James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-12-24

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To those
interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a theory that the frequency of newsletter writing is inversely
proportional to its importance. This one (which should have been written a
month or two ago), marks a beginning and an end. It is the literary
threshold at the edge of the college room and actual real life next year.
The door opens to Trinity Church Hilton (TCH). TCH is a CESA church (or
ReachSA Church if you're up to date) - that is, it's the same denomination
as GWC. I'm not certain what work will entail, I know that I'm going to
get exposure to everything that happens in a church in kind of internship
position and that I'll be involved at Grace College, a nearby school,
where I'll be teaching Bible Ed, doing some mentoring and some IT support
(the school is supplementing my income).

I have loved this year. The research/writing component was exhilarating
and undoubtedly my favourite aspect. The Old Testament module, which I
think I mentioned last time, didn't go too well but aside from that the
courses have been excellent and I have learnt an enormous amount. Honours
really gives you a chance to dig a lot deeper into what is being studied:
rather than rushing through 10 busy subjects a term and trying to keep
afloat, this year has afforded me the chance to excavate some issues
(which has always resulted in the awareness of being in over my head).

At the beginning of the year I moved out of res and have been renting a
flat with one of my classmates. This too I have really appreciated. I have
really developed quality relationships with a few guys and although it's
sad to be dispersing now with limited prospects of seeing each other much
in the future (from seeing each other every day), it's the kind of sadness
that I would wish on someone because it is the mark of joy.

My plans at this point are to stay at TCH for at least two years but I'm
hoping to continue with a Masters (hopefully overseas) after that. I don't
know where overseas, I don't know how I'll fund it, I don't know just
about anything. They're just pipe dreams at this point but hopefully far
down the line I'll be able to get into teaching at a Bible college.

Thank you for your support and particularly your prayers. Please don't let
them stop, I do not expect that ministry will be easier than college.

In Christ,
James


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-09-23

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

You can tell that I'm feeling the pressure of the year's end when I don't
write a newsletter during a holiday. It's been a hectic little while. The
main thing that captured my attention was my dissertation (and rightly so,
I guess). I had a deadline for Monday the 17th for a first draft (it's
about 10000-12000 words). In case you don't know, I'm writing about the
book of Judges. Judges is structured in cycles which have a lot of similar
elements. My dissertation is basically looking at those elements and how
they and why they vary through the various narratives (and what the
variation means - I'm not really allowed to say the word "means" though
because that demonstrates total ignorance of the linguistic nihilism to
which our scholarship is now enslaved - it's fine though, you just find
other ways of saying the same thing and in practice ignore the fact that
somewhere out there Derrida is turning in his grave).

I didn't actually manage to submit a complete first draft though - that's
bad. At least if I compare myself to my peers I'm in roughly the same
place (at least we're all behind together) and I'm not the most behind
which is comforting; the weak are the first to become prey. The problem at
this point is the fact that the last course module is beginning next week
Wednesday (which I've just realised is now just called "this coming
Wednesday" - marginally more menacing). You are welcome to pray that I
would work supernaturally diligently (and let's not rule out miraculous
events that produce actual quality work. I really - surprisingly enough -
need God to help me to understand his word (preferably before I have to
submit))

The said module is our Old Testament course (which is nice since that's
where I'm specialising (in theory at least)). It's going to be on Exodus
(which promises to be fascinating). It's going to be taken by a guy from
Chad (which means it will probably have some African Theological insights
- superb!). It's going to be slap bang in the middle of the last bit of
dissertation writing (rats). It's going to be requiring more exam writing
(blagh). You can pray that I would gain a lot from this course. Exodus
(and the rest of the Pentateuch) are truly foundational and so for the
sake of understanding the rest of the Bible, this course really does hold
tremendous promise.

