November 2020 Blog Archives

 

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November 2020 Blog Archives 

Monday, November 30

4:45 PM I just returned to Rosewood Farm after doing a 5K at the track in town. Rather than taking our “super” highway (Hwy. 58) home, I preferred moseying along one of our country lanes at a very slow speed, singing John Denver’s Country Roads at the top of my lungs with the sun roof open.

Hey, just needing to blow off some steam after writing for 6 — count ’em, 6! — straight hours today and completing both the introduction and 2 (out of 11) chapters in my book on how to study the New Testament. On the way home, I stopped by Food Lion to buy me some well-deserved KitKats.

My dilemma now is, “Which of these books that came today should I read first?” (Biographies make me so happy.) Need to pray about that. Meanwhile, the donks await their carrots. C-ya!

6:05 AM For any of you out there who think you are “over the hill” simply because you are aging, well, here are the words of someone who might beg to differ.

I remember when she won the first ever women’s marathon in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

She stood barely 5 feet tall. She weighed 100 pounds. She had had major knee surgery two weeks before the trials. She is the best of the best. My favorite quote from the interview?

I’m Joan Benoit Samuelson, and I’m an aging athlete, but I refuse to believe it.

From one aging athlete to another: Thank you. 

Sunday, November 29

7:10 PM Hi folks,

Well, after 7 hours of writing today I should take break, don’t ya think? Problem is, when you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll. Plus, there are deadlines out there you know. Lord, help me to hang on! The good news is that my flesh may be tired but I’m soaring in mind and spirit. Earlier I went outdoors to feed the animals and noticed something I hadn’t seen in a very long time. Must be due to the holiday weekend.

Covid has taken a huge hit on the airline industry. Pilots are now in great surplus for the foreseeable future, and the union is in a very weak position. Currently the only way out for the airlines is to shrink. I used to see contrails like this dozens of times a day. Not anymore. My prayers are with y’all in the airline industry. Hope things get better for you real soon.

Back to my book on Pearl Harbor. The attack is just about to begin. My dad, by the way, witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was born on Oahu in 1918 and lived in Honolulu at the time. He had just been inducted into the Army. What a way to enter the war.

2:24 PM The second best Christmas video you can watch this holiday season.

Andhere’s the first. I mean, the absolute first (fast forward to 16:42). Please watch it with your entire family. You will be blessed.

1:56 PM Because of Covid I am avoiding indoor gatherings for now. But even as I attend the Sunday gatherings virtually, I still very much feel the presence of God. Today I listened to the service while getting in a 5 mile run and felt the Good Shepherd very close beside me. He let me rest in fields of green grass.

He led me to quiet pools of fresh water.

He guided me in the right path as he promised.

I know that his goodness and love will be with me all the days of my life, and his house will be my home as long as I live. Amen and amen!

7:20 AM “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.” Not the hand that’s chastening you but the hand that’s protecting you. “And he will exalt you at the proper time.” Jesus said, “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” “Having cast all your anxiety on him.” All, the whole, every kind of anxiety and care. “Because he cares about you.” Better, “It matters to him about you.” Never think, “It doesn’t matter to God!” It does, beloved!

I hope these verses have done as much for you as they did for me this morning. Because when I finish verses like these, I always feel like John in the book of Revelation: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.” What a promise to know that our Savior cares for us. You matter to him!

Saturday, November 28

5:02 PM Here’s a paragraph from my book I wrote today.

How often should we read the Bible? I’d say at least daily. The New Testament has a great deal to say about the “daily.” We are to take up our cross “daily” and follow Jesus. The early Christians continued “daily” in the temple, and the Lord kept adding “daily” to their number. Jesus taught us to pray for our “daily” bread. Paul said, “I die daily.” And in the Great Commission, the Lord promises to be with us (literally) “all the days,” that is, day after day after day. My beloved, nowhere do we need to hear the word of the Lord more than in the “daily”!

Here’s another one:

Begin your Bible time with prayer. Always bring your study of God’s word under the scrutiny of his all-seeing eye. Many blunders of interpretation would never have been made if we had prayed as much in advance as we pined after the damage was already done. How foolish to think that we can do anything without him! Before you open your Bible, ask God to bless you. Just pray a simple little prayer like, “God, thank you so much for your word. May your Holy Spirit reveal the truth to me today. Not yesterday, not last year, but today.” And he will do it!

I’m trying to get a little writing done every day. Do you realize that the more you put things off to later, the bigger the snowball becomes and it gets harder to start? Let’s be real. Writing takes a lot of persistence. But the joys far outweigh the stresses!

4:16 PM Nice and easy walk today for 3 miles.

Then it was back to my writing pad. Right now I’m going to have some supper and then chillax. How’s your day going? Mine’s been fantastic praise God!

10:10 AM What personal qualities do I need in order to be able to study the New Testament accurately and with profit? This is the question I’m asking in chapter 1 of my book. Up until today, there were three such qualities: conversion to Christ, a Spirit-filled life, and diligence. Today, however, I felt led to add a fourth: a faithful prayer life. When you have come to personal faith in Christ, when you have learned to live in Spirit-filled dependence on God, when you have developed the Spirit-enabled ability called diligence, and when you see the need to bathe your study in constant prayer, then and only then will you be equipped to handle the rigors and experience the joys of New Testament study. Oh the hundreds of stories I could tell you about what God has done because simple, everyday believers like you and me have disciplined themselves to know his word in this way. It would thrill your heart! Therefore, it’s absolutely vital that we continually develop these qualities. The Bible is our textbook for life. Let’s not fail the exam!

Take diligence for example. I believe that every one of us must set aside time daily to study the New Testament in an intentional (rather than a haphazard) way. To do this well requires diligence. Undisciplined Bible reading should not be our habit! This shows lack of diligence. And it’s a terrible habit. How often and where you study the New Testament is up to you and the Lord. You should decide on what to do only after careful prayer. But once you’ve made the decision to be regular in your study of the New Testament, you should adhere to it wholeheartedly.

When we are diligent in our reading of the New Testament, many problems can be avoided. One of them is the problem of carelessness. No one can be careless when reading the New Testament. This is because the very words of Scripture are inspired by God himself. None of them can be replaced or handled sloppily. In many cases, a careless study of the Bible will lead to a misunderstanding of important doctrines. At other times the result may be a superficial understanding of the text. When I was in high school I was asked to give a sermon in my home church in Hawaii. My assigned text was Luke 15:11-32 and the passage to be discussed was the “parable of the lost son.” (Everyone knows that Luke 15 contains three parables: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son.) However, when I saw that verse 3 mentioned “this parable” (singular), I began to look at the chapter a bit differently. Eventually I concluded that the chapter likely has only one overriding parable but one that seems to be told in three different but closely  interrelated stories. So if I were preach the “parable,” I felt I would have to preach on all three stories. Secondly, I began to rethink what each story was about. Traditionally, the church has considered these stories to be about “the lost” — a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son. My own study began to convince me that the focus was not so much on what was lost but rather on the qualities of the shepherd, the housewife, and the father. So I ended up calling them “The Story of the Faithful Shepherd,” “The Story of the Diligent Housewife,” and “The Story of the Loving Father.” I also saw the need to point out in my message that this chapter occurs in the so-called “Central Section” of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus has set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem and, as he travels, does everything he can “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 — the key verse in Luke’s Gospel).

So much more could be said but I have to stop for now. These are just a few initial thoughts on chapter 1 of my little book — and I do mean to keep it short (under 150 pages). My thoughts right now are a bit scatterbrained but hopefully they will come together as I commit them to writing.

Appreciate you coming along on the journey!

8:38 AM So excited to be working on my book about how to study the New Testament this morning! Can you tell? Today I’m thinking a great deal about literary context. When you study any book of the New Testament, you want to see how that book is put together from beginning to end. This helps build your understanding of the book’s structure and flow of thought. You also want to see how every paragraph in the book fits the whole. This is a way you build a systematic study of that book. This is far more preferable than launching into the study of a book piecemeal. Studying a book this way takes longer, but it’s the better way by far, for you are now beginning to see both the forest and the trees. If you would like to see a practical application of this to a New Testament letter, gohere. 

Aren’t you awed, beloved, by God’s amazing gift of the Bible? You should be! You’re hearing directly from him and discovering truth for yourself. Your education or background aren’t the issues. It’s a matter of setting your heart on studying the New Testament and then disciplining yourself to achieve that goal. Don’t forget that observation, interpretation, and application aren’t ends in themselves. The ultimate goal is transformation. Bible study is a life-changing process. Haven’t you found that to be true? I have! The Bible is our handbook for living! 

Back to my notepad 🙂

7:15 AM Reading my Delitzsch Gospels this morning. I’m in Markos. What a treat. Markos is nothing less than the beginning of the good news of Yeshua the Mashiach. Yeshua came onto the scene in the Galil when Yochanan the Immerser was announcing the forgiveness of sins through repentance. One day Yeshua comes down from Netzeret and is immersed by Yochanan in the Yarden. And on and on.

I love how this reads. And reading it in Hebrew is even better. Immersion (tevilah) would, of course, have been well-known to the Jews of that day. They were accustomed to ritual cleansings. Why, then, should the Mashiach be immersed? Ah, the plot thickens! Here’s my point. Throughout the four Gospels, God is giving us a record of real people in real life situations. When you study the cultural background of these writings, you gain a better realization of how they were rooted in the stuff of history. That’s why the study of historical backgrounds is so important. That’s why one of the courses I took when I attended Jerusalem University College in 1986 was called “The History and Geography of Palestine.” That’s why we spent weeks travelling literally from Dan to Beersheva. When you read the Gospels, my friend, pay attention to people and events. Keep track of locations in the narrative. Keep the historical context in mind. This includes the linguistic context as well!

Friday, November 27

6:02 PM Got in a 10-mile run this afternoon.

The joy, folks, is in the journey.

I don’t run to get somewhere. I run because I need to and want to.

Nothing in the world is quite as satisfying as watching the ground beneath my feet.

It doesn’t matter in the least where I’m going. It only matters that I’m moving. Today I wasn’t headed anywhere in particular, and I wasn’t in any hurry to get there either.

The trail is there ahead, inviting me to explore all the wonders it holds. While running, I feel that I am alive. Thank you, Lord.

7:55 AM Good morning, y’all. Did you have your fill of turkey yesterday? I know I did! Today my goal is to get in a run and then write. I seem to be driven these days by one verse and one verse only:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the man or woman who belongs to God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

I hope to write a book that will become a believer’s launching pad for a lifetime of personal Bible study. I am convinced that the Bible tells us everything we really need to know about life. That’s why we need to read it and study it for ourselves. There are many approaches to the study of the New Testament, but most of them seem to have three essential elements. In my book I’m calling them milieu, meaning, and message. We could also call them context, interpretation, and application. Or we could call them author, text, and reader. Or, as I do in my little bookUsing New Testament Greek in Ministry, the “view from above,” “view from within,” and “view from below.” This last step — applying the text to our daily lives — was sorely lacking when I was taught exegesis in seminary. The typical exegetical term paper ended with interpretation, not application. This, I believe, was a fatal mistake. John Stott used to call university students “tadpoles” because you would think that all they had were heads! No! The best way to study the New Testament is through a process called hermeneutics. The goal is (1) to help you observe what the Bible says, and (2) to help you apply its life-changing message to your life. How I wish I was taught this when I came to Christ in 1960. You begin with the Bible, study it firsthand, and then recognize its authority in your daily walk. Simple steps, but not easy ones. But it’s definitely worth it, as I hope my book will amply illustrate. The ultimate goal of personal Bible study is a transformed life that is based on a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s go for it!

Saints, pray for me if you would as I begin writing this book and as I try to finish my book on the kingdom of God (Godworld). I pray that God would help me to write with a grateful heart. Yesterday reminded me how powerful God’s grace is in our lives when we have a thankful spirit. Our God has been so gracious and merciful to me. Now he is looking for me to depend solely on him for the wisdom and strength I need. A book on Bible study is not just a call to study the Bible. It’s a call back to him!

Thanks for visiting,

Dave

Thursday, November 26

6:12 PM Nice evening for a stroll on the farm. The colors were amazing.

Then my daughter dropped off dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. 

2:58 PM Easy 7-mile walk on another beautiful day here in Southside.

Running, racing, and walking have given me a crash course in gratitude, patience, perseverance, and the reward of knowing you’ve pushed through the walls and come out victorious on the other side. I’m no talented athlete. But I am stubborn. Grateful today that God makes us in all sizes, shapes, and temperaments!

Forced physical strength doesn’t get you to the finish line. Healthy conditioning does. I have learned to do my runs and walks at very slow speeds.

Now I get a more profound, deeper sense of joy and satisfaction from my daily training outings than I ever did beating up my body in order to get a specific time on my Garmin watch. And did I mention — I’m smiling the whole time?

11:02 AM Today I finalized the table of contents for my book on studying the New Testament. For what it’s worth,here goes ….

8:15 AM Was in Colossians for my morning reading. Amazed at how often Paul refers to the giving of thanks. See 1:3, 1:12, 2:7, 3:15, 3:16, 3:17, and 4:2. Paul gives thanks:

  • For sisters and brothers in Christ who are demonstrating faith in Christ and living for him.

  • For all that God has done in saving lost sinners.

  • For the ability to continue to grow in Christ and make progress in holiness.

  • For all that Christ has done to make us one in him.

  • For the opportunity to fellowship with other Christians.

  • For the privilege of living for the glory of God.

  • For answered prayer.

Nowhere else in Paul’s letters do we see such an emphasis on thanksgiving. A sevenfold thanksgiving in a letter whose theme is the supremacy and sufficiency of the Savior! All of us who know Jesus have the same reasons to overflow with thanksgiving as did the Colossians.

7:32 AM We were in Basel, living the dream. We spoke German, attended the German-speaking church, our friends were all Swiss. We enjoyed getting to know the country and its people. In fact, we loved living in Basel. Except for one thing: we were still Americans. As in, “Turkey is a must on Thanksgiving, even if you are living in Europe.” Thanksgiving Day 1980 came around. There was no way Becky was going to be able to cook a turkey. Turkeys were completely unknown in Basel. But when I came home from school that Thursday, there on the dining room table was a moist, perfectly cooked turkey. No stuffing. No candied yams. No pumpkin pie. But who cared? We had our turkey. I looked at Bec and asked, “Where in the world …?” Without saying a word, she just smiled at me, and I carved the bird.

#ThanksgivingMemories.

Wednesday, November 25

4:05 PM Last day of mowing for the year. #Grateful.

11:50 AM Today’s 5K run. #Grateful.

8:35 AM Hey everybody. These past few days have been amazing. I’ve spent hours answering emails and even taking phone calls from some of you who wanted to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving. Yesterday I got a call from a guy I went to Biola with back in the day. He too lost his wife to cancer so we had a lot to talk about. We just basked in the goodness of God. Seems my deepest hurts have come from relationships and so has my deepest healing. One thing’s for sure: Jesus is as good as we ever hoped for. If you’re alone this holiday season, I hope the Bible is a balm to your soul this day. I am desperate to see his true face, which is found only in his word. My friend, continue to walk the path of faith even though you do not have it all worked out. None of us do.

Last night I jotted down a couple more takeaways from Ray Stedman’s biography. May I share them with you?

1) Stedman had a very simple preaching style. J. I. Packer once said Stedman would “chat it over with his congregation.” Listen to any of his sermons and you will see that his voice was soft, his cadence natural. He was a “low key” speaker. Preacher friend, no need to affect a
“preaching voice” when you get up to speak. Just be yourself.

2) Stedman rarely stood behind the pulpit. He had an uncanny ability to relate to his audience.

3) Charles Swindoll once said of Stedman, “Ray never pulled rank, never polished his own trophies.” Stedman’s naturalness when speaking was matched by his humility.

4) Stedman was tempted by pride, as are most successful public speakers. In his own words, “As a pastor I must confess that I had to stop the practice of going to the door after a service and greeting people as they went out. I found that when I did it regularly, it fed my ego in such a way that I had a terrible battle with pride…. It is very easy for a pastor or teacher to perform his ministry for hidden reasons of personal prestige or glory.” Amen to that!

I also wanted to say another word about the work in India I referred to yesterday. Let’s remember that all Christian giving has symbolic significance. Just read 2 Corinthians 8-9. Paul looks beyond mere financial assistance to what that assistance will represent. The significance was more than geographical (from Greece to Judea, or from America to India) or economical (from the rich to the poor, or from the First World to the Third World). It was theological (from sisters and brothers in Christ to other sisters and brothers in Christ). In short, Paul is placing the wealth of some against the poverty of others and calling for an adjustment, that is, an easing of needs through the affluence of others. The goal is what he calls isotēs — equality or justice. There needs to be a measure of equalization in our economic lives. And giving to causes outside the wealthy West contributes to this equality.

