Pardon My Interruption: Craig's Thoughts About This And That
The Titan roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas
My daughter wrote the following story for her reading class.
Today is April 15, 1865. My name is Elizabeth Charles. I live in Boston, Massachusetts. It has only been 3 days since the Civil War ended.
While I was reading in my library, I got a telegram from my Aunt. My Aunt Sara lives in Washington D.C. She is so lucky, but this telegram wasn’t of joyous praise to the end of the war. It was actually of pain and sadness. The telegram said, “The President is dead!”
I was so shocked I could barely stand. I quickly went to my neighbors and asked if they had heard the shocking news. They were so shocked the wife passed out. For days we wept and wore black. I asked myself, “Who could do such a thing?”
Then it hit me . . . a Southerner!
Although I defended my dissertation and everything was finalized on 30 November 2013, my Ph.D. was not conferred until this morning. It’s been a LONG almost 5 months, and I’m thankful the wait is finally over.
You can read my reasons for choosing the University of Pretoria here.
My dissertation – Palestinian Muslims converting to Christianity: effective evangelistic methods in the West Bank – can be downloaded for free here.
This long project could not have been completed without the help of many people, and I want to include my acknowledgement page below:
Acknowledgements
Jesus Christ: You are the reason I embarked on this journey. Thank you for providing strength and encouragement along the way. I long for the day your name is considered great among all peoples. May this work be helpful to that end.
Colleen, Grace and Zach: I love you more than you can know. I could not have finished this without your patience and longsuffering. Thank you. What shall we do with all the extra time we’ll have now that this project is complete?
Gatekeepers: You opened the doors for this research and were indispensible. Thank you. You share in any good that results from this project.
Respondents: Your stories made this work possible. Thank you. As Jesus prayed for those who would believe because of his disciples’ testimonies (Jn 17:20), I pray for those who will come to faith because of your testimonies.
Prof. Attie van Niekerk: Thank you for the gentle pushback and suggestions, which improved my thinking and the quality of this thesis.
Ms Rina Roos: Thank you for patiently serving as my cultural go-between. You helped me survive the cultural differences of a South African university.
University of Pretoria: Thank you for the bursary that made this work possible.
Bill Soper: Thank you for your friendship and tireless research assistance.
Dr. Carl Johnson and Dr. Alicia Massingill: Thank you for helping to keep me on task by consistently asking how I was progressing and for helpful comments on my content.
Arlington Baptist College Administration: Thank you for the scheduling flexibility that allowed me to work on this project while still teaching a full course load.
Arlington Baptist College Colleagues and Students: Thank you for patiently listening to me talk about “my research.” Your patience allowed me to talk things out and improved the product.
Dr. Greg Baxter and Chris Regas: Thank you both for your many helpful comments and words of encouragement in the process.
Dr. J. Scott Bridger, a fellow sojourner in this field: Thank you for enduring countless clarifications on Arabic language issues.
I’m not a poet, but I think my girls may have a knack. The following haiku, Day and Night, is by Grace and Colleen Dunning.
Day is bright with light,
Night is dark but for the moon,
Play while it is day.
Happy Birthday, Champ! Had to say that because you give us such a smile when we call you by any sort of nickname and you respond, “No, I’m Zach!” or “No, I’m Bubba!” (depending on which name you are going by at that moment).
We love to hear you say the long form of your name, Zachariah. Our hope is that you will always cherish your names; we chose them carefully. See, we had hoped for a long time that God would give us someone just like you. But, as time passed, it seemed that God had chosen to bless us only with Grace. But we still prayed and hoped, and God graciously gave us you. As we thought of names, none seemed to be just right . . . until you arrived. Then it was locked: Zachariah Samuel Dunning.
Dunning means you are related to us, ours forever. You can’t change that; neither can anyone else. We are linked by blood and DNA and all that science stuff; and we are linked by name and heritage and God’s choice. We are so thankful that it’s that way.
Zachariah and Samuel are names we drew from the Bible, the Book we pray will be the foundation of your life and and guide you to Jesus. When you arrived, you were the answer to the prayers of two longing hearts and we felt Zachariah, which means “God remembered” and Samuel, which means “God heard,” perfectly expressed our hearts. You, Zachariah Samuel Dunning, were the undeniable evidence that God both remembered and heard our prayers. Please, never forget the meaning of your names.
Happy Birthday, Bubby! We love you now and always.
Ima and Abba
3 John 4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”