Interpretation

What goes into the process of interpretation? Today as I got out of the car I almost uttered the words "Thanks for waiting for me!" Fortunately I did not. As some of you might know, those words by themselves do not indicate whether my companions waited for me or not. They could easily indicate that they had already headed for the store and the bargains waiting inside. They could just as easily express my genuine satisfaction at seeing them waiting for me to get out of the car to walk inside together. Interpretation is not merely a series of words, but a series of words within a greater context of words.

What does this have to do with the Bible? Well as I begin to prepare for a message on January 3, 2010 I am convinced that the context is incredibly important. What is the passage? It is the Haustafeln or Household Code found in Ephesians 5.22-6:9. Historically it has been looked at as a unit that is derived from other ancient instructions on how a household should run, specifically in this case a Christian household. So what is the problem?

The problem is that the section seems out of place. It follows a segment that discusses "evil days", "drunkenness", "foolishness", and singing songs of thankfulness. Either "Paul" is able to spin his audience's heads on a dime or there is some connection. But how often is this passage, especially "wives to your own men" interpreted outside of a context, usually modern, that limits its understanding to behavior within a household???

As I have been studying Paul in other writings, I am more impressed with the rhetorical method used than the actual words. It is common to find a general statement (sometimes called a principle) followed by specific statements (referred to as applications). I find it more helpful to think of it in terms of a point and an example or series of examples. If this is the case, then the passage becomes exceedingly clear.

Ephesians 5.21 states "Submit yourselves to each other in the fear of Christ." While the verb "submit" is technically a participle (a verbal noun) and not an imperative (verbal command) it is generally translated as a command. The problem follows because 5.22 quoted above as "wives to your own men" doesn't possess a verb.

What if Paul is using the household code as the example for how to actually submit to one another? It would be simple to explain to the members of society accustomed to submission: wives, children, slaves. But how would one explain this Christian (in the fear of Christ) submission to those accustomed to lording it over others: husband, father, master?

What if Paul's language of love is actually the example of how a husband submits to a wife? What if it is in dying that submission is actually seen? Is it really possible that a Christian husband, father, master could actually demonstrate his life in Christ by imitating Christ? Is Christ's death submission to the will of God? Is our male death submission to the will of God?

Would an appropriate interpretation of this passage within the context of Ephesians matter to the world in which we live today? It gives one room to ponder.

The End of the Minor Prophets

After nearly a semester of discussion, lecture, and writing on the board (not me, the students) we have reached the prophet Malachi. What an amazing book it is!! The marvelous reward today was that the students paid more attention to the small, apparently insignificant themes in Malachi that were large, very significant themes in the other eleven prophets (that's why it is called the "Book of the Twelve"). That is marvelous because it means they have learned that there are themes in the OT that continue to repeat themselves over and again. That is a valuable lesson.

This blog is designed to relate the past, sometimes dusty and dry, to the future, not always that spotless and pristine. The lesson from Malachi is that the present can learn from the past. If Malachi continues to repeat themes that were introduced by Amos and Hosea 400 years previous (at least by my reckoning), then it is highly likely that those same themes may just be relevant now, a mere 24oo years later. Could that be possible?

Is it possible that the universal sovereignty of this god frequently called by the proper noun, GOD, or G_D, or YHWH, or LORD, or some other proper noun is still a reality?

Is it possible that this deity is concerned more about how we live than how we worship?

Is it possible that the divine figure reported to send prophets who prophesy prophecies is actually concerned about the treatment of the poor, the widow, the stranger and foreigner?

Is it possible that the issues that were stumbling blocks for a people living in the region on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and their religious perspective could also be the same stumbling blocks for people living there (and elsewhere, especially in places that don't even border the Mediterranean Sea) in this century that is so "modern"?

Is it possible that the result of biblical illiteracy (that's for my friend Nancy deClaisse-Walford) is not merely ignorance but blindness to the whole idea of the divine?

I love the prophets. They provide so few answers and so many unanswered questions.

Have a Major (and not too minor) week.

It's Getting Scary

What does one do when, while teaching a class on the Minor Prophets, one's pastor starts preaching from HOSEA? Is there an echo in the house??? Having moved away from Hosea some 4 weeks ago and progressed through six prophets and one hundred years of history in class, is it possible that HOSEA has something to speak to the society today?

