People are descending on the ranch for the next few days, so I’ve moved out to “the motorhome.” That’s right Clark, that there’s an RV.  Only this one is much nicer.

I’m quite impressed by the mac app I’m using to write this thesis.  It’s call Scrivener and it was designed from the ground up for long-form writing projects.  The right tool for the job helps a lot – I’ve always felt like using traditional word processors for long-form projects is like using adjustable pliers to assemble that Christmas Eve toy – sure, it works, but stuff gets mangled on the way and frustrations tend to run a bit high.  Scrivener’s multi-paned layout, built-in outliner, and reference stack alone are a leap forward, but it also packs a lot more features (like notecards, synopses, and a great full-screen mode)  that make writing a long form project (like a thesis, book, or screenplay) seem not so “scroll-y” and frustrating (a la Microsoft Word).

Not much to report today.  Lots of reading, not much writing.  But, that’s all part of the process.

Looking forward to Krista and Hannah’s arrival on Friday!

 

Back at it after a Sunday break (for the most part…I did do some grading for a summer school class).  Heading into the medieval period today, should be lots of fun – if that’s what you’re into.

Yesterday I went to the “Little Church Combined” after an unsuccessful hunt for a church that actually celebrates the Lord’s Supper on a Sunday that’s not the first of the month and doesn’t have “Roman” in the title.  Even though the search was unsuccessful, I did get to bum around Lake McConaughy and drive around in the monster truck pictured at the top of this post.

Not too much to update today – still slogging through the first 600 years of Church history.  Lots of Justin and Irenaeus today.

Jan and Andy (Krista’s grandparents) just got back from a trip and are off on another tomorrow morning, so I’ll have the place to myself again for a few days.  Not too much to keep afloat here – just some wild cats and a thirsty garden.

Yesterday was a pretty unproductive day.  I chased a few to many rabbit trails and didn’t get some copies I was waiting for and it was just plain hard to read and write.  But, today was much better!  I looked at the various early church celebrations of the Lord’s Supper…quite a bit of geographical variety in the first few centuries.

The pic above is a yuca (sp?) plant.  Every time Krista sees one in Nebraska, she tells me about how the pioneers used to sew buttons back on with material from the plant.  The story never gets old  I wonder what they used the pods for?

Hope to finish up (what I can with the resources I have) the Biblical material today and move to the historical (which should go a bit quicker, I have more material with me).  The front porch is a great place to research and write, so hopefully today will be as productive as past days.

The pic above is from Jan’s garden – a garden which is incredibly well maintained!

Hard run this morning.  Here’s my run and cool-down playlist, which I’ve come to enjoy even when the runs are hard.

(click for readable version)

Today I’ll be working on feasting in the Old Testament and then jump to the institution narratives and Paul’s instructions – big day!

I took a walk yesterday afternoon and happened upon a calf who had made its way outside the fence (pic above).  High drama for the afternoon.  Actually, everybody said “oh, they do that a lot, we’ll get to them later today.”  Ah…the slow pace of the country.

On to writing!

Yesterday I spent time looking at Genesis 14 with Melchizedek’s presentation of bread and wine as well as the connections between Christus Victor and God the Destroyer in the Exodus.  The later is interesting in the sense that the Lord’s Supper’s link with Passover may lean more towards God’s destructive power over evil (Egypt in the Exodus, death itself in the Christ event) than towards substitutionary sacrifice (although that is a strong theme as well, but one that might be overemphasized at the expense of Christus Victor).

Today is more work on other background texts for the Lord’s Supper – some from Deuteronomy and John.

When I mailed the books back yesterday, I saw the man in the above picture getting his mail with an old fashioned “Radio Flyer.”  The pace is certainly different here – in a good way.

The run was easier today and the Elk was yummy (and lean).

Yesterday afternoon, as I was unpacking and organizing books, I realized I had two books from a partner library that were two weeks overdue and could not be renewed.  So last night I scaned all of the sections I thought I might need from that book.  The book was a collection of essays dealing with primary readings on the Eucharist.  A few good chapters about Hebrew ideas of remembering and then some good stuff about the gradual privatization of the Eucharist throughout history.  The other book wasn’t that good anyway, so it goes back with few goodbyes.  Later this morning I’ll head to the post office and ship it back.

This morning was nice and cool, so I read outside next to the garden.  Beautiful.

Took another 2 mile run this morning.  Legs are hurting.  

Doing Elk steak for lunch.  Welcome to the wild west.

Today is mainly Old Testament work on the meal as ritual, celebration, and fellowship with God. 

Video chatted with Hannah and Krista last night.  I miss you guys