On Quadragesima, plus several ideas

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When I mention “Bourbon Street,” what does it make you think about? New Orleans and, if you are in the South, Mardi Gras!


I live around 4-6 hours from New Orleans right now (this is just a quick guess), and I had the opportunity to visit this lovely city last summer and toured a small part of New Orleans during a ministry conference. I would not be surprised if some people from this area made an annual “pilgrimage” to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. And it is appropriately named as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday; I think it should also be known as the day of gluttony where people stuff up on food and donuts. Actually, this brings back good memories to me when my ex-boss along with a few other co-workers cooked up donuts for all employees last year where I worked. And I would be lying if I said I only had two donuts because they were delicious!


Why do people partake in gluttony on Mardi Gras? That is because it falls on the day prior to Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season marked by fasting and abstinence. Lent is a Christian observance of the liturgical calendar that spans over a period of 40 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday (the six Sabbaths during Lent are not counted toward this total), and it is practiced by millions of Protestants and Catholics across the world. This is perhaps one of the most important seasons of Christian calendar events apart from Christmas and Easter.

February Prayer Update

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My first semester is well underway, and I find myself in a familiar place once again: buried in my books. Since I am taking Old Testament (OT) Theology and New Testament (NT) Theology classes in addition to Greek Syntax and Translation and Reformation History and Doctrine this semester, I have to read every book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations (66 books in 15 weeks is not a bad thing but is not a small feat!), in addition to new paradigms and verb tenses for Greek. Things are getting a lot harder (who said it would get easier?!), but rest assured: I am still loving seminary and the mild weather in the South! :)

I thought I would update y’all about two things: 1) what I have been thankful about over the past month and 2) how you can continue to pray for me in the near future.

What Do Seminarians Do?

I'm currently swamped with my readings for Old Testament Theology, New Testament Theology, Greek, and Reformation History and Doctrine classes. However, I saw this rather humorous picture and I had to share it with you. This does reflect pretty well what people think seminarians like myself do while in school.

Bring Baby Hope Home!

I have been friends with Angie for a few years now, and she has interpreted for several of my seminary classes at Beeson Divinity School. She is one of the most awesome people I’ve known in my life, and God has implanted something wonderful in her family’s heart!

Angie shared with me last summer at a ministry conference in New Orleans sponsored by the Fund for Theological Education that her family is seriously contemplating and praying about adopting a child from China. To make a long story short, God has led Angie and her husband over the past few months to a particular girl named Qian Yi or “Baby Hope” (see the picture above). Her brown eyes is what captivated the hearts of Angie and her husband (admit it – she does looks adorable!), and she has a bilateral cleft lip and palate, a condition that can be easily resolved through a surgical procedure. Angie shared with me that there are several reasons why she has the cleft palate and lips condition: the Eustachian tubes was not properly formed in her ears and her lips and palate was not developed properly. After an evaluation, she might have an surgery to have the tubes inserted in her ears so she can hear again. Moreover, she might never be able to talk clearly (even after the procedure), so the family will be teaching Hope sign language once she arrives in America.

The Williamson family at this point is ready to bring Hope home, but they need to raise some funds to be able to do this. And they came up with a nifty idea that entails serving a widow for one entire day!