I am thankful and glad that I finished my word study paper. not sure whether it is the correct one. but it is done anyway :)
now I can zoom in to the exegetical paper.. hoorayyyy
that's what I thought... I printed the paper earlier and show it to the lecturer... apparently, there are still some works need to be done, some touch up.. I hope that I can finish it in 2 hours or so... not so sure how possible is that...
Finally, after some additional hours working with Susan, we managed to put all the required invitation cards that need to be sent out tonight. That means, tomorrow, I will be able to send them all, and expect them to receive it by the end of the week. I hope that by the end of next week, we can have all the RSVP.
The simple task of writing address, finding address, verifying address is quite taxing. It may seem so simple, and yet, we spent more than 3 hours to finish all these. And although it may seem like an easy task, I feel quite exhausted after we are quite finished.
Now, I have to focus my mind at the other task at hand. To finish up the assignment on word study. I hope that I can finish this. Not so sure how to finish it though.
it is just too tiring to do any extra work at the end of every day. And yet I still have to push myself through it.
Wedding sermon is done.. now finishing up word study
Just finished the wedding sermon. Not really satisfied with the work. Especially when the sermon is supposedly written for my own wedding. Regretted that I chose 1 Cor 13 for the passage, or maybe because I zoom in to too many of the attributes of love. The focus is too much on the couple, and too little on the others and on God. The sermon is also a bit too long (3000 words). I hope that I have more time to tidy it up, but I have to move on to the next assignments
Tonite, which is about 2.5 hours left, I want to finish up the word study paper on Isaiah also. not sure how it is going to be done. drank half a can of 'red bull'. a full can is too much for my heart, coz it causes palpitation. If all is well, I can then focus on the exegetical paper from tomorrow onwards. pray and hope that everything can be done according to the plan...
Finally, it's weekend again... It is really the final week before all the things should be handed in to school.. but to date, I still have 4 assignments to do..
Word Study: due Tuesday - Pushed to Friday For this assignment on the "holy one of Israel" I have done the data collection and I need to put it in an essay, to synthesize the data and to present why this term is used in Isaiah.
Worship Policy paper: Due Monday - Pushed to next Monday. For this assignment, I need to write a rather comprehensive worship policy for use in a church, but not too deep (2500 words). I got some idea from a lecturer during a leisure talk. The worship policy should begin with a statement about theology of worship of the church, and develop it into various practical guide in the areas of worship, confession, offering, sermon, ushering, holy communion, baptism and so on.
Sermon: Due Tuesday (final deadline).I need to write a sermon (2000-3000 words) on either wedding, funeral, evangelistic or the OT prophets. I am basically clueless about how to begin this with. As a pastor, I need to do wedding, funeral and evangelistic sermons, so to do those will be beneficial for my future ministries. But to do things that I am not familiar with in this tough period, is it wise?
Exegetical Paper (25-30 pages). Due first week of May. Trying to finish this by coming Friday (30th April). I have gathered enough resources (10+ commentaries, 10 academic journals, some books, dictionary and grammar books) for this paper. I have prepared the outline for the entire paper. I have also started to write the skeleton for the paper on what issue to explore/develop. But it certainly need lots of concentration to get this done. I am quite confident, yet at the same time scared.
With the four deadlines in view, I should focus on the sermon and get it done today (4-5 hours). Perhaps tomorrow or monday I can get 1-2 hours to revise it (whenever I revise a sermon, there are always new insights and great improvements!). I may write a wedding sermon for myself! The next thing will be the word study, which is about 50% done. Followed by the worship policy paper and the exegetical paper. Tomorrow, I will focus on the exegetical paper for sure. But I'd better don't think too much.
Start with a little goal in mind. Achieve that little goal.
Since a few days ago, I felt something wrong at my left waist. It comes and goes. I finally decided to go and see my family doctor today. She says that I sprained my waist, but it is nothing related to nerve. It's probably due to longer hour sitting in front of computer, or carrying a heavy bag, or even a combination of tiredness and fatigue. She then checked my temperature and found that I am having a slight fever. Temperature is around 37.3.
I was given some panadol, pain killer and muscle relaxant. I hope that it will cure me of the slight pain and allow me to work. I have too many things to do now, and I cannot afford to fall sick.
Now... Continue to work on Isaiah's Holy One of Israel. This is a word study, and I have to study all the 25 occurrences of this phrase in the book of Isaiah, study their individual contexts and conclude why this is particularly important, because it appears so often in Isaiah, whereas it only occurred 6 times in the rest of the OT.
Today is the day when the sermon on work ethic is preached in the class. I thank God for the rest that I had, and the time to go through and edit the sermon in the morning. Some final touch up really make the sermon flowed in a smoother manner, although it is not perfect yet.
I have slowly gained confidence in my homiletical skill, which I think is very much due to the exposure in the new church, something that I always lacked. I hope that I can continue to polish my skill, with the help of lecturers and friends, so that I can be a fine preacher of God's Truth for God's glory.
now, that this one is done, I am left with: 1. Exegetical Paper on Hebrews (30 pages) 2. Word Study on Isaiah (the holy one of Israel - 4 pages) 3. Worship Policy paper (2500 words - 8 pages) 4. Sermon 2: maybe on evangelistic, for that is what I have never tried before. but I am not sure whether it is wise or not, since it will take up my time to write something new.
I hope that tomorrow, I can finish up either item 2 or 4. And spend some quality time on item 1.
The passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews that I need to exegete on and produce an exegetical paper is Hebrews 10:1-18
Basically, this passage is talking about the sacrifice of Christ, once and for all, that is trying to say, that we should not feel guilty, even for the sins or mistakes that we have done, because Christ has taken away our sins and guilt by his Sacrifice once and for all on the cross, two thousand years ago
the following is the outline that I come out with, quite original, because, I have yet to look at any outline that other commentaries has to say about this passage.
A 10:1 The Imperfect sacrifice and continuous need for offering
B 10:2-4 The Imperfect sacrifice and the testimony of the people
C 10:5-7 The imperfect sacrifice requires replacement to fulfill God’s will
D 10:8-9 The replacement of the imperfect sacrifice, the establishment of the new sacrifice
C’ 10:10-14 The perfect sacrifice as the replacement for the imperfect sacrifice
C’.1 10:10 the perfect sacrifice and its efficiency (1)
C’.2 10:11-13 The perfect sacrifice and its supremacy over the old system
C’.3 10:14 the perfect sacrifice and its efficiency (2)
B’ 10:15-17 the perfect sacrifice, and the testimony of the holy spirit
A’ 10:18 the perfect sacrifice and no more need for offering
Quite obviously, this is a chiastic structure, with the turning point being the replacement of the old covenant to the new covenant, by the coming of Christ, and his sacrifice, once and for all, by the perfect high priest of the order of Melchizedek. Because of this act, what was probably not possible, has become possible.
In the previous chapters, the arguments basically established the role of Jesus as the high priest of the order of Melchizedek. This point, hence, need not to be covered in this paper. This passage focus more on the very act of the sacrifice itself, which is a 'done deal'.
As a result of this sacrificial act of Jesus, what happens to the lives of the believers? quite simply, it is what is presented in the following passage of the same letter. Believers can now approach God, without fear, because the veil is torn, the veil that separates the people from the Holy of the Holiest is torn the moment the sacrifice of Jesus is accepted once and for all. People can now worship God, directly, without the need to feel unworthy, guilty or sinful.
Well, typing this blog is very helpful. I wish I can type this fast in my exact paper. Probably because of the tension, and serious tone of the words 'exegetical paper' I cannot express myself freely. Now, after I typed all these above in less than 5 minutes, my thoughts are more organized and I roughly know how to proceed.
impending deadlines:
3rd May: exegetical paper
27th April: word study paper on Isaiah: The Holy One of Israel
26th April: Worship policy Paper: requested to postpone until 3rd May
27th April: second sermon
Tomorrow: have to preach my sermon on work ethics. Need to touch up and fine tunes on this.
overall mood: very tense and stressful...
for wedding:
tomorrow: pass invitation cards to sbc and ex-company
wednesday: send invitation cards to relative, friends and all who has not received the cards
continuous monitoring of the RSVP progress...
Thank God, the flu effect is wearing off... Now I can focus on studying and preparing for the exegetical paper
The idea today, is to go through all verses in Hebrews 10:1-18, to find out the exegetical issues involved, the words that requires word study tomorrow will try to come to SBC to research more on the words for word study..
My body was aching, and that is part and parcel of the flu... thankfully, one of my classmate has a painkiller and I managed to find panadol.. and after all these, I was able to continue to work on my sermon..
Thank God, I finished the sermon :).. it took me about 3 hours in writing and 2 hours in thinking and the sermon is ready, at least the first draft of it. On monday, the day before I present it in the class, I still need to touch up on it to make sure that everything is alright..
for tonight, the major accomplishment will be the sermon.. I am going home now.. and may spend sometime to think of the structure of the second sermon and God willing to start doing some exegesis for the major paper...
Just when I needed my health the most... I got hit by flu... or at least the beginning of it... hope that I can pull through...
as I have planned previously... The sermon on work ethics is almost done, but may need another 2-4 hours to type and editing The other sermon is still somewhere in the air...
word study and policy paper is nowhere to be seen, at least at the moment
the exegetical paper is forever haunting me. Tomorrow is supposedly my deadline, but I will request to postpone it to maybe 2nd of May.