This means I am deeply praying about reprioritizing my giving in the future. Maybe also my standard of living in light of the needs abroad. No missionary work in India should be disadvantaged. It is a question of isotēs — justice. My friends, I pray that our hearts would be broken. I pray for courage and humility and wisdom. I pray for the leading of God’s Spirit in the North American church that we might walk in the company and conviction of his presence. I hope the church in the West will continue to move forward toward missional empowerment and embrace the needs of the Majority World as our own.

Will you pray with me for this to happen?

Tuesday, November 24

5:02 PM Every year around this time I pull off my shelf a massive volume called At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor.

The anniversary of this “date which will live in infamy” is coming up soon. In a story laden with ironies, perhaps one of the greatest is the fact that, a mere 20 days after Admiral Yamamoto put his plan to attack Pearl Harbor on paper, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo had been tipped off about the raid. Sometime in January, 1941, a rumor reached the Peruvian ambassador to Japan indicating that “the Japanese military forces planned, in the event of trouble with the United States, to attempt a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor using all of their military facilities.” What steps did the U.S. Embassy take to trace the rumor to its sources? None. This would be the first but not the last of a series of warnings America had that its “impregnable bastion” on Oahu was going to be attacked by Japan. Yet we were caught napping  — perhaps a reminder to us all that in life we should always expect the unexpected. Pearl Harbor was the result of meticulous planning on the one hand, and a vast store of intelligence badly handled on the other. Who could have seen it coming? Many in fact had, and had reported their findings, but to no avail. History often turns on such decisions, and who can know what lies ahead for us in 2021? I pray for you today, my friend. Oh, may your hands find the work you were created to do, regardless of the circumstances surrounding you. I pray that no matter what surprises overtake you, you would find God present in all the days of your life, and in all the places. I pray for the kingdom to come, for righteousness to tower, for swords to be beaten into plowshares, for the joy that will come in the morning.

Be blest tonight, my friend.

11:58 AM Today was cold and dreary as I completed a 5 mile run at the trail in South Boston. It’s the way I relieve the stress in my life.

And we all have stresses. In fact, I dare say you and I will never live through a more difficult two-year period than 2020 and 2021. I call it the stress pandemic. For many of us, the stresses are economic. For others it concerns our health. For widowers like me, the isolation and loneliness can sometimes feel overwhelming. But it’s not only important to do things to relieve stress. It’s important to do things in the right way. Here’s an example from my own life. The most important numbers I could share with you today about my run have nothing to do with distance, pace, or steps per minute. They have everything to do with heart rate.

You see, running can actually cause stress, not reduce it. Running is bad for you when you do it too often, or too fast, or at a constant high heart rate. I should know. This is how I used to train until I got injured. Since then, as you know, I’ve been using the low heart rate method of running. This is also called the 80- method or the MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) method. It used to be called the LSD method (Long Slow Distance). The idea is to do most of your runs at a low heart rate. Then, when you need to (i.e., on race day), you can run in a higher heart rate zone. This is important because the goal of exercise is not merely fitness. It’s health. In fact, a person can be fit and not be healthy. That’s a proven fact. The moral of the story is to be wise in how you go about reducing your stress. Don’t fall prey to big numbers or fast times. When you stress your body like that, it can really mess with you and zap all your energy stores. This in turn can lead to all kinds of emotional and physical problems like headaches, high blood pressure, and GI issues. Everyone is different and the key is finding what works for you. One thing I have realized is that I definitely need to get outdoors on a regular basis. I need to enjoy the beauty of nature. I need to move my body. I need to be active. I hate it when I just sit around all day. I think low heart rate training has brought about the greatest shift to my body and to staying healthy. And moving from road races to mountain trail runs has only increased the joy I experience through running. Maybe none of these things are true for you. This mixture of things has worked for me. Take away from it what works (or doesn’t work) for you. Let’s just not forget that stress takes a heavy toll on our bodies and can result in a myriad of unwanted symptoms. Please take care of yourself out there. One day the pandemic will be a thing of the past and we can all go back to our (quasi) normal lives!

8:18 AM I was thrilled to get an email this morning from the Peniel Gospel Team in northeast India. Its director, my good friend Mammen Joseph, writes that because of the pandemic, more people than ever are at home, thus making gospel track and food distribution that much easier.

The PGT is currently supporting 375 national missionaries with financial and material support. As you know, I am a huge fan of the national missionary movement. I’ve written about that in my essayA New Day in Missions. The needs in India are great but so are the opportunities! Please consider supporting a missionary family today. What better way to celebrate the holidays? If you would like to read more about the work of the Peniel Gospel Team, here is theirwebsite. I just cannot recommend their work enough.

7:25 AM So what shall I blog about this morning? Let’s see … how about one of my favorite topics, the church? How would you answer this question: “What is a healthy church?” I would say the answer is (in part at least), “A healthy church is a biblical church.” Wouldn’t you agree? One of the chief characteristics of the early church was that it was a learning church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). So I do not hesitate to say that a healthy church is one that is eager to learn all the truth it can and then submit itself to the apostles’ teaching, which today is the word of God. As John Stott so often said, a healthy church is one in which the Spirit of God leads the people of God to honor the word of God. I love that!

One of the men in my life who sought to do this was Ray Stedman. Many of you have never heard his name. His 1975 book called Body Life changed my thinking about the so-called “ministry” just when I was starting seminary at Talbot.

As a pastor himself, Stedman was one of the first of my generation to say to his fellow pastors, “You cannot do it all — and should quit trying.” In a healthy church, the staff is not expected to do all the heavy lifting. They are not expected to take full spiritual responsibility for people. They realize that the healthier a church becomes, the less reliant the people are on programming and pastors. In a word, pastors “equip.”

And that’s the basic message of this biography of Ray Stedman.

I got it in yesterday’s mail and have already devoured every page of it. When I heard Ray Stedman speak in chapel at Biola (which he often did in those days), I knew he was speaking emancipating truth. What’s more, he gave biblical instruction a chance to actually work in his local church in Palo Alto. Here are a few of his ideas as highlighted in this biography:

  • The work of the ministry should be done by the people in the pews.

  • The role of pastors is to equip the saints to use their spiritual gifts.

  • Anything that promotes a hierarchical separation in the church is to be avoided.

  • The church is to be led by servant-elders who are responsible to Christ, the Living Head of the body.

  • Christ is the only head of the church. It is he who has distributed gifts and ministries among the whole people so that each one has a special gift to be exercised in the ministry of the church.

  • The word of God is a sufficient means for the Spirit of God to use in leading a person in understanding these truths.

  • Pastors are never to take the title “senior pastor” and are to refuse to operate on such a basis.

As I said, Ray Stedman fleshed out these ideas in his book Body Life. I believe this book still speaks a much-needed message to the church today. Billy Graham valued its message so much that he wrote the foreword. The plain truth is that all Christians are “in the ministry.” When, then, needs to be done? “Pastors particularly,” writes Stedman, “must restore to the people the ministry that was taken from them with the best of intentions.”

Throughout the Christian centuries, no principle of church life has proved more revolutionary — and more bitterly fought! — than the declaration of Ephesians 4 that the ultimate work of the church in the world is to be done by the saints — plain, ordinary Christians — and not by a professional clergy or a few selected laypeople.

This, Stedman said, is the cure for Sunday spectatoritis. By the grace of God, we have all been chosen, appointed, and anointed. We are a special people, a holy nation, priests to our God. We are all clergy — priestly ministers. Yes, this is true of my M.Div. students who ended up in the pastorate, but it is just as true of that M.Div. student of mine who ended up opening a bike shop in Wake Forest or my M.Div. student who opened a Chick-Fil-A in Wilkesboro. The call of God comes to every believer who has ears to hear. And according to Ephesians 4, it is Christ himself who is in the business of equipping as the head of the body. Nowhere in this chapter (or elsewhere) is it suggested that Christ has delegated his headship to certain church leaders who are responsible for the ministry and the life of others. The church, writes Stedman, is not a democracy but a theocracy. It is, in fact, a monarchy, and Christ’s Kingship is not mediated through various levels of church government but comes directly to all his subjects. The only question is: Will we submit to him?

Ray Stedman’s goal was clear: the abolition, not of the clergy, but of the laity. All the people of God — the so-called clergy and the so-called laity — must see themselves as ministers of Jesus Christ. Anticlericalism? Hardly. The liberation of all the people of God? Absolutely. My advice is simple: read and heed authors such as Stedman (and John Stott and Michael Green and F. F. Bruce) and then ask God to bring about a revolution in our day that will finally mobilize the whole people of God to do “the work of the ministry.”

We can do this, church. We have the word of God. We have the Spirit of God. We can do this!

Monday, November 23

12:58 PM Cold day at the track.

9:10 AM Getting out the door, that’s what it’s all about folks. In this crazy year of life that we are all experiencing, all we gotta do is keep moving, keep moving forward. And all I want to do is help people stay motivated to crush their goals in life. No, it won’t happen overnight. Everything on this earth takes time if you want to do it well. Patience is the name of the game. You all know that. And so we’ve got to keep pushing forward, hoeing the row that God has placed before us. For the next four weeks I’m going to be chasing down my writing goals. I have several projects I need to complete over the next several months. These include two major book reviews, finalizing the list of changes I might want to make to my beginning grammar, writing an article for our school’s journal, and co-authoring a book on studying the New Testament. All this takes time, but our resident Teacher (the Holy Spirit) is ready to come alongside and help us. As for racing goals, I haven’t forgotten to scour the internet for upcoming events. In fact, today I was able to register for this event in two weeks, which looks like an incredible race that takes you right through the battlefield and even onto the Sunken Road.

The event is Covid-restricted, meaning staggered corral starts, social distancing, no post-race awards, and masks required. Today I hope to get outdoors again. Time to relax, think, and ponder the goodness of the Lord. I love training! Learning so much about myself in the process. We HAVE to look at these small things in life. They are pure gifts of God. This whole crazy year of 2020 has given me a bit more time to stop and remember what really matters, and for that I am thankful. Truly it is the little things that count!  

7:58 AM My all-time favorite Christmas hymn.

Does it get any better than this? Sublime, just sublime. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

7:22 AM “Study it carefully, think on it prayerfully. Deep in your heart, let its oracles dwell. Study its mystery, slight not its history, no man ere knew it or loved it too well.” I love Scripture, don’t you? I love reading it, studying it, struggling to understand and apply it. I’m captivated by its brilliance, its cohesion from first page to last. No poet can match it, no novelist can surpass it.

Last week I was asked, “What is your favorite English translation of the Bible?” The answer came easily. How many of you knew that the answer would be the Good News Translation (GNT) — aka Good News for Modern Man or Today’s English Version? This was the version that had just come out when I first fell in love with the Bible (and its great Author) when I was 16. By God’s life-saving grace, I’ve been reading the GNT for 52 years. I’m still reading it. When you read God’s word, notice the details he wants us to see and believe and consequently do or to live. Here’s just one example. Not long ago I did a deep dive into one of Paul’s lists of sufferings. Here are the verses in Greek (2 Cor. 6:4-10).

The Greek reveals clear patterns between the lines. You will notice that Paul starts off with three lists of three items. Then he shifts to two lists of four items. Now read through the Good News Translation and note how the translators reproduced this pattern perfectly.

Here are the triplets:

  • Troubles, hardships, difficulties

  • Beaten, jailed, mobbed

  • Overworked, gone without sleep or food

And here are the quadruplets:

  • Purity, knowledge, patience, kindness

  • The Holy Spirit, love, truth, the power of God

Now take a look at The Message. Eugene Peterson nails it. Here are just the triads:

Structuring (which is what this is called) can help you understand the flow of thought in a passage. It can also help with Bible memory. It’s an ideal first step in the overview process as you read, reread, and then soak in the text. The Bible is your textbook for life. Don’t fail your final exam! To live the way God says to live involves hardships and suffering. That’s Paul’s point here. He is proving to be a man who is “adequate, equipped for every good work.” He was also a “good writer.” Good writing involves the arrangement of thoughts in such a way as to clearly convey the author’s intended meaning to the reader. Think of the emails you write. You do the very same thing! Isn’t it absolutely awesome the way God weaves the threads of truth throughout the Bible? So often when I study a passage of Scripture I have to pause and thank God for the beauty of his word and the wonderful privilege of studying it. Remember, the structure of a passage is as inspired as the words. Keep this truth before you as you study the Scriptures. It is foundational.

Well, my friend, this is only one of many reasons I enjoy reading the Good News Translation of the Bible. By the way, I’m so proud of you for making the effort every day to see truth for yourself. You will never regret it. God has a way of opening a new world to us when we approach his word with care and diligence, and you are bound to be grateful to him!

P.S. Here is myPower Point of 2 Cor. 6:4-10 should you care to be royally bored.

Sunday, November 22

4:35 PM This will be the first holiday season in many years that I won’t be meeting with family due to Covid, though one of my daughters will be dropping off a turkey dinner for me. This book has been an incredible encouragement to me.

A few quotes:

  • Turn your loneliness into solitude and your solitude into prayer.

  • Loneliness is a wilderness, but through receiving it as a gift, accepting it from the hand of God and offering it back to him with thanksgiving, it may become a pathway to holiness, to glory and to God himself.

  • God has promised to supply our needs. What we don’t have now we don’t need now.

Elisabeth Elliot lost two of her husbands to death so she speaks about loneliness from deep personal experience.

Christianity detests isolation. Our faith is built on relationships. But isolation need not be loneliness. I know that’s not a profound thought. But it’s something to remember if you are celebrating Thanksgiving by yourself this year. 

1:12 PM Many of you might not know that I do not have a Ph.D. degree. That is, I do not possess a Doctor of Philosophy degree. My doctorate from Basel is called a D.Theol. — a Doctor of Theology degree. I kinda like that. You see, we’re all theologians. Theology is simply the study of God. It is acknowledging the Giver rather than simply his gifts. It is extolling his attributes and giving him glory. I can’t think of a better way to do this than by giving thanks to God. The greatest delight of my life is just living — writing, speaking, teaching, farming, investing in my family’s life and the lives of others. It’s a delight to be engaged in all the things God has called me to do. The worst thing I could do is fail to acknowledge him as the source of these blessings. Nothing will keep a life younger than being in touch with him on a daily basis. Trusting him. Thanking him. And this includes enduring loss as well as enjoying gain. Getting old is tough, but when you consider the alternative, it’s not that tough! Nothing will keep a life younger than becoming a grateful person.

In 1863, an American president wrote the following words.

The year that is drawing to its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God…. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do thereby invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. 

Verbally, humbly, openly let us give thanks to God today. Learning more truth about God is a poor and cheap substitute for stopping and putting into action the truths about him we have already learned. Why not take a personal sabbatical from so many activities this week and concentrate your full and undivided attention for a day on your “beneficent Father”? Write a letter of thanks to him for the gift of his Son, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of his love. Perhaps that list could be expanded:

Dear God,

I’d just like to thank you for ____________________.

I’d also like to thank you for ____________________.

You’ve given me so many blessings and gifts, for example _________________.

In closing, I’d just like to say ___________________.

Love always, ______.

While you’re doing this, don’t forget to thank him for your troubles. The strongest steel has always gone through the hottest fire. The greatest joy always flows from the greatest sorrow. In the next few years, I will not be growing younger. But I want to be growing holier. And more thankful. The only way to ensure that is to give thanks today.

10:15 AM The donks don’t have a care in the world. They know they will be fed and watered daily. They trust their owner. This is so exactly how the Father wants us to trust him! 

10:02 AM Wonderful time in the word this morning. I just cannot recommend it enough. I pray the refreshment of the Lord over each of you in Jesus today. Shortly I will be attending the fellowship remotely. Before then I’ve got to put some final touches on my spring classes. In case you were wondering, here is my spring schedule:

  • Monday 6:30 pm: Greek 2

  • Tuesday 12:30 pm: Greek 4

  • Tuesday 3:30 pm: LXX

  • Wednesday 12:30 pm: NT 1

  • Thursday 7:30 am: Greek 2

  • Thursday 12:30 pm: NT 2

That’s right — 6 classes. But that’s not all. I just got off the phone with a Bible college in Israel. I have agreed to add another Monday course to my schedule. This will be a Greek 4 class that meets via Zoom at 12:30. When this wretched Covid is over I plan to teach Greek 3 and Greek 4 there in person. Ecstatic to see how God is raising up a group of students in Israel who are committed to going deeper in Greek. Great respect and love for the leaders involved in this ministry. One of them studied with me back in the day. Jesus, be highly exalted in my teaching this spring!

Bless y’all today!

Saturday, November 21

3:48 PM I just got back home after a day and a half of hiking. It was perfect weather for it. Plus, I needed the exercise. I hadn’t worked out since Monday. I am beyond grateful to God for strong legs, a healthy heart, and two strong lungs. Yesterday I hiked to MacAfee Knob.

This outcrop of rocks is probably the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail.

