Coming to the end of summer classes

BBC Defenders’ Basketball camp has ending. The sound of bouncing basketballs around campus has come to an end. We were able to watch Emmanuel play a couple of games.

The last couple of weeks have been a real whirlwind for us.

May 26 through June 6
I had a two week class at the seminary.
Joel lost a couple of his teeth. He has a great big toothless smile.

June 13 through 22
We traveled to Toledo.
- On the way we stopped at my mom’s and spent two days there.
- We were able to go to Emmanuel Baptist Church two Sundays in a row..
- During the week, from Monday through Thursday, I attend a conference on Church Planting. The conference was in Medina, OH.

June 23 through July 3
I am now in a two week class at the seminary.
Krista is finishing up a graduate course in order to keep her teacher certification.
Joel is attending VBS at a friend’s church.
Josiah, along with Joel, loves to run around campus and watch the squirrels. Actually Krista and I like to do this with the boys.

The ministry at the Scranton Rescue Mission (the website link is in the personal link section) has been going well. I have had several opportunities to preach and talk with several of the men who come to the mission.
I have also led singing twice.
Yes you read that correctly. One of the things working at the mission has been teaching me is a lesson I thought I had learned in the Dominican Republic and at Emmanuel. In ministry FLEXIBILITY is important.

Please continue to be praying for us as a family and the ministry opportunities God has given us.

Some fun stuff

Our visit with grandma and grandpa and abby has been fun.

Here is a video of Josiah.

Batmen



Joel playing ball

Joel, Abby and Josiah on the Anchor at BBC

Summer "Break"

It has been a while since the last Rodgers' Family Update.

Here is what has been going on.

Josiah is...
-Cuter than ever.
-He will be 2 years old on June 8th.

Joel is...
-Loving t-ball (and playing in the dirt and with caterpillars at t-ball)
-Smiling real big now that he has lost his front tooth (we will be posting pictures soon)

Krista is...
-Working on a grad school class to keep her teaching certification current.
-Getting a lot of things done that she was not able to get done during the school year.

David is...
-In the middle of a two week summer class at the seminary. It has been a great class.
-Getting ready to start his now job at the Scranton Rescue Mission (www.scrantonrescuemission.com). It is a part time position. I have had two recent opportunities to preach there. It is an excited ministry and we are looking forward to ministering there. Please be praying for us and the mission. Specific prayer requests and information coming later.

This weekend we ahve a couple of visitors.
Grandma, Grandpa and Abby are coming to visit.

We are getting ready for our visitors.
We are planning to be @ Emmanuel June 15th and 22nd.
We are going to be stopping in Pittsburgh for a quick visit the 13th and 14th.
Krista and the boys are going to stay in Toledo from the 15th to the 22nd.
I am planning to be @ a Church Planting Seminar in Medina, OH from the 16th to the 19th.

By the way, our bbc.edu emails will be closed out the end of this May 31st.
Our daveandkrista@hotmail.com is what we will be using.
Thanks.

Some pictures

The Rodgers Family at the Seminary.



Krista and I with Shane and Shelley Miller @ the Seminary Banquet.
God has used the Millers in our lives during our time here and even before we got here.
They are a major reason why we are here at BBC&S.
They will be missed next year.

Prayer Request Update

In our last post we requested prayer for the family of one of the girls in our dorm. They live in Myanmar.

She heard from them. They are safe. The Bible school he directs sustained damage. I am not sure the extent. Continue to be praying for that country.


Today was also graduation day. All of the girl have moved out.
Be praying for the graduates as they go from here. It is our prayer that first and foremost they would pursue God in everything and anything they do.

The dorm is now quiet. OK not really. Josiah likes to run around "singing" which basically involves holding a little microphone and yelling at sounds with some sort of tune. And as many of you know Joel can get a little loud.

Thank you to those who have been praying for us throughout this year. There have been challenges and there have been great times. We know that God has seen us through it all.

I saw a quote recently that really made me think about how great and amazing God is.
"Remember that your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace, nor are your best days ever so good that you are beyond the need of it."
-Jerry Bridges The Discipline of Grace

Prayer Request

Many of you have probably heard about the cyclone the hit Myanmar http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24459578?GT1=43001

One of the girls in our dorm is from that country. Her family lives in the city that was hit with the cyclone.
Please be praying for her, her family and the country.

The Next Chapter in the T-Ball Diary

After t-ball tonight Krista asked Joel what his favorite part was.
His answer....
a. batting the ball
b. catching the ball
c. drawing houses in the sand.
d. throwing the ball

Which one did he choose?
Take a wild guess.

One more week... Two more weeks...

First of all...
We don't think Joel has the chicken pox. Maybe he did get that spot when he fell.

One more week of seminary classes for me.
Lots of work due this week.

Two more weeks of college classes.
Lots of work for Krista and the girls next week.

Family Health Update 2

Tonight Krista found a red mark on Joel's leg that looks like chicken pox.

His reaction when she said that was "It's not chicken pox. It's a mark from when I fell down outside."

End of the semester.

Family health update:
Josiah has pink eye AND chicken pox. The chicken pox is a mild case that appears to be localized to his legs.

The seminary has one more week of classes.
The college has two more weeks.

