Report on School

A course that I am currently engaged in due to my PhD is Latin.  I know what meaning of you must be thinking, Latin!  I take a three hour course every week at a local college, and I spend at least one hour a day preparing and reviewing. 

Believe it or not, it has so far been rather enjoyable.  It helps that I took twenty hours of Greek and know English.  Latin helps and is helped by both.  It has aided my reading of Augustine, which I am heavily involved in a seminar paper.  And I have enjoyed reading portions of the Vulgate, although that is not classic Latin. 

I think I am one of if not the oldest student in a room of about twenty students.  My instructor is very helpful.  Please pray for my understanding of this language, and especially that I maintain my witness for Christ.  Being on a college campus with about 25,000 students is a powerful reminder of the need for scholarly but compassionate evangelism.

Portrait of Christ

The following is a poem from the Portrait of Christ by F.W. Pitt.  His words were put to music by one of my all time favorite musicians Phil Keaggy about 30 years ago.

Maker of the Universe
As Man, for man was made a curse.

The claims of Law which He had made,
Unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow;

The nails that pierced His hand were mined,
In secret places He designed.

He made the forest from whence there sprung
The tree on which His body hung;

He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o'er His head,
By Him above the earth was spread.

The sun that hid from Him its face,
By His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
Was tempered in the fires of God.

The grave in which His form was laid
Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
Was His from everlasting years;

But a new glory crowns His brow,
And every knee to Him shall bow:

The Maker of the universe

Sinclair Ferguson

Over at Reepicheep, my friend Tony Felich as usual writes impeccably on the subject of secondary issues often causing strife and division in conservative, Bible believing churches.  I have found that Sinclair Ferguson is spot on right.  It is a great and appropriate read.  May God spare us from heresy, but may he also protect us from making non-essentials the litmus test for unity.

Schnable's Missionary List

The following I found to be extremely helpful list on Biblical terms used for missionary activity.  It came from Eckhard Schnabel’s Early Christian Mission Volume 1.  This two volume set is an incredible reference tool on Biblical missions and covers about every subject under the sun in the Bible. 

Hope you are helped by it. 

Terms for Missionary Activity

(1)               Subjects of Missionary work:

            apostle

            worker, laborer

            evangelist

            herald, proclaimer           

            companion, partner

            witness

            fellow worker

            fisher

            helper, assistant

(2)               Addressees of missionary work:

            the uncircumcised

            alien, foreigner

            sinners

            people

            non-Hellene

            nation, people

            nations, Gentile’ polytheists

            Greeks

            Israel

            Jews

            people

            the circumcised

(3)               Place of missionary work:

            countryside, farm

            earth

            province

            region, district

            colony

            world, humanity

            village, small town

            region, district

            inhabited earth, humanity

            region, district

            homeland, hometown

            neighborhood

            city, town

            district, region, place

(4)               Sending and position of the missionaries:

            send away/out

            office of an apostle

            apostle, envoy

            service

            call, calling

            witness

(5)               Proclamation by word:

            persuade, induce

            speak out, declare

            make known, reveal

            bear witness to

            teach

            relate, describe

            announce good news

            make known in public

            inform, instruct

            announce, proclaim

            talk, speak

            say, tell

            make disciples, teach

            acknowledge, profess

            hand down, pass on, teach

            appeal to, exhort, implore

            convince, persuade

            plant         

(6)               Content of the proclamation:

            truth

            teaching

            good news

            reconciliation

            proclamation

            confession

            tradition

            word, statement

            word

            testimony, proof

            testimony, witness

            the way, teaching

(7)               Goal of the proclamation:

            hearing

            follow, obey

            hear, listen

            wash, purify, baptize

            baptism

            confirm, establish

            take, receive

            entrance, acceptance

            assembly, church

            implanted

            reap, harvest

            harvest

            reconcile

            gain

            make disciples

            feel remorse, conversion

            belief, be

            convinced of

            faith, trust, confidence

            gather, bring together

            save, keep from harm

            rescue

            salvation, deliverance

            plant

(8)               Proclamation by deed:

            way of life, behavior

            drive out demons

            work, be effective

            work, accomplish

            heal, restore

            reap, harvest

            harvest

            heal, cure

            work hard, toil

            build

(9)               Execution of the missionary task:

            go out, go, depart

            go through, penetrate

            go out

            lead in triumph

            seed

(10)           Interpretation of missionary work:

            fisher of people

            implanted

            reap, harvest

            lead in triumph

            sheep

            gather, bring together

            build

            sow seed

            seed

            plant

(11)           The effort of missionary work:

            rest from toil

            run, press on

            course of life, mission

            work

            work hard, toil

            work, labor

(12)           Misunderstandings:

            disturb, upset

            letters of recommendation

            peddle, huckster

            cajole, mislead

Nuts and Bolts

If you live in the Kansas City area, you are intrigued by the fact that IHOP is suing IHOP.  Actually it is the International House of Pancakes is suing the International House of Prayer because the company claims the religious organization has copied its acronoymn without permission.  You can read more here:

Here is another story of religion in the Midwest.

On a lighter note, a friend of mine sent me some humorous yet real answers to test questions.  Keep in mind these are college students that may be your future surgeon.

Despair

If you don’t have any appreciation for clever sarcasm, just keep on surfing.  If you do, then these motivational sayings are for you.  Many years ago, a friend of mine sent me about twenty of these and I find them hilarious.  Here is one of my favorite.  It is called “Despair”. 

Luther on the Gospel

“Thus the sum and substance of all doctrine is this, that we are not justified by any works, but that faith in Christ saves.  This text (John 6:32)  is a veritable thunderclap that impels you to exclaim: what can my life and my good works help me?  Moses does not aid me.  Moses is only a schoolmaster in this field; he instructs me about an external mode of divine service and the strictest outward decency.  The works of Moses do not give life and salvation.  Here we are informed of another and better bread, called God’s bread, which comes from heaven and is not baked on earth.  It is granted by the Holy Spirit.  It confers everlasting life, a life not merited and earned, a gift from heaven. 

Thus you see two kinds of bread here.  The one is not earned, not acquired through a self-chosen, self-devised mode of life, but is an outright gift of bread, food and life.  The other is the bread that man wants to merit through good works and the observance of Moses’ Law.  But whoever refuses to accept life by grace and without merit will never obtain it.  The Father gives it; therefore it is not merited.  It is mine by sheer mercy and grace.  Thus my merit is toppled over and knocked down to the ground.”  (Martin Luther, Sermons on the Gospel of John, Chapters 6-8 (translated by M.H. Bertram), Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1959, p. 36). 

Eschatology

As we continue our Sunday study through Matthew 24, the subject of the coming of the Lord and “the end” takes a dominant theme.  I appreciative of Stephen Wellum’s editorial in the Spring edition of the “Southern Baptist Journal of Theology”.  It is a fair and balanced treatment of how we should approach eschatology.  The central focus is Christ, and when Christ gets lost in our timing and sequencing, then our theology is corrupt no matter how orthodox.  You can read the entire editorial here.

Fiftieth Anniversary

Our fellowship celebrated its fiftieth anniversary as a local body.  It was a wonderful weekend of thanksgiving for the past, gratitude for the present and hopeful expectations for the future. 

It was good to meet people from the past.  The city of Lenexa even honored our church by a declaration of Calvary Baptist Church day.  We have had a wonderful testimony to the community fulfilling the promise of Jesus from Matthew 5:16ff.  It is an honor and joy to pastor this fellowship.  I told them yesterday one of my goals is to be at the 100^th anniversary if the Lord wills.  I pray that we would continue to be faithful until Jesus comes.

To The Garden We Go...

In my last garden post, I lamented on the poor production of my garden.  Alas, the tide has turned (on some things).  I am now picking okra everyday, and pole beans every other day.  I continue to pick my orange cherry tomatoes, but they are slowing down.  Here is a picture of Emma picking the beans among the okra.  Once again, the entire pole beans took over our small windmill, and both beans and okra are growing in a raised bed.

