End of Summer and Back to Blogging

This weeks marks the end of summer for me. Study leave is over. Vacation is done. I’m back in the pulpit, back to my regular work, and back to blogging.

Speaking of which, I thought I’d ease back into blogging by reflecting a little on what I’ve been doing for the past month and a half. Later in the week, I’ll share a few fruits from my doctoral studies. Today will be a little more personal.

The letter below is what I sent to our congregation as a way of summing up my summer. It will give you a feel for real life in the DeYoung household, and a couple pointers for prayer (if anyone is so inclined). If nothing else, it will catch up to speed the URC folks who are more likely to see this post on Facebook than check their email!

Once again, let me reiterate what a blessing it is to get time away each summer for reading, writing, and rest. Thank you for the six Sundays off. Because we were around most of the summer, I know firsthand that you were well served with Pastor Jason’s preaching, as well as excellent messages from Pat Quinn and Jon Saunders and the rest of the staff. And what a blessing to have Jon Anderson [our new Director of Music] with us and Kevin McAlvey [our new Church Administrator] on board too. VBS was a wonderful week as well. Lots of good things happening at URC over the summer.

Rather than taking time away from the sermon to give an update on the past month and a half, I thought I could highlight three things by way of the church newsletter.

First, my PhD work continues to move ahead on schedule. As a part-time student, the University of Leicester requires that I be enrolled a minimum of four years. That means the earliest I can graduate is September 2017. Given my current progress, I should be able to complete a draft of my dissertation within the next 6-9 months and then defend my thesis roughly a year from now, right at the four year mark. My dissertation will have an introduction and five other chapters. This summer I finished chapter 3 (on John Witherspoon’s ministry in the Church of Scotland) and wrote most of chapter 4 (on Witherspoon’s relationship to the Enlightenment). Five chapters down (more or less); one more to go. Stay tuned for a Sunday evening lecture on Witherspoon later this fall (I can feel the excitement building already!).

Second, many of you have kindly asked about my health. As you probably saw on my blog several months ago, I was diagnosed in the spring with an autoimmune disorder called Celiac Disease. Since the beginning of May I’ve been on a strict gluten free diet. The new diet is challenging, but worth it if it means I will start feeling better. For most of June I felt much improved, but then since the middle of July I’ve felt poorly again. Some of the weeks have been worse than when I was eating all the things I used to eat. That’s been discouraging. I’m not sure the reason for the setback. It could be the result of nutritional deficiencies (I continue to lose weight without trying), or it could be because of new food allergies (very common with Celiac Disease), or it could just be a matter of waiting a bit longer for my body to repair itself. I appreciate your prayers for strength, stamina, and healing. My most recent bloodwork showed that my Celiac related numbers were back to normal. That’s good. I’m hoping that a marked improvement is right around the corner.

Third, it’s been awhile since we’ve given you on update on Trisha’s dad. We are so grateful for your prayers, cards, and compassion. Roy is halfway through six months of chemo treatments for stage 4 colon cancer. His latest scan was encouraging: most of the cancer is gone (except for some spots in the liver). The doctor says Roy is in partial remission. His energy level is not what it was and he deals with bouts of nausea and stomach pain, but he still manages to be involved at their church, work a few hours a week, and spend time pursuing his woodworking hobby. We are praying for no setbacks and for the strength to endure another three months of chemotherapy.

Trisha and the kids are still with Trisha’s family in Colorado (where I was this past week). I’ll fly back to Colorado Springs after a week of work here and then drive them home before school starts. I’m eager to start up again with Exodus again. We will spend most of the semester working our way through the Ten Commandments in the morning services. In the evening, I’ll be sharing the teaching the load with Pastor Jason and others as we preach through the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6.

As always, it is a joy to be your pastor and labor with you for the cause of Christ.

In Him,

Pastor Kevin