty and keen to visit.

Steady Recovery

I received an e-mail update from Kevin Diller about his visit with Jeff on Tuesday.

I'll let Kevin give the update:

A few of us had the opportunity to visit with Jeff Tippner yesterday at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

As of yesterday he was still in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) primarily due to low oxygen levels. One thing that Jeff did not expect after the surgery was to have difficulty with his breathing and congestion in his lungs. This was discouraging for him, though he felt that he was making progress on that front and was looking forward to being moved out of the HDU.

Jeff appeared to be doing quite well. He had his typical Tippner wit
about him, he was eating full meals, walking and talking. He even mentioned
feeling that he could already sense some of the benefits of the surgery.

Visiting hours are 2:30-8pm and visitors may visit with Jeff in pairs. He really
appreciated seeing a familiar face.

Tuesday Morning

Mrs. Priest called and spoke to Jeff this morning. He is still in HDU (ward 112) and still having difficulty with his breathing. He will have to stay there until his lung clear.

The number for Jeff in the HDU is 011 44 131 242 1121.

Jeff's feeling a bit glum lately with the slow and difficult pace of his recovery and I know he would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time.

Out of ICU

On Sunday, Colleen and I and Kate and Ben went to visit Jeff. When we arrived, we were informed that they were just moving him from ICU (Intensive Care Unit) to the HDU (High Dependency Unit). [a good thing]

In the HDU patients are only allowed two visitors at a time. Kate and Ben went in first and spent 15 minutes with Jeff. They had a good conversation and Jeff said that he was very happy to receive company and said that he was looking forward to having more visitors.

Colleen and I went next and spent about 10 minutes visiting, as Jeff tired quite quickly. He was in good spirits and very lucid. He said that he was feeling much better on Sunday than he had on Saturday. As I mentioned earlier, Jeff was having difficulty with his breathing after surgery (hence the extra days in the ICU). The initial recovery appears quite draining.

I passed along all the good wishes and prayers that friends had forwarded and Jeff was very touched.

I expect that we will visit again later this week and I know that some of Jeff's friends from Divinity will be visiting him on Tuesday and friends from St Andrews church will see him on Friday.

I'll be sure to update soon.

Good Friday

As of Friday, Jeff is resting comfortably. The nurse said that he no longer needs the respirator and is breathing on his own. They expect to move him from the Intensive Care Unit back on to the ward where he'll stay for the first part of his recovery.

Surgery Went Well!

We received a call from Mrs. Priest yesterday evening.

She called the ward and the nurse told her that everything had gone according to plan and that Jeff was out of surgery and they were letting him sleep. Great news!

I'll post more information, as it comes in.

Maps!

Thanks to Kevin Diller, we have maps to the hospital.

Visiting Hours

For those of Jeff's friends and colleagues in this part of the world, I thought I'd post information on when and where to visit him post-op.

Jeff is allowed visitors beginning on Friday (the day after surgery).

He will be located in:

Ward 102/103 of The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Little France
Old Dalkeith Road
Edinburgh

Visiting hours are from 2:30pm to 8:00pm, but avoid the dinner hour from 5-6pm.

The phone number for ward 102/103 is 011 44 (0) 1312421028.
For overseas calls: We are at Eastern Daylight Time (New York) + 5 hours.

Guest Blogging

Hello all,

I'm Ryan Parks and Jeff has asked that I post updates on his blog while he's in the hospital. If anyone out there has contact with Jeff and has an update that they would like me to post here, please e-mail me at rwp1@st-andrews.ac.uk. I should be getting updates on a daily basis and I will post them here as they come in.

Colleen and I had breakfast with Jeff Wednesday morning before he caught his train for Edinburgh. He was in great spirits and, as he put it, "looking forward to this adventure."

I will post more information as it becomes available.

Into the Silence

For more than three years I have developed certain habits of
the heart that I believe are critical for me as a Christian believ-
er who does academic biblical and theological research. It has
been important to me to grow in faith as well in stature as a
scholar.

