I’m almost finished with my Humanity, Christ, and Salvation theology class. Most of the forty staff who attended the class are in this photo.(The instructor is on the left and I’m near the center in the purple blouse.)

I spent this past week attending daily lectures with these great Cru missionaries. I met several staff, including a gal who works in Costa Rica and another who just finished ten years in Kazakhstan.

For this next week, I have written assignments which includes a nine-page paper on the Trinity and salvation in Ephesians (due this next Friday).

Both Mike and I, as Cru missionaries, are required to take eleven theology courses. After this class, I’ll have two more to complete and Mike, one. Thank you so much for praying that through these classes:

• we both know the Bible and our Lord well, and
• we can minister more effectively through what we learn.

I actually started working on this course in October, reading papers and also assigned chapters from two books, particularly Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, which helps make Bible doctrines understandable. I really liked that each chapter on a particular doctrine closed with a corresponding hymn. Here’s a sample quote and hymn from the chapter on adoption:

This concept of the church as God’s family should give us a new perspective on the work of the church; it is “family work,” and the various members of the family never should compete with each other or hinder one another in their efforts, but should encourage one another and be thankful for whatever good or whatever progress comes to any member of the family, for all are contributing to the good of the family and the honor of God our Father. (p. 741)

The hymn for this chapter was “Children of the Heavenly Father.”