This upcoming week my schedule looks like this:
Monday -
an 8 page project for Training Ministries.
Tuesday -
a five page doctrinal paper
a fifteen page term paper
a take home exam
Wednesday-
a Greek vocab final
Thursday-
26 weeks of sermon outlines to finish out a year long preaching calendar.

This past week was student preachers in the seminary chapel. I had the opportunity to speak on Thursday. You can hear my sermon, along with the other student preachers, at http://www.bbc.edu/chapel.asp

Lots of things to write about

BLOG update: For those of you who used to receive the RSS feeds from this site, I have corrected the problem. For those of you wh have no idea what RSS or feeds means, ignore that last sentence and read on.

-I preached in my preaching class. It went well.

-The Junior class, which I advise, held a talent show on campus. If you go to http://bbcsgottalent.homestead.com/ you can see videos of the different acts that performed that night.

-Krista's brother and sister-in-law, David and Linda, along with Joel and Josiah's cousins Abby, Karis and Allison were here for a visit.





-Joel started tee ball last week. Below is a video of Joel out in the field. He really liked it. The next day he asked if he had practice again.

-We are prayefully considering what to do about Joel's schooling for next year.

-Krista and the officer team of the dorm are preparing for the Vibbard tea this upcoming Thursday. Pray for the details of that. It is an opportunity for the girls in the dorm to show appreciation to female faculty and staff along with faculty members' wives.

-We have lots of end of the year things coming up. Dorm elections for officers, dorm room selections, junior class officer elections, papers and assignments for school, banquets and other end of the year things along with things that suddenly pop up.

-Throughout all of this business God has proven Himself over and over again to us. In my assigned readings for class I am constantly reminded of who God is and what He is doing. I am so thankful for the chance that we have to be here at BBC&S. Thank you for your prayers.

-Our adult Sunday school class is going through a great book now called A Call To Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson. It is a great book on Paul's prayers. The following link will take you to a site to read about the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Call-Spiritual-Reformation-Priorities-Prayers/dp/0801025699/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208280216&sr=1-2

Sermon this Thursday

This Thursday I am preaching in class.
We are preaching parables now and mine is The Parable of the Two Builders.

I would appreciate your prayers.

Krista is also doing the dorm devotions tonight in Vibbard.

I cannot believe it is already April. This semester is flying.

Please pray for us as the semester is quickly coming to a close.

He is Risen!!

Great article about Easter.
Happy Crossmas!
Why Easter stubbornly resists the commercialism that swallowed Christmas.

One of several challenging statements in the article is:
"Easter is an event that demands a 'yes' or a 'no.' There is no 'whatever.'"

Spring Break!!

We are on Spring Break this week.
Our first part of the break in Toledo went well. There are always so many people to visit with. We did get to spend time with Krista's family and see many friends.

Yesterday (our last night in Toledo) Joel and I got pretty sick. Travelling to Pittsburgh today was a challenge for me.

Krista, Joel and Josiah are going to stay here in Pittsburgh until Saturday.

My Vision

Have you ever had one of those times when you are struck by the same truth over and over again?

In Friday’s Junior class chapel we sang “Be Thou My Vision” and heard a great impromptu challenge on corporate worship from Dr. Harris.

During the weekend I was reading A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson. Chapter 8 is entitled Overcoming the Hurdles. Carson looks at Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11. He concludes the chapter with the following:
"Paul’s pursuit in prayer of what is excellent is not idolatrous; rather it is bound up with praising God. He would have understood the Irish hymn 'Be Thou My Vision.'

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art –
Thou my best thoug ht, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.


Hear this prayer that God has placed in his Word that we might learn what we should ask him for: 'And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best [in order that you] may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.' (Phil. 1:9-11)"

from page 142-43.

Finally, on Tuesday I attended seminary chapel and what hymn do you think we sang. Yes, Be Thou My Vision.

Oh God, thank you for the amazing reminders that you are to be my vision, my purpose and my foundation.

Amen.

Prayer Request Update

I posted these prayer requests on Monday, 02.25:

1. Pray that Krista would be feeling better. On Saturday she was very sick. She is feeling better but still needs to recuperate.

Krista is doing much better. Thank you for praying.

2. Day of Prayer is this Tuesday.-
I am doing a workshop on prayer journaling. See previous post to find out more information about this. This is at 11:30 am until 12:30 pm-

My workshop went well.
The resource website I gave the students is www.boonedy.com/prayerjournal.html

the women dorms are doing a Resident Director swap for dorm devotions. Krista will be doing devotions for the dorm next door (Thomson).

Krista's devotional went well. She was actually in Fletcher dorm and not Thomson.

3. Pray that I would be able to get a lot of school work done this work.

I haven't got as much school work done as I would have liked to but I did get some done.

Thank you to everyone who was praying for these requests.

Please be sure to check out the prayer requests on the previous post.

A new church in the Scranton area

I wanted to share this prayer request/news item with you.

-------------------
This Sunday is the Grand Opening of Steamtown Church in Scranton, Project Jerusalem’s sixth church plant in Northeast, PA. Our seminary team, led by Dennis D’Augostine, has worked hard to prepare for the launch of this new church. Lots of promotional advertising has gone out into the community – including a 20,000 piece mailing in the last few days. We are asking the Lord of Harvest for at least 150 in attendance.

