Posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 am
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I spent about an hour and a half last night working on a blog with photos, etc. and when I finally came to the end, and I mean the very end, everything crashed. I will try to get around to re-posting sometime today or tomorrow, but it just reminds me not to take my own work too seriously. The truth is that in 20 of 30 years, maybe a little longer, my life will come to an end. All of the things that I stressed out over and sweat-ed over, and made some other people’s lives miserable over are really going to be almost meaningless. It is only the things that I can do for other people and for the Lord that will really make any difference.
How often in our lives do we get ourselves into some sort of “tizzy” (I think that is the scientific name for it) over things that really don’t matter. I am trying to learn from our dogs. They never get upset with one another for more than a few seconds and they are never upset with me. No matter what kind of day I have had, no matter what kind of mistakes I have made, no matter what kind of horrible person I have been during the day, I can come home to three fur covered beings who in many ways act better than almost all people. They are there at the door to meet me every day as if I am the greatest person in the world, as if all that mattered was our friendship. I wish my own love for Christ could be displayed in those kinds of terms.
Our dogs never worry. They don’t know about the grocery store, but they trust that I am going to feed them every day. They don’t have “dog refrigerators” to store food in, just in case I forget. They don’t have a wallet to keep a few extra bucks just in case I don’t get around to feeding them one day. They trust me and don’t worry at all. It just never bothers them that they are not in control of their next meal. That is the kind of faith that we pray for in the Lord’s prayer, but our dogs do a better job of it than many of us.
Today, learn a lesson from your dog. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Trust your “owner” in heaven and he will make sure that you are taken care of, even if your computer crashes after some of your “best work.”
Bark On,
DrSamLam
Posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
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As a result of the changes and some resignations at Knox this has been a very painful semester. One of the problems was that the board needed a new dean of faculty. For reasons known only to themselves, they asked me to take on that role. I reminded them that I did not feel qualified, but was willing to do my best for the good of the school. Being named the dean under these conditions is a bittersweet experience. I am honored that the board thought enough of me to give me this important job, but I am saddened by the factions, the problems, the issues, and the charges and counter-charges that caused the need for a new dean. When some have come by to offer congratulations I have told them that condolences might be more important.
As sad as this chapter has been, I believe in God’s providence and am convinced that there will be good brought out of bad. I don’t know what that good will be, but I am a Calvinist not just in name, but in practice. As Joseph said to his brothers “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” That is our hope, that no matter how bad things look, God is working things out for good. We can already see some of that happening at Knox and the board expects to have some really exciting announcements over the next few weeks that will remind us all of what a great God we serve and what a great school Knox is.
On a lighter note as a result of being named Dean of Faculty I needed to change offices. Anyone who had been in my office in the past five years could tell you that it looked like a thrift store ran into a used book store and caused a terrible explosion. I had books double shelved, stacked on the floor, and in almost every conceivable place. Here are a couple of pictures of the old office just before I moved.
Now that I am in the dean’s office I have been informed (by Cindy) that I need to keep the office neat and clean. Here are some shots of how it looks now. It is not perfect, but it is better than my old one.
All in all, I know that I have no ability on my own to do this job, but I must lean on the ability of Christ. In him I will be more than adequate, not on my own but because of my Saviour’s great ability. Please pray for the school, the professors (both those who are still here and those who are no longer with us) and the students. May we all strive to rest in the arms of our Lord.
Onward . . .
DrSamLam
Posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
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We are on our way to Chicago. Yes, Chicago. Yet another plane problem, this time a leak that prevented us from flying to Dallas and caused our flight plans to change. Given that we have been in five states in the last three days, I am a little tired of flying.
Last night I spoke at the Logos lecture series. My lecture was on “Jesus and Comedy” and you can listen to it on the Logos site (http://www.logos.com). The entire day was a much more typical day for Seattle. While Sunday had been sunny and clear (you can see that in the pictures) Monday was cold and raining. Despite that kind of weather, or maybe because of it, a few people came out to hear the lecture.
I was incredibly impressed with Logos, both as a business and as a ministry. It is one of the, if not the finest Christian ministries I have ever seen. It was on of CT’s top 50 Christian workplaces last year, and I can certainly see why. From the cappuccino machine to the laid back atmosphere, everyone seemed to be having a good time, but getting a lot of work done.
The new products that will be coming out soon are going to be fantastic. I saw some Greek New Testament stuff that had me drooling. I can’t wait until I can use it in the classroom to help students understand some of the discourse structure of the New Testament. It is going to help second year Greek students (and even those who haven’t had the opportunity to study Greek) use the tools in a much, much more effective way in understanding the text.
One of the things that I tell students is that if they are going to be in the ministry, they can buy Logos software now or later, but that they are foolish if they do not buy it. I have only been using the software for about a year and it has saved me hours upon hours of time each week in preparation. I am at the point now that I cannot imagine being without it. This may sound like I am shilling for Logos, but I pay for the software just like everyone else, and I am glad to do so. It is a godsend to a busy professor or pastor.
