Weekly post

November 5, 2007

Dear friends,

Hi, I'm back.

The reason those of us in the class are stressing the Old Testament exam is that the three exams represent 75% of our grade, a term paper being the rest, so there's a lot invested in each one. But I now have the second exam behind me and feel pretty good about it.

When I said last week that I had "three papers due" it wasn't exactly three papers -- it was a presentation/handout, a paper, and a term-paper proposal with bibliography, each challenging in its own way. I haven't gotten grades back on any of them, but they're over.

I knew when I looked over the syllabi in September that mid- and late October would be the crunch, and they were. But there's an upside! Between now and the end of term, here's what is on my plate:

1. Attend class and keep up with the readings (grin)
2. Take one more exam, on II Samuel and Kings
3. Write three term papers:
a. One on the Missouri Synod schism vs. the Southern Baptist Convention
b. One on the concept of community in chapters 18-20
c. One on biblical authority (professor hasn't given us guidelines yet)

That's it! And... the last exam in Old Testament will be the last exam I will have to take at Wake Forest Divinity School. None of my classes next semester will have exams. This is a terrific payoff. In my first year, I had five term papers and five final exams each semester! I'm not sure how I got through that. But this is a nice change.

And, I have a new spiritual director. The one I've had for the last year and a half hasn't been a great fit -- not a bad fit, but not a great fit -- and I'm very pleased with the new one.

Meanwhile, I took advantage of the Harris-Teeter sale and got a 12-pound turkey for 19 cents a pound. Yay!

Till next time,
grace and peace,
Beth