Please pray with us that:
1) Christ would be honored in the inaugural service and pleased with the “birth” celebration of this baby church
2) The good news of salvation would be clearly proclaimed and understood by all
3) Christ would draw lost and unchurched people to Himself
4) Our seminary team would be diligent to follow-up on all the many prospects and guests
5) Steamtown would have a healthy birth and become a growing church impacting many in the city of Scranton.

You are cordially invited to come and visit the new church any Sunday. We meet at 10:30 am at the Red Carpet Inn Grand Ballroom located at the corner of Mulberry and Franklin in downtown Scranton. To view a map, get directions, or to learn more about this new church, check out their website:
http://www.steamtownchurch.com/

Ken Davis

No Classes this week

This week is a module week. This is also the first module week where I will not be taking a class or going to a tropical country.

I am hoping to get work done for my classes. Papers to write. Books to read. Greek to translate. It is definitely work and it definitely is tiresome at times but I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given us to be here. I have been learning so much from the classrooms, Junior class advising and living in the dorm.

Some prayer requests for this week:
1. Pray that Krista would be feeling better. On Saturday she was very sick. She is feeling better but still needs to recuperate.
2. Day of Prayer is this Tuesday.
-I am doing a workshop on prayer journaling. See previous post to find out more information about this. This is at 11:30 am until 12:30 pm
-the women dorms are doing a Resident Director swap for dorm devotions. Krist will be doing devotions for the dorm next door (Thomson).
-there are various prayer focus times throughout the day. Pray that students and staff will use the day to focus on prayer.
3. Pray that I would be able to get a lot of school work done this work.

A Ministry Opportunity

Tuesday, February 26, is Day of Prayer at Baptist Bible College.
The theme is "Vision of Glory: Praying with the Right Perspective."

I am going to be presenting a workshop from 11:30 to 12:30.
The title is "It's NOT a diary!! It's a prayer journal!!"

If you click on the title above it will take you to part of my presentation.

Praises

Praise God...

• Yesterday my sermon for class went well. It definitely is a different type of experience preaching in a classroom setting before classmates who are critiquing you but it went well.
• This morning's junior class chapel seemed to go well. I was a little tired because last night was a late night which leads to my last praise for today.
• Last night there was a concert on campus. Shane & Shane/ Starfield / Bethany Dillon and speaker David Nasser. Some of you may not know who these people are but it was a great concert/worship time.

Thank you for your prayers.

Next week no classes. Global Ministry Forum (aka Seminary Missions Conference)

Update (02.13.08)

I was not able to attend the college's mission conference but Krista was able to attend a couple of sessions. Overall, it sounds like the conference went well. Krista met with some of the girls on Saturday after the conference to talk about what were challenges to them. Please continue to be praying for students who are pursuing missions.

Last night was supposed to to be the big snow/ice storm and I was scheduled to work. It was not bad here.

The second half of this week is going to be very busy.
Tomorrow (Valentine's Day), I am preaching in my Expository Preaching class. The sermon is "Strength in Number?" taken from Judges 7. I would appreciate your prayers as I preach tomorrow at around 10:00.
There is also a concert here on campus. Shane & Shane and Starfield.

On Friday I am also going to be speaking (about 15 minutes) in the Junior class chapel. The junior is also sponsoring a school social Friday and Saturday. A Sweet Time of coffee and cheesecake.


The boys are doing great. Sleeping well and working hard.

This Week's Missions Conference

Today is the start of the college's missions conference. It is a great week.
Students are challenged by speakers who are serving God around the world.

There are several missions organizations here recruiting.
Please pray that God would work in the hearts of the students. There are many students who are not sure where they are going to serve God.

Below is a write up about the conference from the school website.
http://www.bbc.edu/chapel.asp is the link to here the chapel sessions.

-------------------------------------------------
Conference highlights life-changing missions

Baptist Bible College students will get a full view of the lives of missionaries around the world at this year's Missions Conference. The three-day event features alumni speakers from six continents.

The theme is "The Whole Gospel for the Whole World." The conference will be February 6 - 8.

"There is more to the gospel than just the plan for salvation," says Student Missions Fellowship president Niall O'Niell, a native of Ireland. "We want that to be the focus of this year's Missions Conference."

"The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that he preached the gospel'in which also you stand, by which also you are saved.' We want the speakers to show us not just how they evangelize, but also how they live their lives daily in the gospel."

The conference will include several main sessions and a variety of workshops in which students can participate. Workshop topics include preparing for global impact, 21st century global ministry and how to support your missionaries.

Speakers will include Dr. Do Suan Mung, president of Faith Baptist Bible College in Myanmar, Elisabeth Bowman, a teacher in Australia, and Tim and Barb Vermilyea, church planters in Quebec, Canada.

A Praise...

This morning all four of us were able to go to church together as a family.
Josiah is doing so much better now.

This past week

First week of seminary classes have gone well.

I will be preaching on February 14 on Judges 7:1-8. I don't think it will be a Valentine's message.

One of the great things about this semester is that I have some one from the Jamaica trip in each of my classes. It has been great reconnecting with these guys, and others, after the break.

Pray for Krista as she mentors the women in the dorm.