It took me about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the top. On the way down I decided to challenge myself (you know me — always needing challenges). I wanted to try and come in under one hour on the descent. By running, I was able to knock off about 40 minutes. Good training for my next mountain trail race!

On the summit, well, I couldn’t get enough of the nature all around me.

How do you soak in views like this one?

As I looked at the mountain ranges spreading out before me, I kept thinking, “If the old creation is this beautiful, what will the NEW creation look like?” Oh my!

This morning it was off to the Mount Pleasant Trail near Amherst, VA. This hike is just over 6 miles.

I’d say it’s a bit more challenging than the MacAfee Knob Trail.

But again, the vistas at the summit were out of this world.

As you can imagine, while out there on the trails you tend to think about all kinds of things. Yesterday and today my mind went back to the future — to 2021 and what the new year might hold for me and my family. 2021 will be a year of major milestones:

  • I will turn 69 (nothing too surprising there; I get a year older every June).

  • I will mark 8 years without Becky (you never really get used to her not being around).

  • I will be formally retiring from fulltime teaching in July (now that was a bit of a surprise, but I’m a big boy and I can adapt).

What I have learned during my 68 (so far) years on this earth is that for something in us to grow, something else often has to die. I am eager to run the next stage of my spiritual marathon — to move to the next season of my life —  without trying to live in the past. During 45 years of teaching, I can’t tell you the number of times I messed up. I try not to forget those mistakes so that I can learn from them. But I’m not focused on the past. In the end, I did my best as a teacher. I ran hard. I ran with courage. I ran with faith. I ran looking only to Jesus. This is what I think I will be most proud of when July 2021 rolls around. Twenty-two years into detox from institutional religion, that feels pretty good. Sometimes during our life’s journey, we don’t realize we are experiencing a major turning point until everything around us has been turned upside down. That’s pretty much how these past 6 years have been since Becky passed away. More than ever, I simply want to become a Jesus follower. This is discipleship, apprenticeship. The kingdom of God defies our tidy say a prayer and get out of jail card. The kingdom is the church breathing new life into death, just as next spring all the leaves will reappear on the trees I saw today. I can’t wait to see those reborn trees, can you? And I can’t wait to see how your life and how my life will rise again from the ashes as phoenixes. If there is any foundation on which to place our faltering feet, it has to be this one. God is making all things new. And as he does, he works tirelessly to draw the good and the best out of every single situation that has been marred by the brokenness of the world.

Friday, November 20

7:55 PM I love how the Living Bible renders Phil. 4:6:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

Don’t forget to thank him for his answers. Max Lucado has written a wonderful little book called Before Amen.

In it he summarizes the gist of prayer in 6 short statements:

  • Father.

  • You are good.

  • I need help.

  • They need help.

  • Thank you.

  • In Jesus’ name, amen.

He’s talking about:

  • Salutation.

  • Adoration.

  • Supplication.

  • Intercession.

  • Thanksgiving.

  • Benediction.

Today I’m thinking a lot about thanksgiving and how it relates to everyday life. “It is the will of God that we give thanks in all circumstances,” writes Paul elsewhere. Truth be told, gratitude is pretty easy when everything is going your way. When things go awry, we don’t want to give thanks; we want an explanation from God. Prayer has more to do with using him to get what we want than enjoying him for who he is. Sometimes we want answers more than we want him. It’s all about self: self-fulfillment,self-preservation, self-enhancement, self-care, self-protection, self-development. A thankful spirit takes a different approach. Gratitude means to rest in God’s goodness through all the losses and heartaches of life. Gratitude means to face all of life with a spirit of trust. Gratitude means we pursue God more than we pursue the satisfaction he provides. Gratitude means valuing pardon for sin more than healing for our pain.

Funny thing is, I know all of this intellectually but I so rarely practice it. As I said, giving thanks is incredibly easier when everything is going your way and incredibly difficult when life sucks. For me, it’s always a process. I have to go through a few ugly stages before I reach the point of gratitude. This morning, think of three things you are grateful for. Go ahead. Write them down. They may be:

  • Warm gloves

  • A well-paying job

  • A job, period.

  • The chance to be with wonderful people

  • Family

  • A car to take you back and forth to work

  • The physical ability to get out of bed

  • Dark chocolate

  • Tweenage kids who aren’t beasts

  • Your spouse

  • Humor

I’m making my own list.

My life is not perfect. But I have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is a reminder to give thanks. It’s a reminder of something we should do every day.

What are you thankful for?

Thursday, November 19

7:12 PM Hey folks and welcome back to DBO! Today was the last day of in-person instruction for the fall semester. I will be not be back on campus before our January session. It was a blessed semester. I will miss my students.

Prepping for my lecture today over John 21:15-17.

I will also miss the trails in the Raleigh area. Yes, this week I decided it was time to get out of my biking rut and try a new section of the Neuse River Greenway.

It is a much more rural setting than the section near Wake Forest. Overall I was pretty happy with my distance.

The day was beautiful, and the trail was immaculate.

I will definitely be back. Next time I’d like to try and go at least 40 miles.

What a beautiful bridge.

This weekend I am beyond excited to be heading back into the mountains of Virginia to get some hiking in before the winter snows arrive. I may do MacAfee Knob again, and I am definitely thinking about doing Mount Pleasant near Buena Vista for the very first time. I will do my best to share pix with you here on this blog. Folks, it’s time to lace up those hiking shoes and enjoy the good old outdoors while we still can!

Meanwhile, the holidays are quickly approaching. No big social gatherings for me this year. Oh, how I would love to hug my grandkids! Well, all in due time. I will probably spend more time in nature than with people. I love running outside when it’s cold. The fall foliage gives me a new lease on life. You ought to try it. Freezes your nose off and that’s always exciting. Seems I’ve lost my running gloves. And they weren’t cheap. The moral of the story is to put things back where they belong when you’re done using them. I can’t tell you how many things I’ve lost because I’ve been lazy in this regard.

Now I’m off to watch 1917 for the umpteenth time. I love this movie, especially the cinematography. Ciao!

Monday, November 16

6:54 AM To my students: It’s only 4 weeks to the end of the semester. Don’t let fear, anxiety, or worry get in the way of your journey. Remember to keep having fun, stay calm, and keep your eyes on Jesus. We are all in this together and we are all going to give it our best! I am looking forward to seeing all of you this week in person. I want to send out a thank you to each and every one of you who have worked so hard this semester. Let’s finish strong!

Sunday, November 15

1:20 PM Many students are at a place in life where they are wondering where the Lord would have them serve and what he would have them do with their lives. They are in the “seeking” mode but want to be in “settled” mode. I should know. I’ve been exactly where they are. I counsel such students frequently, and the three verses I always take them to are 1 Cor. 12:4-6. It is the Spirit, Paul says, who gives a gift to every believer. This is the question of “What?” Then the Son, the Lord Jesus, assigns places of ministry to every one of us. This is the question of “Where?” Finally, the power for service, and the results of service, are up to God the Father. This is the question of “How?” Never forget this, young person: God will take care of the what, the where, and the how. You can be sure of it. You might also be surprised by it. I did not ask to be a Greek teacher. I never sought that role. There simply arose a need at Biola for a Greek teacher and I was asked to fill the position. As it turned out, it became the start of a long and fulfilling career, which I have absolutely loved. I find it humorous that Bruce Metzger, that great Princeton New Testament Greek scholar, also claims to have “fallen” into his career. Almost as a fluke, if you will, he began teaching Greek at Princeton in the fall of 1938 and taught for 46 years. I think it’s an amazing coincidence that we both were just 24 when we began our teaching careers.

My friend, God has a divine blueprint for your life too. He will put you right where he wants you to use your gift. Let me reiterate: It is the Spirit who gives you your gift. This ability comes from God himself. Nobody is left out; everyone has a gift. Secondly, it is the Lord Jesus who assigns ministries, that is, places of service. You need not be concerned about where you should go. You just go through whatever door the Lord opens for you. As for the results, Paul says, leave that to God the Father. He is in charge of the “outworkings.” Your ministry may be limited and obscure, or it may have worldwide fame. But one thing you can be sure of: you can always count on God to be the one who is working in you.

10:15 AM I don’t often require my students to memorize passages of Scripture. Maybe I should do this more often. Earlier today I spoke about the blessing of contentment in Christ. No passage of Scripture explains this as well as the verses below. Read them over and over again. I would even challenge you to commit them to memory. You say, “But I can’t memorize!” Of course, actors memorize hundreds of lines. Many people do the same with the Bible. I have a Romanian friend who teaches at Midwestern Seminary who has memorized entire books of the New Testament. His name is Radu and he very kindly volunteered to translate for me when I visited Romania.

He has written a great deal about Bible memorization, including this essay:The Importance of Memorizing Scripture. The truth is, we remember what is important to us (Social Security number, birthdays, etc.). So read the following passage again and again. Take the memory challenge. I dare you.

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

8:55 AM In Greek 3 this week we’re finishing up the book of Philippians. We’ll focus on 4:10-, Paul’s closing words to his dear friends in Philippi. He has just spoken about how Christians with disagreements and who are quarreling with each other (Euodia and Syntyche) can settle the matter (4:1-9). Simply put, they are “to agree in the Lord.” They are to find common ground. As these two ladies agree to get together and begin talking through their disagreements, Paul is convinced that from this initial agreement they can begin to make progress toward reconciliation. Paul also calls on others — the church as well as a man named Clement — to help these women. When we have major disagreements in the body of Christ, the help and advice of others is often necessary. This verse is the basis for a true biblical counseling ministry. A third party can often help us look beyond our own disagreements. In addition, reconciliation requires “sweet reasonableness” or “bigheartedness” (v. 5). And we are to never forget: “The Lord is near.” He is right there among us and is able to do this within us. This is what prayer is for (vv. 6-7). There is nothing too big or too small to bring to him. Whenever we pray, we lean on his grace and strength to do what we cannot do in ourselves.

Now, in verses 10-, Paul’s theme shifts. Here he unpacks for us the meaning of contentment.

It seems that Christians are always striving after something. And while there is a place for “divine discontentment” (see Paul’s words in chapter 3 about striving toward the goal of maturity in Christ), Paul had learned that the major value in life was to love people and not things. This was the focus he had learned at last — to live for the good of others whether he was poor or wealthy, sick or healthy, etc. This theme runs like a thread throughout the letter. Paul had learned that, in himself, he had nothing, was nothing, could do nothing. He had learned to face every circumstance as the Lord’s choice for him in order for God to display his overwhelming ability in him (4:13).

All of this simply reveals the fact that I so rarely model contentment in my own life. I have forgotten that it’s what God wants that counts, not what I want. And just as he always give himself to meet the needs of others, so I am to live with that same priority. I need to come to the place that whatever he wants, I want. I need to learn that he permits everything that comes to me so that I might experience the secret of being satisfied in him in every circumstance.

Isn’t the Lord good to put up with me while I’m trying to figure life out? I look forward to discussing this chapter with my students on Tuesday. It will be fun sharing with them some of thelasting lessons I’ve learned as the Lord and I have gone through this chapter together.

7:40 AM This morning I am doing a deep dive into Romans 12. Here are some of the things the Lord is speaking to me about, particularly as they relate to my profession as a teacher.

Paul’s list of spiritual gifts in verses 6-8 is pretty amazing. I think his main point is that when we discover our gift, we enjoy doing it. This means that if you are a teacher, teaching should not be difficult, painful work. It should be something you delight in doing week in and week out. You find fulfillment in doing it. And just what is the “it” that we are supposed to be doing? Let’s look at the gifts Paul mentions here. They are, in this order, prophesying, teaching, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others, giving, leading, and showing mercy. As teachers, there is a sense in which we engage in all of these activities. In its non-technical sense, “prophesying” is “the peculiar gift of explaining revelation” (Calvin). I had many teachers growing up who did this in an amazing way. I can still think of many who do this today. They bring such encouragement, strength, and comfort to others! Then there is the gift of serving. We’ve all had teachers with this gift. You love to be with them because they are always so eager to serve and help you. What a tremendous blessing they are to the body of Christ! Next, Paul mentions teaching. Teaching is the ability to impart information in such a way as to involve not only the mind but also the will. Then there is the gift of encouragement. This is a marvelous gift for a teacher. Barnabas had this gift. As you know, his name means “son of encouragement.” In the New Testament he is always found with his arm around somebody. Ever known a teacher like that? Then Paul refers to the one who gives. “Let him or her give generously.” These teachers view their time, energy, and possessions as opportunities to be used in the hands of God to bless and help others. Then the gift of leadership is mentioned. If that’s your gift, Paul says, “do it with diligence.” You can’t wing leadership. People know when you are prepared and when you’re not. Finally, there’s the gift of showing mercy. These are people who delight in helping those who are neglected by others.

Notice that all of these gifts may be divided — as they are in 1 Pet 4:10-12 — into two basic groups:

  • Speaking gifts

  • Serving gifts

As I see it, then, these are the two basic functions of every Christian — either you (primarily) speak or serve. Many times, however, you will be called upon to do both. As teachers, our calling is more than dispensing information — writing books, giving lectures, and publishing journal articles and book reviews. Those things are important — very important — but the people we teach should come to understand that they are not merely minds to be filled but real people with real needs who need to be well cared for. 

This, I think, is a biblical picture of the ministry of teaching. Now I close with a question: How well am I doing this? Who am I, anyway? If God has called me to be a teacher, then let me teach by means of his strength and in his power. Let students see in me a man whose soul is no less vulnerable than theirs, who battles the same temptations they do, and who is equally susceptible to life’s heartaches and suffering. I pray they may always see in me the right things — simplicity, humility, love for Jesus — and never the wrong things — hypocrisy, showmanship, toxic authoritarianism. Fellow teachers of the world, let’s make our classrooms beautiful again by using the ordinary tools that have always worked: prayer, honesty, truth, and selfless love.

Lord, I pray that you would help each of us teachers to discover who we are in you and then to fulfill that calling with the excitement, joy, and passion that only you can give. For Christ’s sake I pray, Amen.

Saturday, November 14

4:08 PM Running. It’s still something special. When you take that first step during your daily run, you can’t bottle the energy. There’s no other sport where I’ve felt just the joy, the intensity, the anticipation of what’s going to happen. It’s magical. The day Becky passed away, the “why” of my life changed. Running is now bigger than just me. I run with a sense of responsibility to our grandkids. I run to be there for these little human beings that eventually are going to hopefully be great persons. What I get out of running today is being able to give back to others what God has so graciously given to me. How kind he’s been. I have family close by. I have my dog. I can step outside and go for a run in the country or go to the trail any time of the day that I want. I’ve had a good life. A successful career for me would mean crossing that finish line next July after 45 years of teaching still smiling, still happy, and still giving God the glory. There’s a great deal you learn about yourself with every run you do but especially any distance over 10 miles. I feel the challenges make me so much stronger and give a lot of meaning to what I do. It’s just another obstacle in life that you have to overcome, and life goes on. I truly think you come out of all of those experiences so much more rich. It doesn’t mean that things will get easier. Life doesn’t get any easier the older you get. It’s just that you’re a lot better prepared and equipped to handle all the situations life throws at you. And those situations will come. Life happens, and you gotta be ready. 

Pics from today’s run:

First order of business: scraping the ice off the windshield.

This is what my drive to Farmville looked like on a “busy” Saturday morning. I’m not trying to make my friends in Raleigh or Wake Forest jealous or anything like that. (That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.)

I began my run at the trail head in the hamlet of Rice, VA.

Cross the street, and you’re off and running.

The views on the trail are awesome. Like this one.

And this one.

Occasionally you’ll cross a deserted highway.

Or an equally deserted bridge.

Eventually you turn around and head back to your car.

I took this selfie at mile 12, still going strong.

By God’s grace, my half marathon distance goal was achieved.

Back in town I saw this interesting sign. Looks like Dave Black being unmarried has a silver lining after all.

Oh well. Another day, another run. As usual, I got drawn in hook, line, and sinker. Throughout the run I offered a silent token of appreciation to the One who created all of this beauty. I enjoyed every step of my run because I ran it with him. Faith in Christ is a race. It’s a marathon laden with difficulties. But at the end awaits an imperishable reward to all who persevere:

Christ himself.

5:58 AM This morning I was up early trying to complete an essay for our seminary journal and worshipping the Lord with Claudio Monteverdi:

Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. Quia per sanguinem tuum pretiosum redemisti mundum. Miserere nobis.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. For with your precious blood you have redeemed the world. Have mercy on us.  

The essay is actually an interview on why I ask my students to do rhetorical analysis in their exegesis of the New Testament. C. L. Lewis sums up my own attraction to literature when he writes that “in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and I am never more myself than when I do” (An Experiment in Criticism, p. 141). Lewis was unwittingly writing about me when he penned those lines. I could not listen to the video above without actually watching my soul adoring God. I cried a little — actually cried! There’s just something divine in this piece that reaches into the depths of my soul. It makes me pause and remember, “Be still and know that I am God.” Music like this brings me so much hope and inspiration, joy and courage. How can human beings not like this kind of music? Where are our ears? How can we not love good poetry set to music? How can we settle for what goes for “worship” music today? Elgar owes as much to Voces8 as they to him. I am at a loss for words.

Thank you to all you dedicated musicians who perform such inspiring music. Thank you to Claudio Monteverdi for his fabulous composition.

And thank you to the authors of the Bible (and to its ultimate Author) who have produced books that are read so often and with so much enjoyment by so many people of all age groups. For you remind us that the Scriptures are not only readable, but enjoyable.

Friday, November 13

6:55 PM Even as the nation is awaiting a vaccine for the coronavirus, UNC is working around the clock on their studies of endometrial cancer. Today I had the great privilege of meeting with Dr. Victoria Bae-Jump of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Vickie (as she likes to be called) holds an MD and a PhD and is both a clinician and researcher at UNC. She has just launched a new initiative aimed at tracking 1,000 women in North Carolina with endometrial cancer to understand why the cancer is increasing in both frequency and mortality and why the disease is more deadly for some women than for others. The study is called the Carolina Endometrial Cancer Study. It merits my support for sure! While I was there I couldn’t help but remember the hundreds of visits Becky and I made to Chapel Hill over the course of her illness.

Never was a patient treated better. God provided nothing but the best for her. If you read my blog, you know that I think health care in the U.S. is the best in the world. That said, even the best doctors can’t cure every case of stage 4 cancer. In all seriousness, I am so grateful for the work Vickie is doing. Maybe, just maybe, her team will discover a new drug or treatment that will cure this type of cancer. I don’t think that’s likely. But our job isn’t to worry about that but to be responsible with what the Lord has given us, including our financial resources. As for the health of our temples, folks, that’s on us. Get regular physicals. Eat well. Get rest. Don’t beat up your body. Give it the TLC it needs in the form of recovery time. If you are overweight, for goodness’ sake, pay attention and talk to your doctor. Above all, let’s stop stressing out. Let’s joyfully accept the hardships God sends our way. A glad acceptance of hard things opens the way for glory and growth. The sorrows in my life, whether my own fault or someone else’s, have given me the chance to learn a little more each time the meaning of the cross. Every trip to UNC was an opportunity to make the cross my home, my rest, my shelter, my refuge. “Happiness, heaven itself, is nothing else but a perfect conformity, a cheerful and eternal compliance of all the powers of the soul with the will of God” (Samuel Shaw). Every glad surrender of the self to Christ is a new death, like the tree’s “loss” of its leaves so that fresh ones may grow and take their place. Glory to God!

Overall, a great day. Thanks for coming along.

5:15 PM The farm welcoming me home after a long day on the road.

It has never looked prettier.

8:15 AM My favorite verse as a blogger is 1 Cor. 14:3 because I think it summaries what a good blog should look like. Paul writes that we should “speak to people for their strengthening, encouraging, and comfort.” Isn’t that beautiful? The Living Bible says we are to “help others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them.” And Eugene Peterson puts it this way: “When you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.” I think the church ought to be a learning church. We ought to be “devoted to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). Anti-intellectualism is wholly incompatible with New Testament Christianity. The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Truth,” and wherever he is at work, truth will matter. A Christian is nothing less than a lifelong student of Scripture! The Bible is true everywhere or it isn’t true anywhere. A worthy life involves obeying Scripture, loving as Christ loved, sharing the mercy of God with others, being “real” in ordinary conversations and regular encounters, and being true to our calling to demonstrate the gospel through the daily labor of being a good spouse and parent and employee. This is our calling. It is rarely famous work. No, we live out our calling in the little stuff of life that might not seem like much to us but it’s much to God. Friend, let the rest of us grin at you while you live out the truth in your corner of the world. Don’t be ashamed to follow Christ with abandon. Throw yourself into your work with no apologies. You were made to run. So run! Do not worry about status. There’s only one status that counts, and that’s “servant.” Be willing to accept humiliations. They draw us nearer to our humble Savior. Never take yourself too seriously. Laugh at and with yourself. Thank God frequently, not just at Thanksgiving but often and always. Confess your sins freely. The test of love is obedience and we all fall short. Take time to get away to be with the Lord or life will overwhelm you. Let us offer ourselves to God as agents of change in this world, remembering that socially responsible Christians are always the fruit of evangelism. Put no man (or woman) on a pedestal. There are to be no gurus in the Christian church. All preaching and teaching should lead people away from us and encourage them to follow Christ and to read the Scriptures for themselves. Use Facebook to empower others and to bang the drum for simple missional living.

What I want for us is not to give up on life because of all the bad things that are happening in 2020. Don’t let Covid be an excuse for you to whimper in a corner. Enjoy what you can enjoy. Be an encouragement to others whenever you can. Speak words of comfort into the misery all around you. Good things still exist in this world. You just have to decide to notice them and appreciate them.

Got so much more to say but I have to boogie. Have a great day in the Lord and, as always, thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, November 12

6:42 PM Amazing! We did it! 17 years of blogging as of tomorrow, Nov. 13. Absolutely grateful to God — and for ALL of you being with me on this journey. Where have the years gone??? I blog because I think the world needs some more dreams. I hope you have God-sized dreams in this world to chase down and, yes, I certainly do. No matter how large or small your dreams, never let them die. For example, even after 5 years of running I’m still trying to perfect my running form, starting first and foremost with my cadence. Cadence is simply the number of steps you take in a minute. The optimum cadence is 180 steps per minute (spm), or 3 steps per second. I usually can do only about two-thirds of that since I’m so tall and so slow. You want to increase your cadence because when you are in the air you slow down and when you are on the ground you speed up. The most obvious way to increase your cadence is to shorten your stride. Easier said than done. For me this means reducing heel-striking and landing more on my mid-sole. I’m discovering that it takes months for the new muscle memory to kick in but I am gradually upping my cadence. Tonight I did a run at the track on a pretty dismal evening.

I was able to get my spm up to 172 believe it or not. That’s a victory for sure! Will I be able to improve on that? I don’t know. But this I do know: I want to find the rhythm that best harnesses the energy from my steps. I want to find what comes natural to me. In fact, as a runner my goal is nothing less than optimum health, not speed or pace or even cadence. Did you know that, despite all the health care we have in America, the health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) for Americans is only 70 years, which doesn’t even figure into the global top twenty? According to some studies, the average functional life span in the U.S. has started to decline. How do we reverse that? Even low to moderate levels of exercise can improve your health.

Time to play it smart and run healthy in this marathon training block. I’m still hoping for another 26.2 mile race in 2021. As for tomorrow, I’m seeing my cardiologist for my annual check up and then I am really looking forward to going to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill to meet with the oncologist who is doing cutting-edge research on endometrial cancer. I’ll visit her lab again and then make a small donation to UNC and her work. One of the absolute coolest things about the running community is the way we rally for each other and for various causes. There are literally hundreds of charity races around the world each year, and even though many of them have been canceled this year, we can still run a virtual race for charity as did I recently for UNC. Just think — you get to donate to a charity of your choice by doing something you love. Doesn’t get any better than that. I can’t wait for my next official charity race. The community spirit at these events is always overwhelming. The running community is awesome and I love how we love and support each other. It’s so much like the body of Christ in that way. I think I’ll make “Running Gives Back” my new motto!

Well, it’s time to feed the dog and check up on the donks. Again, thank you for being so supportive of me during the past 17 years of blogging. May the years ahead be as enjoyable for both of us!

4:05 PM Today I’m reworking my translation of a key passage in Philippians. I’m referring to 4:1-9. If I could summarize Paul’s theme here it would be: “Yes, change your actions, but, more fundamentally, change your attitudes!” In a Philippian church marked by disunity, strife, and troubled hearts, Paul wants to see a congregation that is united, joyful, and at peace. So here’s my translation of these powerful verses (here I try to bring out my position on the many debated expressions in this passage):

So then, my sisters and brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my victor’s crown, this is how you should stand firm in the Lord, my dear ones:

Euodia, I beg you, and Syntyche, I beg you: Be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, I also ask the entire congregation, as my faithful partner, to help these women because they fought at my side to spread the Good News, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

At all times be joyful in the Lord! I will say it again: Be joyful!

Let everyone know how bighearted you are. The Lord is near.

Don’t worry about anything, but in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests, and don’t forget to give thanks. Then God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can grasp, will stand guard over your emotions and thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, sisters and brothers, since there are things that are excellent and since there are things that deserve praise, keep pondering these things — whatever is truthful, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and admirable. Keep putting into practice the things you learned from me, the traditions you received from me, the things you heard about me, and the things you saw me doing. If you do, the God who gives us his peace will be with you.

Lest you think I have nailed this translation, let me remind you of the struggle I had when translating many of the expressions Paul uses.

Is “brothers” being used generically for “brothers and sisters”? If so, why not reverse the traditional order and give deference to our sisters in Christ (something John Stott loves to do in his sermons)? Is the crown Paul mentions a ruler’s diadem or a victor’s wreath? Since the Greek indicates it is the latter, why not make that clear in our translations? In Greek the names Euodia and Syntyche are fronted for emphasis. Does that matter? If so, how can we indicate this in our translations? Does “faithful partner” refer to a man named Suzugos or to the church as a whole (Paul’s “faithful partner”)? You’ll notice I think the latter interpretation is the correct one. Did these women “fight,” “contend,” or “struggle” alongside Paul? As you can see, I think Paul is alluding to the gladiatorial games (these women “fought” by Paul’s side). “Be joyful” is my attempt to bring out what we call verbal aspect (the present tense of the imperative is used here). “Bighearted ” could also be rendered “unselfishness” or “considerateness.” “Don’t worry” could also be rendered “Stop worrying.” “Stand guard” is my attempt to bring out the image of a garrison of Roman soldiers standing guard.

“Since there are things” (instead of “if there are things”) is my attempt to bring out the so-called first class condition in Greek. Again, both “Keep pondering” and “Keep practicing” try to bring out the Greek verbal aspect.

When I assess the blessings of being a Greek teacher, being forced to dig into the text again and again is one of the uppermost. Who knew that language could be so wonderful? Dear reader, nothing would make me happier than your own interaction with the text. Read as many English versions as you can find and then try and come up with your own translation. This will force you to make those sometimes hard exegetical calls. Commentaries will help you get started, but they are not there to do all the thinking for you.

United. Joyful. At peace. Oh my, how our churches could use Paul’s instructions here! And so could our nation.

Monday, November 9

6:22 AM Today begins our final two weeks of class on campus. After the Thanksgiving Break, we will not be meeting in person again this semester. I am already missing my students and will do so until I see them again (or at least some of them) when I begin my J-term Greek 1 class on January 4. This week there is much to cover in each of my classes, beginning with the demonstrative pronouns in Greek 1, the first several verses of Philippians 4 in Greek 3, the books of 1-2 Peter in NT 2, and According to John in NT 1. As for the letter called 1 Peter, I think it will be appropriate in a seminary setting to delve into Peter’s exhortation to his fellow elders in 1 Pet. 5:1-5 and then to all believers in 5:6-11. This is an extremely important passage if for no other reason than we all too often draw a hard and fast distinction between leaders and led, between “clergy” and “laity,” as if they were two different degrees of Christian calling. Clericalism has been damaging to the health of the church throughout the ages because it has inhibited the members of Christ’s body, each of whom is a priest and a minister, from contributing their own ministries and exercising their own gifts. On the other hand, anti-clericalism is no less a grave danger to the health of the church. The Bible is clear that there is a place, and a very important place, for pastoral oversight in the church. To me it’s very significant that in verse 1 the apostle Peter, in writing to the elders in the different house churches, calls himself their “fellow elder.” I’m thankful for that humility and I wonder if we couldn’t profit from that example today. In essence, Peter is elevating these men and their ministries and identifying their work with his. He urges them to carry out their work with proper motives and to lead by example and not by authoritative domination. These elders are, moreover, equals. There is a parity among them that is belied by our modern use of the term “senior” pastor. Much more could be said. Elders bear an enormous burden today, as then. But when they can stand up and call the church to follow their example, as they follow Christ, they are doing exactly what the Lord has called them to do.

I’m looking forward to hanging out with my students this week. Their insights and comments make me laugh, cry, think, and help me stay inspired. As we begin a new week, let’s remember that happiness is a choice and a result of our outlook, the people with whom we surround ourselves, and what (or who) we choose to focus on. What will this week look like? Maybe more in-person time with friends and family and less texts and email. Maybe more living in the moment and less forgetting to be present. Maybe more doing and less talking. Maybe more positive words coming out of our mouths and less negative ones. In any case, I hope your week is filled with joy, wellness, and success.

Sunday, November 8

7:54 PM Before calling it a day I wanted to express my thanks to all of you for your kind and tender words of sympathy and empathy as last week I commemorated the passing of my wife 7 years ago. She was loved by so many. I spent last week dealing again with the grief. You think you’re past it but it comes back often, doesn’t it? We realize how much people mean to us when they’re gone. So thank you for your kindness as I grieved. It’s all a part of God’s discipline of his children. We might not have our way, but he has his way, and his design is to bring us into conformity with his plan for our lives. God is committed to our growth. Not to our happiness necessarily. Not to our comfort. But to our Christlikeness. He loves it when we respond to him as he instructs us, reproves us, corrects us, and trains us. Grief reveals the heart of our loving Lord. “For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies” (Lam. 3:31). Grief prepares the way for Christ himself. So grateful for that truth tonight. May each of us have a wonderful week in him.

5:25 PM Today’s Veterans Day race kicked off at 7:30 at the John Lee Pratt Memorial Park in Stafford, VA, just across the Rappahannock River from the city of Fredericksburg. I lined up, per usual, at the back of the pack.

I knew the course would be hilly and I didn’t want to get in the way of the faster runners out there.

It was a new course to me on another spectacular Virginia morning.

The view of the city of Fredericksburg was unforgettable.

I enjoyed a well-paced run at (for me) a nice clip. I finished in a very satisfying 1:11:43.

It felt great to be alive and running in one of our nation’s most historic sites. I love America. Why? Because America is truly beautiful. We have it all — beaches and islands and farms and cities and lakes and rivers and mountains and deserts and glaciers and volcanoes. Because all of us have the right to have our voice heard and our vote counted. Because even in hard times we stick together and fight for a better nation. For years I called the observance Veterans’ Day. Shame on me. There is no apostrophe in the name. The day doesn’t belong only to veterans. It’s a day for all of us to honor the vets and the nation they fought and died for. I am thankful that you and I are fellow Americans. Let’s never surrender our relentless belief and demand that this country would live up to her potential and promise. 

Saturday, November 7

9:32 AM Hallo Leute! Hear the one about the German tourist who said to his American waiter: “I am here since an hour. When do I become a fish?” Learning to speak a foreign language correctly (that is, idiomatically) is just plain HARD. This blog post is in no way intended to make fun of Germans who try to speak English. I have total respect for anyone who tries to speak a foreign language on any level. Lord knows how many times I’ve totally embarrassed myself when speaking German or French or Spanish. Most of the mistakes people make are caused by trying to translate literally from one language to another. If a German speaker says to me, “On the one side,” this is really German, not English (we say “On the one hand”). This does not mean they are saying something “wrong.” As long as I understand the other person, I’m happy! I think both Americans and Germans are pretty good at not correcting “small” mistakes. If you are not very good with a language you’re trying to learn, it may be helpful to be corrected. But if we’re not careful, correcting someone will come across as nitpicking. Please don’t stop trying to speak a foreign language in public. Native speakers will never judge you for trying to master their language. Talk as much as possible, find people to talk with, and swallow your pride. Also, don’t be embarrassed when other people do correct you. They usually mean well. It’s the effort that counts. Even though I am quite fluent in German I still can’t pronounce some German words the way I know they should be pronounced. Confidence is key. Even Germans struggle with all their language rules and grammar. It’s important to speak, not to remain silent, no matter how weird you may sound. That’s the only way to improve your skills. For example, in German you don’t say “I was born in 1982.” You just use the number (“Ich bin 1982 geboren”).

Today there’s an emphasis on teaching and learning Koine Greek as a living language. I haven’t adopted this approach even though I am totally convinced that we should seek an active (not merely a passive) knowledge of language. Were I to teach “theological” German to Ph.D. students, the first thing I would do is get rid of their “Theological German” textbook and send the class to YouTube to learn how to speak modern German. Then why haven’t I adopted the living language approach to Koine Greek? Very simple. If I could find merely ONE native speaker of Koine Greek, I would adopt that method at the drop of a hat. The truth is, nobody today really knows how to “fluently” pronoun ancient Greek. But as for a modern foreign language: Speak, speak, speak.

“But I make mistakes.” Who cares? Practice makes perfect. (German equivalent: “Practice makes the master.”) Overcoming your fear of making mistakes when speaking is the hardest part. If you don’t have really bad luck and encounter some really grumpy person, you’ll do fine.