Also, here is part of the backside of the play tower that I built earlier this spring.  I put a pirate rope ladder on the back end to secure the platform, and give the kids another fun challenge.

Report on School

A seminar that I took back in August was known as a “Graduate Research Seminar”.  Basically it was required for all incoming PhD students (mainly).  There were about fifty of us from all over the world.  We spent three days of learning everything from the requirements and standards of PhD work, to Turabian style formatting for papers, and how to do research using librarians and library sources.  In preparation for the seminar we were required to do three book reviews with two more on the way. 

The seminar overall was helpful.  I was particularly assisted with the research librarian format.  It is truly remarkable what is available in today’s world.  I bet right now in my study, I have acquired over one hundred sources on one seminar paper I will be delivering this fall.  It truly is amazing what is available online both good and bad. 

What I am Reading

I realize for many it doesn’t seem interesting, but if you are engaged in any form of information acquiring (and we all are at some point) “The Oxford Guide to Library Research” by Thomas Mann is for you.

In particular, if you are a pastor or Bible teacher, you will find this helpful in streamlining your tools to be more effective with time.  It will also instruct you where to go to find it, and how to select good and reliable resources with those that are neither substantial nor scholarly. 

This book was required reading for one of my PhD seminars (of which I will post later).  It is one of these books that if you are a researcher of any magnitude you will find that you will utilize this book again and again.

Israel's Mission in the Old Testament

One of the courses I am taking as part of my PhD work is a History and Theology of Missions.  It has been edifying thus far.  Part of the course work is to post comments about our reading from an amazing two volume book on missions by Dr. Schnabel from Trinity.  He defines “mission” and “missions” as necessarily including the notion of a community of faith that “actively works to win other people” to its views. We post in the forum for dialogue with other colleagues.  The discussion centered on the “mission” activity of Israel in the Old Testament.  Do we find Israel being proactive in the cause of missions in the same vein that we see in the New Testament?  Here was my brief response based upon the book we were reading at the time:

“While there are some incidences in which Jews were proactive in advancing the kingdom of God to others, there were limitations in this mission (see Matthew 10:5-15).  It appears that in Old Testament Judaism we have more of a “come and see” mission rather than a “go and tell” mission.  It is clear that many of God’s people understood the unique blessing God had given Israel as His covenant people, and that they used that blessing to attract and stand out from other nations (see Exodus 19:4-6; 1 Kings 11:23-25; Psalm 67:2; Isaiah 49:6 among others).

Interestingly, Schnabel’s definition could apply to a proactive engagement within Israel when they became like pagan nations.  When Israel rebelled against God’s desires for them, God sent messengers to proclaim a message of repentance in the hope of winning His people back to them.  So from Moses to the prophets to Jesus there is a concentrated effort of mission to “win” Israel while they remained hostile toward God (1 Kings 19:10; 2 Chronicles 24:20-22; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 2:30; Matthew 5:12; 11:21-24; 21:35ff; 22:6ff; 23:29-36: Acts 7:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 11:37-38).  This of course was one of the central themes of Peter’s gospel message at Pentecost (Acts 2-3), and is certainly a part of Jesus preaching (Matthew 23:37-24:2).”   

Any takers bloggers and lurkers?

Mark Twain on the Gospel

“Upon arrival in heaven do not speak to St. Peter until spoken to.  It is not your place to begin.  You can ask him for his autograph.  There is no harm in that.  But be careful do not remark that it is one of the penalties of his greatness.  He has heard that before.  Do not try to Kodak him.  Hell is full of people who have tried.  When you get there, be sure to leave your dog outside.  Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”

Nuts and Bolts

My seminary vice president Russell Moore gives some sound insight on Glenn Beck on the new revivalism.

I think I am living in Bizzaro world.  Franklin Graham gets criticized for making accurate remarks about Islam.  The world is having a fit over a pastor thinking about burning the Koran.  A school exam praises Islam while misrepresenting Christianity (see article)  and all the while a mosque is being built close to the site of Ground Zero.

On a lighthearted note, this video is an ode to pastor’s wives.  As consistent pulpiteers, we have all been guilty of using our wives as illustrations without their permission.  Now they get even.