The Vibbard Late Skate this past weekend went well. Over 100 students were ice skating from midnight until 2:00 am. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the theme was Color Craze and Bad Hair Days. Well I have a lot of black clothing. I am a Steeler fan after all. The problem is how does a bald man have a bad hair day. If you want to see what I came up with look at the picture at the end of this post.

A family related prayer. Please be praying for Josiah. It seems like the whole second half of last semester and the start of this semester he has been battling sickness. The have only been a few Sundays during this time when Krista and I were at church at the same time. One of us usually has to stay home with home.

Thanks for your prayers.

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If you look closely at the picture you can see that I shaved half of my head and face. When I got home I immediately shaved the rest because I didn't want to show up at the Men's Prayer Breakfast that way.

A great picture and prayer requests

This is a great picture of Josiah. I am trying to grow my hair out like this but I don't think it is going to work.


Some prayer requests:
- This weeekend, Vibbard Dorm is hosting its Late Skate. Please be praying for the last minute details, endurance and safety.

- I started my spring semester of classes today. Pray for my studies.

- The boys and I went to visit my family in Pittsburgh. We visited Joel and Josiah's new baby cousin who was born last week. Pray for him, his mommy and daddy and brother.

- Especially pray for wisdom this semester as we seek to glorify God in everything we do and say.

Spring Semester 2008

THIS LAST SEMESTER:
This past semester was the most challenging so far school-wise for me. Lots of reading. I told Krista I want to write down how much reading I did this past semester. I got through the semester and it was very educational.

THIS UPCOMING SEMESTER:
January 21st is the start of the spring semester here at the seminary.
The college starts this Monday, January 14th. So tomorrow the returnng students will be arriving. Vibbard also has two new students this semester. Be praying for their adjustment to college life.

PRAYER REQUESTS AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:
1. The Vibbard Late Skate activity is on January 25th.
2. Adjustments this semester.
- New students.
- A new Resident Assistant.
- A new vice-president.
3. My classes this semester.
- Monday - Training Ministries in the Church.
- Tuesday - Christology and Soteriology.
- Thursday - Advanced Expository Preaching.
** I have another class that I will be taking either online or on Wednesday.
Greek Exegetical Methods.

Thanksgiving and Chritmas with family

Christmas break here at BBC is quickly coming to an end. I thought it would be a good idea to post some Thanksgiving (in Toledo) and Christmas (in Pittsburgh) pictures.

Here is a picture of Joel with his cousins from the Ryan side of the family. While in Toledo, over Thanksgiving, the family throw an early birthday party for Joel.

Liam and Josiah with grampa.

Josiah, Jacob and Joel at grammy's house during Christmas.

Josiah and Joel with Grammy.

We've got electricity back

Yesterday evening our electricity came back on.

Black Sunday, December 16

Today no electricity on campus.
Tomorrow the beginning of Finals week.
Last year it was the water problem. This year it is electricity.
I cannot believe how much Clark Summit is like the Dominican Republic.

I am typing this update from Donut Connection. It is one of the only restaraunts in the Clark Summit that has electricity.

The snow, ice and rain knocked out some power lines.

And finals week begin tomorrow.
Some schedule things to be aware of for us this week:
Monday - I have no finals. It is going to be a big school work day for me.
Tuesday - Foundations of the Christian Faith class
Final Exam
Term paper on the Gnostic Gospels due - 15 page double spaced
Doctrinal paper due - 5 page single spaced
Wednesday - Final Exam
Finish colateral reading. I need a minimum of 75 pages more.
**Wednesday is also the last day of classes for the college. Tuesday and Wednesday will be busy days for Krista with girls checking out of their rooms for the break.
Thursday - No finals. Prepare for tomorrow's final
Friday - Old Testament
Final Exam

It has been a long time

Sorry we haven't updated in quite some time.
What has been going on in our lives since November 19 (the date of the last blog).

We travelled to Toledo, OH for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with Krista's side of the family. Joel and Josiah loved playing with all their cousins. There were 10 grandchildren at the house. The one down side to the trip was that we didn't get to go to Emmanuel on Sunday. I needed to be back in Clarks Summit for work on Saturday. We missed visiting with people there.

I did some reading for class.

We had the dorm Christmas party on December 1st (I think that was the day).

I did some reading for class.

Joel's birthday party was December 8th. Joel and 8 of his little friends were in our apartment for a "Cars" party. One of the nice things about living on a college campus is being able to take a group of energitic 4 to 6 year old boys, along with an older boy from one of the other RD families, over to the gym for a half hour of running around crazy time. It was a lot of fun.

I did some reading for class.

We are now preparing for the end of the semester. More Christmas parties. Travelling to Pittsburgh for Christmas with my family.
God has really shown himself faithful to us over this past year.

Well I need to go and do some more reading for class.

Three Posts

I have made three recent posts today.

1. More Mission Trip Photos
2. Josiah's first haircut
3. Grammy's visit

You may want to read beyond this most recent post in order to find what has been going on with us.

More Jamaica Trip Photos

Here are some more photos from my mission trip to Jamaica.
In the evenings we taught seminars on Biblical Leadership. There were about 40 pastors and other church leaders including deacons, college students training for ministry and Sunday school teachers.
The seminars were a real blessing to us and those who came from the local churches.