Along with my own devotional time and involvment in the life
and ministry of a local church, I have made a habit of Morning
Prayer during the weekdays and the Thursday night Compline
service. I have participated in these ever since my first term
started way back in September, 2003. More recently I have
been enriched by Evening Prayer during the weekdays.

Each time of prayer takes place in an ancient and historic
church or chapel, but I always sense a fresh breath of the
Spirit. Day by day, week by week, I and various numbers of
companions seek the Lord by means of praise, prayer, saying
the Psalms, hearing Scripture, sometimes singing and hearing
the Scriptures sung, and silence. All this satisfies my unquench-
able hunger for God.

I can't get enough, so I always go back for more, day by day,
week by week, and even year by year. I have enjoyed my stud-
ies so much, but the various times of prayer have been the high-
point of my time here in St. Andrews. The times of prayer and
praise give a sense of order and structure to my day as well as
my life. Over the past three years, I sensed the slow but steady
effect of hearing the Word and praying to the Word in shaping
and molding my life. More like the steady drip of water than
a cascading torrent of water, the Word has changed me in ways
I do not always sense.

Where I sense this the most is at Compline, each Thursday
night at 10pm in an ancient medieval chapel. Through praise,
prayers, Psalms, thanksgiving, and Scripture we are able to
cry out to God and experience God's deliverance. It all ends
with two minutes of glorious silence, and then we leave in
silence. It is such blessedness to me. I yearn for and desire
such times of rich and hearty silence.

As I am on the eve of my surgery, I realize that I am eager
for it because I am going into the silence, a rather long, deep,
yet rich silence. I really can't wait. The past three years have
been shaped quite profoundly by Morning and Evening Prayers
and Compline. As a result, my heart is eager for the silence. Each
of the prayer services have times of silence built into them. So
my heart has been prepared for entering the silence.

What excites me is that my surgery is scheduled for Thursday,
a full day of Morning and Evening Prayer and Compline. My
heart has been shaped by the rhythm of Thursdays for over
three years now. At Morning Prayer, I should just be entering
surgery; during Evening Prayer, I should be out of surgery;
and during Compline and its final two minutes of silence, I
should be out of the surgery ordeal and entering into my own
time of silence. Pray for me, that I may enjoy a peaceful, rest-
ful, restorative, and redemptive period of silence, that I may
encounter our Lord, even in the silence.

Shalom, Jeff

The Heart of the Matter II-Surgery Date

Last night I arrived home still savouring a discussion on
grace at home group, and saw that I had received some
mail. In one packet I found a letter stating that the Car-
diac Surgery Staff was looking forward to welcoming me.

I am asked to report to the Cardiac Surgery Unit at the
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at 1:45 pm on Wednesday
18 October, 2006. Surgery is scheduled to take place the
next morning and could last into the afternoon.

I wondered how I would be notified; now I know. I will
share more in the days to come.

Shalom, JT

The Heart of the Matter

I will soon be undergoing serious open heart surgery.
After consultation with a cardiac surgeon in June my
name was placed on a waiting list for surgery to replace
the aortic root valve in my heart. Recently I was notified
that I can expect to be admitted to the Royal Infirmary
(that's quite an impressive name!) in Edinburgh, Scot-
land, in three or four weeks for the surgery. It is serious
open heart surgery but it is my breast bone, not the heart,
that will require six to eight weeks to heal. They have prom-
ised to have me up and walking two or three days after
the surgery.

The need for such surgery has not been unknown to me.
For more than twenty-five years doctors have told me
that I could expect to have my heart valve replaced some-
time in the future. It was never if I would need surgery,
but when. Recent tests revealed that my aortic root valve
has been dialating so rapidly within the past year that it
could put me at risk shortly. In June a heart surgeon to
whom I had been assigned looked at my test results and
strongly encouraged me to have the valve replacement sur-
gery as soon as possible.

In July I was notified that my name had been placed on
a waiting list for open heart surgery. The surgeon had
requested that I have surgery in August, but that month
came and went without any notification. Priority was giv-
en to people needing bypass surgery and emergency atten-
tion. It has been a bit hard waiting all this time for some
type of word.

On 4 October I was invited to the Infirmary-with-a-Sense-
of-Royalty for a pre-operation consultation. I was at the
brand new hospital for three and a half hours and received
an overview of what will happen during my surgery and re-
covery. I also took several tests that help them prepare for
my operation (I dutifully shared with them that I tend to
heal faster when I am well supplied with large quantities
of Dr Pepper and Mars bars).

I was very impressed with both the sense of competence
and professionalism of the medical staff as well as with
their care for the patients. I firmly believe that I am in
very good hands. Even though I left the hospital without
knowing a date for my operation, I was informed that it
should be within three or four weeks. But, again, I can do
nothing but wait. I am confident about having the surgery,
but I feel a bit overwhelmed by all that will soon be hap-
pening to me. I will be sharing more about this in the
days (or weeks?) to come while I await word about the
operation.

I ask for your prayers

Peace, Jeff T.

The Constant of Morning Prayer

As I start my fourth year here at the university I have ex-
perienced varying circumstances and various changes in
my life. But since only my second week here at the uni-
versity there has been one constant in my life; that one
constant has been attending Morning Prayer at the Uni-
versity Chapel.

If the university was in session and if I was in town, with
few exceptions, I was there at 8:45am, Monday through
Friday, for ten delightful minutes of Scripture reading
and prayer. Just as I need three meals a day for me to
function in life, so I need the ten minutes in prayer day
by day for me to carry on with life. It is my daily bread.

For the past two years the university Chaplain and I us-
ually have been the only daily attendants at Morning
Prayer. There are four or five others who come occasion-
ally. But I often have the sense that we are in commun-
ion with women and men who have prayed and worship-
ped in that beautiful Gothic chapel over the past four and
a half centuries. I had that sense ever since I first attend-
ed Morning Prayer in September, 2003, and I still feel it
to this day.

One of the reasons that I go to Morning Prayer is be-
cause I believe that prayer and praise should be offered
up daily at the the center of the university. The Chapel is
considered by some to be the hub of both the university
and the town. The Chaplain and I have committed our-
selves, as we are able, to lift up prayer and worship to the
Triune God from the very heart of the University and com-
munity. For me, that is just as important as writing my
dissertation. I have an abiding sense of calling to be there
while I am at the University.

And so we join in prayer with countless other people over
the centuries who have prayed that the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit would be at the very center of our lives, the
university, and our community. In the next few posts I
will share other reasons why I find it important to be at
Morning Prayer at University Chapel.

Shalom, JT

Glory!

Yesterday, just before 7am, I was approaching the
office and I was wonderfully greeted by a rich rose
and orange-tinted glow radiating from the ruins of
the ancient cathedral nearby. I was stopped in my
tracks, and I tried to soak in the soothing warmth of
the brilliant colors. All I could think and feel and ex-
claim was 'glory!'

I was stunned and in awe, and I quickly gave up any
intention of getting right to work. I soon made my
way to the nearby bluffs overlooking the North Sea.
It's a special, wonderful place of refuge for me. For
three years now I have found it to be a place of refresh-
ment and rest, especially when I am trying to craft
just the right way to turn a phrase for my writing. I
find delight breathing in the refreshing and invigor-
ating air, gazing upon the birds as they glide and
hover on the air currents above, and watching as
storm-tossed waves batter the pier below.

But yesterday it was not any of those things that
caught my attention. I was transfixed by the bril-
liant sunrise; it immediately captured my attention
and took my breath away. When I first got to the
bluffs, the sun was still below the horizon but the sky
low on the eastern horizon was lit up with radiating,
brilliant pinks, reds, and oranges. In a short time a
small portion of a bright yellow splotch broke the hori-
zon's edge. Ever so steadily the splotch grew increas-
ingly large, and bright red and orange-tinted colors
exploded along the the thin line where sky and sea
meet and kiss and become united as one.

