Back at it…

I sit here at the church office for the first of several quiet Saturdays and Sunday afternoons in order to read, write and study. I begin the second part of the ordination process, that of the ordination exams. The licensure exams are over, having taken the oral exams July 15-16 and the written exams the week prior.

It was a very full time for our family. The week I took the written exams I had two weddings, and all the extra stuff like pre-marital meetings, rehearsals and dinners, receptions and what not. Kara left for five days to support and encourage a friend whose 5 year old daughter passed away in her sleep. It was a heart-wrenching time for the Atchisons. We were blessed to be able to send Kara to be there in AL for five days. The Veermans stepped in and supported our decision and helped greatly here at home while Kara was gone.

I passed the licensure exams and now tend the ordination requirements for the PCA, which include two papers and another set of exams.

I find myself really enjoying the examination process, confirming many things, and helping me sharpen many others. I need the pressure to study well and diligently I have found, but the pressure to do so has given me great opportunities for growth in both my increase of knowledge and self-awareness. God has shown me who I am in my deepest parts, revealing my insecurities, desire for acceptance more than I was formerly aware, my desire for perfection and to establish a basal competency (as seen by those around me, colleagues, family, friends, parishioners).

Needless to say, this revelation has been sobering. I am thankful for my encouraging small group, my supportive parents, my generous in-laws, my forgiving children, and faithful and patient wife. I have indeed been blessed. I have come to realize that more than ever over the past 3 months (and I am sure to a greater degree in the next 3 months).

Home.

What a great trip. Miss it, miss there, miss them, but glad to be home.

More to come, more pics, more stories, more thoughts on the licensure process to boot.

At the Lake

We are here at the lake again for a week with friends. It has been a restful enjoyable time here. The past several weeks have been very full and very stressful. This week has been a welcome rest for me and the family. More to come, and surely pictures to share. The long hours on the water, the nights of conversation have given me a new appreciation for my family and my community.

Quote for Today:

Here’s a quote that I received today from Graced Again, considering where my heart has been the past month or so, it seems very applicable the day before my oral exams, from Jonathan Edwards:

The work of a true convert is not done. He finds a great work to do and great wants to be supplied. He still sees himself to be a poor, empty, helpless creature who still stands in great and continual need of God’s help. He well knows that without God he can do nothing.

After a true conversion, the soul is increasingly aware of its own impotence and emptiness. It is still aware of its universal dependence on God for everything. A true convert is aware that his grace is very imperfect and that he is very far from having all that he desires. Through conversion, new desires are produced in him that he never had before.

…So he still has plenty of business at the throne of grace: in fact, his business there increases rather than diminishes.  

Our Dear Friends

Please continue praying for our dear friends Billy and Hope who are being held by Christ so intimately and so cleary the past two weeks…

http://billyandhopeatchison.blogspot.com

Remind Me

Remind me next week to post something about what I am learning about myself through licensure and ordination prep. All three of you readers…

Change of Plans

This week was reshuffled a bit. Wednesday morning, I received a call from one of our elders that another elder, lost a child in the night. Billy was here in IL getting mover estimates. Wednesday morning his wife Hope in AL found their four year old had died in the night. We went to be with him and pray for him at his home here in IL, then responded in the best way that we knew to help him get back to AL as soon as possible.

The next several days were a blur for me, the church responding to them with precious compassion, numerous calls and visits to the office asking what people could do to support and care for them. That afternoon, the grandfather of Brian, one of our pastors died. Sin and death flooded to the forefront of my mind and my heart swelled in grief for both families at their loss.

My heart is with people and my prayer and attention was shifted greatly from my studies to Brian, Billy and Hope. Needless to say studies, sermon prep and weddings were pushed back indefinitely. Any time I tried to dedicate to studies was very distracted, until Saturday anyway.

So, I will be studying today, tomorrow, a little on Wednesday and Thursday, then taking my exams Thursday afternoon. Oral exams are in the city Tuesday the 15th with committee and hopefully then again on the floor Wednesday the 16thin the northern suburbs. Kara is in AL with Hope and some other of Hope’s friends. She left Thursday evening and will be back tonight. I am glad she went to support her and care for her friend at a time like this. She says it has been very life-giving and encouraging to hear Billy and Hope’s trust in our loving and faithful God, who also grieves with us in our sorrow.

We’ll see There have been good days and bad days of studying, many distractions, but much hope.

Backyard Bible Club

BBC started this week, we have 27 kids coming to our friends’ backyard for four days. Today went really well, we were able to use the whole yard, garage and patio for all the stuff we are doing…

It was a good reminder (a bit refreshing) to talk very explicitly and simply about the gospel. It was the application of all the stuff I have been trying to cram into my head the past 3 months. It was simply telling little boys and girls about a God who loves them and despite their inability to keep every law of God perfectly, he provides what is necessary to be right in his eyes, to be his child.

Getting to talk about Jesus again and his work on the cross was fun and refreshing. Here’s to three more days and some good weather!

Bittersweet

We had a really fun day yesterday as a family, went to Starved Rock in Utica, IL and had a great time with friends, hiking, schlepping through woods and mud and sand, picnicking, soccer and just all around exploring. It was supposed to have a chance of severe thunderstorms… it rained for 10 minutes on the ride there and was sunny, 80, and a tiny breeze all day.

Then I came home and jacked it up by being crabby toward my wife. Nice. Real nice. (Do we ever figure it out? to STOP being so selfish?). I again need more Jesus. More grace, more humility, more conviction, more repentance and faith.

Doctor Update

For those of you who were deeply concerned that I had not seen a doctor since college, a quick update to let you know that all is well. The doctor was pleased with my overall health and life patterns, which is always reassuring.

He did say I needed to cut back on my coffee intake. Pssh. Right. Okay, he’s right, but I’ll just be moving to decaf I am sure. It is a little difficult when my life and work is to meet with people, encourage, build up, care for, counsel, or teach them at their convenience. Most often that is over coffee or over lunch since many cannot take time away from their regular job to meet.

Looks like I’ll just need to order more decaf frappes, or strawberry coolers in the future instead of my regular 5-shot “Double Shot” from Sbux. Sigh.