Just speak!

7:20 AM For 44 years I’ve had the privilege of helping people discover the joy of reading the New Testament in Greek. Recently I spoke with one of my friends who’s been teaching Greek longer than I have. He is 79 and still going strong, still teaching Greek fulltime in a college in Texas, still as passionate about the classroom as ever. I asked him how he was able to maintain his enthusiasm for teaching Greek after all these years. His reply was that he simply loved Greek. Teaching Greek wasn’t something he had to do but wanted to do. Moreover, he said he’d be in love with Greek even if he never became a Greek teacher. He just loves the language. I think that’s why I started my own journey as a Greek teacher all those years ago. When I got my first “A” in beginning Greek, I was hooked. Greek became an expression of who I was and who I am. I loved it.

When students leave seminary, many leave their Greek behind. I understand that. For some, languages don’t come naturally. It’s a struggle. For me, running is like that. When I’m in a race, I often see other runners who clearly were born runners. It is who they are — gazelles. Me? Think tortoise or penguin. Often it’s just right foot, left foot. In spite of that, I keep moving forward. Once you’ve felt the ecstasy of forward motion, you want to feel it again and again. At least that’s what happened to me. At some point I went from being a person who runs to a runner. Unlike natural runners, running doesn’t come easily for me. The seamless motion of legs and arms continues to elude me. My running is abrupt and clumsy. Still, I love it. Running — all running — is joyful in its own right.

My friend, where are you in life? Is where you are where you want to be? We all need goals. We all need to discover what God’s plan for our lives is. Even today, I know that there is something out there that I haven’t done yet that I want to do. Whatever it is, I want to discover it. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life coasting. When my teaching days are over, I will still love Greek. When my racing days are gone, I will still run, walk, or shuffle simply because I love to use the two legs God’s given me. The magic of teaching or running is that it has inherent value on its own. We need to celebrate the accomplishment of every class taught and every run completed.

Steven Pinker, in his book The Language Instinct, says that if language didn’t exist, people would be so driven to communicate with each other that they’d invent one.

As old and slow as I am, I am trying to become the best teacher and the best runner I know how to be. Every single day is a chance to improve. Every time I teach I try to do better. Every time I run I try to be better. I have discovered the primal joy of both activities.

I hope you find the same joy in your own endeavors.

Friday, November 6

6:06 PM There’s an old saying that goes like this: “There are four things you can’t recover: the stone after it’s been thrown, the word after it’s been said, the occasion after it’s been missed, and the time after it’s been spent.” In other words, we have to carefully consider our actions, be slow with our words, enjoy the occasions, and utilize our time to the fullest. Wayne Dyer puts it like this: “Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.” Friend, God has given us the ability to choose what happens next in our lives. So if we realize that we’ve carelessly thrown a stone or spoken a word, we can humble ourselves and apologize. If we realize that we’ve wasted our opportunities and time, we can change. Do you have any regrets in life? Of course you do. We all do. Have you learned from your experience? Have I? Our words and actions reveal what kind of a person we are.

Don’t exactly know why I have this on my mind today. I guess I’m just wondering if we all could be more patient with each other instead of being so consumed with our own agendas during this election cycle. Paul says, “Let your gentleness be known to all.” Hendriksen translates this as, “Let your bigheartedness be known to all.” Maybe it’s time that we as individuals and as Americans work on our bigheartedness a little. Every day is a chance to do better and to choose what we say and how we act more carefully. We don’t have all the time in the world to do this either. Once we say something hurtful it cannot be unsaid, and no amount of apologies can erase it completely. Take a minute to think where that other person is coming from. Many times I’ve gotten too caught up in the moment to really think things through before saying or doing something. For us Christians it should be second nature to be kind and to do the right thing all the time, but we still need to be reminded every now and then. Kindness is so important, isn’t it?

Today I got in an 8 mile run at the local trail. It was a splendid day to be outdoors.

I’m gearing up for a 10K trail run on Sunday near Fredericksburg. It’s a race celebrating Veterans Day and honoring our military. My daughter is married to a wonderful soldier. They’re stationed at Fort Benning. Here I am with Tino after we ran the Army 4-Miler in DC a couple of years ago.

It was an amazing time. Tino is so much faster than me yet he ran beside me the whole race and we crossed the finish line hand in hand. Once again, I am so thankful for my family. We’re not alone, folks, in this race called life.

On Sunday we should have great weather for a race. It will be a time for me to get recharged both physically and spiritually. I love being outdoors. God often uses these times to speak to me. At times my heart feels like it’s being wrung until I feel helpless, but God is never far away. Becky’s death was a crux (Latin for “cross”) — “crucial” to my living in harmony with God. I am not my own. I am bought with a price. Everything that happens to me is his business. The old life — my self life — is gone. The new life is a daily Yes to God. P. T. Forsyth wrote, “Our will alone is our ownest own, the only dear thing we can and ought really to sacrifice.” The New Testament never for a moment denies the reality of suffering and hardship. But during times of suffering, nothing is more real than the presence of God.

There is nothing arbitrary about my life or yours, my dear friend. So whatever we do this weekend, let’s respond in faith and receive the all-sufficient grace God offers. Okay?

7:50 AM Today, I’m grateful. I’m glad that my 68 year old body can still move. That my 68 year old body can hopefully run another marathon in 2021. That my 68 year old body can (maybe, just maybe) quality for Boston one day. That I still have classes to teach and books to write. That even though my house needs cleaning it isn’t a total disaster. That God saw me through a difficult week as I remembered Becky. That today I can get outdoors and take in all the scenery and feel my body and the sensation of running. Something in the human spirit sings when you go further than you thought possible. When you rest in God’s love and care. When loss becomes a glad surrender. When you see your students accepting responsibility and disciplining themselves. When you speak the blessings of heaven into the raw materials of who they are. When you do the patient work of distinguishing between the needs and the wants of others. When you learn to say “no” because you are drawing tight boundaries around your time and energy. When your friends do the relentless work of speaking truth into your life. When you grasp the endlessness of Christ’s love and the extent of his mercy. When Jesus (and no one else) is your hero. When he transforms your idea of “being the greatest.” When you see your wife’s selflessness embedded in your children. When the classroom still excites you even though you’ve been teaching for many years. When you see pastors stop their posturing. When you see faint hints that the body of Christ is exchanging its concern for place, honor, and rights for blessing and honor and glory and power to the Lamb who sits on the throne.

This blog isn’t just about running. It’s about life. It’s about fulfilling your God-given mission on this planet. And about doing the hard work to get there. That married couple who seems so happy and content? They have probably worked very hard to achieve and maintain that happiness and may have even gone through a seemingly irredeemably low point in their marriage. That person who has succeeded in their career? They likely put in many hours of hard work paying their dues. Things that are worth having in life don’t come easily. But they are worth fighting for. “It is always the secure that are humble” wrote Gilbert Keith Chesterton. So to all the humble, happy, hard-working people in my life: Thank you. And to everyone who reads this blog today: Be kind. Be yourself. And love Jesus. I am cheering you on.

Thursday, November 5

7:16 PM Got time for a few thank you notes?

1) Thanks FedEx for keeping me well-supplied with weekend reading.

2) Thanks to Nafkot Ethiopian Restaurant in Raleigh for some delicious kay wat in memory of Becky.

3) Thanks to my assistant Rodolfo for smashing my latest“vegetable” power point.

4) Finally, thank you Jesus for being am amazing teacher. You are wise in every way. We bless you.

Tuesday, November 3

7:45 AM Okay, folks, let’s get right into it. The Question of the Day is: What is your philosophy of Bible study, your ideology, the branches under which you operate when you approach God’s word on a daily basis? I would argue that the most influential philosophy of Bible reading is the grammatical-historical approach adopted by thousands of people around the world. It is based on one simple concept, that of reading the Bible in both its historical and literary contexts and then doing a deep dive into the text itself using all of the grammatical tools available to you. We look at the textual variants. We look at the words. We look at the way words are put together (syntax). We look at the structure of our passage. We look for any rhetorical devices the author may have used. We finish by asking the text, “What is your message for me today?” As you read a passage of Scripture over and over again, you’re going to begin to discover what your text is all about. If you’re like me, you’ll want to record your observations. Sometimes I do this in my Bible. At other times I use a notebook. Having your whole Bible handy is essential. Scripture is the most valuable commentary on Scripture. This is why studying the Bible book by book and continually reading through it is so helpful. Get into the habit of recording significant cross-references and highlighting them in some way in your Bible. Then investigate things you don’t understand. I can’t stress this enough. For example, yesterday I was reading a commentary on Hebrews. The author mentioned that the “race” in Heb. 12:1 is a “marathon” and not a “sprint.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read or heard this in a sermon. The fact is, there were no marathons in the first century. The longest foot race was only about 3 miles. The first marathon took place at the Athens Olympics in 1896. Again, you may not understand everything about the passage you’re studying, but knowing how to ask questions of the text is crucial. When you’ve done your own work, then it’s time to consult the scholarly work of others. Make sure these commentaries handle the text reputably.

So much more can and should be said but I have got to get back to campus. I came home last night so that I could cast my vote this morning at the local precinct in the big city of Nelson. What? Never heard of Nelson and its two buildings (the post office and convenience store)? You’re really missing out, folks! Who did I vote for? That’s easy. My grandkids and their future 🙂

P.S. Can’t get away without saying a big “Thank you” to everyone who expressed their sympathy and love to me these past two or three days. Y’all are the best. My pursuit of God is still not a smooth one. I’m just grateful there are others to share the bumps with me. I’ve discovered a very important truth about life during the process of grieving: In this life there is no escape from pain. Even if you live obediently, problems will arise. The temptation to resort to denial or human attempts to relieve the pain is very real. But what we need is not a plan to implement but a person to trust. I have found such a person in Christ. On this blog, as the Lord allows, I will continue to share my journey with you, the race God has set before me. My one goal in writing is perhaps best reflected in the words of George MacDonald, the famous Scottish author and poet: “If I cannot persuade you to understand a little more of Jesus Christ, my labor is lost in coming to you.” We are here on this earth to know the Lord Jesus Christ more intimately day by day. There’s no other reason for living. This truth is not academic to me. God has brought me through a severe mercy to deepen my awareness of my need for him. The world is too crazy a place to count on enjoying it. But it’s a perfect place to find God and then to share his love with others.

P.P.S. In Greek 3 today we are finishing the third chapter of the book of Philippians. I once jotted down some “takeaways” from this great chapter. If you’ve ever worked through Philippians, you might be interested in reading them. My essay is calledLasting Lessons from Philippians 3. Lesson #5 is, I think, especially appropriate on an election day!

Monday, November 2

7:28 AM When Becky passed away, I told the kids I would continue to wear my wedding ring for a year and then decide if I would take it off. Well, I’m still wearing it. I feel naked without it. Like Becky, John Mark’s mother Mary was a woman of means. Her house in Jerusalem had rooms large enough to accommodate a sizable guest list. It’s very likely that her home was the venue of the Last Supper. She was also generous and wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of Christ. It was of such a mother that Mark was a son. To segue ….  Who can say how many daughters in the Lord my Becky mentored? Or how many orphans and widows she assisted? Or how many Ethiopians she served? The widow who “made the list” in 1 Timothy 5 was noted for practicing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, assisting the afflicted, and being devoted to “every kind of good work.” Somehow I think that Becky, had she lived past 60, would have qualified for that list. The spiritual analogies are plain. The choice to become a spiritual mother is a choice to lose one’s life in the service of Christ. Yet Becky was never over-awed by the task. Rather than dipping a toe at pool’s edge and testing the temperature, she dove in head first. Spiritual parenting is not for the faint of heart. And now I must receive my loneliness and singleness as part of the price of being a servant of the Lord. It is a daily offering. Sometimes I feel like making it, and at other times I don’t. Emotions are poor taskmasters. But there is no escaping the responsibility. Patience. Sacrifice. Protection. Provision. That is what fathers are for. Hosea wrote of God, “In you the fatherless find a father’s love.” What is your loss, my friend? Receive it willingly, as from God. Then offer it gratefully back to him. Be a father or a mother to others. You will still be alone but you will never be lonely. The tears, the pain, the grief are all part of the process he is at work on. This is why we can sing even in the midst of death. The oil of gladness will one day replace the mourner’s tears. There will be garlands instead of ashes. If our cup of suffering overflows in Christ, so also through Christ our consolation overflows. Becky had to wake up every morning and fight to finish her race. Use her story to take your life’s burden and hand it over to the Lord. Most importantly, use her faith to have a vision for your own future. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. And do it with a smile, every day.

I love you, Becky. I miss you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying “yes” when I proposed. What an amazing and inspirational woman you were. You were loved by so many.

Well, that’s all I’ve got. Today is all I’ve got. And it’s all you’ve got too. Let’s make it a good one and finish what we start.

Dave

Sunday, November 1

6:18 PM The weekend is rapidly coming to a close but not before a few reflections on the coming week. Class preparation is so key for any teacher out there. Monday night in Greek 1 we’ll be introducing the perfect tense system. In Greek 3 on Tuesday we’ll finish the third chapter of Philippians and delve into the Greek indicative mood. Wednesday is a day I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time in NT 2 — our discussion of Hebrews. Honestly, I don’t know what to cover. I’ll probably end up discussing the authorship of Hebrews, the structure of the letter, the warning passage in 6:4-6 (where the shift from the aorist tense participles to the present tense participles seems to hold the key to interpretation), and end up with a glance at what is perhaps the most beautifully constructed sentence in the Greek New Testament, Heb. 1:1-4. Finally, in NT 1 on Thursday we will cover According to Luke. Tomorrow, of course, will mark 7 years to the day since Becky went to her heavenly reward. I am nearly overwhelmed by the goodness of God, which knows no bounds. Jesus shoulders the pain with me. His love is so liberating; he is worthy of adoration each and every day. He has seen me through and I will never be the same. And so I pray for perspective on this short, fleeting life. I release my fears and offer what gifts I have to the world. I die not all at once but a little every day. True, there are other people in my life, but no one like her. In marriage I learned how to love. You never resume the way you lived and felt prior to the loss. But eventually you find your life enlarged by the loss, even as you continue to deal with it. However inadequate my words, I hope on this blog I have shared something of the mystery of marriage and the sufficiency of the gospel to help us through every loss in life. Above all, music has soothed my soul. God gives us a garment of praise when we mourn. And when loss becomes a glad surrender, we experience the power of the life of Jesus in these mortal bodies of ours. Brother Lawrence practiced the presence of God in the kitchen of a monastery. I do so in a large and lonely house. God has marked out a line of duty for each of us. “Child, I am ever with you, and all that I have is yours,” says the Father to us. What more can we ask for? 

8:55 AM Isn’t it about time? To get rid of those silly and unnecessary square brackets in our Greek New Testaments, I mean. Case in point:

Here in Mark 1:1 the great majority of manuscripts, versions, and church fathers read “son of God.” True, the words are omitted in one very early and important Greek manuscript (Aleph or Sinaiticus), but the words are found in Vaticanus and Bezae and in fact almost every Greek manuscript extant today. No English version that I’m aware of omits “son of God.” And for good reason. Yet when one reads the Greek New Testament, unnecessary suspicion is cast on the originality of the words. As for the internal evidence, the reading is in harmony with the rest of Mark’s Gospel (see 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 14:61, 62; and 15:39). The shorter reading is likely the result of homoioteleuton, pure and simple. The beginning, then, of the good news about Jesus Christ also concerns “God’s Son.” This is beyond dispute.

Yes, methinks it’s time to get rid of the square brackets.

7:40 AM “This is my friend, in whose sweet praise, I all my days should gladly spend.”

6:45 AM Hello virtual friends of the internet world! This morning I’m doing a deep dive into Mark 1 in preparation for teaching through According to Mark in the spring.

Mark loves to use verbs that have prepositions attached to them. Why? Well, some of the prepositions have merely a directional force (“into,” “down,” etc.). But in Mark, you often find a prefix used with an intensifying force. Here’s a partial listing that I put together.

Notice the verb in verse 36. It comes from the Greek verb katadiōkō.

Yes, I know, “Too much detail, Dave, too much detail!” Sorry, folks, but I can’t help it.In his commentary on Mark, Jim Voelz renders this verse as follows:

And Simon hunted him down — and those with him — and they found him and say to him, “All are seeking you.” And he says to them, “Let us go elsewhere into the neighboring market towns.”

Why do I love Jim’s rendering? Three things come to mind:

1) Unlike the vast majority of English versions, Voelz actually brings out the force of the prefix kat in katadiōkō.I can’t thank him enough for that. This is much better than the NIV’s “went out to look for him” or the ESV’s “searched for him.” Nope. They “hunted him down”! In the ISV, we rendered the verb this way:

Simon and his companions searched frantically for him.