As the golden globe rose ever higher, I noticed how
its radiant colors energized the world around me:
the blues of the sky and sea were the bluest that I
had ever seen, the greens the greenest, the golds
the most golden, and the browns the brownest. The
earth seemed to be hushed in holiness. Even the ever-
active birds did not take to flight, but remained
grounded as if pondering what was happening. The
only people I was aware of were two fishermen in a
small boat just off shore. They saw the spectacular
sunrise and paused momentarily from their labor to
gaze on the sight. The air seemed to be gently cares-
sing my face. The calm, placid sea soothed my often
restless soul. It seemed all of creation was drinking in
the amazing beauty of the rising sun and adoring the
glorious Creator. I just stood there, rapt in attention,
unable to think or do a single thing other than focus
on the beauty and splendor of the rising sun.

All that I could think and feel and exclaim was 'glory!'
And then it was time to get to work, and I was ready.

Shalom, Jeff T.

An Incovenient Truth

Just this past weekend I viewed the recently releas-
ed movie 'An Inconvenient Truth'. The documentary
film, produced in the USA, chronicles Al 'the man
who used to be the next American president' Gore's
traveling roadshow concerning the inconvenient
truth of climate change and global warming.

Gore has been sounding the warning since the late
1980s, but does not come across as being alarmist.
He provides a steady flow of statistics, charts, maps,
and other visuals that help the viewer to take in and
digest what could be an overwhelming amount of
facts and figures. He has a folksy and winsome way
of guiding his audience through some pretty com-
plicated and scary material. He is serious about the
issue, but he offers the datum in a passionate, yet
convincing way.

Because Gore presents serious material in a winsome
and clear way, I did not feel overwhelmed or discour-
aged. He makes clear that there already exist the
means to address these issues. But he contends that
what has been lacking is the political will, especially
on the part of the USA, to deal with this truth. I left
the cinema hopeful, challenged, and considering ways
that I can do even more to confront these issues.

Not only is 'An Inconvenient Truth' one of the better
movies I've seen in years, it is certainly one of the
most important films I have ever seen.

Enriched by Friends.

Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon and
evening with a friend and his wife. He's an Amer-
ican scholar and intellectual who taught for over
thirty years at a nearby Scottish university. His
wife of thirty four years is a charming and delight-
ful woman who solidly engages and confronts her
husband's far ranging intellect. It is fun to watch
the two interact with one another in sharp conver-
sation. It is clearly evident how much they love one
another, and yet that doesn't stifle their sparring
with each other.

Out at their place I soaked up the radiant sun and
the peacefulness of the gentle country village. The
sun's light brought out the rich textures and colors
of the Scottish landscape. I marveled at the graz-
ing cattle, the emerald green grass, baled hay in the
fields, rolling hills, the woods, and quaint houses of
the village. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful set-
ting with two people I am fond of. What more could
I ask for?

We two men went for a stroll through the woods
and meadows. I took pleasure in the landscape
and delighted in the conversation. We talked about
all kinds of things: of history, contemporary events,
and culture. My friend has a probing and brilliant
mind and he is engaging in conversation. There
came a point when he stopped and unexpectedly
shared from a deep place in his life. It seemed to
me a sacred and precious moment, and all I could
do was listen and hold what he shared close to my
heart.

The day was capped off with wonderful food and
conversation around the dinner table. All three of
us had opportunities to share and to listen to one
another. Both of them have intentionally lived their
whole lives as if God does not exist whereas I hold
firm to Jesus who loves me and gave his life for
me. Yet we share a profound respect for one anoth-
er and honor each other. Getting home I felt bless-
ed and satisfied with wonderful food, a refreshing
walk in the countryside, engaging conversation, and
delightful friends. What more could I ask for?

I have been remembering the friends in my life,
both here and far away, now and through the
years. I feel so blessed by them, women and men.
Rarely did I seek friendship with them, and yet
it came about. It has always seemed to me to be
totally undeserved and totally unexpected, purely
an act of God's grace and mercy. Friends are some
of what I treasure the most in life. I ponder the
friends God has given me, and I give God thanks.

