New Year’s Eve

It is New Year’s Eve and we have begun our festivities for the evening. We spent most of the day getting Ben’s room ready for his new loft and finally setting up our bedroom (You can tell that I am getting cabin fever when I begin to rearrange the furniture).

Later in the evening, after watching Polar Express, we decided to use Elizabeth’s birthday present from Mom - a chocolate fountain. Now there are many ways to overeat, but this is one of the more enjoyable ones.

Ben obviously enjoyed himself and now we are taking a glutton’s rest before a rousing game of Kings in the Corner. It is our prayer that the New Year draws you closer to both Jesus and your family…well back to the celebration.

Happy New Year!
The Cooks

Concordia Seminary’s Christmas Vacation

Now that Christmas is over and we have a few days of vacation, it seems like the perfect time to do something I have been meaning to do - start a blog. Normally I am not one to write personal correspondence, but I’ll give it a try and see what happens.

New Years Day will mark four months at the Seminary as Director of Educational Technology and for the most part things have gone well. The transition still has its up and downs, but we are adjusting. Ben still misses his friends and I occasionally get the sense that I am missing an appointment or should be on my way to a council meeting. The hardest thing has been leaving our good friends.

Living in an institution has its perks…most of you probably thought I should have lived in an institution a long time ago. I don’t need to drive to work and the library and bookstore are a few paces away. I am particularly enjoying the students. Being part of their seminary training is a rewarding experience and giving back to the seminary that had such an impact on our lives means a lot.

Well, since this is our first post I will bring it to an end so I have at least one post on the blog. I will post a couple pictures of the campus etc…

PS: Elizabeth told me to include that she is now a lady of leisure - staying at home to perfect her homemaking arts and weaving skills.

Life’s Short. Relax. Drink Some Tea

In an attempt to curb caffeine intake and drink something other than coffee, we visited our local Teavana store and picked up a tea starter kit. They have a growing number of locations. I guess tea is hip at the moment. They describe themselves as:

Teavana… a place that many consider a heaven for tea drinkers. Over 100 kinds of Fresh Tea. Beautiful Teapots. etc…..From the lush hillside plantations of India and Nepal to rolling waves of green tea in Japan, we have sought out the world’s freshest and finest teas for your palate to embrace and fill your senses with the wonders of the world’s oldest and most healthful beverage. We source only the highest quality and freshest teas bringing them from the tea estates fresh every month into the United States.

After experimenting with different quantities of tea, water temperature and steeping times, We are starting to get the hang of it. Who knew that you could make a hobby out of tea?

A Trip to Narnia

Like many, I am a C.S. Lewis fan. After taking a class in seminary on the writings of C.S. Lewis, I fell in love with this work. His blend of fantasy and theology as well as his more poignant Christian writings are always a good read. So when The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to the silver screen, we had to go. All-in-all it was a great time. All three of use loved it and would like to see it again over Christmas break. As an evangelism tool and potential sermon series, it is worth considering. As other fans, I was happy with the integrity with which they handled the original book and look forward to further installments.

Did He Say What I Thought He Said?

For all of you who were exposed to my "occasional" misspoken phrases during worship such as "Have a crummy Christmas…", "The congregation may now be conceited…" and "…as we erect the menorah…" you can read the story of another dyslexic clergyman named Rev. Robert Lee in Roald Dahl’s book  The Vicar of Nibbleswicke. Dahl, the author of Charley and the Chocolate Factory, wrote this funny tale for children to benefit the London Dyslexia Institute.

Wicked at the Fox

Elizabeth and I treated ourselves to the new musical Wicked. It was playing at the opulent Fox theater in St. Louis. Wicked is a musical that tells the story of the witches of OZ before and after the story of  The Wizard of Oz. It is an apocryphal tale that redefines the meaning of the classic story using the Post-Modern understanding of good and evil. But if you are like me, it was just a good time with great special effects. Elizabeth and I decided to take in "cultural activities" upon our move to St. Louis. We are doing pretty well so far and will keep you updated on the cheers and jeers.