Keeping Up With the Andersons

Caleb

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-11-18T02:17:13Z

Full Name: Caleb Toby Anderson

DOB: 2008-11-13 3:28amWeight: 3.53 Kg

Height: 50cm

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Debatable, possibly strawberry blond

Distinguishing Features:

Extreme cuteness
Strong legs
Strong arms
Strong suck
Ability to feed continuously with only short breaks
Ability to sleep for up to 6 hours even while being cuddled by friends and relatives

A growing family

End of Semester

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-10-21T07:32:16Z

We recently had a holiday in Jervis Bay. It was great fun, and we got to see the bottle-nosed dolphins that live in the bay. Here are some photos we took.

Us at Jervis Bay

Dolphin at Jervis Bay

After our holiday we had a training weekend for our Scripture Union mission on location in Tarcutta. Each section's plans for January started taking shape, which is very exciting.

Now we are into the second week of a 4-week block of lecture time, with an essay due this Friday. Next week we need to get stuck into studying for our exams which will start on the Tuesday of the following week (we requested to do our exams two weeks before our fellow students because our baby is due in the college exam week). We won't bother trying to go to lectures in the week we are doing exams.

It's a busy time of year for everyone at SMBC; This afternoon I had to study in the dinning hall because all the desks in the library were taken up (FYI there are 62 desks in the library), and for us this busyness is compressed by 2 weeks. Our last exam is on 7 Nov. After that we only need to be concerned with our baby. It's very exciting. Many of our friends have just had babies, and they're very cute. It's a bit scary too, but I 'm definitely looking forward to it. We've rearranged our house so what was the study is now a nursery and the living room ~~doubles~~ triples as a study and dining room - which actually works out pretty well!

Pray that we'll get all our college work done in the next few weeks and that we get through exams. Pray for MG's final month of pregnancy and for the birth.

Essays

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-10-07T04:10:25Z

I'm working on two essays this week. The first which is half done is a response to Hebrews as if I was an original recipient. The second which I'm yet to start is What is the rationale for the ruling against mixed marriages in Ezra-Nehemiah?. I don't really like writing essays because it's hard work, but once I get into it I actually like it because I learn so much from researching and I end up knowing a lot more about the topic, and I really love learning stuff.

The last essay I wrote was about how chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation (The letters to the 7 churches) fit in with the rest of the book. Here's my conclusion:

The whole book of Revelation provides a big picture of what God is doing, into which the present afflictions of the church can be placed. Chapters 2 and 3 contains the messages of the glorious Lord Jesus as He addresses specific churches directly and indicating He knows their situation, their strengths and their weaknesses. It is exhortation to continue under pressure with the rest of the book as motivation to do so: The upcoming judgment of the world and victory of Christ. As their current situations are placed alongside God's grand plan for the world, these messages also allow the hearers to see that their suffering as part of something much bigger. Finally it provides them with hope, through the promises to those who overcome, as they see into the future a new Jerusalem where there is no more pain, and so they can push on toward that goal.

Misc stuff

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-09-09T02:49:52Z

This week is a research week which means there are no lectures and we have time to catch up with reading and assignments. MG and I are working on New Testament assignments. Mine is abut how chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation (the letters to the 7 churches) relate to the rest of Revelation and MG's is a similar question on chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians.

This week SMBC is also hosting a conference about teaching Acts, which means two things for us:

We're allowed to come to a talk from Acts each morning, which is useful for getting us out of bed.

We get really nice morning tea.

People using laptops in the library

I've noticed that the use of laptop computers has been on the increase at SMBC. I just had a look around the library and 45 out 59 students working here at the moment are using laptops.
As you might have guessed, I'm procrastinating from doing my essay. Gotta go, it's time for lunch.

The thing about history

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-09-01T06:07:36Z

We've both recently finished writing an essay about Oliver Cromwell and his impact on the religious and political life of 17th century England. Did you know that England had no monarchy for a decade? That during this time the Baptist Church came about because of Cromwell's tolerance for religious splinter groups? That ever since then England has had a constitutional monarchy instead of a monarch with absolute power?