So for today: 1. Finish sermon 1 on work ethics, get outline for sermon 2 2. need to finish initial interpretative questions on hebrews 10:1-18 for exegetical paper, identify keywords for word study, identify key sentences, and key issues... plan outline
Tomorrow/Friday: 1. afternoon: do some works for exegetical paper, maybe word study 2. evening/night: prelim work for sermon 2, drafting 3. prelim works for word study paper
Saturday: 1. drafting for sermon 2, finalize if possible 2. started to think for policy paper 3. attend 2510
Sunday: Rest until evening time continue work for sermon 2, policy paper, and exegetical paper
Monday: 1. finish up word study paper 2. draft 1 for policy paper 3. continue to work for exegetical paper
Tuesday: 1. Sermons - preaching and submission 2. finish up policy paper 3. continue on exegetical paper
All the rest of the days... exegetical paper...
please pray for me that I will recover from this bout of flu..
In the midst of preparing a sermon, on work ethics and attitudes based on Colossians 3:22-4:1
The Big Idea is: How Now Shall We Work? We should work with the Right Attitude, because we serve a Just and Faithful Master who loves us.
The outline: 1. The Lord gave the Command to Work with a Right Attitudes 1.1 To Surrender in Totality 1.2 To Serve with Integrity 1.3 To Submit in Sincerity 2. The Lord is the Basis to Work with a Right Attitude 2.1 He is our real Master 2.2 He keeps His Promises 2.3 He is Just 3 The Lord is the Master of all Masters 3.1 To know what is right and to do what is right
I have also collected my new Macbook. It is still in a box. I do not have money to buy it, it is a gift. I thank God for the many ways that He blesses me with ideas for work, and material blessings. He knows that His servant is in need, and provide for us accordingly. A church member gave us a washing machine. Another fridge is on the way. These are not brand new, but they are okay to use, and we have nothing to complain about. Some friends are giving us full length mirror, cushions and so on... Well, fellow servants of the Lord, we may look poor on the outside, based on the worldly standard, but our Father in heaven is rich, and you do not know what is waiting at your doorstep when you get home :)
Yes, not much time left, with too many assignments to do.
Today - 12 hours more to go (12 pm to 12 am) Tomorrow - After 10 am can work, assume 14 hours (10 am to 12 am) Thursday - class until 4.30 pm, 7 hours working time (5 pm until 12 am) Friday - class until 1.00 pm, 11 hours working time (1pm to 12 am) Saturday - Morning - afternoon (8 hours), dinner @ YWCA until 10 am (rest - can think some outline) Sunday - Morning @ GJCC, afternoon ORPC, then GRII, to distribute invitation card. Night 6 hours working time Monday - Free whole day (15 hours work)
Immediate deadlines: 1. coming friday: Isaiah translation assignment, may need another 5 hours to finish. To finish today at the library. => done according to schedule 2. Greek exegesis thesis statement, to come out by today 3. Sermon outline
Tomorrow: 1. Try to granulize idea for both sermons and provide first draft 2. continue with Greek exegesis word study
Thursday: 1. Try to finish at least one sermon 2. continue with Greek exegesis
Friday: 1. Try to finish another sermon 2. may start Hebrew word study
Saturday: 1. try to finish Hebrew word study paper
Sunday 1. continue with Greek Exegesis paper 2. start thinking for worship policy paper
monday 1. try to finish worship policy paper 2. if got time, practice sermon preaching at least once, fine tuning
tuesday morning: 1. break, prepare to preach the sermon 2. get more resources for greek exegesis paper
=== by this time, only greek exegesis paper will remain ===
Yes, the finish line is just a few step away... but do I have the energy to press on, and the perseverance to sustain the final steps? I am not sure..
The wedding preparation is moving ahead... invitation cards are being issued... house is being cleaned up... we have a few clashes here and there, but so far are still quite healthy we get to know each other better through thee both of us are quite tense and tired with so many things looming ahead at least this is one of the things that seems the most successful so far :)
school wise.... that is the real pressure I have an upcoming paper (30 pages), but have yet to be able to concentrate 2 sermons, yet to be researched and written, one of them to be preached 1 worship policy paper, that is probably usable for my new church 1 hebrew word study and 1 translation paper all these the deadlines are varying from this coming friday, until end of April... burning midnight oil? that is definitely, but for how long? sometimes I want to burn, but my body is just unwilling my eyes are getting red, I think there are some infections... :'(
house wise ... well, we are thankful that everything is okay, so far documents are being processed... we need to wait for about 3-4 months ahead, for my name to be removed from existing flat then we need to look out for a house, and that will take another 3-4 months before we can move in to the new house... :-|
financially, everything has become very tight... thank God for the support from church I maybe able to pull through until the wedding day.. beyond that, let's hope that my salary can cover up the debts... for that, thank God for giving me a job :)
this is just a short blabbering... a short blabbering.. that may help me put things back into perspective I hope that I can be productive (really productive) for the next few days to accomplish some of the papers I mentioned above... then I can focus on the major ones... :-D