I am glad to be headed back to West Palm, despite the fact that I am now only 35,000 feet high and about half way between Seattle and Chicago. I am not a big fan of travel, but this has been a very nice trip despite the airplane difficulties. It gave Cindy and me a chance to get away as well as giving me a chance to see just what an incredible organization Logos really is.
I am now back at Knox, after arriving home last night at about midnight. Here are a few photos from Bellingham, taken by my good friend Kendell Stellfox who was the greatest tour guide/taxi in the world while we were in town. Kendell is a former Knox student and a great guy who now works as a representative for Logos. Take my word for this; the photos cannot do the beauty of this area any justice.
Posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 11:02 am
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Cindy and I are in Bellingham, Washington. This is about an hour and a half north of Seattle and sort of on the edge of the US. I believe that this is the northernmost city in the United States.
I am here speaking to a group about “Jesus and Comedy” on behalf of Logos software (http://www.logos.com). The company has brought me all the way across the US to speak to a group in town about the gospel and comedy. This is just one of the ways that Logos tries to give back to the community.
My good friend Kendall Stellfox drove us around yesterday and we saw some of the most incredible sights ever. I will be able to put up some great pictures when I return on Wednesday, but for now let me tell you that this is a place that makes you stand in awe of God’s creation. The mountains are bigger than anything I have ever seen in my life.
While it is a little cold, it is not so bad that I had to change shoes (still wearing my crocs). The temperature is about 35-40 and no humidity. What a change from South Florida.
I’ll tell you lots about the Logos company (the best in Biblical software) and about our trip out (an emergency landing caused us to miss our connection and we were traveling for 16 hours) and our trip back. For now take a little time today to look around at the wonder of the things that God has created. This trip has definitely taught me to be more aware of the grandeur of his creation. If God can make a mountain as big as the ones I see around here, I am certain that I can trust him to sort out the difficulties that any of us may be going through. We worship a big, big God!
Onward . . .
DrSamLam
Posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
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Knox has gotten a new sign. Thanks to a gift from a generous donor, (thanks more than I can say, and you know who you are) I have a new camera, and thought that you might want to take a look at it. Here is what those driving by now see when they pass the seminary.
Posted on Saturday, January 5th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
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I have just arrived home from Washington, DC where Josiah and I spent three days. I am not much of a traveler, preferring to spend time at home, but I must say that this was one of the most enjoyable times that I have had in quite a while.
It was enjoyable first, because Josiah and I were able to spend so much time together. I am really proud of both of my children, but Josiah’s interests parallel mine in many ways so we spent our time going to museums. Since DC is such a compact city, we walked nearly everywhere, putting on about ten miles in the two and half days. The only uncomfortable part was the cold weather. With the wind chill the temperature dipped down into the zeros. This is not the kind of weather that two Florida boys are used to walking around in. I had to purchase a ski cap to keep my head warm, and was wishing that I had not worn my ever-present “Crocs” because my feet were really cold.
We were able to visit some great places. We saw the house of Lincoln’s death, right across from the Ford theatre which was closed for renovation. We visited the national archives where we saw the camera that took the “Zapruder film” (film of JFK’s assassination); the declaration of independence; bill of rights; and a variety of other things.
After the national archives we went to the International Spy Museum. This was a fascinating look at spy craft from Biblical times all the way up until today. We saw an actual “enigma;” a variety of listening devices (including a “dog-poop bug”); many different kinds of devices used by spies in the II world war as well as tools used by the Soviet Union to spy on the US only a few years ago. This was one of my favorite stops.
The next day we set out a little earlier, first to visit the Museum of Natural history. This had some fascinating animals, many of which I had not seen before. A few floors up we were able to see the Hope diamond of legend and supposed curse.
After this we walked to the Holocaust Museum which was an incredibly moving experience. One comes face to face with evil in seeing the actual bunks from camps at which millions met their death. This was indeed an experience not to be missed, with the sign “Arbiet mach frei” cast from the original. Walking under that sign, and seeing the thousands of things that those in the camps brought with them, only to have them confiscated, was almost surreal.
After this, we took a cab to the Arlington Cemetery. Here we saw the grave of JFK, the tomb of the unknown soldier (with the changing of the guard as we stood freezing), and the house that had belonged to Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Lee before it was taken by the government for back taxes.
From the cemetery we walked back to downtown (about three or four miles) and walked past the Lincoln Memorial (where the reflecting pond was freezing over), the Washington Monument, the White House, and a beautiful view of the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue.
All in all it was a great time; a great time with my son and a great time of seeing some amazing things. It was a time for refreshment (a long brisk walk can do much to clear one’s head) and re-centering. I look forward to what God has in store in this year for Knox Theological Seminary as well as for Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. I think that I will look back at this year and will say what I said when I saw so many of the things this week: “Wow!” God is doing some great things; the problem is that he often works through pain and difficulty. We don’t always like that, but like a long, cold walk, it just makes the room seem that much better when we get there.
Walk on . . .
SamLam
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