I could write a whole bunch of other stuff about Bible study and Friday
youth and weddings and all manner of eventfulness which seems to flurry up
at inconvenient times of the year. However, I think you've got the gist of
the last few weeks and the next few. My life is not limited in scope to
writing a dissertation and completing an OT module (though on the horizon
these things certainly seem to loom in ominous shadow over the sprightly
smaller things in view) so don't be overly concerned about that. Be
concerned that I honour God in my work and that as I seek to understand
his word, I wouldn't rely on my own strength but that I also wouldn't
abdicate my responsibility to pursue understanding through the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your steadfastness in prayer. Thank you for your endurance
in reading newsletters. Thank you for being awesome (or at least above
average).

In Christ,
James


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-08-24

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Time has flown since I last wrote and I realise now how much has happened
here, I'm sorry I haven't been better at keeping you up to date. I'm
starting realise that graduation (or not...) is much closer than I had
thought and I had better get cracking. Last Friday I handed in a rough
draft of the first chapter of my dissertation not knowing whether it was
even vaguely what I was supposed to be doing but the response of my
supervisor was pretty positive. This means that now he knows how much I've
done so I can't fool him into thinking I'm working when nothing more is
being produced but it also means I have direction and he can provide some
more guidance to me. He wants a full draft by the 17th of September – the
day after college holidays – and the whole thing has to be finished for
final submission by the 2nd of November which is a little daunting.

Because of work here, I may not have a chance to get back to Joburg these
holidays which is unfortunate but I guess I really do have to make the
most of this time now and I'm still enjoying my dissertation – something
people had told me not to expect. The second week back we begin with our
OT course on Exodus Dr Abel Ndjerareou
(I don't know how to say it either). It looks like it'll be good but it
also means much less time than is apparent for our dissertations (which
means I really do need to get cracking).

Having said that, this coming weekend brings with it an enjoyable annual
event: the bishop's weekend. Frank Retief (the retired bishop of CESA)
takes away the men of at college and talks about full time ministry. The
weekend is always a highlight not only because of books and chocolate but
because of the deepening of relationships that can happen there.

The Friday before last my flatmate was at a wedding in Durban and while he
was away I decided to remind myself about the fragility of material
possessions. While reading Lord of the Rings (Frodo just chucked the ring
into mount doom – more excitingly than I just made it sound though) I
heard some wailing outside but I dismissed it; "it's Muizenberg," "this is
the ambiance..." I decided to at least look around though and when I did I
realised that they were braaiing at the married res. It was a big braai
though because there was black smoke. "let's be responsible James, at
least go outside." Outside of course, I realised that the house next door,
that three college people called home, was the braai fuel and not much
braaiing was happening. I learnt that MTN's emergency number is worthless
after dialing it and hitting 1 because the emergency was life threatening
and in spite of their warnings about the criminal offence of calling it
when there was not an emergency situation and then subsequently holding
for about 5 minutes at which point I figured I was dead to them. I also
got to watch the roof of the house collapse, I think it would have been
more impressive than horrific if it hadn't been the roof of someone I'm
studying with and there hadn't been a crowd people filled with what I can
only think is sadism gathered around to watch someone's house burn down.
So that was Friday.

Speaking of fire, we could use some in our Bible study where the
Christians are mostly disinterested. The one exception is the
non-Christian girl who highlights, reads ahead and asks good questions and
answers questions intelligently. I'm a bit discouraged by their lacklustre
interest in the gospel but I suppose that they're preparing me for
ministry – which is also a bit saddening.

Plans for next year are still not occupying much time in my mind. I'm just
waiting for churches to get back to me and I'm okay with the fact that
meetings and discussions are lengthy and often contingent on other issues
being resolved. It's not a concern yet but I think by the end of next
month it will be.

You can pray for the families of the burnt house and for the non-Christian
girl at Bible study. Please also pray that I work hard in the coming month
especially and get a quality first draft done so that in my revising it's
editing and improving not rewriting. Please also pray for me as I try to
(co-)lead Bible study (and lead a small group table at Friday youth), that
I would be able to do so with wisdom and insight and that God would work
in my groups' hearts.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-07-24

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am now a week back into college having had four weeks off. After exams,
I flew to KZN and went to my cousin's wedding in Pietermaritzburg (well,
outside PMB, in an area that's actually scenic). He was my second cousin
to get married and in the space of a couple of months. As always, I think
it's awesome seeing Christians get married. I was only there for two days
though, by Sunday we (the family and I) were driving back to Joburg. I
suppose that this is where I should throw in the fact that I watched Les
Miserables on the Saturday night which I quite enjoyed - I'm still
thinking about it but I think some interesting things could be said about
grace in contrast to Jean Valjean (that's for another time though).

