DoctorDoo's Xanga

Quote of the Day!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:30:27 GMT

I realize I'm hardly using xanga anymore, but I had to share this others somehow.

Here's the quote of the day, if not beyond:

Boston attorney Jo Ann Citron: "the single most important benefit of marriage is divorce."

For the context of this incredible quote in an equally incredible article:
What's tougher to get than a same-sex marriage? A same-sex divorce.

Sooooo

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:30:47 GMT

I guess I haven't been on Xanga for a few months now. And to think I was once addicted to it. Ah, the fickleness of life.

So here's the gist for those of you who have no idea where I'm at now:

Lord willing I will graduate with my MDiv from PBU this December. I'm casually looking at schools that offer doctorates in anything that might allow me to do Old Testament stuff (such as Ancient Near Eastern history/culture/linguistics, comparative literature, Hebrew studies, etc...). I'd like to stay in the Philadelphia area as much as I can, but I'll broaden my search to anywhere roughly between Washington, DC and Toronto, Canada.
I have been dating Jennifer Rogers, a transfer business student at PBU for four months now (as of today). Things are going very well, and her family and I get along great (which is very much a plus!).
As this will be the first summer that I won't have an actual full-time job to keep me busy, I'll be dividing up my time fairly evenly this summer between home in NY and home in Langhorne.
My brother got married a little over a month ago, and had surgery on his back this past Wednesday after suffering from a herniated disk for probably 6 months.

Can't think of anything else of interest. I honestly don't know if I'll use xanga much after this post. Maybe this will get me back into it (but maybe not). Hope all is well.

Maranatha!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:01:46 GMT

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=3816153383092639273&hl=en&autoPlay=true&playerMode=simple

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:12:45 GMT

This is going to be an awesome movie!

I've never been one to be sensitive over the whole B.C. vs. B.C.E. thing (honestly it doesn't bother me one way or the other), but it is at least interesting that on the popular level it is still B.C. (whether or not most people even know what the letters stand for).

Big news at PBU

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 21:46:10 GMT

For those who may no longer be in the PBU loop, some big news came out today. The following comes from a faculty/staff email (I still get them, even though I'm technically no longer staff):

"During a special 1:00 pm session this afternoon, the Board of Trustees of Philadelphia Biblical University voted to appoint Dr. W. Sherrill Babb as Chancellor and Dr. Todd J. Williams as President.

"Both appointments are effective January 1, 2008 and reflect the University's commitment to a timely and successful succession plan of administrative leadership...

"In the coming days, more information will be provided about this historic transition which includes a Spring 2008 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. A national search for a new Sr. Vice President and Provost will begin soon."

My birthday gift

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:41:44 GMT

The Lord gave me a truly unique birthday gift today: the chance to spend some time with a missionary.

Scheduled to speak at my church today (Sunday, October 7th) was Samuel Buraga, the director of Bharat Bible College & Logos Evangelical Seminary, located in India. Brother Samuel, himself Indian, came to the US in the 60s and 70s and studied at PCB (aka PBU), Reformed Episcopal Seminary, and Biblical Seminary, after which he returned to India and founded a Bible college and Seminary there to train national Christians. Some PBU'ers might be interested to know that in May 2006, he was the main speaker at PBU's graduation, and was given an honorary Doctorate of Religious Education.

Last Wednesday, one of the Elders at my church told me that Dr. Buraga was staying with friends in Bensalem (just a mile away from where I live), and asked if I would drive him to and from church on Sunday, to which I agreed. After the service we decided to go out for lunch and just hang out. Both at church and at lunch he told me that the Bible college and seminary has about 150 students and 30 professors, but is always looking for visiting professors (especially Hebrew and Old Testament!) to teach a class for one or two months. For the past few years, whenever my church has had missionaries visit I've always had an interest in doing something related to missionary Bible teaching, and this opportunity in India (after I graduate, of course), may be the kind of thing I was looking for. I would travel there for a period of perhaps 2 months to teach a class, and return to the US for the rest of the year for another teaching job (this would be particularly ideal if it was somewhat regular, which it sounds like).

Anyway, however things turn out (and it will be a few years before I would see any of this come to pass), this gift that was given to me today by God may prove to be one of the most significant and life changing ones I've ever received.

The Indian Bible college's website is www.bharatbible.org

Driving Test (Ruski style)

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:58:21 GMT

Some of those who read this post may not be aware that ever since Freshman year at PBU I have been assisting at a Friday evening Bible study outreach to the former Soviet (mostly Ukraine, some Russian) Jewish immigrant community in NE Philly. It's a small Bible study sponsored by a Jewish ministry organization, and most of those who attend are somewhat older.

In the last year or so this middle-aged man, Yuri, has been coming, sometimes bringing his wife and daughter. They are Christians, not Jewish, but come anyway. The daughter, Anna, knows intermediate English, the wife knows little, the Yuri knows virtually none. Interestingly, he is the most communicative, with or without a translator; let me qualify that: he is most communicative with a translator, and attempts to be communicative even without. Because my Russian is as good as his English, it makes things somewhat difficult. Basically he just talks to me in Russian with me nodding my head and smiling, sometimes shrugging my shoulders and saying one of the few things I do know in Russian: "I do not understand."

Anyway, yesterday evening after the Bible study, Yuri came to me with one one of the others who happens to know both languages well, and through translation asked if I would take his daughter in my car so that she could take her driver's test the next day (i.e., today). After hemming and hawing about it for a little while, knowing that he has very few people to turn to, I agreed.

So I arrived at his apartment today and the three of us (myself, Yuri and Anna) went to the testing place. I let Anna drive to the place, and both her father and I, in our respective language (often simultaneously) tried to give her advice, no doubt adding to her anxiety. While I had my doubts initially, she passed the test without a problem (no damage to my car, which was my chief concern. Not that I'm materialistic or anything ), and I was invited back to their place for a late lunch. Conversation at the table was 95% Russian, with Anna occasionally translating something for me in English. Having little conversation topics to share, I showed them the pictures that were in my wallet, mostly family, and they showed me some of their pictures from back in Russian (such as the Kremlin and Red Square, the Black Sea, the Carpathian Mountains). It was awkward, but kindof fun.

So that was my eventful day.

Job Opportunity

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 19:37:43 GMT

[I don't want to use specific names on a public site for this story (as things are still in the works), but those of you who know me pretty well know the professor I work for, and you can ask me what college it is that is involved.]

The professor I work for was recently asked by a nearby Bible college if he would teach an Old Testament history course online for their degree completion program, and he agreed only on the condition that it would be co-taught by his assistant. As it looks now, during the latter half of November and into December I will for the first time be (sort of) hired to (sort of) teach a (sort of) Bible class for a Bible college other than PBU. It might seem like a little thing, but it's one step closer to doing what I want to do, and it will go well on a resume.

So that's the recent exiting news.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:42:04 GMT

I just want to be able to breathe through my nose. Is that too much to ask?

%#@& cats!

Study links attention problems to early TV viewing

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:31:08 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.

full article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070904/hl_nm/attention_television_dc_1