A Few Updates…

Birthday Cards:

To those of you who sent birthday cards and letters last month, you are my absolute favourite people on the planet.  Thank you!

Phone Interview: 

I indicated in the previous post (many moons ago) that I had a phone interview with a school for a New Testament faculty position beginning this fall.  The interview went okay.  Most of the questions they asked I didn’t expect, and so my questions were far from articulate and poignant.  It was a great learning experience nevertheless.  And the results?  Well, I didn’t get the job… at least not yet. 

The chair of the search committee called me the following week and explained that, to their dismay, the school administration had pulled the funding for the position for the coming year.  This means that the candidate search is put on hold for one year, including my application.  It seems though that I didn’t completely fail my phone interview, because he asked if I would be keen to remain on the list of top candidates.  Their hope is to pick up next year where they left off.  So, I didn’t get the job, but it seems I’ve been given a second chance and an additional year to improve my interview skills.  Here’s to hope and second chances (not to mention completed PhD’s)!

Tutoring Continues:

I’m continuing in my role as the Study Skills Tutor here at the University of St Andrews.  The professors keep assigning essays and exams, so the students keep coming to me with questions.  Works for me!

Isaiah LXX Commences:

A unique feature of this semester is that myself, Professor Wright, and the other eight students he supervises are spending Thursday nights working our way through the Greek version of Isaiah 40-55.  We spend the first hour discussing issues of translation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. before discussing what’s actually going on in the text and how it might have been interpreted by Jews at different times in their history.  The preparatory work adds to the already insanely full semester, but it is well worth it.

Chapter Writing  Carries On:

Speaking of an insanely full semester, it is so because I’m making my best attempt at cranking out the chapters of this dissertation.  The goal (hope) is to have a completed first draft of the whole dissertation by the end of June.  It means for days that contain little time for anything but focused attention to the dissertation, but it will be worth it come summer.  That said, my apologies to all of you who have emailed and haven’t heard from me.  You’re not forgotten!!

In the midst of the craziness that is the start of my third year here, one very significant thing remains the same:  God’s mercies are new every morning.

Here’s one reminder of that from the tower just a couple of days ago: