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You may be aware that I had planned on taking a trip to the BWCA at the beginning of August. I am happy to report that I have safely returned from the BWCA. I, along with seven others, entered the BWCA on August 2nd, and 10 days later I enjoyed a shower at Voyageur North Outfitters, and after 20 hours of driving, made it home to my lovely bride who did not join me for the trip. The Boundary Waters was an awesome time, even though the fishing was the worst I've ever experienced. I did find a certain level of success fishing on the last day, but that hardly makes up for the previous 8 days of terrible fishing. The BWCA was a much needed vacation. It was, actually, the vacation I had planned as a "reward" to myself to help cope with the fact that I would be spending another year at school instead of taking a call as a pastor. And while it was a fantastic vacation, there was plenty of worries looming over my head the entire time, the greatest of which was whether I would be able to catch up on the two weeks of German class that I would be missing during the trip.
I don't know if I was able to catch up on the German. I had my 4 hour German proficiency exam on Friday and I still don't know if I passed. If I did pass, that will be one large monkey off my back. If I didn't pass, then I have one more shot at passing the test, and if I fail, then I'm out of the STM program. It's tough going, but this is a high level of academia and I wouldn't expect any less. The test itself went all right. I feel like I did pretty well, but there were definitely some parts of the translation I was working on that I was not able to understand. I should know how it all turned out by the end of August. I used up all 4 hours of time that were allotted for the test, and I hope it all went well. This is, after all, the single most important test I've taken in my entire life. Fall classes start on Sept. 7th. That gives me roughly two weeks of "free time." I'm going to use this time to get some reading done, and of course, to continue working on my collation project, something I had hope to have completed by the end of June. These two weeks are probably going to be the best two weeks of my year...because for the first time in a long time I don't have anything looming over me. I don't have a German class to worry about, a paper that needs to be written, I don't even have a sermon to write, though I might offer to preach in Barnhart, so that could change. These are carefree weeks. I suppose that means Emily will expect that I have the house looking spotless. I suppose that wouldn't be such a terrible thing. Next quarter I'll be taking two classes. Advanced Hebrew Readings and Advanced Greek Readings. I feel that my Greek and Hebrew skills, while not completely worthless, definitely need a lot of work. So, I am nervous about what I'm getting into, but this is EXACTLY why I'm sticking around for my fifth year. It's not so I can brag about another degree, it's not so that I can get the added salary that degree brings with it, and it's not so that I can write a 100 page paper about 9th century scribal habits, it's so I can feel more confident about the languages and make them a more useful tool for my time in the ministry. Am I nervous about it? Yes I am. Will I give it my best? Yes I will. Am I excited? Indeed, I am. I've been thinking a lot about finances lately because my budget is really tight ever since I quit my job. I feel like quitting my job was the wrong decision, but it's easy to feel that way when I have two weeks of uninhibited free time approaching. I will be leading some tours on campus and that pays from time to time, and I will also be looking for pulpit supply opportunities, but I still feel like its not enough. I think about finances because this last week was the hardest time I've ever had cutting my tithing check. When you know the credit card bill and lingering medical bills are on the horizon, it's hard to write that check. When you're penny pinching for groceries and counting down the days until you can make it to the food bank, it's hard to write that check. When you've just borrowed $1000+ to help pay tuition and still things seem bleak, it's hard to write that check. But with all my schooling, with all my knowledge of theological matters, with all my experience in the "church world" there comes a time when you need stop talking about trusting in the Lord and actually start trusting Him. "He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life." Martin Luther writes. But it's hard. It's hard to put your trust in God instead of money. I've never regretted tithing, I can't imagine that would change now. I write about my tithing struggle, because I think its something more people need to talk about. Some people think that seminary students, or vicars or pastors have an easy time tithing. That's not necessarily true. It is something that everyone struggles with. However, there is nothing more encouraging than watching a family who struggles to tithe make the right decision and then watch how God cares for them in their time of need.
Well, it's late, and I'm waiting for my clothes to dry. My wonderful clothes dryer only has one problem with it: the timer doesn't work. Thus, I cannot put clothes in the dryer and just go to bed. I need to stay up and physically turn the dryer off myself. If I didn't, all the clothes would be shrunk to chipmunk size, and I'd risk starting the house on fire. I wanted to thank all of you who have been supporting me over the past few years. The money I've received has always been helpful and words cannot begin to express the appreciation Emily and I have for your sacrifice. Also, we thank all of you who have been praying for us. Those prayers are always welcome, and we hope that our own prayers for you are an appreciated gesture. Until next time...love Christ and serve Him faithfully. Tim (and Emily)
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