Anyway, although church history is a really fun subject, I've noticed that it's really difficult to write history essays. The reason is because you generally have to decipher the causes and motives behind the actions of individuals and groups who are no longer alive. Generally causes and motives are a blend of an unbounded number of variables and all you've got to go on are descriptions of the events by people who weren't there and possibly a few things the people involved said or wrote that are distantly related to the topic and very specific to some particular context.

Even so, church history is still a very interesting subject, and I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

Catching Up

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-08-14T05:03:14Z

Sorry we haven't put anything up here for so long. I'm going to try to be more regular with making posts from now on (not knowing whether anyone still reads this). We're hoping to put out another newsletter this month, but I might pre-empt it a little by giving you a brief rundown of the highlights of this year.

Main thing is that Mary-Grace is pregnant! The baby is due in November. This will mean a lot of changes to our lives starting from net year. Firstly MG will finish her study and graduate with a Graduate Diploma (leaving open the option for continuing study later), while I will go on for 2 more years and get a Masters. Secondly we will probably change churches and I might be a student-minister. We will strive to keep ties with our Christian family at Christ Church.

I'm very excited about becoming a father, but it is a scary thing too. Pray that we will both be able to make the necessary adjustments, and be good at raising children to love God.

We both passed our first set of exams, and are now in second semester, where we have sensed a significant increase in the pace of our study. Pray that we wont fall behind, particularly as we will be taking exams early, so they don't clash with the birth.

We still thinking and praying about what our long term ministry will look like. We hope to gather some close friends around us to pray with us about our future. Let us know if you're interested.

April Newsletter

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-04-28T05:00:11Z

Our April newsletter is out.
You can see an archive of our newsletters here.

Hey, this blog looks different!

nospam@example.com (Toby Anderson) — 2008-04-26T23:29:36Z

I've just changed the blog software from Wordpress to Serendipity, because I think it's better.
It all started when a new version of Ubuntu was released. I felt like my server needed a fresh install of this operating system, to clean out all the junk. While I was at it I thought I'd improve the blog software, and so here it is. The whole process didn't cost any money, but it did take time (which I should have put into working on my new testament essay about people's responses to Jesus at different stages of His ministry) but I think it was worth it.

I imported all the entries from the old blog, but the pictures didn't come through. Sorry.

3rd week of study

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2008-02-26T12:10:23Z

Wow - we've slipped into a routine...I actually enjoy the library! I'm a bookworm from way back and I'm loving exploring some of the issues. We've been looking a lot at the first few chapters of Genesis and asking loads of questions...I'm really enjoying the time to explore some of them more deeply, challenging what I see as important or true. I am really being challenged in my OT reading that God is not of my own creating, but amazing and purposeful. I think I find it easy to box God in a list of attributes or something equally as limiting. I'm a nerd, and enjoying memorising Greek...Toby's already known as the greek man in the class, so it's fun competiting in the Anderson household to know our vocab. Toby's made a computer program to help him learn Greek...he wouldn't buy one - he wanted his own...you should ask to see it next time you chat. He'd be chuffed.

Anyway, love to hear what's happening in your life.

We always appreciate your prayers, espeically for our neighbour. We feel powerless to help her in her sickness, but we know God is working out his purposes. Please pray for God's strength, love and care for her.

Hello from SMBC

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2008-02-04T06:25:22Z

It's been a while since we've last blogged. We've been away a lot since we finished up with EU Grads Fund the week before Christmas.

We had an amazing week at Tarcutta with summer mission, strengthening relationships and sharing fellowship with our brothers and sisters there and helping them in the continual work of making a difference for Christ in their community.Ã‚Â It was lovely to have two of the teens decide that following Jesus was for them. And their overjoyed mum who was so proud to tell us. Please pray for them and so many people that we were able to share life and the gospel with.

We've also been holidaying. We planned on camping with a good friend, and were washed out, so ended up staying with her parents on the coast, which was really lovely. Then Toby and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversaryÃ‚Â by holidaying at Manly for the Australia Day weekend. The weather was lovely, and it was nice being right near the beach.