Some of the people working during one of the seminar sessions.

Pastor Dave and Seminary student Dave talking with Pastor Dave.

One of the statements Pastor Dave (from Jamaica) made during this conversation really challenged me.

"It is time for Jamaica to stop being a mission field and become a mission force."

Some of the guys working one of the days at the seminary. Each of the days we tried to get some work done around the seminary. This included painting, helping with the library, cutting grass, chipping tile or whatever needed done.

This is a picture taken during a skit. I know it may not be the greatest picture quality wise but the reason why Ken and I are blurry is because we were supposed to be excited little boys telling his dad a story. I guess the camera caught our excitement.

Here I am enjoying some of the tropical fruit.

Josiah's haircut

Josiah recently had his first haircut.


This is Josiah's 80's mullet before it was cut.



This is Josiah without his mullet. A sad day for his living in the eighties dad.

Josiah and mommy after the haircut.

Grammy's visit

Grammy came for a visit from Wednesday to Sunday.

We had a lot of fun during her time here. It was great to spend time with her.

We had an early birthday party for Joel.

Joel and Grammy at the apartment.

Joel, Josiah, Grammy and Joey (Joel's bear) posing for a picture.

No we don't have any announcements to make. This is Grammy with two of the recently born triplets. Grammy, Krista, Joel and Josiah visited my cousin Rick and his wife Stephanie and their four children. (Grammy is holding Sara and Jack)

A couple of fun pictures from the trip

I will try to post some more pictures later but I wanted to post some fun pictures.


Me being mobbed by children at a preschool after a game of tag. Me versus the all the students.




Daryl and I wrestling after a regular afternoon rain. It is rainy season.
By the way. I won the match.



This is a photo of Daryl with a Jamaican man we met at the market..

Quick Update on Jamaica Trip

Our team returned safely to Clarks Summit on Monday @ around 2:15 am.

It was a long 14 hour day of airports, planes and a van but it is great to be back home with Krista and the boys.

Thank you everyone who prayed for the trip.

The trip was great. A real blessing for me was on Sunday morning when one of the Jamaican pastors stopped by the college to say goodbye and thank us for coming.
The seminars went well. Many of the people attending shared that it was great to get together with other church leaders and talk about things that were very practical for their churches right now. We had about 40 people there each night. The only night that was a little lower was Friday because several people were travelling for the weekend.

I will write more about it later. I just wanted to be sure to let people know that I got home safely and that the trip went well.

God bless.

A very cute picture...

It is 8:38 pm.

Our Jamaica team will be meeting over at the seminary at 12:30 am.



I am at home packing and here are my two very cutes boys preparing to go on the trip with me.

Please be praying for my trip and my family while I am gone.

Today Josiah said...

Recently, Josiah has said somethings we thought were words, but today he definitely said daddy.
Krista told me he said it earlier today when he saw a picture on the refrigerator.
Today at dinner she asked him to say it and he did and then he put his face into his plate of hamburger. It was such a moment for me.
1. He said daddy.
2. He is already starting to practice for all those crazy food skits that his dad did at so many different camps.

Some September Activities and some prayer requests

Krista had a leadership retreat with the dorm officers. It was a good overnighter as a leadership team. They did some planning, bonding and fun outdoor activities together.

This past weekend the admissions department had an iView (College Preview) weekend.
Part of the weekend involved a fun event Friday night with inflatables, dunk tanks and food.

This is Krista and one of the girls from the dorm "jousting." Krista did lose the match.

Some things to be praying for:

-Pray for our time together as a family. Joel and Josiah (along with Krista and I) are looking forward to a visit from Gramma and Grampa this next week.

-My mission trip to Jamaica begins on October 19th. (Mission trip prayer website: http://www.bbsjam07.blogspot.com/ )

-Krista's ministry with the girls in the dorm. Pray that she would be able to encourage and comfort those girls who need it and challenge all of the girls to grow in their relationships with God. The last two dorm devotional times seem to have gone well.

-Bible Conference (October 10-12) and Homecoming (October 13).

-I am now the Junior class advisor at BBC.
-pray for me and the Junior Class leadership team
-pray for the Junior class chapel on October 18.
-pray for the planning of the Junior/Freshmen bowling social on October 19. (I will not be there but the leadership team has been doing a good job of planning.)

-I am continuing to work on classes. Pray for focus as I am working on assignments and reading.

I cannot believe it is almost the end of...

I cannot believe it is almost the end of September.
So much has happened to during the last couple of weeks.
First of all, this....


Joel lost his first tooth.
Joel also started Cubbies at Heritage Baptist Church. (for those of you from Toledo Adam B. is one of the Cubbies helpers. He is not in Joel's group but they are together during the big activity times)
Josiah is a mad man now that he is walking. He just moves so fast with a big smile on his face.
Classes and work have really been keeping me busy.
I have been helping out with teaching in our Sunday class.
I, along with the other team members, are preparing to go to Jamaica in less than one month.
Krista is getting to know the new girls in the dorm.
They had a dorm officers retreat this past Friday and Saturday. It went well.

Life has been busy. But it is amazing how God has allowed us to make time for family. Joel is becoming quite a catchphrase player, when mommy or daddy read him the words. Another game he likes to play is Rush Hour (not based on the movies). It is a puzzle type game that was my dad's. I love watching Joel try to figure them out.

