I'm finishing up another semester (and eight-and-a-half- years) as professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. Grading (or "marking," as my Canadian and British friends say) final papers is the bane of teaching.

Not long ago I finished George Marsden's massive (615 page) 2003 biography of Jonathan Edwards. Marsden is an excellent historian, and he presents insights and information not found in Iain Murray's smaller (503 page) 1987 biography. While I highly recommend Marsden's work to anyone interested in Edwards, if I could only read one Edwards biography, it would be Murray's. I'll continue to choose it for the Edwards part of my Great Christian Lives class at the seminary.

After Marsden's book, I turned to John Brencher's little-known 2002 biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Actually, it's a slightly-revised version of the author's Ph.D. dissertation. Only a fourth the length of Iain Murray's two-volume life of Lloyd-Jones, I found it about a fourth as interesting. Murray's life of ML-J, particularly the first volume, is one of the most enjoyable reads of my life. Brencher admires, but is more critical of the Doctor than Murray.

All this reminds me to tell you about this Great Christian Lives class I mentioned. In it we read and discuss the biographies of Edwards (1700s), Spurgeon (1800s), and Lloyd-Jones (1900s). What a great time we have! Even though the class is scheduled to meet for only fifty minutes twice a week, every time it's been offered the entire class has voluntarily made it an hour-and-a-half meeting twice a week. I'll have to grade the papers for that class next week, but I don't mind when the students are that eager to learn.

A couple of weeks after the last newsletter, I was getting settled on a plane at O'Hare when my phone rang. Caffy called to relay the sad news that Buddy Brown, my late-father's best-friend since the 1940s, had died in church that morning. I wiped tears all during the flight home. I was honored by the family's request to conduct the funeral back in my home county in Arkansas. It was the most emotional I've ever been while speaking at a funeral. One of my earliest memories—occurring sometime shortly after I turned three—involves "Uncle" Buddy. He was the friendliest man, and the most cheerful man, I've ever known. I loved him dearly and will miss him greatly.

My chief prayer request for the next few months is for the grace to write with exceptional productivity. Please ask the Lord to enable me to stay focused, and to write quickly and well all summer long. For the immediate future, please pray for the recording of five, three-and-a-half minute readings from Simplify Your Spiritual Life which are to be aired daily for a week on WMBI's morning show in Chicago and nationally on the Moody Broadcasting Network. I'll announce the dates for that once the recordings are scheduled.

Caffy enjoyed Mother's Day and looks forward to her birthday next week. For Mother's Day, Laurelen gave her a DVD of Laurel & Hardy. Laurelen had never seen the comedians before, but now she knows why we've always told her she can never marry a man whose last name is Hardy. She and Laurelen are also heading down the homestretch with school and ready for a break. In addition, Caffy has been squeezing in a trompe l'eoil painting in a new home. On the ceiling of the dining room she is painting the illusion of the walls of the room extending upward another story or two and opening to a blue sky with clouds. Getting the perspective right is just one of many difficulties. I'll try to include a photo when she's finished.

Laurelen's life at present is consumed by Annie and softball. "Annie" is the production that her Christian Youth Theater group is performing in early June. Laurelen has a small part, but she's thoroughly enjoying it all. The experience is good for her, but mom and dad had no idea at the beginning how much time was involved in this. Her first softball game is an hour after seminary commencement on May 22. She has a great coach, and in practice so far she has been the team's slugger.