And last Wednesday we started some intensive Greek...I'm really enjoying it, and I'd forgotten how Toby loves learning...so he's been having a ball.Ã‚Â It's a lovely community of very diverse people who are being changed by God's love, and it's a real priviledge to study and 'live' with them (we're still living in the inner west, so 'living' consists of lots of meals and fun and chatting). Where else would I have lunch with a firey, a sparky, a teacher, a physio, a burger maker, a zooligist, a marketing researcher, all ages and backgrounds? It's great getting to know these people, who God made with heaps of different interests, personalities and stages of life, and a place where people are keen to learn, and share life honestly with each other.

Love to hear how the new year's shaping up for you. Much love.

Looking Back

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2007-12-12T13:25:29Z

Looking back over the last two years I can really see the value of what I've been doing. The benefits for myself and also for people I've been serving.

For myself I've learnt a lot about what Gifts I have and how I can use them to serve the Church. I've also been forced to practice a lot of some things that I'm not very good at such as one2ones and leadership, so now I'm getting better at these. For others I can see how God has worked through me to help them mature and for some people I have been a part in them coming to know Christ, and I think this has been more important than any other benefits going.

Thank God for how He has blessed me and others at Sydney University over the last two years.

NTE

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2007-12-11T04:52:05Z

National Training Event was a great opportunity to meet with almost 1000 uni students in Canberra and hear from God's Word. Then we've just got back from 5 days helping at Ashfield Anglican. It's been a real priviledge. If you want to see some of the fun and mayhem that we got up to go to our facebook group....'NTE Ashfield 2007 AD'. It was hard work but a real priviledge to go doorknocking and speal with people about Jesus. I also realised that so many people are hard against God, which was a sobering thought forÃ‚Â many on team. Praise God for one girl that my doorknocking partner and I spoke to who came to church and wants to come back.

National Training Event

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2007-11-22T10:03:45Z

Over a thousand students from all around Australia (even Perth) congregate at Canberra each year for NTE. In The first four and a half days students are trained in ministry with 8 strong evangelical talks, 14 hours in smaller groups wrestling with God's word, and one elective of their choice. In the second four and a half days students are trained in ministry by actually going out in teams and doing mission.

Even though this will be our first year at NTE we will be leading one of small groups. The passage we will be looking at is Romans 3:21-26. Starting from nothing, by the end of the four days each member of our group will have written a useable talk from the passage. Hopefully many of them will be able to use the talk in the mission part of the conference.

We will also be leading one of the mission teams along with a student from EU. We will be going to St Johns Ashfield with a team of 20, helping out with the kids club, the mothers group and also engaging with the community door to door, at the station and at the shopping mall.

We're very excited about NTE. Please pray that we will be well prepared, that the students get lots from the training and that the church is helped by the mission.

Thank you

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2007-11-12T23:03:01Z

Thank you to all of you for the last two years. We couldn't have been on campus if you weren't helping that happen, with your prayers, money and love.

Just to let you know that we're planning on studying at SMBC (Sydney Missionary and Bible College) next year. We've signed up for a one-year course, which is really the first year of the masters course.

Please let us know what's happening in your lives

Last night's Ecos farewell dinner

nospam@example.com (admin) — 2007-11-01T01:25:58Z

I had a wonderful night last night with the Economics EU guys

We had dinner at a lovely 'al fresco' place in glebe, and had so much fun together. It was wonderful for the 6 of us who were leaving to be each prayed for, and given a beautiful pressie and card. Please pray that each of us leaving would continue in Christ, and see our new workplace, or place of study, as our missionfield!Ã‚Â Two are getting married, one is moving to Canberra, two of us will do further study elsewhere, one hasn't yet found employment, and all of us want to continue in Christ.

It was also lovely to see some key first and second years there. One of the guys went to the 'evangelism summit' last week and keeps asking how he can get more involved in EU. Keep praying that these keen guys will continue and build and strengthen and grow the ministry...that many Ecos students will hear of Jesus, Christians will join in our mission, and God's Spirit will be at work in the faculty. Pray that people don't lose their excitement over summer, but continue in serving, and are a blessing in their holiday activities - work, camp, relaxing whatever. It was also great to have a good conversation with someone about relationship with their parents. It's a hard time of life in moving from childhood to adulthood and independence.

See many of you on Sat!