What are the idols that modern American "people of God" are having affairs with? Is it possible that we use the resources provided to us by God's loving care to "run off to Vegas with a whore?" Wouldn't it be simpler if we simply built temples and had ticket booths, oops, did I really say that, I mean if we had specifically declared offerings that were to be given so that it would be easy to NAME that IDOL. But, since we don't have any idols in the modern world, does Hosea actually have anything to say to us today?

Minor Prophets and Life: Do they matter? pt. 2

Six down and six to go! we have discussed four prophets associated with the 8th century BC and two with the 7th, all the while wondering, "Does context matter?" Do Nahum and Habakkuk have anything new to add to what the 8th century prophets already proclaimed? Where is the focus on harlotry, the chasing after other gods? Where is the doom, the gloom, and the denial of hope for those who for 200 years have avoided the real question, "Why should I care about a deity who delivered my ancestors?"

It is interesting in reading the 7th century prophets to see how the context changes the approach. No longer does the "other kingdom" dominate the discussion, no longer is there an ability to place comparative blame on someone else, no longer can the responsibility of life be easily excused. Now the finger points directly at the one kingdom who has something visible to associate with covenant, a city on a hill with a once magnificent building.

Yet, rather than point the finger and proclaiming doom and gloom, Habakkuk says, in essence, God show us who you really are. Demonstrate your reality in the midst of our trials. Be true to your identity and change how we view the world around us.

Is there anything to learn from the Minor Prophets?

"Harlotry" sounds like idolatry to me

Well, another day in the world of Davis 301 and the Minor Prophets. Today's topic, Micah! After being pummeled by Hosea and his wife Gomer (i.e., STOP!) and the apparent sexual immorality of the whole book (not!, but significant 13 times with Harlot alone), it was a relief to move to Amos, (only once). But here we are again in Micah and the first thing you know we're talking about harlot wages and idols. WHAT do these guys have against the world's oldest profession?? Then I tried to use a very strange word for my class, misogyny. Are these Minor Prophets really against sex for money?

Well, while that is entirely possible, it probably misses the point entirely! What they are definitely against is idolatry in its various forms. What an amazing business the craftsmen must have had in forging, carving, or sculpting these objects of worship!! And how did they market their wares? Did they advertise? Did they have obnoxious salesmen hawking their products in the marketplace? Was is a black market operation? None of these questions really matter at all. What does matter is that if the LORD was against idolatry in 750 B.C.E., then there is a good chance that opinion hasn't changed!

The question is, what idols are being made from harlot wages today?

Minor Prophets and Life: Do they matter?

I really enjoy teaching the class on the Minor Prophets. I REALLY enjoy teaching the class on the Minor Prophets. Do you get it?? The Minor Prophets, so far Hosea, Amos, and Micah, are extremely relevant to the world we live in. If the Church read them and took their message to heart she would either be a) really ticked off or b) ready to repent and take God seriously. Take Micah for example. in 6.6 the prophet says "With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves?" The prophets continually challenge the ancient Judahites and Israelites who thought that proper religious activity was sufficient to please their God. But God is more concerned with how they are treating others.

What would the world be like if the Church took option b?

Perspective

Well I'll admit, the reason for this post originates in a comment my youngest son made yesterday at the football game. While sitting in the near nose-bleed section he turned to me and asked, "Is it all right that I want to turn around and tell that guy to just shut up?" We were blessed to have a professional football commentator behind us informing those in the area of all the ways that the quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, defense, etc. were playing. You've been there too. Sitting too close to someone who is much more knowledgeable than the coach whose reputation is flawless and whose record is incredible.

It makes one ponder how necessary perspective is. Perspective is shaped by expectations. At a football game one can bring expectations, of the coach, the players, the final outcome, and for some, the margin of victory. When our expectations are not met, we lose perspective that it is just a game and has no impact on our world today, tomorrow, or next week.

The good thing is that people don't ever lose perspective on the world that we live in!!! We never have expectations on who God is, how God should act, how God's people should act, or how our lives should be blessed!!! (!!! indicates a high level of sarcasm)

Perhaps our perspective could be changed if we refocused our expectations on who God tells us He is, how God has acted in the past, how God's people should act, or how our lives should be blessed. If we were thankful for the opportunity to learn, to live, and to love and be loved, it may change the words that come forth from our mouths and cause others to respond to the pessimism we often time demonstrate.

