Proof of Life Post
Almost there y'all, I'm almost there............
I hope your semester has not been as busy as mine! I also hope it has been healthier. I’m sitting at home with, I think, my 4th or 5th minor illness since January. My body is definitely keeping score.
What have I been doing? First, I’ve been doing my main job as a professor. I’ve had so much fun with my Medieval Europe class and promise to post some of my lectures over the summer. I incorporated a new assignment this year which has required students to respond from the readings I assigned for that week in both the affirmative and negative to a propositional statement. Let me just tell you my students are brilliant and give me hope for the future. Next week we are discussing Joan of Arc and the impact of castles on the European landscape. If you want to read along with us, these are the three final books my students are currently reading.
In my capacity as a professor, I have also chaired a successful search for a new colleague in our department. We will be welcoming Maggie Elmore in Fall 2024 as a new Associate Professor of Southwest Borderlands History.
I also have one PhD student, Katherine Goodwin Lindgren, defending her dissertation on May 24th in anticipation of starting her first tenure track faculty position in Fall 2024! I have another PhD student defending his prospectus on May 1, and two more PhD students continuing to make good progress on their dissertations. I also accepted my first new PhD student since 2018 for a Fall 2024 start date.
What else have I been doing? I have been traveling some. I had the privilege of speaking and preaching in March at Clay United Methodist Church in South Bend, Indiana.
Last week I traveled to Irving Bible Church with my Baylor colleague Malcolm Foley for an Evening with the Holy Post. We had a lovely time talking with Kaitlyn Schiess and meeting Jon Houghton (CEO for the Holy Post). I signed a few books, caught up with a student from long ago, and met Kat Armstrong for the first time in person! I had the privilege of talking with Kat Armstrong for her podcast Holy Curiosity, too!
I’ll be heading to Vancouver in May to teach a summer course for Regent College and give a public lecture. I have a few other summer events upcoming, but I’ll tell you about those later :)
What else have I been doing? For the first time since 2019, my husband and I are home owners again as I am retiring from my position as Faculty in Residence for the Leadership Living and Learning Community at Baylor and returning to civilian faculty life. Which means I spent last weekend painting my daughter’s bathroom, as well as our new dining room. Honestly, I find painting therapeutic and am looking forward to doing more.
Oh, yeah, I also finished a 71,000 word draft for Becoming the Pastor’s Wife! It is getting so close y’all, including a cover reveal coming soon. Preorders, if you can believe it, will start in July. I promise to share each step first here on my substack, with paid subscribers prioritized (to show my gratitude). But all of you will receive first updates.
Stay healthy! I have three most posts coming the next three weeks. One regarding research in the SBC archives; one a guest post from Brooke LeFevre who has worked closely with me on the Pastor’s Wife project, and a third update for summer events.
Here’s a picture of Zeus the mini dachshund. He is now 6 pounds and in his monster stage.
I actually like that chandelier!
Glad you’re still alive! 😁 Did you say before that your were gonna do a fellowship in Louisville next year?