2) In his translation, Voelz highlights the prominence of Simon Peter: “Simon hunted him down — and those with him.” It is the genius of Mark’s Gospel to give Peter a prominent place — which, of course, is actuallyPeter’s Gospel! See also the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi (chapter 8), the denial of Jesus by Peter (chapter 14), and even Easter Sunday morning when the women at the tomb are instructed to tell Jesus’ disciples “and Peter” (16:7). Even here in chapter 1 of Mark, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is a reminder of the importance of Peter in the narrative.

3) Did you notice Voelz’s use of the present tense to translate certain Greek verbs? These are called “historical presents.” Thus the ESV’s “they found him and said to him” becomes Voelz’s “they found him andsay to him.”

Welcome to the world of inductive Bible study! So many times my heart is filled with wonder as I see how God has put together his word. I sit in amazement and find myself thanking him over and over again for the privilege we his children have to possess his word and by his Spirit are able to see these things — to discover truth for ourselves by carefully observing the text. How are you doing, my dear friend, in studying the Bible — not just reading it through, although that is important, but studying it carefully so that you can handle it accurately? I often use the illustration of an onion — taking it apart layer by layer until you reach the core. Well, I think Voelz has done a superb job of onion peeling, don’t you? 

Right now I need to pick up the house before attending my service virtually. I am beyond excited to be visiting UNC Hospital in the very near future to make a presentation in honor of Becky. My heart craves for her. Perhaps the greatest thing I’ve leaned about life since her death is clarity. This matters, this doesn’t. Right now, what matters is Jesus and all that he has provided for me, including these 123 acres. Yes, indeed, the rhythm of the farm is a healing balm in the otherwise frantic pace of life.

I do hope you have a relaxing and refreshing weekend. This is going to be one crazy week for sure.

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October 2020 Blog Archives

Saturday, October 31

6:58 PM Worshipping the Lord tonight to the music of Edward Elgar.

 

Ah, the human voice, the first and most beautiful instrument on earth. It should be illegal for music to be this perfect. I expect to find this music in heaven. VOCES8 never disappoint. Their performance is immaculate as always. May God bless all who watch this video wherever they are in the world. Never have we needed God’s perpetual light to shine upon us more than today.  

3:42 PM ‘Twas a wonderful day for a run. I ran (without walking) 13.1 miles at the High Bridge Trail in Farmville.

What is so natural, so pacifying, and so nourishing to the mind and body as running? The day was cold, so the trail was empty.

Do I miss surfing? Of course I do. But that’s one sport that’s simply impossible for me because of where I live. But running — ah, you can run anywhere. But let’s be clear: physical endurance alone can’t get you to the finish line. Only healthy conditioning of the body can. That’s why I’ve done all of my training this year using the LSD method — Long Slow Distance, also known as the Low Heart Rate Method or the Maffetone Method. Here running is done at very slow speeds in order to engender greater overall health and fitness. When we push our bodies to longer distances without the proper training and preparation, our chances of getting injured skyrocket. How we run is the primary culprit, nothow long we run. I’m finally learning to run the correct way — from my deep core muscles — and letting the rest of my body relax.

What do I think about when I run? All kinds of things. Today I thought about:

  • Becky (of course!). I’m expecting a full-blown tears-down-the-face cry any day now. Listen, just because Jesus wasn’t married doesn’t mean he didn’t fully understand widowers. Thank you Jesus!

  • My classes at the seminary. To be specific, my 4 classes this semester, my class this J-term, my 6 classes in the spring, my class next summer, and my 2 classes next fall. How can I improve my teaching? How can I better use electronic aids? How can I tweak my syllabi? So much to think about!

  • My writing. Are there any more major books the Lord wants me to write? If so, what are they?

  • My family. So much to think about. I pray that my kids and grandkids might be like clay in God’s hands. I pray that God would make them teachable, flexible, and adaptable. I have this short season with them and it’s flying by!

As I said, the thing I like about running is that you can do it anywhere. Just grab your shoes and your Garmin and you’re off. I’m consistently amazed at what you can accomplish when you keep moving forward and don’t give up. Today’s run was an inspiring, challenging, and rewarding adventure. I tried to imagine what Becky’s reaction would have been if she had been there watching me run. I think she would have been proud of me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

7:30 AM One of the things I love about my NT 2 class are the “towel and basin” ministries that each student does during the semester. It’s a way for us to love each other and to strengthen ourselves in healthy ways. This ministry must be (1) regular and (2) sacrificial (i.e., you are not paid to do it). Wonderful … but don’t expect it to be easy. I got the idea from my days as a student at Biola College (1971-1975). Each semester we were required to perform a “Christian service assignment” of some kind. Since the college was only about a half hour drive from Watts/South Central Los Angeles, I decided I’d play pickup basketball every Saturday.

I was strengthened in surprising ways. I discovered that people everywhere desire simply to be known and loved, to belong. Community is such a basic human need. According to Jesus, love is what it’s all about (John 13:35). When I assess the effectiveness of my teaching, requiring towel and basin ministries is one of the uppermost. Honestly, it is one of my greatest joys as a teacher to read my students’ reports. To my teachers at Biola: Thanks for getting me out of the library and into the world. Thanks for giving me depth. Thanks for putting the hard stuff in front of me. Thanks for reminding me that I can press extremely hard on the gospel and it will hold. Do we want to raise up disciples? Then we have to love people. The kids I worked with in Watts could smell a sham a mile away. We have to treat their concerns and needs with respect. If we fail to listen, we dismiss them from the church. If you have no idea where to start, try your own family. Begin with selfless acts of love and see what miracles happen.

6:58 AM I just cannot recommend the Psalms enough. They were used by Jesus. They were quoted by the writers of the New Testament. They were used in the worship of the early church. This morning I was in Psalm 1 before heading over to Matthew 28. Here in the first psalm we read that those whom God has blessed “find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.” My whole life has been devoted to developing materials to facilitate the serious study of the inerrant word of God. It all started in Hawaii, where I was privileged to sit at the feet of gifted Bible teachers. They made the Bible come alive with passion and interest. When I was 16, the Bible became precious to me. Every word, every jot and tittle, became crevices in which surprises were hidden. I also learned the importance of depending on the Holy Spirit of God when reading the Scriptures. The Spirit is not just the icing on the cake. He alone is the vital source of life and wisdom. I began to approach my reading of the Bible each day prayerfully. I asked the Holy Spirit to make the word come alive in my life. I also discovered some wonderful tools that make Bible study so much easier and less tedious. I especially began to read different translations in order to see how a passage can be rendered in different ways. This morning I was reading my copy of the Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels.

Remember that Greek participles can be translated as commands? Well, that’s exactly what Delitzsch does in Matt. 28:19:

  • Go!

  • Make disciples!

  • Baptize!

  • Teach!

Of course, only “Make disciples” is in the imperative mood in Greek. But that doesn’t make the other participles mere “suggestions”!

Let me issue a challenge to you today. Come up with one aspect of your life that needs to change, based on your study of God’s word. Remember that the aim of all Bible study is to produce Christlike changes in our lives. Then study what the Bible has to say about that subject. Let God’s Spirit begin to make that change in your life. I can assure you that God is not going to read the Bible for you. You have to decide if you really want to get into the Book, and when. As you dive into the word itself, take your time. Enjoy the experience. God’s truth is there, and you will find it if you give yourself enough time.

Friday, October 30

8:20 PM Another beautiful evening.

6:22 PM Silva’s book on lexical semantics is like an old friend — you never tire of it. I grabbed it off my shelf and reread it on the porch this afternoon.

My, how things have changed since it first appeared in 1983! The bibliography cites only a handful of works available at the time: Barr, of course, and C. B. Caird, and J. P. Louw’s Semantics of New Testament Greek, which appeared in 1982. I only wish I had had these works available to me when I was writing my dissertation in Basel on astheneia and its cognates in Paul.

That work was finished in 1982 and published under the title Paul, Apostle of Weakness in 1984.

I laughed out loud when I saw what I had written in Silva’s work back in 1983, when I first read his book:

My study was way too narrow for a study of Paul’s concept of weakness.

Here’s what I’m finding: Research stands still in no field, least of all in the sciences. So thank you to Silva (and Barr and Louw et al.) for stimulating yours truly to delve a bit more deeply into the field. I’d also like to thank my colleague Ben Merkle for helping me put togetherthis volume.

The same connective thread remains some 32 years after I published Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek. There is a reason New Testament Greek students study the science of linguistics: We believe that Greek is a language and can and should be studied as such. Silva described a powerful intellectual movement I cannot quit thinking about. And today, the tools available to us are so much more than I had when I was just starting out. You have the keys, students! Do not let anything stop you from studying linguistics. Sometimes things start off a little stiff, so be patient. My best advice is just to read anything you can get your hands on and be truthful. Trust me, no will be able to master everything there is to know about Greek linguistics. But we all can make a start.

Today I cannot teach one class, not one, without thinking of the debt I owe to scholars like Silva.

12:15 PM Like I said, I’ve been enjoying the book The Explorers. The “seven” characteristics of an explorer are — in case you’ve forgotten — curiosity, hope, passion, courage, independence, self-discipline, and perseverance. Becky had these traits in bucket-fulls. She was never reticent to step off into the unknown. She exuded optimism and hope. Passionate? What didn’t she do with passion? Courage? Nothing intimated her. She was born independent. Her tastes were never influenced by others. Her self-discipline was amazing. As for perseverance, just read her book. I won’t bore you with all the nitty-gritty details. As I watched her life, I thought about why we evenwant to do hard things as human beings. I mean, isn’t it so much easier to sit on our sofas and not even attempt to move out of our comfort zones? Yes, easier (maybe), but not better. Easy is not the point. Obedience is. Love for God and for people is the whole substance of life. There’s nothing that can even begin to compare with it. Run your race my friend. Say yes to life. Work hard. Don’t bury your talents. God made you good at something for a reason. Let the rest of us smile at you while you chase down your goals. Let us be inspired by your life. Forget about pleasing everybody. Just please your Lord. That’s what Becky tried to do with her life. She was an explorer at heart — curious, hopeful, passionate, courageous, independent, self-disciplined, and persevering. I don’t like people who minimize their potential. What are you good at? What gets your pulse racing? Find it and do it. Play your note. We are all cheering you on.

Becky Lynn Lapsley Black, I love you. Thank you for throwing yourself into life with no apologies. You were smart and able. Even getting sick wasn’t a tragedy for you. You leveraged it for good. Thank God for that. I hit the jackpot when I married you. I will never be the same. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. As I look back over the past 7 years, I see that no matter where I turned, I kept running into God. No, he did not give me an answer to the question of why he took you home. I don’t think I’ll ever comprehend that. But I have made peace with his sovereignty and goodness. I know you are in a far better place. You lived life to the fullest. Glory be to God.

 

6:58 AM Here at DBO we’re anxious to help you any way we can with your Bible study. We have hundreds of essays you can peruse. We have published all of my major journal articles (with permission); these are free to print off as needed. On our Greek Portal we are always publishing new Power Points. We are anxious to help you because we know that you are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. The Bible is the living word of God. I’ve discovered that I’m constantly finding something new in its pages, regardless of how many times I’ve read it. Each day, I believe God has something fresh for us as we place ourselves under him. With every new trip through the Scriptures there’s some new treasure to be found!

If you haven’t visited ourGreek Portal yet, I invite you to take a look today.

We’re always posting something fresh there. Here are some new Power Points we used in our teaching this week:

1) The Text of Mark 6:20.

2) Major Characteristics of Mark’s Gospel.

3) Sponsoring Native Missionaries in the Majority World.

4) On (Mis)Reading 1 Timothy as a “Pastoral Epistle.”

Today I’m finishing writing up my final thoughts on Martin Dugard’s excellent book The Explorers. Then I need to clean the house and get a workout in. As we go through the normal routines of the day, let’s keep our hearts and minds open to the truth of God’s word, whatever it may be. Let’s recognize our biases and prejudices for what they are — sin. It’s so easy to approach the Bible with a variety of incorrect ideas without even realizing it. One thing I have learned through the years is that any time we leave the actual text of the Bible and instead embrace our own traditions, we get into trouble. The “Pastoral” Epistles is a good example. We need to read the Bible for itself. It’s one story from beginning to end, and Jesus Christ is the center of it all. When I get to heaven I’m going to give its human authors a big hug. They have given us the plain truth. What a precious heritage we have!

Thursday, October 29

8:42 PM My view.

6:46 PM Hi. It’s me again. Just popping in again when you thought I was gone for good. Nope. Just been teaching away. My theme this week on campus was, “The Bible is the word of God.” That’s really quite a statement, isn’t it? If we really believed that, it would change everything. Moreover, the Bible isn’t only inspired. It’s profitable! It is given to instruct us and correct us and guide us and teach us truth. It is by far the best selling book in history yet we live in a world (and nation) that is filled with deception. More than ever, we Americans need to know what the Bible says and how to obey it in our own lives. How should we study the Bible? That’s the question I try to answer week in and week out on campus in my classes. As I often say to my students, don’t ever accept anything just because I’ve said it (or even because some other Bible teacher has said it). You have a much better teacher than me (or them). Research the Bible for yourself in the power of the Holy Spirit and you will be surprised what God wants to teach you. It’s my premise that you will never be able to understand (and obey) the Bible by spending 45 minutes a week listening to a sermon. Nope. Ain’t gonna happen. We need to be personally involved in dedicated Bible study. My classes are nothing more than attempts to provide people with tools to help them study God’s word for themselves. Of course, this is impossible without his Spirit, but he is more than willing to fill us. We just have to ask.

Anyhoo, I’m back home again and mighty thankful too. This is where my R & R occurs each and every week. Here God literally makes me lie down in green pastures. It’s where he leads me beside still waters. It’s where he restores my soul. Tonight I will take time simply settling in. Hopefully I’ll go back to work next week refreshed and revitalized. Jesus sought solitude not when there was nothing else to do but because of the essential need to make time for prayer despite all the things that cried out for his attention. Sometimes he would spend an entire night in retreat. Do you have a special place in your life where you can get away to be with God? I hope so!

This week I’ve been working very hard on letting things go. The politics. The election. Becky’s passing. The cancelled trips and races. That’s why I will run again this weekend. Only runners get how restorative and healing running is. So I run on. And bike on. And swim on. And hike on. And walk on. Some people feel unmotivated to run right now because there are so few races. I will run because I acquire a perspective on life that I can’t get any other way than by being outdoors with the Lord.

Life is never boring when you’re active. Case in point: Being interviewed by a good friend for hispodcast.

I mean, seriously. How can anything be so much fun?

Tomorrow I hope to get in either a run, bike, or hike. I’m tempted to go to Harper’s Ferry and climb to the Maryland Lookout. I love new hiking trails. But right now I have to get the house in order and check up on all the animals. And yes, tomorrow I’ll be blogging more about Becky, in case you were wondering. I’m not sure there is one secret to having longevity in a relationship, but I do think working together for the gospel gives you both something to talk about, pray about, and (hopefully) laugh about. Plus, it helps you to speak the same love language.

More anon!

Monday, October 26

7:55 AM So how to commemorate? I’ve already had Ethiopian food in her honor. I’ve already run a race in her memory. I think I’ll post a few anecdotes of our life together. Would that be okay? One of my favorite memories of Becky is attending a Lutheran Brethren church together in Anaheim while I was learning German in preparation for our living in Basel. Here she is with Frau and Herr Mittmann.

Paul Mittmann had served in the Wehrmacht during World War II. Like so many vets, after the war he and his wife relocated to Southern California — to “Anna’s Home.” There they started a German-speaking congregation. On Sundays I would attend regularly before my own church service in La Mirada started. Mr. Mittmann and I would also meet in his home weekly for conversation practice. Eventually I preached (in German) several times to his congregation before moving to Switzerland. Herr Mittmann spoke the most beautiful German. It was he who enabled me to hit the ground running when I arrived in Basel. I am forever in his debt. Though Becky wasn’t studying German at the time, she would often tag along to our meetings. She and Frau Mittmann really hit it off. Within three months of our arrival in Switzerland, Becky was speaking the language (here we are at dinner in Basel).

We both loved living in Basel. I felt as at home there as I did in La Mirada. Pictures like these remind me of why it’s such a good idea to get out of your own culture.

More stories later ….

7:05 AM Only 7 days to go till “that” day. No, not the election. Butthat day. Odd, I still think I should be able to wake up in the morning and enjoy a cup of coffee with her on the front porch. It still seems so strange. Stuff like this reminds me to be grateful that God is absolutely sovereign. Because on the face of it, it feels and looks like a loss, a brutal reminder of the brokenness of the world we live in. Somehow I think Jesus would have understood. I look into the Gospels and see him weeping outside of the tomb of a man he was about to raise from the dead, fully present in the moment, sharing deeply in the grief of his friends. I think of the ones who stood vigil around Becky as she drew her last breath, present in her last moments, and I know this is the way life is meant to be. Jesus got dirty and he got hurt. He could have lived in a monastery but he didn’t. Instead, he lived in community with brokenness. He loved the unlovable and wept with the mourners. I don’t understand why I had to lose my wife at the age of 60. But I do know that Christ has overcome death, whether I feel it or not, whether I understand it or not. Victory over death has been won. How long? How long before he speaks the word and makes the world whole again? How long do widows and widowers have to groan before this old world had groaned enough?