How's your "I"-sight

As promised this blog is on 'I'-sight. One of the finest professors I ever had, Dr. William Coble, summed up the Christian life in this fashion, it is the challenge between "ego-centrism" and "Christo-centrism". In the twenty years since I heard those words I have continually been impressed with the truth of that simple expression. Pamphlets like "My Heart His Home" and illustrations like "Christ on Your Throne" discuss the same point.

The main problem with humanity in non-theological language is self-centeredness. The biblical solution to humanity's main problem is self-death. The language of life and death in the New Testament is rarely non-symbolic. Yes people are born and they die, but that is not the New Testament's concern when using this language.

Instead, the New Testament's message is about "dying to self" or "crucified with Christ" or "dead in Christ", none of which refer to the cessation of brain waves and heartbeat. The New Testament is about learning a new way of living, a "self-less" way of living. There are very few things sadder in life than a child who has been doted on by parents and family and "rules the roost" and believes that the world revolves around him or her, unless it is an adult who continues to hold this childish self-centeredness.

At some point in one's life the opportunity arises to commit a selfless act for someone else. The first result of that action is usually an indescribable sense of accomplishment and well-being. Acting for the benefit of another actually enriches us personally. Parents are aware of this, although I suspect that this is one of the secrets of grandparenthood! However, most of us go through our existence here on earth not fully learning or benefiting from this principle. In a basic sense we lead a life-less existence.

So, the question is "How is your 'I'-sight?" Are you myopic with the ability to only see yourself? Are you hyperopic with no ability to focus on the things closest to you? In reality, we are all dysfunctional when it comes to our 'I'-sight. We don't have 20/20 vision and either miss the other or ourself in the picture.

The Bible helps us to see clearly and corrects our vision when it is faulty if we allow it to be our 'I'doctor.

How's YOUR eyesight?

Thanks for asking! Mine is a bit confused. I have had the pleasure of sitting under the eye drop giving hands on nurses, nurse anesthetists, and MD's who shine bright lights in my eye and remove the lens that permits the light to refract and bounce upon my retina. One eye sees very well and the other is not quite as advertised, (yet). So what does this have to say about the Bible?

I'm glad you asked! Having worn glasses since 2nd grade (spring of 1968 for those asking) I would often compare the transformation that God makes in us as "corrective lenses" because that was the only kind of vision illustration I could muster. But I was soooo very wrooong!

My nearsightedness (myopia) permitted me to examine things up close without any correction lenses so that I could read pill bottles, food ingredients, calorie counts and the like even without my glasses--no I never wore contact lenses because I also had severe astigmatism. However, I could not look at my wife across the table (actually a foot away!) and see her clearly without my glasses. I would think about God's changes in my life as "corrective" enabling me to see clearly what I previously could not.

But having the recent cataract removals and lens implants in my eyes has changed my opinion. Now I am farsighted (hyperopic) and my entire life has changed. I can no longer bring a newspaper closer to my face to read the small print on the comic page. I can no longer expect that a drawing near will result in a seeing clear. My eyesight has been turned upside down!

The positive advantage is that I can now look at my wife across the table and see her beauty clearly without glasses. I can work around the house or yard and not have the perspiration of my brow drip down over the corrective lenses and create blurred vision. My perspective on the world is entirely different.

So the Bible works not as a corrective to how we see the world--I'm certain there is a theological term for this kind of thought--but to completely alter our way of seeing in an entirely unimaginable way. I could never have mentally comprehended what it was like to see objects clearly at great distances prior to my surgery. Not only does the Bible alter our way of seeing it also changes our way of acting. I could never imagine that I could not read the comics by putting my face closer to them.

The challenge comes now in changing my actions that help me see. The challenge of the Bible comes in changing my actions that help me believe!

More on "I-sight" next time.

Realizing Limitations

What should one do when one comes to a point where one recognizes one's human limitations? That is a profound question! Since we recognize ourselves as human, mortal, finite beings, there is a point (or many points) when we come to realize our limitations. The question then becomes, "What now?"

I came to a moment this week where I recognized my limitations. As a result of having cataract surgery on my left eye, resulting in limited activities, limited eyesight, and limited clarity, I turned to an old project that had been sitting so far back on the back burner that it was almost icy cold: Podcasting.

