Looking Ahead to Fall 2015

Greetings dear readers! After a busy and exciting summer, I’m looking forward to another informative (and similarly busy) fall term here in Saint Louis. As promised a couple of weeks ago, this post is intended to a) share what went on with me this summer and b) look ahead to what’s going on this fall. Thanks in advance for following along as I pursue veritas.

This Summer

This summer I taught reading development courses for the Institute of Reading Development and Saint Louis University. This was a great learning experience and (mostly) tons of fun too. I taught classes with students ranging from preschool to adult (not in the same classes, mind you) and everything in-between, so basically everything from how to sound out words and begin to read all the way to how to read really (really) fast and retain that information. Not only did I gain some valuable teaching experience, but I also was able to pass on my love of reading good books to some great students.

I also managed to find the time to finish and send off a couple of projects and book reviews I had been working on, catch up on my for-fun-reading-list, spend some time with family and friends back in Michigan, and make an offer on a house here in Saint Louis…. Although I’m never quite satisfied with the work that I complete over the summers, it did seem to be a fairly productive summer.

Looking Ahead to Fall

This fall I continue PhD course work at Saint Louis University while serving as a Research Assistant to Dr. Jeffrey Wickes. My courses for this fall are “Gender and Sexuality in Early Christianity” with Carolyn Osiek, “The Doctrine of God” with Reuben Rosario-Rodriguez, and “Islam and Christianity” with John Renard, so expect some musings on those topics in the weeks and months to come. I’ll also continue working on my German and Syriac skills.

Apart from my “official” job, I will continue working on some side projects as well. Chief among these will be my continued work at Conciliar Post as managing editor. I also have paper’s scheduled for the “That They May Be One”: The Past, Present, and Future of Orthodox-Catholic Relations conference and the Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference. Additionally, a former professor and I are finishing work on a commentary on Revelation, hopefully to be completed this fall. In my spare time I’ll be serving as a Sunday school teacher and community group leader at our local church, The Rock Church of Saint Louis. Oh, and finally, Hayley and I are in the process of purchasing our first home, which is something of a fixer-upper (but incredibly exciting nonetheless!).

As I look ahead to the busyness of this fall, I covet your prayers and patience.  Blogging has become a cathartic and integral part of my schedule, and I hope to continue regularly sharing thoughts and studies here despite my hectic schedule. As always, your thoughts, suggestions, and support are always appreciated. Thanks for following along with my pursuit of veritas!