if you didn’t get the joke…”acts” is a reference to the class i took this j-term (selected new testament books: acts) and the joke is that it sounds like “the ‘ax’ to j-term”…meaning that j-term is over. let’s just move on!

today was the last day of classes for j-term. it’s all over! the messiah college campus has a beautiful 4-day weekend coming up and i couldn’t be happier. movies, sleep, and video games await my return to my room!

overall, i really enjoyed this j-term. it was fascinating to journey through and learn more about the book of “acts.” i would highly recommend taking this course w/ dr. finger…if you ever get a chance.

another exciting thing is that i got a new phone yesterday (gotta like that “new every 2″ deal w/ verizon). i got the LG Chocolate (ignore the price…i got it for free w/ the “new every 2″ thing w/ verizon) and am still trying to figure it out a bit. it’s a lot different than my last phone which was a flip phone. so far i like the chocolate better!

that’s about it for now. when something interesting happens again, i’ll pop back in! enjoy the rest of your day!!!

my sister megan married david last night in what was a beautiful wedding. i’m so excited for both of them and i know they love each other very much. and most importantly…now i have a brother!!!

i’m not even going to attempt to name all these people…half of them i don’t even know. megan is in white (duh) and david is next to her. sara (my other sister) is next to megan. i’m on the end of the groomsmen.

that’s all three of us (my siblings and i) with our significant others. (left to right: sara, josh, megan, david, sandie, me)

and they’re next! 3 months and counting!

congrats megan and david!

j-term is one of those month long semesters that can easily push you further behind in life if you aren’t proactive (and sometimes even if you are proactive). there are so many entries i have wanted to write but due to the necessary weight of homework on my back i was unable to. so…in an attempt to gain favor with those who read my blog, i am setting aside the homework i should be doing and writing this entry that is a long time coming!

last semester in my johannine literature class (that being the gospel of john and the 3 letters) i had the truly amazing opportunity to write a research paper on the characterization of judas iscariot in the gospel of john. it’s not every day that a student says it was a blessing to write a paper, but stick with me!

it has never made sense to me as to why judas betrayed jesus. so in my paper i set out to learn more about this topic according to the gospel of john. to sum up what ended up being a 15 page paper (which was supposed to be 6-10 pages) i concluded that judas was not as bad a guy as we generally think. in an attempt to not bore people, i will hold back on the details (because there is some interesting scholarship supporting this thesis). if you want more info about my paper, let me know and we can talk about it…i’d loooove to talk about it!

soooo…j-term comes around and i decided to take selected new testament books: acts from the same professor that i took johannine literature with (who is now my bible major advisor). this class has been really sweet and has opened my eyes to a lot of things.

just like my other class with this professor (dr. finger) there is a substantial research paper involved. i promised myself i would avoid the topic of judas in acts, but wouldn’t you know that little bugger shows up in chapter 1! try as hard as i could, my interest grew and i decided to write my research paper on the topic of judas in acts.

my thesis is a little different this time (though i remain faithful to my position that judas was a good guy). my thesis (without giving it completely away word for word because the paper isn’t handed in yet) is that the portrayal of judas’ death in acts is significantly more negative and harsh than in matthew because luke (the attributed author of acts) spins this story to suit the themes of the book of acts.

well, i just finished the official first draft that is due tomorrow and i am pleased with it so far. this topic has become more and more interesting to me as i read the text and research scholars’ opinions. hopefully in grad school i’ll have a chance to pursue this further (if this paper ends up being the last of its kind in my messiah college career).

now that i’ve spent about 30 minutes writing this entry i have to get back to reading for class tomorrow.

oh yeah, my sister is getting married on saturday!!! i can’t promise pictures b/c i’m in the wedding party, but i’ll do my best. i’ll hand sandie the camera and tell her to go to town! best wishes megan and david!

sorry i’m late in posting these…they’re pics from the view of my room when it snowed. i like snow and i hope you do too!

that’s right…it’s snowing!!! the messiah college campus is covered in white powdery snow and it is more beautiful than ever. it was hard staying focused in class today b/c all i wanted to do was watch the snow fall. winter is such a great season…if you like the snow…here ya go! if you don’t like the snow…well, spring is just around the corner! enjoy!

well sorry for not posting a photo on friday…things have kind of gotten away from me since the start of classes. below are photos of my new room set-up! hope you like it!

it’s the final hours of christmas break and i’m almost moved back in to my home away from home. while some may be watching their final movie over break or reacquainting themselves with the social life that is college, i must admit that i am doing homework. yes, homework. my assignment: read the gospel of luke and acts before class tomorrow. i’m done w/ luke (24 chapters) and 7 chapters of acts (of a total 28). 21 more chapters to go…quite far from first down.

i hope everyone’s holiday season went well. i know i enjoyed the break and am pretty much ready for another semester of pouring pure knowledge into the very crevices of my cranium.

best wishes!

since monday i’ve been in south jersey with my girlfriend celebrating the new year and spending time with her family. i’ve had a wonderful time running around the cherry hill area excluding an unfortunate visit to the doctor for sandie-she has a sinus infection. one of my favorite moments was being able to pull out my shiny new nikon (still to be officially named) and snap photos along the way. below are two photos i took of sandie’s poodle around the house. she’s definitely a princess…and she knows it!