When you see your loved ones today, hold them close and tell them that you love them. And don’t stop singing. We must never stop singing to our God.  

In Basel.

In Egypt.

In Dallas.

In Hawaii.

Forever in my heart.

Sunday, October 25

5:40 PM We had a brief break in the weather so I was able to get in a 5K recovery walk today. The weather is teaching me to be flexible.

Meanwhile I just finished putting together a power point on (mis)reading 1 Timothy as a “pastoral” epistle. I’m also texting with family. This has been a very tough time for our nation and for our families. We must do what we can to help others out, to check up on friends and family members, and to remain optimistic. When things don’t go as planned, you come up with a new plan. There are no excuses not to press ahead with life. Last night I finished this book.

In places it is heartbreaking. On page 80, Henry relates the story of his dismissal from the editorship of Christianity Today.

He determined at all costs to be a Christian gentleman in the midst of his disappointment. He wrote, “Mrs. Henry and I are reconciled to dismissal, both psychologically and spiritually, although I must say the hurt is deep.” The worst blow, he went on to say, wasn’t the involuntary termination after 12 years of sacrificial labor. It was the nullification of the opportunity to look into constructive alternatives while still employed. Of course, there was a silver lining, as Henry went on to become a faculty member at Eastern Baptist Seminary and then lecturer-at-large for World Vision. It’s true that we all handle hardships differently. Some of us wallow in self-pity. Others are more proactive. What I do know is that once we move beyond the denial/anger stage (which is totally acceptable for a time), we begin to see the big picture and can return to our old optimistic selves.

2020 has been a time of tremendous change for many of us. Let’s be there for each other. Focus on the blessings in your life right now. They are still there.

9:20 AM Hey, folks. Hope you’re having a great day. The weather has turned cold and dreary — a good day to attend my three virtual services and to work on class prep for the coming week. In NT 2 on Wednesday we’ll take a deep dive into the “Pastoral Epistles” — a misnomer if ever there was one. We’ll also look at the controversy over whether or not pastors should be paid a salary (1 Tim. 5:17) and the problem concerning the genuineness of these three letters (i.e., the question of authorship). I know that’s a lot to cover but, hey, this is important stuff, especially given how tenuous many aspects of our current ecclesiology are today. As for “double honor” referring to financial remuneration — Gordon Fee, for example, says Paul is referring to “the same honor afforded to others, plus a stipend” — we will examine the positions of Carl Hoch, John Polhill, F. F. Bruce, Roland Allen, and Richard Lenski.

Good stewardship of our resources is really the issue here. Generally speaking, financial support in the New Testament is assigned to traveling evangelists or to prophets, not to settled local clergy. And that only makes sense. Just think of world missions today. Around the world the Holy Spirit is raising up thousands of dedicated men and women who are bringing the salvation story to their own people. These national Christians are taking the banner of the cross where colonial-era missionaries left off. Some call them the third wave of the modern missionary movement. The impact of this continues to grow. More and more believers in North America are learning to live more simply and creatively in order to support native missionaries. I believe this is the kind of faith and commitment it will take to reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I recall once reading about a church in North America that was building a new sanctuary for over $100 million dollars. My guess is that the same amount would be enough to practically guarantee that the gospel of Christ would be preached to an entire Indian state or among an entire people group in Ethiopia such as the Oromo or Amhara.

Years ago I had the privilege of having as a student a young man from Bagdogra, India. His parents had left Kerala in the south to begin a gospel ministry in the hard soil of northern India 4 decades ago. Today you can support a native missionary there for about one dollar a day. Years ago Becky and I got on board when we realized that the frontline work of missions in Asia has been taken over almost entirely by indigenous missionaries who are starting hundreds of new churches every week in the Two-Thirds World. These missionaries live simply, dress in the local clothing, and are able to share the Good News easily in the local language. And anyone can become involved. If each of us were to lay aside one dollar a day to help support a native missionary, I am convinced that there are enough potential sponsors to support all the native missionaries needed to evangelize the Two-Thirds World. When we look at the unfinished Great Commission and then compare it with our lavish lifestyles, how can we explain our lack of involvement? Undoubtedly the native missionary movement is the best hope for these unreached nations. In my many trips to Asia, the Middle East, and Asia, I have seen how God has called native missionaries to take the gospel into areas solidly controlled by traditional religions. When Africans share Christ with other Africans in a culturally acceptable way, the results are amazing. Six native missionaries Becky and I supported financially for three years in Northern Ethiopia planted four fully-indigenized churches in that period. If you’re asking yourself, “Are native missionaries prepared to carry on cross-cultural evangelism?”, the answer is a resounding yes — and with great effectiveness. The transition is far easier than for someone coming from a Western culture. They often understand the culture, customs, lifestyle, and language much better than we do. And although social barriers continue to exist, they are much smaller and more easily overcome.

The upshot is this: Tens of thousands of native missionaries are being raised up by the Lord in all of these Two-Thirds World nations. Even more exciting is this: God is calling all of us to be part of what he’s doing in these nations. We have it in our hands to make it possible for thousands of native missionaries to move out with the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. They will go to the lost if Christians in the West will only help. Missions is the primary task of the local church. If this is the case, then why should so many of our dollars stay in the U.S. to support salaries and church buildings? My exhortation this week will be: For the sake of Christ, we need to review the financial and mission polices of our local churches, with every believer reconsidering his or her own stewardship practices and submit them to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in how best to support the global outreach of the Body of Christ. As Roland Allen has put it, “Foreigners can never successfully direct the propagation of any faith throughout a whole country. If the faith does not become naturalized and expand among the people by its own vital power, it exercises an alarming and hateful influence, and men fear and shun it as something alien. It is then obvious that no sound missionary policy can be based upon multiplication of missionaries and mission stations” (The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, p. 19).

Friends, we are facing a new day in missions, but it requires the cooperation of Christians in both the East and the West. I don’t know about you, but I am more carefully examining each dollar I send for missions and asking, “Is there waste involved here?” During World War II, Americans proved that they could make astonishing sacrifices. They lived simply. Their gas was rationed. Factories were retooled to support the war effort. Production of durable goods like vacuum cleaners and kitchen appliances were banned until war’s end. Hollywood studios went all out for the war effort. Even though the battles were fought far away, the daily lives of those on the home front were drastically changed.

Today, Christians live as peacetime soldiers. We will sacrifice to buy books, to listen to groups sing Christian songs, to travel miles to hear a Christian speaker. All the while, native missionaries are waiting to go to the next village with the gospel. Even as I write this blog post, I sense God is calling me to become a better steward of what he’s given me. No doubt I can do a much better job. More than 2 billion people are waiting to hear the gospel. I want to see these people reached with the Good News. I know you do too. In India alone, nearly half a million villages remain without a Christian witness. How can native missionaries go to the lost unless someone sends them? Will we join together in ministering to them?

Saturday, October 24

1:24 PM As y’all know, I’m a huge fan of fundraisers. After Becky died in 2013, I went to Zermatt to do some high altitude climbing in the Alps to see if I could raise funds for UNC Chapel Hill Women’s Cancer Hospital. My dream came through when I was able to present the hospital a check for $25,000. Two years later I ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati — my very first 26.2 mile race — in order to add to that sum if possible. The race was perfect, exactly how I always imagined it would be. It was overwhelming! I’ll never forget those cheering faces encouraging us runners to keep going. A month later UNC got another check, this time for $7,000. For today’s 10K trail run, I decided that if I could finish under one and a half hours, I would donate $400 to UNC — $100 for every year Becky was treated there. I apologize that I didn’t get any pictures of the race itself since all of us were either going uphill or downhill as fast as we could. We had chosen to push ourselves and take on a challenge. We had chosen to do something outside of our comfort zone in order to feel more alive. When I crossed the finish line, I let out a strangled scream. I had beaten the clock! Now the tears really poured — by God’s grace, another fundraising goal achieved! It is my hope that my running will teach my grandkids to invest their time in worthwhile endeavors, to do hard things, and then to enjoy a reward. I never want them to stop challenging themselves. Runners run for many reasons. I began running to cope with a broken heart after Becky’s death. With every step, through the sweat and the tears, I began to heal. Running has been my medicine. It’s even a way I can pay back the people who worked tirelessly to try and save Becky’s life. Running has a new meaning — a new purpose for me. Now I train and run to be strong for my kids and grandkids when they need me. Running is how I lean into God, how I call myself back to him. I don’t have to run away anymore. All I have to do is breathe. A few pix:

My trip to the Alps was unforgettable. My professional mountain guide cost me $640 per day. But he was worth every penny. After all, I came home safely.

This photo was taken at the starting line of the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincy. Mile after mile I fell in step with new friends. We talked about our favorite music and restaurants and exchanged funny stories about our children. We leaned on each other emotionally to get through the race.

I love how the race organizers today made everything as Covid-safe as possible. Masks were required, as was physical distancing. As you can see, we began running in waves of 6 runners. After one minute, the next wave would start.

The race was both brutal and beautiful. I had no idea it would be so hilly. I was even more surprised that I could run the uphills. When I first started running several years ago, I had no end of difficulty going uphill. One day I asked an experienced runner, “How do you learn how to run uphill?” His two-word answer made so much sense: “Run uphill”!

There’s one thing I know for sure: The Lord was very good to me today to allow me to finish in under one and a half hours. I came in 48th out of 62 runners. My thanks to Susan and Laura for pacing me the whole way on an unfamiliar course!

In conclusion, I really do enjoy trail racing. It’s my new love! I find that the up-and-down of the trails is surprisingly easier on my body than the hours on end you spend running on paved roads. Of course, you’re always concerned about all the rocks and roots that you encounter on trails. But if you slow down a bit and be careful, you should do okay. Listen, hard days and slow miles come to all of us. But if we draw on the people around us, and especially on the Lord, we can all finish strong!

Friday, October 23

1:12 PM My good friend Mary Jacobs went home to be with the Lord this week. Here she is on one of her two trips with us to Ethiopia.

In case you didn’t know, Becky and I partnered only with local churches in Ethiopia. Our goal was to connect local churches in the U.S. with local churches in Ethiopia. The partnership, we felt, should be long-term. Because of this philosophy of doing missions, we felt that relationships were critical. We simply came alongside the folks who lived there as humble servants, asking, “How can we best serve you?” Mary Jacobs was 80 years of age when she made her first trip to Africa with us. I clearly remember the Ethiopians saying to Becky and me, “Now we really know that you love us because you have sent us your very best.”

Remember, in some places (like Ethiopia), age is valued, not youth. Even though Mary couldn’t speak a word of Amharic, the people knew she had made a huge sacrifice of her time and energy to travel almost to Kenya just to love on the people there. She traveled with us on a bus and ate the food without a single complaint.

This was maybe the most unforgettable of my 17 trips to Ethiopia. There was much work to do, but we had plenty of co-laborers for the task.

We lived and worked among the people. I can only be thankful God’s grace erased any cultural differences between us. Becky especially was an Ethiopian at heart.

For Pete’s sake, she was raised there. Look at this picture.

It is gorgeous. This is missions, folks. Missions is not a program or a strategy or a method. Missions is simply people.

Just love people.

These were literally life-changing trips for all of us. Because no matter what skills and abilities you bring with you, the best we can give others is Jesus. Not rules. Not entertainment. Not money. Mary led with her life, not just her lips. She taught all of us to serve and to care about the world beyond the shores of “safe” America. I am grasping for words right now to describe what Jesus followers like Miss Mary meant to me. The next generation is screaming for role models like her.

Missions is crazy work, but it is good work. There is no coasting; you have to labor. Some parts of a trip are easier than others. Even when you face unimaginable hurdles, you fight your way back from disintegration and create something stronger than before — with scars, of course. I hold myself supremely blessed to have known women like Mary and, yes, Becky. Theirs was not an easy path. But they were the Lord’s. Like Jesus, they went to hard places and did hard things. Above all, they loved like him.

Church, love each other. That’s about it. Do that and everything else will fall into place.

7:10 AM The map for tomorrow’s 10K trail race near Richmond.

I like it. It looks challenging. It’s like the first date you had with your future spouse — exciting, exhilarating, and frightening. I spent most of my life thinking runners were lunatics. Now I am one. I’ve become just as crazy as they are. And just as content. Running is for everybody — including lazy, quirky, opinionated people like me. Get’s you out of your comfort zone, that’s for sure. Do have to be talented to run? Are you kidding? Look at me. But the neat thing about being really bad at something is that you improve without hardly any work at all. With each step forward it becomes more difficult not to become a runner. Just try it and see for yourself. I’ll never have a runner’s body, no matter how many miles I run. Who cares? I’d rather have a runner’s soul.

Gotta get this day started. Later!

Thursday, October 22

7:32 PM What’s your favorite genre of books to read? Mine are autobiographies and books about how to study the New Testament. These two books came this week and I can’t wait to dig into them this weekend.

I know books are getting a little archaic these days but I still believe we can get information from books and, more importantly, the inspiration and motivation to keep on running the race God has set before us. As for training, the Lord allowed me to get in two really good days of activity while I was in Wake Forest. One day I did a bike.

And the next day I did a run.

Today was a rest day. I’m a big fan of training — and then resting at the right time during a training block. Training, like anything worthwhile in life, is incredibly fun to experiment with. The challenge is figuring out what works best for you and your body. One size most certainly doesn’t fit all. We run hard, we rest, and then we pick up again. My long run this weekend is going to be another trail race, this time along the James River near the great city of Richmond. There’s no luck in this sport, ladies and gentlemen. It’s all about hard work and discipline and, yes, an off the chart work ethic. I’m a big fan of putting your head down and tuning out the noise when it comes to chasing down your dreams, figuring out your career path, and, yes, chasing down racing goals. Distance running has taught me to keep pushing my limits when things get tough. I always appreciate the outcome and the lessons running teaches me. This has crossover value to the whole of my life. The reward comes when, for example, you get the copies of your latest book in the mail, representing many, many hours of time and energy invested in a project.

Yes, folks, we work hard, and we also play hard — like treating yourself to Ethiopian dinner after a long day of work.

Ever grateful, each and every day, to be able to get up in the morning and give it my all during the day, whether it’s teaching or running. As far as the latter is concerned, proper shoes make a big difference. Running shoes that are affordable are difficult to find sometimes. I still seem to go through a pair of running shoes every 3 months, which means that it’s always a good idea to have new shoes on hand.

Years ago I pulled the trigger on the New Balance brand and have never looked back. So far I have nothing bad to say about them. Even the price point seems reasonable. For me they are just the perfect shoe — great cushion and not over-stabilizing. They provide the support that’s needed and feel great on your feet. Every time I put on my running shoes I’m different in some way than the day before. Which means I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.

Anyhoo, it’s been a good week thus far. I hope and pray it’s been good for you too. My “flesh” may be tired but my mind and spirit are soaring. 

Keep thinking, growing, and loving!

Dave

Monday, October 19

8:50 AM Back to campus. On deck this week:

1) Grade exam over chapters 3-6 in Greek 1. Pass out a free copy of one of my books to everyone who got a perfect 110 on the exam. Introduce the aorist and imperfect active indicative and discuss the three Greek aspects: aoristic, imperfective, and perfective. (Yes, you up-and-coming-teachers of Greek: it’s okay to use traditional nomenclature; see von Siebenthal.)

2) Translate Phil. 2:19-30 in Greek 3 class — two Christlike men who lived for the sake of the gospel. Interestingly, more shrift is spent on Epaphroditus than on Timothy. We will also go over myLasting Lessons from Philippians 2 in class and the chapter on semantics in my book Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek.

3) In NT 2, we will cover the Prison Epistles of Paul — we’ll focus on the discourse structure of Philippians, the destination of Ephesians, and legalism in Colosse and its solution (with special application to the Amish of North America and to our own situation as evangelicals).

4) In NT 1, we’re in Matthew all week — the church’s initial gospel written by an eye and ear witness of the Savior.

5) I’m also meeting with my OT colleague Chip Hardy to finalize the syllabus for our LXX offering in the spring. Yes, we’ve decided to do Jonah. Super excited about that. 

