SteveJamieson.com

As I was closing the Library last night, I happened to notice a book laying on one of the shelves in the Bound Periodicals section. Not a big deal I thought—someone probably just set it down while looking at an article and forgot about it. As I drew closer I noticed that it was a copy of Joüon & Muraoka’s A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, and that it didn’t have a call number label on its spine—apparently someone’s personal copy. However, when I picked it up I started noticing some odd things about the book. Imagine a Library book where the barcode had been peeled off the back, the call number label had been cut out of the protective tape on the spine, and the ownership label had been removed from the front endsheet. That’s exactly what I was looking at. The call number was still written on the inside front cover and indicated that it was from the Reference section.

Was someone going to steal the book, but had a change of heart? Did someone “borrow” it for the semester and then return it? Who knows? You just don’t expect that sort of thing to happen around a seminary. Sure we have security gates, but they’re more to prevent people from accidentally walking out with books than to deter conscious theft. I was troubled and disturbed that someone in the Seminary community would do something like this.

However, the more I think about it, the less troubled I am. Around the Seminary, where everyone is so nice to everyone else (most of the time), it’s easy to begin believing at some level the illusion that we are good people. People out in the world may be sinful, but seminarians are righteous—or so it might seem. But that’s not the truth. Seminarians are sinners like everyone else. Although my particular struggle may not be the temptation to steal library books, I have my sins, and they are just as evil and ugly. Who am I to cast the first stone?

So, to whoever tried to make off with the Joüon-Muraoka, Christ forgives you, and so do I.

So apparently I was just woken up by an earthquake. I don’t recall feeling anything really, just hearing the sound of stuff like my ceiling fan rattling. Scared the crap out of me.

WEST SALEM, Ill. (AP) — A 5.4 earthquake in Illinois has rocked people awake as far away as Indiana, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a large temblor in the Midwest.

The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered 6 miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

I found this gem in the Seminary book sale. These kids don’t look too happy about prayer.

That’s right, kids—prayer shouldn’t be enjoyable.

23

Several weeks ago I found a copy of Entertainment Weekly in my mailbox. Naturally, my first thought was that it belonged to one of my neighbors and the mail-person had accidently put it in my box. When my eye scanned down to the address label to see who the correct recipient is, I was surprised to see my name and address.

“Why am I getting a copy of Entertainment Weekly?”

And then I noticed that the address label indicated that the subscription end date was one year in the future.

“How did I get a year-long subscription to Entertainment Weekly?”

Not that I’m complaining—Entertainment Weekly has some decent stuff in it. I’m just curious if I have an anonymous benefactor out there.