Back in January I got a job as a lecturer for the Guildhall at Southern Methodist University, teaching video game programming. When they first contacted me in November 2005, I really didn’t see myself doing the job. I had left my career in the games industry back in August, started full-bore into seminary, and begun a “new life” focused on God and ministry. I imagined getting a job in ministry, though I had no idea what sort of ministry I would be doing. So I was not particularly thrilled when the Guildhall contacted me and asked if I would be interested in teaching game programming.

In hindsight, it was positively providential, and I don’t say that lightly. This spring, as I taught my first two terms, I found I absolutely loved teaching. I find it an extremely satisfying line of work even if I’m not “ministering” per se. But of course—and it’s a lesson God has taught me many times in my life— “ministering” is often not what the stereotype would have us think. So it is with a lot of these Christian activities: worship, evangelism, discipleship. The club-certified version is often a lot narrower, less interesting, and less effective than the real deal. But that’s another story…

So now I teach on two days a week, study on another two, and the fifth day is a swing day. This schedule works well for me on many levels. I tend to obsess if allowed to focus on one sort of thing day after day. By switching back and forth between seminary studies and teaching each day, my life and mind are kept varied throughout the semester.

In the summer, the Guildhall courses continue unabated because we’re on the quarterly system. The seminary, though, is on the usual semester scheme. I had a two-week summer course in June, but otherwise the summer has been light. I’ve taken the opportunity to start writing a book! And it’s going pretty well. More on that another time.

The point, I suppose, is that I have little time for blogging and other such niceties. Hence the few posts in the last several months.