Mr. Maust,

Your passport was found in a donation at the Sharing Shop.

You found my what? I didn’t know it was lost!

The above is an email I received tonight notifying me that my passport had been donated to (and found at) the seminary’s thrift store, the Sharing Shop. The first thing I thought was, “Oh shoot, how did that happen?!” So, I go over to the file cabinet and look in the folder where our passports live, open up the little traveler’s pouch just to make sure they’ve indeed found my passport, and behold there’s my passport safe in the pouch in the file cabinet. This is confusing. I’ve got my passport and they’ve got my passport. My world starts to come crashing down as I begin to question the nature of physics (i.e., an item can’t be in two different locations at the same time).

The email had a number. I’ll call it. Will there be a terrorist on the other line holding my “passport” ransom? Stranger has happened in Wake Forest. Just today I walked outside and it smelled of sulfur, the scent of a missing passport (apparently).

“Hello?”

“Hello.”

“I got your email saying you have my passport, but I’ve got it in my hand.”

“Oh, well, let me get it out of my briefcase and take a look then.” Terrorists have briefcases don’t they?

“This one has holes punched in it on the first page. There was also a picture of a ‘Justin’.”

I know that “Justin” and that’s my old passport! Emily in her ruthless ridding our apartment of non-essentials gave my old backpack to the Sharing Shop which was secretly stowing my old passport and a picture of Justin. Oops. I’m just relieved there aren’t terrorists in Wake Forest!

You can read Dr. Akin’s email and Professor George’s article on Akin’s blog at the following address: http://betweenthetimes.com/2008/10/14/why-faithful-evangelicals-cannot-vote-for-barack-obama.

Also, with Dr. Akin’s permission I’ve created a PDF of his email with the article to make it easy to attach to an email or print. Click here to download the PDF.

This is not about propaganda but about exposing Obama’s voting record and lack of concern for unborn babies.

Not only can procrastination hurt your grades or the emotions of the those around you or even your own emotions, but procrastination can also hurt your body. (That sounds like something Dr. Phil would say). “Procrastination” may come from the Latin procrastinare meaning “to put off until tomorrow” but you better believe you might feel the effects of such putting off immediately when you put your feet on the pavement and your off running to class with less than 10 minutes to get there–it takes 15-20 and its quite literally an uphill battle.

This particular day last week I exited the shower at 15 after 11 (11:15am) to hurriedly clothe myself and try to get out the door in approximately 30 seconds to attempt to arrive on time for my 11:30 class, New Testament II. I failed. It was 11:20 when I left and my procrastination left me with few options, best of which seemed to run. So, I took off running and I had gotten all the way to the bottom of the hill (picture the walk/run from our apartment to the seminary as v-shaped: down a hill and back up another) when this baby blue van rolls up, demanding that I get in.

“Are you headed up the hill to the seminary?” I ask.

“Nope, but I can be.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to.”

“You look like you’re running late.”

“I am.” With that exchange, I hopped in to find our neighbor’s wife driving the van.

“I saw you running and thought you were probably really late and since I know you guys only have one car, I thought I’d give you a ride.” I don’t even know your name, m’am; but it seems like you sure know us! “No, this is great. Thanks for the ride. It’s very kind of you.”

She dropped me off (a 2 minute ride by car) in front of the seminary and I was grateful I only had to run half the way. Even with the ride, however, I still didn’t have much time to walk across campus and sneak into class. I made it just in time to find posted on the door: “Dr. Beck ill. No class today. Please pray for him.” What kind of “sick” joke was this? I was just glad I hadn’t run all the way up here to find this note–I would rather have run up a down-escalator (well, probably not).

Well, feeling dejected and out of breath (I still ran across campus), I did what I do most days: walk to the Tea Room. While walking, a plan of repayment for the kind gesture formulated in my mind. I would make them a pavlova. (Does bold type make it more dramatic?) And whom do I have to thank for this genial idea except Sir Nigel D? Pavlova it will be: merengue with a soft marshmallow center, topped with fresh whipping cream, and kiwi and strawberry. Bingo. (Though it’s not the best time of year for strawberries. I should have just gone with kiwi alone. 2 for $1. Can’t beat that. Only need four.) So, the very next day between classes I made a pavlova and delivered it that evening round about dinner time, and there was much rejoicing at the Mack household.

As much as you wish the story ended there, it doesn’t. The following day after ‘lova delivery, the same baby blue van came to a screeching halt just behind where the Taurus was parked (I was acting like I was inspecting the Taurus’ radiator). “Drew! That was great! If you make those, I’ll give you a ride to class every day. You didn’t have to do that!” Well, as much as I did enjoy making it, and as much as we both knew she wouldn’t let me borrow their blue mini-van everyday, I said, “They’re great aren’t they. [Talking up the kiwi.] Well, just like you didn’t have to give me a ride the other day, I didn’t have to make y’all a pavlova.”

And that was that.

