The Soul of Iran: A Nation’s Struggle for Freedom

A little over one week remains until I head to Turkey for a trip, and I am eager to see how dad is using various workers in that country! I am in the process of reading four different books on the countries of Turkey and Iran in addition to Islam. I just completed a book called The Soul of Iran: A Nation’s Journey to Freedom by Afshin Molavi. The author currently holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, reports on Iran for Reuters, is a columnist for The Washington Post, and contributor of several publications. He did an excellent job of integrating cultural, political, economic, and societal aspects of Iran in this book. Since I have to incorporate some of my reflection on this in my paper, I figured I could write a blog post about it and share with you as well! While this is not an official review of the book itself, I hope that some things I will point out here will whet your interest in exploring the history of Iran and how it continues to struggle for freedom.

Summer Prayer Update

Summertime has officially begun for me, and things are just starting to heat up in the Deep South! My first year of seminary is officially over, and I survived it! I even had the opportunity to show a piece of Birmingham to my sister who flew in town for a couple of days after my finals was done (see picture on the right taken at the Peanut Depot where they roast simply amazing peanuts). I just got back in town after a week-long vacation with my family in North Myrtle Beach, and my time with the family was a sweet one.

Turkey: Ministry and Missions in an Ancient Land

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I am almost finished with my first year at Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, AL (only 4 weeks remain until my final exams begin), and this past year has been an amazing one for me! I thank God daily for your constant prayers and words of encouragement as I dedicate this portion of my life to studies for future ministry to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Bound to The Strong Name of the Trinity

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“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful” (Col. 3:14-15).

On February 4th, Beeson Divinity School hosted a day-long Spiritual Formation retreat for all Beeson faculty, students and their spouses at the Aldridge Botanical Gardens, and it was a wonderful time for me to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of my life and spend the day in solitude and quietude. Little did I know that God would use this retreat and a specific Celtic prayer to strengthen and encourage me, deepen my personal prayer life, and aid me during times when I struggle while in seminary.

In Christ Alone

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The Lord continues to do amazing work in my heart, especially when I pause and consider what has transpired over the past few years and especially since I moved to Alabama, but there still remains much work to do in my heart for the rest of my life. As I continue to read the Bible daily and ponder what Christ has done for me, I become more aware of my depravity and how dependant I am upon the Holy Spirit for my sanctification. On my good days, I am careful to obey his commandments and emulate Christ's example in my life.

However, there are times when I chose to deliberately rebel and dishonor God by, for example, doing things that is explicitly forbidden in the Bible, not loving my neighbors as myself, or not doing things that should have been done. I may have minimized certain sins in my life or even sinned against God without knowing it. When I sin, I am convicted of what I have done by the Holy Spirit and thus turn back to God. I have been sobered by the truth that I have not loved God as much as I should have, and I suspect that this is something that everyone struggle with, regenerated or not.

March Prayer Update

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Flowers are beginning to bloom in Birmingham, and spring is just around the corner! Although I didn’t take the picture on the left, this was taken by someone at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a place I have visited on several occasions. I love to take a walk around the park and always find this time to be spiritually refreshing!

I am settled down with my studying habits at Beeson right now and have been enjoying all of my classes and a relatively mild winter weather common in the “the heart of Dixie”! While I do miss snow and cold winter weather, I have found this weather extremely beneficial for me to maintain my running and cycling hobbies. Not intending to draw any ire from my Northern friends, but I have not wore my winter coat once this winter in Alabama to this date and I am thrilled! :)

Update: The Baby Hope Project

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The past couple of weeks have been crazy at school, and, as expected, I only had a little sleep. I am just happy that it is Friday today - not only because I can catch up on my sleep, but also because I can finally update you on the Baby Hope project that transpired on February 11, 2011! Make sure you read the follow-up letter at the bottom of this post from the Williamson family!