Mr. Bean and the Library

The last several weeks I have visited more libraries both physically and online than I have in the last decade.  I think I am beginning to have nightmares about the Dewey decimal system.  At any rate, here is a hilarious clip from English comedy.

To the Garden we Go...

Okay.  I have had a lousy garden this year; pure and simple.  Overall in terms of harvest, this has been the worst gardening experience of my life.
I planted eight tomato plants, two cherry and the rest regular size.  I may have picked six tomatoes from them all.  Squirrels got to some of them, but in talking to others, very few people have had a good tomato year.  Oddly enough though, I had one volunteer tomato plant come up from a strawberry that I planted.  It is a yellow cherry tomato plant pictured above.  We are now picking some every day.
In other pathetic garden news, I picked two cucumbers from two plants before they shriveled up and died.  I do have two ‘Black Diamond’ watermelons on the vine that are a good size and should be ready to pick any day.  I had the best looking pole beans (Kentucky Wonder) I have ever grown, but not one bean on them.  Of the dozen or so okra plants, I have harvested two okra (compared with two years ago, when we were harvesting about twenty ever day).  I harvest one gourd before the vines died.
My peppers are the one faithful vegetable, as I have six varieties, mainly for winter soups that I harvest about every three days.  I have harvested two baggies full.  I guess this year teaches the truth that we can plant, and we can water, but God makes it grow, or in my case, doesn’t.

Report on School

Most of you know that I am currently a PhD student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  Southern is the oldest and largest of our six Southern Baptist seminaries.  It is terrific place to receive a solid theological education.  I am part of Southern’s pioneer PhD program known as the modular format.  In a nutshell, being in this program allows me to remain in KC living and being a pastor while doing most of my research.  I physically go to Louisville a couple of times a year for a few weeks.
I wanted to use this blog to serve as a sort of update on my research thus far.
One course that I had to take this past summer was a Cooperative Program course.  If you grew up Southern Baptist, you probably know much about this wonderful and voluminous ministry.  The Cooperative Program is a collective effort (around 40,000 churches) that uses a portion of their tithes and offerings to support over 6,000 missionaries across the world.
Basically, the course dealt with issues involving the local church, some data on Baptist history, but a particular focus on Southern Baptist polity.  The course was a good refresher of the tradition I grew up in.  The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the world.  That is not always a good thing, but in the cause of global missions most other denominations envy this organization that has placed and supported so many on the field.  We are also the only Protestant denomination that has went the path of liberal theology and made a successful return to a biblical orthodoxy.  I am thankful of the Southern Baptist heritage I grew up with.  Though we are not perfect, God has used our convention for the sake of His gospel and His word.

How Did You Spend Your Summer?

So meteorologists mark September 1st as the first weather day of fall, don’t ask me why.  But with September does signal the approach of school days (in my day); although now kids have been in school for three weeks which seems a bit much.  Nevertheless here is a brief synopsis of how I spent my summer.
Our family made five different trips to the ER this summer (my son three times, my daughter once, and myself once).  I actually thought I was having a heart attack, but only palpitations.  Hello blood pressure medicine.
Then we found out we had a carpenter ant infestation in one of our walls.  It turns out the critters were coming from our neighbor’s tree.
After that our basement flooded as hard rains backed up our sump pump pit and I went downstairs to ankle deep water.  My son’s pirate ship was literally floating on the high seas.
Then one of our church members borrowed my truck which is a stick shift.  She parked on an incline at the farm she went to collect a chair she bought.  Failing to engage it in gear, the truck proceeded to coast down the hill at a rapid pace without a pilot and crashed into the owner’s steel barn which crashed onto my truck collapsing some of the roof and tailgate as well as destroying the paint job on the passenger’s side.
All in all these things remind me that this world isn’t our home, and all of our stuff is relative.  Time marches on like an ever rolling stream, and our stuff winds up in the junkyard and we wind up in the graveyard.  So once again the Heavenly Father has reminded that this world is passing away (quite literally) in my case, so we should set our affections on things above.