I’m taking three summer classes this summer: Greek I, Greek II, and Greek Syntax & Exegesis. I’m now in Greek II, which ends next Friday. The class runs from 9:00AM to 12:00PM 12 noon, Monday thru Friday. We’re learning the vocabulary and grammar of New Testament Greek (Koine Greek, “common Greek”) and learning to translate passages from all the books in the New Testament. It’s fascinating, but difficult. However, to borrow from McDonald’s: I’m lovin’ it; especially as I would like to one day translate the Bible for peoples that don’t yet have the Scriptures (there’s a lot). After my class ends at noon, I make my way to The Olde English Tea Room where I’ve been washing dishes for the summer. Hey, I get to hang out with Emily everyday! And I’d wash dishes for that…I mean her. Which leads us to “her”…Peanut

As you may know Emily has started her prerequisites for Nursing School this summer. She has currently has class Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6:00 until 10:00. That makes a long evening/day for her, especially when she’s worked at the day right before running off to Durham for classes. She loves it though and she waxes more and more studious everyday. I’ll cheer her on as she pursues her dream to be a nurse. Go, Peanut!

Well, that’s pretty much the summer for us: class and the Tea Room. Since the ocean’s only about 2.5 hours away we may try to runaway to the beach one upcoming weekend with some friends.

Tell us what you’re up to for the summer, so we can know to be jealous or feel sorry.

Going from classes whose purposes were to discuss General Franco, Frida Kahlo and Rigoberta Menchu, to classes whose purposes are to equip students to develop a well-formed biblical hermeneutic and a prayer life that aids personal evangelism: welcome to Southeastern!

In other words, while my Spanish studies semi-excited me at WVU, the Advanced Biblical Studies of my current Master of Divinity track excites me all the more. I’m currently taking four courses: Christian Missions (how the church shares the gospel at home and abroad), Personal Evangelism (sharing the gospel one on one), Hermeneutics (how to properly interpret the Bible) and Church History II (pre-Reformation Christianity up to the 20th Century).

Lots of reading. Lots of lectures. Lots of paper-writing. But, hey, how else are we to learn? This is the college of I’ve been looking forward to.

It turns out my Personal Evangelism professor, Dr. Solc, was a professional hockey and tennis player in his fatherland, the glorious Czech Republic. His haircut is also similiar to that of Donald Trump; but, wow, does he love Jesus and people.

Today was also the first time that I’ve ever been in a class where the professor opened with a word of prayer.

In other news, Emily and I are headed to Huntington this weekend, the city where we first fell in love and were introduced to one another. Our plans our to see friends and have a fun road trip away from Morgantown. If we can remember, we’ll take along our digital camera and post pictures after we get back.

Speaking of posting pictures, hop on over to the Photo Gallery and peep 91 recently added photos of our trip to Grandma’s house in Columbus. They’re not to be missed.

Anything else to share with y’all? Can’t think right now, but hopefully Emily will come on here and add anything I’ve forgotten.

This week’s food of the week is: Reese Peanut Butter Cup Klondike Bars
Wow, they’re good.

This week’s song of the week is: Eternal Flame by The Bangles

This week’s drink of the week is: Rockstar Juiced

This week’s person of the week is: Emily Clare (Hayes) Maust — she’s out of control

This week’s leisure time activity of the week is: Camping

This week’s stupid thing of the week is: The Dominion Post — the Morgantown newspaper! it’s horrible. while Israel is having peace talks with Hamas, they slap a story about a poodle being mauled on the front page!!!

This week’s thing we bought this week is: an Electric Hand Mixer — wow, you haven’t had mashed potatoes until you’ve had our super creamy taters!

If you have eaten, drunk, listened to, read about, done, or otherwise come across any of the above Things of the Week, leave us a comment telling us about it, and we’ll hook you up with a special surprise!

“Hey I’m getting ready to leave with a bunch of students from Marshall to go down and tour Southeastern; you and Emily should come along!”

Wow, talk about a last minute trip. It would be about an 7 hour trip from Morgantown to Wake Forest, North Carolina where the Seminary is, and I would have to miss my last class that day (Thursday) and miss both of my classes on Friday, but this would the perfect opportunity to look at the campus and see where we might live. Well, of course we jumped on the opportunity!

I called Dan back and we decided that Emily and I would meet his group in Beckley (where my parents live), and ride together from there to Wake Forest. Emily and I rounded up a change of clothes each and swooped down to Beckley, eating dinner with my family that night and then hopping on the church van with Dan and his crew. We drove all evening and reached Wake Forest at about 11PM, and it was Sleep Forest then, nobody was awake.

The next morning we all got up, and after a bite of a continental breakfast, headed to the Seminary campus where we took tours of the university housing and the campus. We also got to sit in on a class. The one Emily and I sat in on was Personal Evangelism.

Overall, Emily and I had a supertastic time hanging out with Dan and the Marshall crew in a beautiful area of the country, viewing a sweet-mother Southern Baptist Seminary. I’m in the process of filling out an application for Southeastern at the moment, and getting all the necessary forms together. It’s exciting!

Emily’s been online since we got back on Saturday, looking for schools around the Raleigh-Durham area where she might study nursing. Oh, and since leaving on this last minute seminary trip, Emily didn’t get to take her driving test on Friday. We are definitely going to go this coming week sometime. In other news, Emily got her new debit card in the mail!

In closing, I would just like to point out for anyone that missed it that God is amazing in orchestrating people’s lives, and if yours isn’t in his control then you need to yield to the Almighty. Coincidence that I emailed Dan just in time for Emily and I to catch a ride to tour the seminary? It could very well be, but we’re giving God all the credit and praise anyways.