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On average, we’ve covered 30 years of history a day over the semester as we’ve studied the period from the creation of the world to the exile of God’s people in Babylon – Genesis though to 2 Kings. I guess that explains in part why the semester seems to have flown!
After doing my exam on Friday (and spending a long time sitting and drinking coffee with my friend and fellow student, Kate) I spent the Queen’s Birthday long weekend at PY Winter Camp (If you missed it, there’s always Summer Camp, or next year. Find out more here: www.pynsw.org.au ).
At camp we looked at the life of another queen as we studied the book of Esther, and were reminded of the way God works in his world for the good of his people, of his sovereign care in every detail of our lives, and of the coming judgement for those who do not fear him. It was a helpful challenge to trust God in every circumstance, for the two hundred 12-16 year olds, and the 48 mostly twenty-something study leaders, alike. The study of the OT provided a really helpful backdrop, and an understanding of why God’s people were in the situation we find them in in Esther, and what he now expected of them.
And there I met another fellow student, Clare, who lives and studies in Albury, and whom I had previously ‘met’ in the online classroom. It was great to catch up with her in person and talk with her about some of the things we had learnt and enjoyed in the course, and about the ways in which it had been helpful in our ministries. And it was great to have the chance to minister alongside her as a sister in Christ and fellow servant of the King.

Just a quick update on our kids group. KCRock is now known as KidZr.o.c.k. The ROCK is an acronym for Reaching Out for Christs Kingdom. Nicky, my wife is championing the cause and doing really well at it.
As a younger lady, Nicky said that, although she did not mind helping a little bit with the young adults, she did not want to work with little kids. So now as well as the KidZrock, Nicky is the main leader of Children’s Church. As a result of the efforts she puts in, the kids keep coming back and are growing in numbers.

For me, all but one of my assignments are in for first semester and some results back are “not too shabby”. Ultimately its not about the marks, but knowing in my self that I am where God has called me to be and that I do the best I can to His praise and Glory.
There are people who care about marks on paper, but my care is for the marks on Him who was nailed to the cross. As Jesus laid down his life for me, it is not too much to ask that I should lay down my life for Him in his service.

Sometimes in a scripture lesson, a student asks a gem of a question that just makes me smile. Yesterday, I gave an illustration of faith, being like a woman who agreed to be carried on the back of a tight rope walker, when no one else would. I wanted to show that faith was active. One boy, up the back of my year 7 classroom, put up his hand. "That woman had to get onto the man's back to show that she trusted him. If I want to put my trust in Jesus, what can I do?"

Yesterday we went to my grandmother’s funeral; today the kids have gone back to school (except the Vomiting One), and English classes started again (without me). It was the end of the holidays, and the end of an era. My grandmother, who died just shy of her 98th birthday, was a remarkable woman whose life was a testimony to God’s grace. Having attended church for most of her life, she became a Christian at about 50, when she really understood the death and resurrection of Jesus for the first time. For the rest of her life, she was a passionate supporter of clear gospel preaching, and the teaching and training of others. She reached out to those around her with the good news that had transformed her life. She prayed faithfully for her family and for gospel ministry all over the world. She kept up with and prayed for and supported the various ministries of PY, and more recently the Timothy Partnership. For the last 18 months she lived nearer to me than she had for more than 35 years, and I am really thankful for the time I was able to spend with her, and the opportunity to be encouraged by her ongoing faithfulness and prayerfulness and the way in which she continued to be challenged and encouraged by God’s word. She could no longer see well enough to read, which was a source of great frustration for her, but it did mean that we (mainly my mum, but also my sister and I, and others) benefited enormously from being able to read and share the Bible and other Christian books with her.
Since the week before Easter we’ve had two family funerals, an almost-family engagement, several birthdays, and who knows how many sleepovers. I’ve been very grateful for the flexibility of online study (which is another way of saying I haven’t done a thing!) There has been sadness and celebrating. But as I look back over the last few weeks, each event (except possibly the sleepovers) has been characterised by seeing God faithfully at work in each one’s life, rejoicing in his goodness to us, and the certain hope of the promised rest at the end.
So now I really do have to write the essay on Numbers. And I think that what it’s about is God faithfully at work in his people, and the promised rest at the end.