It’s been about nine weeks since my last update, and almost as long since the last substantial post here at THTW–though I have been sharing links and quotations here and there. June and July were quite busy, and August promises to continue the trend.In June, Corrie and her mom spent four nights in IL, visiting family and attending a wedding of a close friend. They had an enjoyable time, as did I with the kids. I think that every father of young children should send his wife away for a few days at least once a year, just to be reminded of how much work it takes to keep up with kids and home (and I wasn’t even homeschooling them or cooking all the meals–we went out a few times!).

Next, we all traveled up to Northern NJ and NYC to visit my dad and grandpa for Father’s Day. I also preached twice at Preakness Valley URC, drawing from my studies on the OT Wisdom Literature for sermons on Ecclesiastes and Lamentations.

Finally, we spent nearly a week in Colorado Springs. Joe served for eight years as youth pastor at Pulpit Rock Church, and many of his former youth group members and leaders gathered with us for a memorial service/concert. Some traveled from TX and CA to attend and participate. Corrie sang, and I stepped in to play drums at the last minute (a lot of fun!). It was wonderful to meet and get to know many folks who belong to the history of the Hesh family before I joined.

In July, we celebrated Elizabeth’s third birthday (6th) and Daniel’s sixth (25th) with parties. We also helped Claudia to participate in a neighborhood yard sale, which was surprisingly successful, despite moments of light rain. It was satisfying to see so much stuff go out the door and to see the garage mostly empty at the end of the morning.

We also enjoyed visits from my mom and Corrie’s aunt, both from San Diego. It turns out that Mom will be moving to Hatfield, and has secured an apartment right next door to where we live! The kids will enjoy having both grandmas very close.

In the teaching/writing/preaching area, things have been a little slow, though some projects have come to fruition. I received confirmation that Vetus Testamentum has accepted the revised version of an article on Samuel-Kings and Chronicles, so that will appear sometime soon (hopefully this year). I have also been working closely with the proofreader/editor of my manuscript, which is still on track for publication in October. I have a book review due for RBL in a few weeks, sandwiched between sermons at Rockville Mennonite Church (August 7) and First Presbyterian Church of Norristown (August 28). I have ideas for the next writing projects, though I don’t know when I’ll have time to work on them.

In July I also became full-time at ICON once again, after having been at four days/week during the school year to allow for teaching at Eastern and LCC. In some ways, it feels like both feet are firmly back in industry, rather than in ministry or teaching. But God is working in my heart to produce patience, and faith that I will someday be back in a role where I can use my gifts more fully.