God has proven himself faithful over and over again.

On the much lighter side of life...
I am very much enjoying the start of the Steelers football season.

It has been over a week....

...and what an "over a week" it has been.

I have a lot of reading this semester. It seems like it is much more than the last two semesters.
Just wanted to make a quick post to let you know that we are still here. God is still (and always will be) good.

And we really appreciate your prayers and support.

Below is a picture of the Vibbard girls along with Joel and Josiah.

The flag won first place.

The "boat" didn't do so well in the "boat" race.

Start of the Semester

We have started our second year here at BBC&S.

Leadership Week was good but filled with meetings.
It was very good that the boys were at Grammy's house for the week. The boys really enjoyed it.

Be praying for the new students here in Vibbard. Freshmen and transfers. Pray that Krista would be able to build relationships and encourage them as they start out the school year.

My classes are going to be challenging this semester. A lot of reading.
Foundations of the Christian Faith on Tuesdays.
Greek Reading on Wednesdays
An online Old Testament course.
And a two week module course Training Others.

In regards to reading here is an interesting account of what happened to me last night after hours in the seminary reading room in the library.

My facebook friends don't need to read on any further if you already read this note.

This is entitled "How My Wife's Facebook Account Saved My Life."
For those of you who might not know what Facebook is, it is "a social utility that connects you with the people around you." It is networking program on line.

This is a post and some actual conversations that occurred last night.
-----------------
Well I am over at the seminary reading room in the library. I was ready to go home when I realized the door OUT of the seminary reading room was locked. No one in the library except me. So luckily I thought of facebook. I found a friend on line and wrote him a note. here is the correspondence:

-----------------
ME: Hey, are you there? Please answer. This is Dave Rodgers.
FRIEND: What's up man?
ME: Could you do me a favor.You are going to laugh.When security was coming through the library I guess they locked me in the seminary room. I need you to call them to unlock the door for me.Thanks. Let me know if you get this. If I don't hear from you in one hour I am kicking the door down. Thanks.

-------------------------
Now I can only hope my friend gets my message and saves my life. I am so hungry and thirsty. Will I make it?I will let you know how this ends as soon as I know!!!
--------------------------
About 15 minutes later
As I check my facebook account, I realize my friend is no longer online. Did he get my final message? Will security find me in the library when they open up in the morning?

I need a bathroom.I may need to dig my way through the wall and into Roddy's office.

So to finish this "saga." I don't know what happened to my friend, who will remain anonymous.
But DARYL, must have gotten off line and never responded back.

So I got off my facebook account and got onto my wife's bbc account. One of the RAs was online. So I asked her to call security.

She did and now I am safe in my home trying to deal with all the trauma of this ordeal

Leadership Week

This week has been CrAzY but good. At the beginning of the week students playing fall sports and student leaders (Resident Assistants and Student Government) moved into the dorms.

All of the student leaders and Resident Directors (Krista) have been attending seminars and planning things for the dorm. On Monday night they had a prayer retreat at a camp.

They continue with meetings tomorrow and on Friday new students begin arriving. Be praying for the remainder of the Leadership week and the new student orientation this weekend.

During this time I have been taking a Greek Grammar course. I know that title sounds really excited but it has actually provided me with a great opportunity to review for my fall class, which I probably should have been doing more of throughout the summer. Tuesday is my first class of the new semester. One of the minor blessing this fall semester is that I have NO 6:30 am classes. If we stay on the class schedule I have set up for the next two years this will be the only semester this will occur. Every other semester has at least one 6:3o class.

You might be wondering what the boys are doing while we are so busy with leadership week and classes. The boys are enjoying the week at Grammy's house. The weather has not been great for them but I am sure the boys are enjoying their time with Grammy and their cousin.

Grammy's house!!!! and another praise

Tonight we arrived at Grammy's house in Pittsburgh. The boys are going to be here at Grammy's for the week. Krista has leadership training with the RAs and dorm officers and I am finishing up a summer module.

Another praise is that I now have all my support for my Jamaica trip. Praise the Lord.

Pilgrim's Progress

In the midst of all my required reading, I have been trying to read some "non-assigned" books.
Right now I am reading Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. I read it several years ago but decided to go through it again. A very challenging.

One conversation in the book is about how does the saving grace of God show itself when it is in the heart of a man.
Two answers are given:
1. Abhoring sin not just crying out against it. Hating sin. Wanting nothing to do with it. Not just talking about how bad it is.

2. Knowledge that is accompanied with grace of faith and love not knowledgge that rests in the speculation of things.

In thinking about these things it is my prayer that I would demonstrate these things for the glory of God.

Quick update: My first two days of my module class have been good.

A wedding and an amusement park

Our summer is quickly coming to an end. I am taking a class that starts next weeks. The college students will be returning.

We are trying to make the most of our summer time.
In this post I have included a link to some pictures from the wedding along with pictures of our family day at Knoebels Amusement Park. (http://www.knoebels.com/) It was a great day.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3765&l=e85aa&id=501059302
(if you cannot get the picture link to work, please leave a comment. You don't need a blogger account to do this. Click on anonymous.)

