Today's Devotion: Matthew 11:30 (New International Version): "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

God doesn't give us more than we can handle. When we come to him, he will give us rest.

Today's Comments: While the above is true, sometimes he gives us as much as we are able to handle. This happened to me over the summer and is one of the reasons why I have not made an entry since July 4th. I just finished a grueling five weeks of The Life of Christ, taught by Professor Phil Taylor, who is an education professor at Biola. With meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM and six papers to do, I have been very busy.

However, I have to admit that Professor Taylor's Class was marvelous. Even though there were only four of us enrolled, the class continued. From the four gospels, we learned about Jesus, his teaching, his views on money, how he taught. We studied spiritual warfare, and we were given the opportunity to view Him through the eyes of others, including film clips of movies depicting the gospels. I will never forget the smiling-blow-dry Jesus who was depicted in the movie version of Matthew's Gospel.

Although I did not particularly look forward to the projects and work, I put my heart into them and did my best. As a result, I have some additional tools that I can use in my ministry.

I also have fond memories of Professor Phil, a real teacher who is dedicated to his students. For example, he was always bringing new things into class, like pictures of the Holy City, Roman and Temple Coins, and Macadamia nut candy, from his holiday trip to Hawaii. My best memory are the dinner hours that he and I spent together over sushi at a small restaurant near the Biola Campus. I looked forward to those dinners. And I miss the intellectual stimulation, now that the class is over.