In Joburg I didn't do any work. This was pleasant but frustrating and I'm
pretty glad to be back and trying to be productive again. On the other
hand, I managed to see friends from school a number of times which was
awesome. I also got to see some friends from college (who graduated with
me last year but went to work in churches). It was good to catch up and
see how they are doing. They could also give helpful advice to me
considering I'm planning on working in a church next year. I finished
reading a few books as well so I feel good about myself - I'm still going
through Lord of the Rings which is one of the best reads I've had. I also
took the time to update rekindle.co.za which has not had any attention for
quite some time. I still need to do a bit more on it but it's seen some
major improvements (if you have a smartphone, you should look at it and
compare it to the way it displays on a computer screen).

After two and a half weeks in Joburg I returned to KZN a few days early
for ministry week. I stayed with Graham (one of the guys doing honours
with me) and just had fun in Durban (where the weather is ignorant of the
fact that it's winter). Ministry week was good, perhaps a bit
disappointing because the team did not really gain in terms of learning
about the church we were at. Even so, we were involved in a holiday club
and so we had the chance to spend the week with a lot of kids who
otherwise wouldn't be at church. I also had an awesome time with my hosts
who were extraordinarily encouraging - hopefully I'll be able to keep in
contact with them. But it was all over pretty quickly and I find myself
back in Cape Town.

Last week I made the most progress on my dissertation that I've made in
quite some time (like 1/2 terms). I finally have a topic that I like and
that my supervisor is happy with. It feels like quite an accomplishment.
What lies ahead now is a church history assignment that is due next week
for the church history course we sat last term and some measurably
continuous progress on our dissertations. I also have the bishop's weekend
away to look forward to in a few weeks' time but that's about it.

Kyle, my flatmate, is having a rough time with some people he knows so he
could use prayer and considering I'm his friend I could use some prayer in
relation to that as well - it's hard to say what about, wisdom and grace
to say what's appropriate and helpful for both of us is all I can really
ask for. Of course, you can always pray for my devotional life and that
the struggle with sin wouldn't become a "snuggle" with sin. Probably most
importantly in this term is that I'd be particularly self-disciplined
since I have a no constraints and can easily be sidetracked.

As always, thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-05-02

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wish I had more time to write. It has been a crazy term. Last time I'm
pretty sure I was telling you about the start of our next block course
(intensive module) which was Church History with Ashley Null. That
finished a week ago. The focus was the English Reformation and I must say,
my interest in history has been rekindled. I'm hoping to read Wolf Hall in
the holidays (a novel set in the court of Henry VIII) - tudor history has
been a lot of fun to peak into. It was a great course and Ashley Null is a
brilliant mix of academia and the pastorate. Church History was really
only a sort of break from the swift onslaught of exams. Perhaps I should
rather say, "The Exam". In the past staccato attacks have been the norm at
the end of each semester, hoping to beat us into submission by repeated
invocations of fear and dread. Not in Honours. On Monday I write the
single exam for the year (it's possible that there will be one more in the
fourth term but I'm not expecting one) and it's not going to be pretty.
Which reminds me, prayer for my fast frying brain and quick tangled tongue
would be much appreciated (prayer against them frying and tangling, that
is).

It seems that there is an inversely proportional relationship to my
ability to read and the time I have in which to do it. In the past few
weeks I've managed to finish Bonhoeffer (a biography about the guy - he
was a theologian involved in a plot to kill Hitler) by Eric Metaxas (it's
been criticised - and rightly so - but it's quite an enjoyable read) and
The Fellowship of the Ring (it's comprised of two books, I read the second
because I read the first earlier in the year). I have developed tremendous
appreciation for Tolkien; of all that I read, he most inspires me to write.

