Family News & Notes

Don is enjoying the change of pace that comes about after the seminary's graduation. The outdoor work, the reduction in travel, and the additional time with family are all welcome.

We've been telling you about the Ph.D. and Doctor of Ministry degrees in Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where Don teaches. These new programs have gained national attention in places like USAToday, Terry Mattingly's "On Religion" column in the 900 Scripps-Howard newspapers, and Baptist Press. These degree programs are considered newsworthy because the Ph.D. is the first in the nation in an evangelical school and the D.Min. is the first in spirituality any of the six SBC seminaries. Now we can tell you that beginning in January this fully-accredited Ph.D. will be open to non-resident students. The on-campus times for these students will be concentrated in short periods spread throughout the year. For more information on the Ph.D., contact the Doctoral Studies office at 800-626-5525 x4119 or by email thmphd@sbts.edu. Contact the D.Min. office at 800-626-5525 x4113 or by email at dmin@sbts.edu.

Caffy has finished the art history class she teaches and the class at the Seminary Wives' Institute. Her summer art work projects so far range from some mural and faux finishing in a home to a sketch requested by the county Cooperative Extension Service about a possible quilt mural on their barn.

Laurelen is delighted for the deliverance from the routines of the school year. Still, she spends big chunks of most days preparing for the CLEP tests she intends to take this summer. She entered a local singing contest, coming in second at her qualifying event. This promotes her to the semifinals at the Kentucky State Fair in August. The finals will also be at the state fair, and the winners earn scholarship money. Along with other youth from our church, she plans to help serve food at a rescue mission one morning per week and is schedule for a mission trip to Chicago next month.

She asked her dad to help her develop a summer reading list of ten Christian books. She already had some books in mind, and wanted to read Bob Kauflin's book first. But after that, there's no particular order. Others have asked us to publish the list, so here it is:

• Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin
• Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper
• Knowing God, J. I. Packer
• Joni Eareckson Tada's autobiography
• Delighted in God, Roger Steer
• Desiring God, John Piper
• Humility, C. J. Mahaney
• Passion & Purity, Elisabeth Elliot
• Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald S. Whitney

Farm & Garden Report

It makes a grown man want to cry to see the tree damage in the area from the winter ice storm. We didn't lose any entire trees (yet), but a lot of major limbs. This was our first year to have a few strawberries. They were great, but are almost all gone now. This is also our first year for raspberries, and they are very promising. Our other brambles—the wild and cultivated blackberries—seem to be progressing well. The wild blackberries flowered like never before. The wet spring has resulted in overwhelming waves of honeysuckle and attacks of Virginia Creeper everywhere. And our favorite—the blueberries—well, we don't know what to think yet. We have some five-year-old Bluecrops and Jerseys that look perfectly healthy except for one problem—no fruit and no new canes. They even have a horticulturalist friend mystified. The Chandlers are going gangbusters. In late May we planted two Blue Rays and a Northsky that already have fruit on them.

Caffy has seven colonies of bees this year, including one hive a quarter mile from us at the home of some fellow church members who requested it. She's watching her most productive hive very closely, concerned that it may swarm. If so, she'd lose about 70% of that hive. She's been told that the first day they swarm they go only about fifty feet away. So we're watching for that so Caffy can catch the swarm and install it in a new hive. Don has promised not to interfere if that happens. Her garden is planted—mostly tomatoes and purple hull peas—and a few new Knock Out Roses have been installed around the place.

As Father's Day approaches, please pray for wisdom and grace in my leadership of our family.

Pray for the Lord's blessing upon Caffy both in the home and in the artwork opportunities presented to her.

Pray for the Lord to bless Laurelen especially through the books she's reading this summer and the short-term ministry projects she's involved in.

Please continue to pray for the major writing project about which I have often requested prayer, but hope to complete later this year.

And as always, please ask the Lord for His blessing upon my teaching at Southern Seminary and upon the ministry I discharge in my travels.