I thought I might break into the regularly-scheduled programming at this site to provide a few updates on what’s going on in my life, vocation, and family. I’ve got a few updates on health, projects, travel, and so on.
Health
Quite a number of people have asked about my health, and especially about the strange and lingering issues with my hands. That situation is largely unchanged. I continue to try various treatments under the guidance of skilled specialists. Each treatment must go on for a while before we learn whether or not it is proving effective, so this becomes a long process of trial and error. To this point we have ruled out quite a lot of possibilities, including most of the really obvious ones and most of the really bad ones, but have still not been able to reach a diagnosis. We press on!
Though I sometimes experience waves of discouragement, on the whole I am doing well spiritually and emotionally. I have cut back the amount of typing I do as much as possible, but at the end of the day, typing is what I do and so I just have to type through the pain. That’s hardly ideal, but I am able to carry on for the time being. I continue to trust that somehow and somewhere the Lord is at work in all this.
Family
This is an interesting year for us as a family. We have one child who is at both Boyce College and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is in his second year of the five-year seminary track. (This is a program that allows students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in that time). We have one child who is finishing up high school and preparing to also head down to Boyce College next year. And we have one child who is finishing up primary school and preparing to begin high school next year. So we are right in the thick of it and thoroughly enjoying this stage of life and parenting. I’m tremendously proud of all three of my children!
EPIC
As you know, during 2018 and 2019 I traveled the world to search for historical objects through which I could tell the story of the Christian faith. I called this project EPIC. That travel has long since finished and we are putting the final touches on the book and DVD series that will describe and display it all. We expect that both products will be available in March, 2020—a full-color book with lots of photos and images, plus a 10-episode video series. The book is almost fully complete and almost ready to send to the printer. Next week we are filming some final in-studio and voiceover bits, which means the films are nearing completion as well. I will let you know when pre-orders begin.
Worship Round the World
I recently launched another project that I hope will prove to be an encouragement to the church as it comes together. For Worship Round the World, I hope to travel to at least 12 different countries to worship with churches in each of them—churches that are faithful to Scripture but also faithful to their local language, customs, and culture. If the project comes together as I’ve envisioned it, it should provide a powerful glimpse of how God is at work in the world today, drawing to himself people of every tribe and language and people and nation. It will show that the gospel brings unity, but not uniformity. It will show how God’s people are faithfully worshiping and serving him from one end of the earth to the other. We are currently fundraising to help offset the costs, and would love you to prayerfully consider joining in.
Speaking & Travel in 2020
I’ve mostly nailed down my speaking schedule for at least the first half of 2020. I always welcome the opportunity to meet anyone who reads this blog, so please feel free to check if I’ll be in your area. You can find a regularly-updated schedule on my Speaking Itinerary page.