Not much (i.e. nothing) has happened on the dissertation front since last
we spoke. That's probably not good. I should probably do something about
that. I've spoken to my supervisor and I think he thinks I'm working. I
don't really want to break his heart though so I think I'm going to leave
him in the dark for now :).

I've been co-leading a Bible study this year. I think it's part of a
devious plot. I feel somewhat out of my depth and I think the other people
who come feel like I'm out of my depth too. It's rather like getting your
feet wet and not being able to dry between your toes; not pleasant. My
more spectacular, billboard-like, hold-the-press-type involvement at
church begins at the most opportune time: the day before The Exam. I'm
preaching tomorrow at Tokai (I know, it really is a plot). I'm preaching
on the feeding of the five thousand in Mark 6:30-44. I'm prepared for that
(I think I actually took preparation for that more seriously than exam
prep - that'll probably come back to bite me) but it's really not ideal
timing.

As far as prayers go, then, I think prayer that I wouldn't randomly pass
out while preaching if it should suddenly occur to me that I'm actually
about to write an exam - more seriously, the usual sort of prayers for
preachers; people would listen, preacher would speak clearly, preacher
would speak God's words (not his, even though he thinks his are quite
something), Holy Spirit would do what the Holy Spirit does in people and
preacher and sermon. And, that The Exam would be easily defeated and not
overly stressful (I'm planning on going to a piano recital on Monday
afternoon, that should be relaxing if The Exam is nasty) - and mercy from
the lecturer. Thanks very much for the prayers and thoughts, you rock.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-04-22

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As it happens, I am still alive (contrary to what your empty mailboxes may
have implied till now). Having survived the perils of an intensive course
entitled "Mark as Persuasive Narrative", I am now turning my attention to
the rest of the second term. We (I and my classmates) have been expecting
a nasty term with two intensives, half a doctrine course (and its
assignment and exam). We were right. I have a few outstanding assignments
for Mark (and by "outstanding", I am not presuming on their results), a
doctrine assignment as well as the regular course work and a church
history course to look forward to. Along with all that I need to do some
much needed work on my dissertation (which I will actually focus on during
the third term).

The past five weeks have essentially revolved around Mark. Peter Bolt, a
lecturer from Moore College, came out for the course which he handled
deftly. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile course and it will
contribute to my dissertation (if I ever get there) so I've enjoyed this
time. We had a literary look at Mark: stimulating, illuminating,
invigorating.

During the holidays, I went to Joburg and worked on Mark. I managed to see
a friend who graduated last year (and hear him preach) as well as making a
perfunctory visit to Teatro (I watched Phantom of the Opera - it was good,
not as good as I'd hoped. Based on the way the music stuck in my head
though, it was probably better than I initially thought). In addition to
this, I got to see my cousin get married (go Kate!). It was awesome and at
the reception she delivered the best bride's speech in the history of
mankind (as far as I know).

Of course, it was also Easter. I wish I'd eaten more chocolate. I guess,
that's not something I'll regret in the future but I'm pretty sure I
missed out on those white eggs this year - rats. John Bell preached at
Honeyridge - he was excellent, truly excellent. I also read some of
Carson's "Scandalous" (a book about the cross and the resurrection) which
is also brilliant and made me stand in a little more awe and wonder at the
cross - always good and healthy.

More recently, I finally finished Narnia by reading the Magician's Nephew
and, reflecting on the analogies Lewis pens so masterfully, I have come to
the conclusion that the Silver Chair is the best of the Chronicles.

I'm reading Mark quite a lot these days. I'll probably preach from it on
the 3rd of June. Please pray I preach faithfully and manage to both
prepare properly and do college stuff. Please also pray that I would
manage to commit more time to prayer and Bible reading than I have been.
This year has been pretty exciting thus far, please praise God that I've
had the chance to come to college and that I'm loving it and that he's
using it on me.

I know I'm a newsletter backslider but please trust in the perseverance of
the saints ;)
Thanks for all the prayers and support.