Shalom, JT

'Trainspotting' and Choosing Life

I recently watched the movie 'Trainspotting'. It's a
brutally honest film that follows the misguided ad-
ventures of a motley gang of male friends who are
heroin addicts in Edinburgh. Whenever I think of
Scotland and movies, I remember 'Braveheart' and
'Trainspotting'. The two films present two quite
contrasting views of this marvelous country and her
people.

The energetic visuals, music, and voice layover of
the opening scene quickly grabbed my attention.
The voice of the main character (seen running
from a failed shoplifting attempt while being chase-
ed by security guards) reflects on the concern of
many to choose life. He lists all that he would gain
by 'choosing life', but ends the dramatic monologue
by boldly declaring that he had chosen not to
choose life. I could only conclude that he saw
through the vanity of the popular views of life that
he saw in the people around him.

Soon the movie ushers us into the presence of friends
shooting themselves up with heroin. They have chos-
en not to choose life. They have chosen heroin, and
they say there is no real reason why. But the viewer
learns that heroin gives immeasurably more pleas-
ure than anything else. According to our narrator
with heroin all worries fall away and nothing else
really matters. Why feel the emptiness and pain of
life when you can experience the ecstatic pleasure
of heroin?

The fragmented manner of the film reflects the
increasingly fragmented lives of the friends. There
is an element of brutal truth that is communi-
cated with considerable wit and humor. Other-
wise I don't think most people could bear to watch
other people slowly perish. Many times I felt like I
was watching people settle in a land of the living
dead. The movie deeply affected me, and I still car-
ry a sense of being heart broken and grieved by
what I encountered in it. The reckless, self-destruc-
tive, fragmented, and chaotic lifestyles of people
really got to me. I feel sad by what I saw.

I realized again in a fresh way that the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is about choosing life, God's type of
life. It excites me to ponder again the riches of
grace that we have in the life, death, and resur-
rection of our Lord. But it also saddens me to
be reminded of how easily we continually choose
not to choose life.

My prayer for you this day, my friends, is that
we would choose life.

Shalom, JT

Sabbath Remembrance

There are a few times when I am surprised by God's
unexpected graciousness at work in my life. On Sun-
day after church I was chatting with a friend about
weekend activities and plans. I asked her about a de-
cision she had to be making soon, and she gave me
a brief update.

Then she asked about me and what I was going to do
with the rest of the day. I had planned to go to the
office and spend some time working on the disserta-
tion. I told her I tried to keep Sundays as Sabbath,
but that I felt pressure to get a lot of writing done
during the next few weeks because I didn't know
what the future had in store for me.

In a very gentle and wise way she directed words of
life right into my heart. Probably without realizing it,
she sensitively addressed my tendency to overwork
and do things as if everything depended on me. The
Sabbath, she said, was meant to remind us that we
are entirely dependent on God in all we do. God is
the Lord of time.

Her words struck deeply into my heart. I had known
that for such a long time. Yet I find my heart --my-
self-- wandering away from what gives life, and the
Sabbath was given to bring us life and to call us back
to the Lord of the Sabbath. I was especially reminded
that I often find it hard to trust God. Her good words
sank deep into my heart, and there really was nothing
that I could do except ponder them, her lifegiving
words. They slowly sank deep into my life and started
doing their life-enhancing work in me.

I didn't go into the office; but I enjoyed wonderful
table companionship with some good friends, deli-
cious food, enjoyable conversation, a refreshing walk,
and uplifting worship and teaching in the evening.
Whenever I gave any consideration to going to the of-
fice to write, I felt uneasy and conflicted. Yesterday
truly was a day of life for me; trusting in God, glori-
fying God, and enjoying God are what are truly im-
portant. Nothing could be better.

My disordered heart was put right and again I was
reminded to see life from God's perspective. I was
given life once again.

Shalom, Jeff

Taming a Wild Heart

Sometimes when I am at a quiet place in my life, the first
three petitions of the Lord's Prayer confront me. I sadly
realize that even though I am calling for God's Name to be
honored, God's Kingdom to come, and God's Will to be
done, under my breath I am actually praying that my
name would be honored, my kingdom established, and
my will done.

