Six Month Mark

Today is the six month mark since we arrived in Beijing, China: two thirds of the time required for a baby's entrance into the world from the moment of conception.  I haven't blogged at all in a long time, as the responsibilities of my work have precluded this luxury. I know if I could blog shorter posts I would blog more frequently. I'll try.

After six months here in BJ, I am thankful for God's redeeming grace, His Church, His Word, His people, my lovely wife, and our children who show marks of grace in spite of their father's failings. I ponder with thankfulness our supportive family back in the States, home church Grace Baptist Church, other supporting churches and families in the States, mentors in the faith, those who pray for us, God's provision in a variety of ways. I give thanks for those in our church that bear with a young (really?) pastor as he works at the sacred craft of bringing the Word weekly (but not weakly) with profit. 

In Beijing we are thankful for new friends, occasional blue skies, the Chinese people (Zhongguo ren), Chinese food, our neighbors in our apartment complex, taxi drivers and fellow subway passengers who will speak Chinese with us, our language school and tutoring company, and our microscopically small progress with one of the world's more difficult languages. 

I say what the priests sang in Ezra 3:11 at the completion of the foundation for the new temple in Jerusalem in the early 6th century BC:

"For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel."