Today is one of those days for me. Last night I submitted about 20 more pages to my professor and we are supposed to meet and talk about them on Monday. I don't want to go too far ahead until we have talked because she will probably have ideas for how to make it better and how I should proceed. So I decided to read some stuff that is of secondary interest to my research. A couple of weeks ago I checked out the book on the left, Richard Sibbes , by Mark Dever (the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church). Dever did his PhD dissertation on Sibbes. Since Sibbes was influenced by William Perkins (someone I am researching) I thought it would be at once refreshing and productive. I was right. I am really enjoying the book. Sibbes wrote a book called The Bruised Reed aimed at comforting sensitive consciences, so a look at the man, his theology, and his life is very interesting. It was a good use of a holding pattern day.
Krisy took this picture as kind of a joke: "Timmy heads to School." She took it just before I left for a lecture last night (Jewish Perspectives on Scotland). I post it, not to give you another unfortunate glimpse at my face but for two other reasons. 1) Mom, I am wearing the coat you bought for me when you took me school shopping before we left. Yes, my mommy took her 30 year old son (me) school shopping before we came to Scotland. Not a proud moment for me! Just kidding, I was very thankful for my parents' (continued) generosity. (That subject was also taken up by Dever in the preface to his book on Sibbes. He thanked his parents for contributing to his studies at Cambridge. Then in the first chapter Dever talks about how Sibbes' father was begrudging in his financial support of his son's education. That made me want to give a shout out to my dad, who has never been begrudging in supporting me. Thanks for all your help, dad! I am thankful.) 2) I am so glad I wore the coat that night. Usually lectures are attended by students wearing slacker clothes and meticulously disheveled hair. But this lecture was attended by a lot of elderly folks and community leaders - all of whom were dressed very nicely (hats, ties, and I think I saw a bow tie). I was easily the youngest person there by 10 years. Evidently not many students wanted to come to this one.I am attending two more lectures this week: Today at 3:30 (which also when it gets dark here, by the way) I am attending one called "Jane Austin and Virtue" which sounds interesting. Tomorrow I will go to one called "Beyond Appearance: Art and the Question of Value" which should offer some food for thought for my research on iconoclasm in puritan thought. Next week, along with meeting with my professor, I will attend 4 lectures on Islamic Studies and one by the head of New College on a topic I am not sure of yet. I am trying to take advantage of every lecture I can while I am here. Some seem related to my field more than others, but the academic stimulation is very helpful to me. It makes me think critically, ask questions, and it gets me thinking about how to have loving dialogue with people who I think are flat wrong about many issues.
Thats all for now.
Tim
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