The summer is winding to a close

This past Wednesday (08.01), Krista and I celebrated our 9th year of marriage. God has definitely blessed our family in so many different ways through good times and challenges. We are so thankful for an amazing provider.

The last camp of the summer just started tonight (08.05). Soccer camp.

Teen Leadership Conference finished up well. The counselors in the dorm said both weeks went well.

I worked a lot last week between Borders (four different shifts from Tuesday thru Friday) and campus security (from 9pm to 1 am).

Borders was craziness this week because we had a book signing Friday night. Senator Joe Biden was in the store from 5 to 7. I was so glad we were in NY at that time.
A friend of ours from the Dominican got married. It was a good time to reconnect with friends from the DR.

This is my last week of summer vacation. My Greek Review course starts on 08.13 and it runs for two weeks and then the regular semester starts.

A prayer request is for the Leadership Week with the RDs (resident directors), RAs (resident assistants) and SLC members (student leadership committee). It is an intense week of training and preparing for the upcoming year. The week begins on 08.20. Please be praying for wisdom in regards to dorm and campus direction for the year.

Joel and Josiah will be spending that week with Grammy in Pittsburgh. They are looking forward to a lot of fun. Well Joel is looking forward to it. When we tell Josiah he just smiles real big, which is pretty much what he does almost all the time.

Preparation for my trip Jamaica is coming along well. Please continue to pray for that. There is a prayer request website we will be using to update people about the trip. It is http://www.bbsjam07.blogspot.com/

July 28th - TLC Week #1 is finished.

A year ago today we were driving out here to Clarks Summit.

I could go all melodramatic about it but I won't. I can summarize what I am thinking in a two thoughts.

• God is so amazing and imaginative. He provides in ways you could never even imagine.
• One of those amazing methods of providing is through His people. We have been so blessed to have a great family and a group of awesome friends who are such a support to us.

I came across this verse while preparing for Sunday School:
Psalm 105:4 "Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."
I pray that I would do this every moment of my life.

It's July 25th already?!?!?!

I cannot believe how fast the summer seems to be going. (A summer time photo is at the end of this post)

• We have been out here for almost a year. Just about a year ago, Larry A. and several others helped us fit all of our stuff into that Penske truck that most people said would be to small. I knew Larry would find a way to do it. (God was amazing in provided so many friends and family members to help with our move)
• I finished up my second summer module last week.
• The first week of TLC (Teen Leadership Conference) is halfway over.

Some update information:

• Josiah is walking and I mean HE IS WALKING. Just last Wednesday he decided it was time and it doesn't seem like he has stopped since.
• Joel finished two weeks of swim lessons. Not quite ready for olympic diving or racing but if they come up with an event that involves putting your head underwater and blowing bubbles he will be great. He is a very imaginative boy. Yesterday, he informed Krista that he was going to camp for nine days. He went into his room and played for awhile. Then he came out and told us he was back and camp was a lot of fun. He brought "home" several trophies.
• Krista has had some good contacts with some of the girls who will be in the dorm next year. One of the RAs (resident assistants) is here in Vibbard as a counselor for TLC.
• I am finished with all of my work for my second module class. I have been working at Borders on the weekends and at maintenance here on campus for the first part of the week.

Pray for....

• Wisdom in parenting both Joel and Josiah. Now that Josiah is walking it seems like he wants to get into everything and he gets very upset when we don't allow him to do that.
• Wisdom about what do with Joel for preschool this year and kindergarten next year. (It is hard to believe it is that time already.
• Wisdom for Krista and the dorm leadership as they prepare for this upcoming year. Specifically pray for Krista as she thinks through how to develop a dorm theme for this.
• Discipine for me as I get ready for this next school year (begins August 27) and my last summer class (begins August 13 and runs for two weeks). Especially pray for me as I review Greek and prepare for my second year of language study.
• Wisdom and discipline for me and the other men going on the Jamaica missions trip from October 19 through 29.
• Open hearts as Heritage Baptist Church follows up with people who visited the church during Vacation Bible School.
• a willingness to make the most of every opportunity God gives us this upcoming year.

Josiah enjoying the rainbow that daddy "caught" for him.

Teen Leadership Conference!!!

Today (Monday July 23rd) is the first day of the first week of TLC (Teen Leadership Conference). This week over 500 high school students will be on campus. They are going to challenged by many different speakers, seminars and worship to serve the Lord and seek opportunities to lead others.

Please pray for TLC during the next two weeks. This week we have a packed dorm. Actually the are using extra mattresses in some of the rooms.

Last night at Borders

O.K. last night at work was MADNESS. CRAZINESS.


Let me begin with a "humorous" story. At 11:00 pm we began moving all of the customers out the front door so we could bring all of the books out. One of the managers sent me out to help "guide" the customers out the door. When I walked out the front I realized I need to guide 2000+ people to back up and move to open areas.


After a couple of minutes of asking individuals to please move backwards, I realized it was very difficult for people to get out the front door because of the crowd. So I reverted back to my SCS/EBCS days and yelled, in the most polite way possible, that EVERYONE needed to move back or the store wasn't going to clear out which meant they were not going to get their books. For a split second it was quiet and the people moved back. The crowd actually listened to me. I would love to say that from that point on every listened and cleared areas for people and just helped everyone out the rest of the evening. That would be a lie.