Despite years, even decades, of great Bible study, wonderful
times of prayer, and marvelous worship, I still want to live
the Christian life my way. But despite all the stubborn and
off track and rebellious choices I have made all these years,
I still recognize the Lord's steady Hand transforming my
way of death into God's way of life. I see glimpses now and
again of the honor due God's Name, the coming of God's
Kingdom, and the beauty of God's Will being done. I keep
having to learn over and over again that in seeking above
all the honor of God's Name, seeking first God's Kingdom,
and doing God's Will above my will, that is life to me. And
may it be so for you, too, my friends. JT

Book Tag

Amber recently gave me a book tag challenge, and being
a brand new bloggie, I feel I'm up for the challenge. Here
is my list:

1). One book that changed my life: Abraham Heschel's
The Sabbath. The book is a rich and profound essay on
time and space that is meant to be savored and enjoyed.

2). One book that I have read more than once: C.S. Lewis's
The Narnian Chronicles. I do not read books that I have
read before; the only exception is this series of books that
grabs the attention, interest, and imagination of the little
boy in me in a way nothing else does. I may be close to
saying the same thing about Tolkien's Lord of the Rings,
but give me just a bit more time to make my way through
the series the first time.

3). One book I'd want on a desert island: It would be a
great time to finish reading the Tolkien trilogy. But I
would struggle to choose between Tolkien and Hans Urs
von Baltasar's seven volume series on prayer, The Glory
of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetic. Regardless of which
series I chose, the desert island would become a dessert
island for me!

4). One book that made me laugh: I thought that real
Christians didn't smile or laugh. Just kidding! Another
series has had me doing both: McCall Smith's The No. 1
Ladies Detective Agency series. A lot of fun!

5). One book that made me cry: I thought that real men
don't cry. Well, I do a lot. One book that struck me deeply
and made me cry has been Sheldon Vanauken's A Severe
Mercy. It is a true story full of romance, adventure, the
pain of losing a lover, and the deep pain of grief. Plus there
are letters from C.S. Lewis on grief. It really touched me
deeply and I did cry.

6). One book I wish had been written: the second and third
volumes on the theology of contextual evangelization by
Orlando E. Costas. He was working on the first of three
volumes, but died from cancer in 1987, just before he
was to complete it. The first volume was completed for
publication by a colleague and by his widow. My disser-
tation is on his theology of contextual evangelization be-
cause I believe he had a lot to share with the broader
Church. Even though he wrote a lot and I have a lot to
work with, I would really have appreciated the oppor-
tunity to read his mature thinking about mission in
today's world.

l7). One book that I wish had never been written: again,
it is not one book but a lot of books and pamphlets that
reflect and promote the views of the health and wealth
school, also called the Prosperity Gospel or the Faith
Movement. I see it as nothing but aberrant Christianity,
even a different gospel. As a pastor I am concerned about
what the theology expressed through this material does
to the spiritual health of Christians. I wish it had never
been written.

8). One book I am currently reading: I find it difficult to
read one book only, so I always have a number that I am
working on. At this time they include: The DaVinci Code
(Dan Brown), Constants in Context: A Theology of Mis-
sion for Today ( S. Bevans and R. Schroeder), Mission in
the New Testament ( W. Larkin and J. Williams, eds), The
Recovery of Mission (V. Ramachandra), and Christianity
Rediscovered: An Epistle from the Masai ( V. Donovan).

9). One book that I want to read: That book is H. Melville's
Moby Dick. But I also must complete Tolkien's Ring trilogy
and read more of George MacDonald. If I do that I will be
a happy, clappy sort of guy.

I've enjoyed reading the lists of other people. I hope my list
is interesting, too. Jeff T.

Hello Out There!

Here is my first entry on a blog of my own. Thanks to Paul and Amber, Meg, Ryan, Daniel, Miriam, and others for the inspiration to do this. I have really enjoyed reading blogs of other people I know. I am having fun imagining all kinds of things I can do on this blog.

Stay tuned for my list of book titles in response to questions going around. It has been fun hearing of some of the titles you have selected in answering the questions.

Until later, JT