I have used Podcasting over the past several years as an opportunity to put some resources on the World Wide Web, although usually with a much more limited audience, that would assist my students in their learning ventures. I also began podcasting a series of 10 minute devotional style talks on Ephesians. I had initially completed podcasts on the first three chapters of Ephesians, which every student of my NT Survey class realizes is the end of the "body" of the letter. So it was now time to discuss the Paranesis, the ethical teaching section. Chapter Four was quite simple to address and the first two sections are easily recognized as 1-16 and 17-24, discussing Church Unity and New Humanity. I was progressing through 4.25-5.2 when I ran out of time at 4.32. With a new podcast arranged in GarageBand I began to look at completing the third section. But, it didn't make sense!

Had I been incorrect when I first outlined the passage 40 months hence? Could I have made a mistake???!!! Well, yes. I came to recognize my own limitations. So, the question is "What now?" How do I approach Ephesians with this new enlightenment? How do I reshape my understanding of Paul's method to assist my own exegesis and interpretation? Is it possible to view his Paranesis section in varying ways?

The answer is "of course." There are nearly as many ways to understand the outline of Ephesians as there are commentators who have written on it. In fact, I am still struggling with conflicting accounts for the famous 5.22-6.9 section. So what do I do when faced with human mortality and finiteness?

I go on! I go on trusting God to grant me wisdom, I go on trusting God to give me insight, I go on trusting God to reveal himself through the Sacred Scriptures. I go on trusting God to provide me with meaningful ways to communicate truth.

Isn't that what our life is about after all? Aren't we to trust God?

The Death of the King

With the recent death of a "famous" singer in California and the worldwide outpouring of grief at his passing, need I say anything about the death of a "famous" teacher, or about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of "unknowns" who changed this world and the people in it for the better? When the final analysis is complete, is a person's "music" the defining factor or is it their "character" and "relationships." Does all the good that a person performs outweigh their negative actions?

How does this relate to the Bible? The recent news simply accentuates the difference in values between those who "love the world and the things in the world" and those "have the love of God in them." When entertainment value is the defining factor, our value system is in need of a new compass.

Learning the Bible, Part 2

After discussing the Pendulum effect, I had a variety of thoughts so I'll stick to the most pertinent. Pendulum's are amazing things. They are attached at a "pivot" and consist of a "bob" and a "rod" that suspends from the pivot and is attached to the "bob." In my reflections on the previous post it became apparent that the analogy used implies that the "pivot" would be God, the "bob" us, making the "rod" something that connects us with God, lets call that faith just for fun.

Then I went to this amazing site (actually, not so amazing but it was an early hit on a Google search) that made this statement: "The pendulum must be suspended from a rigid support. During operation, any elasticity in the support will allow tiny imperceptible swaying motions of the support, which disturbs the clock's period, resulting in error." (Wikipedia: Pendulum, 6.22.2009)

So one moral of the story is: "If you're life is going to be lived as a pendulum, be sure your support is solid!" A second goes like this: "The closer the bob is to the rod the shorter the period of oscillation (the time it takes to travel the distance traveled between the extremes)."

Learning the Bible

Today I had the pleasure of a lengthy discussion with a former student at Friends who is now in graduate school. These discussions are a tremendous joy as I am able to see how the time at Friends is now maturing as they become more than they were and begin to take on an understanding of who they are and how they fit in the world.

Today's discussion focused on the Pendulum effect of learning. So much of our learning is like a pendulum, we take one position and later begin to learn another perspective that is dissimilar. We abandon our previous position and swing to the other side. Thus our world goes like the pendulum of a clock. The difficult part is realizing that when we are at either end of the pendulum swing we are still under the influence of the other position as it pulls us back. Only after time do we learn to balance the tension between the two positions.

The main question is really, what keeps us from falling off the pendulum and crashing down? Is there an authority higher than reason? Do we actually have something that can solve the pendulum swing paradigm?

Since this is the 'biblemanblog" you can already predict the answer. The purpose of the Scriptures is to provide a standard that lets a person have distinct positions and evaluate them against something beyond themselves. The Scriptures provides a centering purpose for our lives, if we will let it. Too often we use the Scriptures to support us on the extremes and keep us from falling.

Here's to solving the Pendulum Paradigm.

Live Long and Prosper

I just returned to my computer after seeing the movie Star Trek with my sons.  You are probably asking what does Star Trek have to do with the Bible!  The answer is "more than you think." But for this blog, there is only one comparison worth noting.