One thing I was reminded of last night was how rude and mean spirited people can be. At one point I had to help a woman with a baby and a stroller out the door. (This was before the midnight craziness) No one would move for her. It appeared that more people were worried about losing a place in line for a bracelet than helping this person out.

Some people in the store would naturally talk louder as we, the workers, would walk by. They would make comments about how they had been here since 6:00 and they were not moving for anyone.

This section was written later in the day (8:50 pm)....
Just got back from my 12 to 8 shift at Borders. The madness continued on today. I just don't get it. What makes people go crazy for these books?

Well, I need to rest.

Update on Joel and Josiah

Josiah is walking and it is much more than those little stutter things. He is walking across our living room. He is also using "sign language." The only problem is none of us understand what his signs are.

Joel is finishing up his two week of swim lessons tomorrow. He has really enjoyed going to swimming pool every weekday.

Harry Potter 7 SPOILER!!!!

My shift tomorrow at Borders is 6:00 pm to 2:00 am.

Yes, it is the day before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out and I am going to give you the heads up on how the book ends before it hits the streets. You may have heard about some other websites that have speculated about the ending. This is the REAL ENDING!!!!

Ready:

At the end of the Deathly Hallows....

• something is going to happen that will not really mean a lot to me because I haven't read any of the books.
• someone is going to die but keep this in perspective people it is only a book.

Update on Josiah

Josiah had his ears/nose/throat doctor appointment yesterday. The doctor said Josiah's one ear looked o.k. and his other ear was a little questionable. BUT the doctor did not want to put a baby under anthesia (sp?) to do one ear.

Josiah is going to go back for another check up in four weeks. Thanks for praying for him.

Prayer Requests - 07.11

Several prayer requests:

• Josiah's ear/nose/throat appointment is on Friday (7.13)
• Heritage's VBS program is going on this week. Krista is helping with Joel's class. Pray for the children who are attending and their families. The church does a carnival on Saturday.
• I am three days into a two week class on the book of Ephesians.
• Joel is three days into two weeks of swimming lesson.
• The girls who will be living in Vibbard this next year.

Photos from Fourth of July and NH trip

We watched the fireworks on the Fourth of July with the Golden's.
We watched them in mall parking lot overlooking PNC Field where the
Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees play.

Krista and the boys watching the fireworks on the Fourth.

On July 6th we drove to New Hampshire for the Jessica (one of the girls who
lived in Vibbard this past semester) and Jared. We added on an extra day and
spent some time at the beach.

Joel trying on his outfit for the wedding.

Josiah loved playing in the sand...

So did Joel.

We had a great time together as a family

(I smiling while taking the picture)

Quick Update on prayer requests...

PRAISES:
* I finished my 20+ page paper for my first summer module class.
* Things have been working out well so far with my work schedules.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
*Continue to pray for Josiah's doctor appointment regarding his ears. (7.13)
*Krista had her toenail removed. The doctor actually didn't have to remove the whole nail. He cut it down to the cuticle. Pray for that to heal up quickly
* My next summer class begins 7/9.
* Preparation for the Jamaica Mission in October. We have begun working on our presentations and other ministry opportunities outside of teaching.

It has been a month since....

Wow! It has been a month since our last post. (Be sure to read through this whole post to get to the very cute pictures at the end.)

What has happened since then.

1. I finished my first summer school module at seminary.
2. We visited my family in Pittsburgh. During that time
- Joel had his first "roller coaster" ride
- We also saw the Thomas the Train.
- We celebrated Josiah's first birthday.
3. We visited Krista's parents in Toledo. During that time
- We also went to the Toledo Zoo and saw the twin polar bears.
- I went to the graduation ceremony for Emmanuel's Class of 2007.
- We celebrated Josiah's first birthday.
4. Border's cut back on hours during the summer.
5. I started working maintenance here on campus two days a week.
6. We found out Josiah will probably need to get tubes in his ears. He goes to an ear/nose/throat doctor on 7/13.
7. Joel said he had one of the most exciting days of his life on 6/18. He received a paint splattered Thomas the Train in the mail and the swimming pool here at BBC opened.
8. The toe nail on Krista's big toe was almost torn off. She sees a foot doctor Monday (6/25) to see what needs to be done.

PRAISES:
!! Getting to see so many family and friends during our visits to Pittsburgh, Toledo and Canton.
!! It was great to be back in our Adult Sunday School class at Emmanuel.
!! God is so amazing in how He provides for our needs. I want to always remember to be thankful for that.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
* Josiah's doctor appointment regarding his ears.
* Krista's doctor appointment regarding her foot.
* My next summer class begins 7/9.
* I need to finish up a paper from my first summer module. The due date is this upcoming Friday (6/29)
* Preparation for the Jamaica Mission I will be going on this October.
* My work situation during the summer with schedules at Borders and BBC. It appears there will not be much conflict in scheduling.



Here is a picture of Josiah celebrating his One year birthday in Toledo. We celebrated in Pittsburgh and Clarks Summit also.



Two pictures taken of the boys by one of the girls in the dorm. Aren't they cute.

The Answer to the question

1. November 25 through January 10 is the Christmas rush

2. July 20-22 is only for this year. It is because of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release on July 21

Sorry I forgot to post the answer on Saturday.