In Christ,
James Cuénod

--
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James Cuénod's Newsletter 2012-03-17

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm sorry I've left you in the dark for so long. Let me give you the
highlights of the last few weeks. The biggest adjustment has been work
schedule. Instead of the old lecture/study model, in the honours
programme we have one double lecture per fortnight. This means that
our time is pretty flexible (though we do still have daily college
life things like Chapel and prayer meetings) but it also means that we
have to be more disciplined with our work than I am being.

It's easy to keep on top of the doctrine course that we're busy with
(which is what the lectures are for) but in the background we are
supposed to be working on our dissertations (more on this later). In
addition we are now preparing for an intensive two week course on Mark
which starts right after the April holidays - in three weeks
(preparation includes doing a bunch of assignments and reading a
couple of books). I am intimidated.

When I arrived at college, there were two things I knew Christians
were bad at doing: (1) understanding the Old Testament and (2)
applying the Bible to our lives beyond becoming Christians. For my
dissertation I'm working towards not being bad at (1). I'm trying to
ask some interesting questions about the narrative/literature of the
book of Judges. Hopefully I'll figure out (2) given a bit more time.
I'm having fun but not really doing what is necessary at this point.

I'm co-leading a "young young-adults" Bible Study at Tokai Community
Church this year and realising my weaknesses which is helpful. In
fact, I would greatly appreciate prayer with regards to my ability to
effectively guide and teach that group.

Living out of Res has been great. I am loving the move although I feel
a bit out of the loop of what's going on at college. My flatmate
recently got engaged so it's interesting seeing him prepare for a
wedding and marriage.

I'm fairly stressed about the coming five weeks (and I don't
anticipate real relief for another six or seven weeks after that) and
I could use prayer that I would rely on God. You can praise God that
the new living situation is working out (as far as I know - if you
don't hear from me though, I may have been murdered in my sleep).

These coming few weeks are going to require some hard work but they
stretch over the holidays so I definitely need some divine assistance.

In Christ,
James Cuénod

--
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ
http://www.rekindle.co.za

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To those interested who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It turns out that when you get to honours, they let you do whatever you want. I arrived here the Sunday before last and since then have been given all the time to do whatever my heart desires. This, with the overarching instruction to strive for 10 hours of work per day. Freedom is great - all six hours of it.

The holidays were good. I managed to  get a fair bit of reading done which was my primary objective. I also brushed up on my Greek in anticipation of a competency test to which I say, "veni vidi vici" - or in Greek "ἦλθον εἶδον ἐνίκησα". I, therefore, have had the rest of this time to do whatever I think will benefit me most. The dean of post-graduate studies said that we should aim for 50 hours of work per week which is ten hours a day or eight hours if we work on Saturdays - which is a fair bit when our work at this point could be described in as many ways as you can think of to mean "reading". We were told a little about what would be expected of us now that we are in post-graduate studies and though somewhat intimidated, I still have that sense of adventure when at the threshold of what I have now found to be a dragon's lair.

You may recall I have moved out of the GWC residence into a flat. Rather than sharing with dragons though, I have elected to board with one of the guys who graduated with me last year and is also doing honours. So far it has been good but it's still early days to be able to know how the year will go. Regarding food: If not cereals, I eat honours for breakfast, buy college lunch (and eat it, unlike proverbial cakes) and sort out supper using a crafty combination of bread, peanut butter and leftovers as well as the occasional slice of dragon meat.

Thus far, I can say that the year has been a delight. Should any dragons rear their heads, I will be sure to fight valiantly in the hopes of slaying them. Should the opportunity arise to steal the dragon's treasure, I hope to use my time with diligence and alacrity. Should the dragon turn out to be friendly, I'll say something nasty and fight him anyway just because we post-grads are the boss.

You can pray that I will not be like the honours students of the past who have been known to become akin to moles, appearing rarely in the sunlight and certainly not for very long, quickly returning to their books. It is my hope that I will study hard this year without neglecting the college community.

In Christ,
James Cuénod


--
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