Near the end, Leonard Nimoy (Spock 1) greets Zachary Quinto (Spock 2) by  saying "I am not our father." Despite the temptation to discourse on the Lord's Prayer or Pater Noster or "Our Father" I will refrain.  However in departing, Nimoy avoids the traditional "live long and prosper" and closes with "good luck", seeing how the whole time travel incident has taken him back and he has already "lived long and prospered," making the greeting a bit redundant.  That is worth mentioning.  

The whole journey of faith is one of perspective. When our perspective is skewed, then our life's attitudes, actions, and logical analysis also become skewed.  The Star Trek film indicates that returning to the past with the end results already known leaves any wish for a successful future a bit overspoken.  But if I may be so bold, this is exactly how God intends for us to live. Because we live in a world situation that has been altered by God the rules don't apply to us in a restrictive and depressing manner.  Instead we have the promise of the god who intervened in human existence to bring about a new manner of living, a resurrected manner of living, that should alter our perspective from fear to faith, from despair to hope.

If it is possible in a movie to envision a change of time and realities, is it not possible in a Christian life to envision a change of time and realities?  It is this new perspective, this transformed mind, that the disciple of Jesus is called to embrace.  When we embrace this reality, our reality is altered by none other than the God who created both time and space.

Translation Theorizing

I've been listening to some recordings of lectures by Raymond Brown on the Gospel of John as I drive back and forth to Wichita.  He is speaking to a group in England and raises the issue of translation.  As one of the preeminent scholars on John's Gospel in the 1960's through the 1980's, Brown is quite qualified to discuss biblical translation theory.  However, he doesn't discuss the theories behind translating a text in Greek to produce a text in English or some other language. Rather, he introduces the term to discuss the communication of cultural events and understanding from one culture to another in a contemporary time and place.

This concept intrigues me. I will admit that most of my studies and teachings are focused on contextualizing the Bible, putting the text in its original culture and language to my best ability.  However, the real issue that prevents the Bible from having an impact on the culture of America is our inability to translate it.  Currently the American generations extend from those who experienced Pearl Harbor to one that didn't experience 9/11/01.  Each generation has its own culture.  Those who grew up during the 50's differ from those who grew up during the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's.  The values and beliefs of each generation are different; and when separated by a decade they are remarkable different.

The difficulty of having an impact on a distinct generation rests in our skill in translation.  Only when the Bible teacher can translate the meaning he or she finds in the biblical text into words, figures, examples, and ideas that another generation can understand will the Bible's message be proclaimed effectively.  

My question is, "how much time do I spend working on my translations?"

The Destructive Forces of Life

My town was hit by a "derecho" on Friday morning.  Not being a meteorologist I didn't know what hit us until the next day when I read its description in the newspaper.  All I  knew was that the power went off at 5 a.m. and didn't return quickly.  As the daylight began to shine in the darkness I saw a tree down in my backyard.  As neighbors began to move out word spread that the downtown area was pretty bad.  With chainsaw in tow I left to venture downtown (about 1/2 mile).  The damage was hard to describe.  Entire trees, 70-80 years old, laying on the ground with their root systems in full view, tree tops naked with the inner core shining as white beacons of a terrible fate.  Streets impassable due to electric lines and poles down or leaning skewed to the east.

What did I find that was good?  Cooperation and camaraderie unseen before. Other chainsaws were at work in the piles of trees, cutting away branches from the trunks so they could be lifted off of cars and removed from driveways.  City trucks from 30+ miles away driving through streets, machinery working to remove debris, all these signs that when tragedy strikes, humanity springs into action.  Professionals engaging their specialized skills to move trees from homes, some miraculously unscathed by the trees landing. People helping people.

You ask, how does this relate to the Bible Man blog?  It is the answer to life.  Individuals live such disengaged lives that only severe tragedy can shake them from their isolation.  But the reality is that on a daily basis lives are traumatized by the tragedies they endure. Many live isolated in a life of shelter, free from the effects of tragedy, when only a short distance away people we know and some we hardly know are suffering under the weight of fallen branches, unable to move through life in a normal fashion. How is this the answer to life? Life is most fulfilling when we get out of our small world and engage in life, side by side, with those who are hurting and in need.  Life is fulfilling when we look not to satisfy our needs but the needs of others.

Definition vs. Description

As I attempt to help students learn to read the Bible, one of the confusing elements that I encounter is the tendency for students to look to have definitions that rule out optional understandings rather than descriptions that provide boundaries for understanding. The cultural approach to learning experienced by our nation's young people rules out multiple answers, tests are given with a "correct" answer, their responses are geared toward meeting the teacher's expected answer, and patterns or styles are limited to those anticipated by the teacher. The teacher's response, "that wasn't the answer I was looking for" or the child's response of "Jesus" to the Sunday School question "what is brown, furry, with a long tail and eats nuts?" indicate the attempt to conform manners of thinking.

This enters the theological world when we seek to "define" God so that there are no optional ways of understanding (as if we as finite humans could fully understand an infinite deity!) lead to the rejection of people based on their perspectives and definitions. Descriptions of God as they are given by people often tell us as much about the person as it does about their deity. Yet, when we read the Bible, do we read it as a "definition" or as a "description". Does our prose based society create an inability to read and understand poetry?

This becomes evident in 1 John. The various statements and questions recorded by this anonymous author create chaos for the logical, linear thinker. Statements such as 1:6-7 begin to use synonymous terms to describe what the announcement of the author is.

1. God is light

2. If we walk in darkness we do not "do" the "truth"

3. If we walk in the light

The definitive approach states that light and truth are two distinct words, thus two non equivalent terms. The descriptive approach sees that "do" the "truth" is equivalent to "walk in the light" in terms of opposites to walking in darkness.

The question is "how do we help students learn to think descriptively rather than definitively?"

Exams and Examinations

Today was the final exam in Romans class. As I read through the responses on some of the short answer questions I was forced to pause and examine my own motives for asking the questions.  What is important for students to recall when they study biblical works such as Romans? Is it enough just to "learn the lingo" that is being used or should they learn more?  How much time do I spend in class emphasizing that it is the context in which the lingo gets used that is more important than just words?  How do I help students get beyond the simple and into the serious issues?

The main problem is training.  As individuals, the psychologists discuss the effects of training on humans. While we are not Pavlov's dogs that salivate at the ringing of the bell and we can perhaps distinguish actions more than Sandy who goes wild whenever the trash can is moved since it frequently means getting fed, are we immune to unconscious training? If we get teaching week after week, month after month, year after year that does nothing but try to remove words from their original context and explicate their meaning based on some dictionary definition, how long does it take for us to begin to act differently when given the option of thinking within context?

So exams examine more than the examinee, they also examine the examiner's examination of the examined material!

Perceptions

Teaching Greek on Monday raised some interesting questions.  We were discussing the passage in 1 John 2:12 "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake." (NAS95).  The question was raised about forgiveness because the Greek uses the dative case " to you all" and not the accusative or genitive as might be expected (you all or your).  It raised the question of perspective, "what do we think happens when sin is forgiven?"  Does it simply drop off this plane of existence?  Is it tossed into a deep sea and never seen or experienced by anyone again?

The fun thing about translating Greek into English is that we must read the Bible more slowly, thus we give our brain the opportunity to actually think about the words we are reading!!!  Maybe we should try reading backwards in English, or upside down, or anything that lets the Word of God penetrate our cerebral cortex.

Just thinking about thinking.

Storms, Fear, and Faith

As I sit at my comfortable table and type on this modern contraption of a computerized keyboard, I ponder the last hour's events.  A planned trip to Wichita by my son's school group, the threat of severe storm, and the washing away of the expectant travel opportunity.  Why, when the threat of a storm is present, do we tuck our heads and run for shelter?

Doesn't the most growth come through the most difficult pressures?  Isn't the saying "No Pain, No Gain?" a commonly accepted moral?  Don't the strong persevere through the difficult times? 

The reason, I feel, for our response to storms is that we lose sight of the goal! A plant pushes through the soil to bring forth life, the athlete sets her heart on successful competition, and the difficult persevere because they hold something in front of them.

Romans 5 declares that the end result of suffering is hope, hope that doesn't disappoint. When we are disappointed in life because the storm washes away our hope, we have only our eyesight to blame.

Friends and Missions

We just finished a lovely evening catching up with our friends Russ and Etta Bauck.  Friends at KSU Russ and Etta serve with OCI in the Philippines.  It is a real sign of the friendship that God builds that we can spend 4 hours together catching up and pick up as though no time had passed since our last meeting.  That kind of friendship is not built in a brief moment, but through shared experience and through a divine link with one another.  Pursue God, and he will build those friendships in your life.

Beginning Blog

Hey, Its a great day to start a blog.  This is actually just a test blog so that I can recommend it to my pastor when we start our own church website.  Hopefully you aren't disappointed.