I’ve been spending the weekend prepping for all of this, though I probably could have spent more time on it than I did. Sometimes on the weekends I lose focus. So what? Do we always have to be crazy overachievers with a flawless plan in place? Besides, I have all day today to put the finish touches on my classes for the week. That’s plenty of time to make sure I’m as ready as I can possibly be to enter the classroom. As for my training/exercise plan for the week, it’s pretty much what I always do. I will strive to get in two long bikes and one long run while in Wake Forest. If I miss a day, no sweat. It’s not like I’m training for the Olympic Track Team or anything. The next race on my calendar is a 10K in Fredericksburg on Nov. 8, followed by another half marathon in Lynchburg on Nov. 21. Still undecided which full marathon I should sign up for in 2021. Actually, many of them are still cancelled, so looks like I will have to wait a couple more months before deciding. I can’t wait to do another marathon. But gone are the days when I did 4 in one year. The real challenge is trying to fit in training in the midst of an incredibly busy schedule of teaching and writing. My guess is that many of you are more hard core balancers than I am. If you’ve got any tips for balancing work/home/training, feel free to send them my way. As I tell my students, if you want it to happen badly enough, it will happen. Just do your best with the time that you have. But be prepared to move out of your comfort zone to make it happen.

Trust you’re off to a great start this week. Blessings on you as you wage the war of the love against everything that opposes it (including so many aspects of politics)!

Sunday, October 18

6:24 PM In two weeks I will commemorate the homegoing of Becky. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the death of a spouse. Nothing. There’s nothing that can prepare you for the way you will feel when you hold her hand for the last time and watch her take her final breath on earth. Nothing. There’s nothing that can keep you from feeling torn apart and wondering if you’ll be able to carry on. Nothing. Nothing except a family who loves you and cares for you and makes sure you’re okay. Nothing except for the community of God’s people who lift you up night and day in prayer. Nothing but friends and even strangers who send you emails and text messages telling you that you’re going to be alright. Nothing except for the One who is weaving together the strands of your story and who will not rest until all things work together for your good and his glory, the One who allows you to take the loss into yourself and be enlarged by it, so that your capacity to live and to love and to know him intimately increases, the One who will continue to be present with you until the end of your life and into all eternity, the One who will one day wipe away your tears and heal your brokenness. Nothing but that. Nothing but everything.

8:54 AM Very excited to see this book in print.

Abidan was my former assistant and has been a pastor for many years in Henderson, NC. On the back cover I wrote:

In this much-needed study of New Testament textual criticism, Shah offers far more than careful historical scholarship concerning one of the most vexing questions in this field. While his analysis offers a first-class treatment of the concept of ‘original text,’ he also rediscovers ideas that speak to the current confusion concerning the overriding goal of textual criticism. The result of Shah’s work is that rare academic book that is grounded in careful research and yet speaks powerfully to the church today about the proper role and goal of New Testament textual criticism. This is a scintillating book that I believe will prove vital to the church as it seeks to be faithful to its historical documents.

Heartiest congratulations Abidan on the publication of your first book. You can gohere to order it from Amazon.

6:58 AM “Hallelujah! I want to express publicly before his people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles. All who are thankful should ponder them with me. For his miracles demonstrate his honor, majesty, and eternal goodness.” Ah, the magnificent words of my morning devotional, Psalm 11:1-3. As I ran yesterday, I poured out my heart to God. Despite all the hardships and disappointments of my life, there’s so much to give thanks for. I thought a lot about gratitude and how it relates to both attitude and altitude. For one, they rhyme. For another, they allow us to invent worn out clichés — “Do you have an attitude of gratitude?” But practicing gratitude goes back to the Bible. “Give thanks in all circumstances” writes Paul. Remember that the next time you’re feeling crabby. Here’s where I found gratitude as I slogged up and down the hills yesterday:

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for my job.

I am thankful for my family and friends.

I am thankful for a mind that can think logically.

I am thankful for foreign languages.

I thankful for the farm and animals.

I am thankful for the ability to run, because running is an analogy for life.

Whenever we think we’ve got the bull by the horns, it’s a good idea to remember that none of our blessings are forever except for our salvation. Someday life will bite us in the behind in all of these areas. We value what we notice, folks. Yesterday I seemed to notice more than usual, and rightly so. This is the season of Thanksgiving. It’s a reminder of something we should be doing each and every day. When was the last time you “expressed publicly before his people my heartfelt thanks to God for his mighty miracles”?

Speaking of gratitude, below is a book on Bible study that a friend of mine and I are writing. I am grateful for his partnership in this project. Our goal is to be simple without being simplistic. With this book, we believe that any Christian can become a careful and prayerful student of the New Testament. Once it’s published we hope it will be the first of several books we will use in holding classes in local churches. My co-author is already a local church pastor who holds a doctorate in New Testament. We both are convinced that interpreting the New Testament is for every Christian. The secret is that there is no secret. The answers you are looking for when you study the New Testament lie somewhere between inspiration and perspiration. You just have to be willing to see where you are, decide where you want to be, and figure out how you want to get there. Don’t misunderstand. Studying the New Testament is simple but it’s not easy. You just need to know the rules of the road. Here’s the book title and its table of contents:

How to Study the New Testament with All Your Heart and Mind: A Beginner’s Guide to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the New Testament

Introduction: The Importance of Prayer in Studying the New Testament

Part 1: Before We Start

  • The Joy of Studying the New Testament

  • Who Is Qualified to Interpret the New Testament?

  • It’s All Greek to Me: The Language and Text of the New Testament

  • The KJV and Beyond: How to Choose a New Testament Translation

  • Herman Who? General Rules for Interpreting the New Testament

  • Don’t Forget Genres: The Gospels and Acts, the Epistles and Revelation

Part 2: Fleshing Out the Rules

  • Understanding the Big Picture: Historical and Literary Analysis

  • Those Pesky Variants: Handling Textual Problems

  • There’s a Word for It: How to Do a Word Study (and How Not to Do It)

  • Moving Beyond Words: Observing the Grammar and Structure of the Text

  • The Medium Is the Message: Poetry and Other Rhetorical Devices

Part 3: Where Do We Go from Here?

  • Truth That Transforms: The Power of the New Testament in Your Life

  • The Goal: Becoming Obedient Followers of Jesus

Speaking of books, here’s one I am thoroughly enjoying.

The author is Greg Thornbury, a young evangelical with the good sense to appreciate evangelicals of a previous generation. When he was at Union University, Thornbury organized a conference to consider the Henry legacy and invited several well-known speakers to help interpret that legacy. Henry was the first of his generation to move outside the narrow circles of fundamentalism. Rather than getting a seminary doctorate he chose to complete a Ph.D. in philosophy at Boston University. He helped establish a leading evangelical magazine called Christianity Today that was to be transcontinental, interdenominational, theologically affirmative, socially aggressive, and irenic. As Thornbury notes, “If Billy Graham was the heart of evangelicalism, Carl. F. H. Henry was its head.”

In 1989 Henry organized a major 2-week conference at Wheaton called “Evangelical Affirmations.” I was privileged to have been invited to attend. In those days, students were reading Henry plus a plethora of other authors: E. J. Carnell, Kenneth Kantzer, Colin Brown, Donald Bloesch, Gordon Lewis, Bruce Demarest, Norma Geisler, Millard Erickson, J. I. Packer, and John Stott. Rarely do I hear those names mentioned today, to our great loss as a church. So far I am enjoying this book tremendously. Reading it makes me want to read Henry again. In his book The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, Henry wrote:

The message for a decadent modern civilization must ring with the present tense. It must confront the world now with an ethics to make it tremble, and with a dynamic to give it hope.

Well said, Dr. Henry, well said indeed. Finally (for now), have you seen this book by my friend Jim Voelz of Concordia Seminary? It’s his magnum opus.

I’ll be using it shortly in one of my Greek classes. The introduction alone is worth the price of the book. Here Jim covers such topics as the basic characteristics of Mark’s Greek, Semitic features, Hellenic features, complexity, sophistication, present tense verb forms to convey past historical events, asyndeton, patterning, scene setting, aspect, tense, voice, and vocabulary. I’ve gotten a wealth of information from this book and appreciate the author’s devotional tone throughout. I think it will serve as an excellent resource for our class. If you’re a Greek student, you’ll want a copy for sure.

A concluding reminder: When you’re going through a tough time, gently whisper (or scream), “Thank you!” I truly believe gratitude is something that can change our attitude in a split second.

Hope you all have a great Lord’s Day.

Saturday, October 17

5:32 PM Well, folks, I probably won’t ever have to run a half marathon trail race again because I have experienced the true Nirvana of running, and nothing can top what I did on a beautiful Saturday morning in October. Okay, I’ll stop being so melodramatic. But it was something special. Yesterday I drove to the heart of Virginia. It’s called the Blue Ridge. If you’ve never been there, you don’t know what you’re missing. There’s even a Parkway you can use to drive right through the middle of it. I stayed in a quaint little motel last night. It’s called the Village Inn and it’s in the hamlet of Lovingston, along Hwy 29. What’s not to love about a place that charges only 75 bucks for a quiet night’s sleep? This was my view this morning as I left the motel.

Not very promising. Mostly fog and misty rain. But as soon as the sun popped into the sky, everything changed.

I knew the day would be perfect for running after all. As for the race itself, this is the only chart you need in order to understand it.

The race started at the top of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then ascended up to an FAA tower, at which point you turned around and descended 2,200 feet to the 6.5 mile turnaround. This means you also had to go back up 2,200 feet, making a grand total of 4,400 feet of vertical gain and loss. Was I ready for this challenge? I went into the race with three race strategies. My Plan A — you know, the one that depends completely on a miraculous intervention by God — would be to finish the race in under 3 hours. Plan B — the goal that’s most likely to happen on race day — was to finish in under 3 and a half hours. Plan C — aka the “Doomsday Scenario” — was simply to finish the race within the time limits. Long distance races are always a big mystery to me. Every new mile offers a new challenge. Goals are simply points in your brain to help you take the next step and eventually take that last step over the finish line. I truly had no idea what to expect during the race. So I threw caution to the wind and embraced the unknown. I went into the event knowing I would give it my very best. I may not be the fastest sexagenarian out there, but I DO NOT GIVE UP.  Here are a few race shots to keep you utterly bored:

The start, with me (as always) bringing up the Covid-caution-induced rear.

The terrain was lovely.

Running past the vineyards.

Eventually you reached a gravel road, where you ran a good two-thirds of the race.

But the landscape made it all worth it.

The last hill you have to climb before you see the …

FINISH LINE!

Post-race brisket burger and fries in Lynchburg. (Don’t tell my kids about the Coke.)

After the race I felt like a kid again. Boy was that fun! I didn’t come in first, but I didn’t come in dead last either (like I thought I would). My time ended up being a respectable 3:06:43. I missed my Plan A goal by less than 7 minutes. Of course, when the race is over, the only question you need to ask yourself is, “Did I do my best?” Races are great places to find the best in yourself, the best in others, and the best in the sport of running. Because of Covid there weren’t any post-race refreshments or awards, but I left the event savoring the experience. The miles I run in life are some of the most trusted companions I have. They remind me to find that as-yet untapped source of energy and enthusiasm within. Being a finisher simply means making peace with how far you’ve come and yet how far you still have to go.

Can’t wait for my next trail race! 

P.S. During the race I spent most of the time praying. Well, giving thanks actually. Psalm 118 — which I read early this morning — was on my mind the whole time. God has been so good to me.

P.P.S. Later I’ll tell you some more “stuff” I’ve been up to these days, including a new book project. Stay tuned.

Thursday, October 15

6:20 PM Curiosity, writes New York Times best-selling author Martin Dugard in his book The Explorers, is the first step in exploring the world beyond ourselves. It “beats within all of us, for mankind is innately inquisitive.”

His illustrations come from explorers like Gaspar de Portola, James Bruce, Daniel Boone, and James Cook, who discovered the islands where I was born and raised (the “Sandwich Islands”). “These were ordinary men doing extraordinary things, putting one foot in front of the other in the name of exploration.” He adds that they “were insatiable in their desire to know all there was about the world around them.” Curiosity was “the unscratched itch” in their lives. And for us lesser mortals today, it is vital to success in life.

As a teacher, I for one agree. We are there in the classroom not only to provide direct instruction about our subject matter. We are there to develop epistemic curiosity in our students — knowledge that turns their curiosity on, which then triggers more curiosity. We often see it brimming over at the beginning of the semester. But then it begins to wane. Sadly, for some students it becomes extinct. They are there only for a diploma. Information drives out curiosity.

As a youth, I suffered from insatiable curiosity. How is the Bible the word of God? How was the island of Oahu formed? Can sand sharks kill? Is the Vietnam War just? After I moved to California the questions changed. Now I was asking life-changing questions like who should I marry or what field should I pursue for my career? Basel only notched things up. I need to write a dissertation but on what? And who will publish it when I’m done? Will I ever master Swiss German? Ah, learning a foreign language — one of the greatest curiosity killers if only because we are too proud to speak the language and make mistakes in public.

I think what Dugard is suggesting is that in order to become curious we have to be aware of gaps in our current knowledge in the first place. The trouble is, it’s so easy to go around thinking we know everything. But part of personal growth is being prepared to be curious. I look for curiosity in my prospective doctoral students as much as any other trait. But being curious all the way through life is even better. All of the great books in New Testament studies today (and these are very few and far between) are written by people who have stretched their curiosity to a maximum. They remind us that there’s always more to learn and that our minds and imaginations are here to be astonished, wowed, and awed. Dr. Harry Sturz at Biola did that for me. Dr. Reicke did that for me in Basel. I hope, in a small measure, I do that for my students. While reading this chapter I kept saying to myself, “Yes!” and “Me too!” It’s rekindled my own passion to be more aware of my own curiosity levels. A perfect place to start is by identifying simple clues in my life that point to true north.

Especially in an uncertain political climate, Dugard inspire his readers to rise above their self-doubts and make bold moves to change their lives. His advice is motivational and practical.

On to the next chapter — Hope!

2:20 PM Just back from a very comfortable 8 mile workout to keep the legs fresh before Saturday’s race. Every runner is different. I frankly do not have all the answers as to why we runners enjoy running alone. I think the joy of exercise is part of it. I think the fun we have is another. But at the end of the day, it’s our love of the outdoors.

On days like today you feel like you have wings on your feet and the steps feel effortless. Loneliness does not creep in when you’re at peace with yourself.

Marathon training is on the doorstep, ladies and gentlemen, and I am beyond excited to dig deep as I strive to chase down goals and dreams. Stay tough out there, y’all. You’re going to need it to make it through the rest of 2020. And thank you for engaging with this blog on such a consistent basis. I will do my best to bring you valuable content as the Lord enables. Have a great day here on the internet and everywhere else!

9:12 AM Imagine a trail race in October next to the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. Now imagine a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. Add into the mix running at 4,400 feet of elevation. Put it all together and you get the annual 12 Ridges Vineyard 50K/Marathon/Half Marathon race this Saturday. Races are limited to 100 entrants for all three events. Somehow I managed to get an entry. Can’t wait to experience the cool weather, the low humidity, and the post-race chardonnay (um, just kidding). Covid restrictions are firmly in place, meaning the event is cupless and masks are required at the start and finish (and even on the course if insufficiently distanced). I’m trying to be wise, so I signed up for the half only, though to be honest I was tempted to do the full marathon. I simply can’t imagine running in a more beautiful setting. Thank you, Lord. You’re so good to me!

The course map.

Meanwhile, I’ve been devouring this book.

I love reading books by non-Christians. Yes, they exalt the human spirit without acknowledging God, but they are no less readable (and interesting) for that reason. Here the author asks, “What are the traits of successful explorers? And can any of us use these traits in our own walk of life?” The quest to explore “spans the centuries,” writes Dugard. “It is the link between Christopher Columbus and Steve Jobs.” And you. And me. It’s simply part of our human nature to want to show ourselves that we can do something we think is impossible. The author finds 7 traits common to all explorers. They are:

  • Curiosity

  • Hope

  • Passion

  • Courage

  • Independence

  • Self-Discipline

  • Perseverance

Explorers, he says, don’t just display these traits. They display themin this order. Moreover, take one away — any of them — and an expedition is doomed to failure.

This book involves one of my passions — understanding what drives us, all of us, to excel in life. What makes us step outside of our comfort zones? What draws people into the magnetic pull of new places, persons, things, rituals, and vistas? I just started this book and can’t put it down. I’m so glad Chuck Swindoll quoted it in one of his sermons, otherwise I’d have never known about it. Thus far the book is an informative and eye-opening read. My plan is to comment on these 7 traits, one by one, in the days ahead. I love, love, love to read. I actually enjoy re-reading books I’ve already read because I notice all kinds of things I didn’t notice the first time (or maybe I’m just forgetting a lot). I tend to read too fast and don’t absorb. Not with this book. It’s so good. John Stott once said that we Christians need to develop more opportunities for what he called “creative leisure.” Even if unpaid, this is an authentic form of “work.” For me, reading books is a good example of this.

Off to the bank and to get some exercise!

Wednesday, October 14

7:25 PM Yetanother YouTuber using my grammar. Thank you, Abidan!

7:22 PM Ya gotta love this.

 

Oh for the days when our politicians could laugh at themselves!

6:10 PM Quick update because I’m tired.

I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on exercising until I die. I’ll build a track around the nursing home with a Depends changing station. I will also allow walkers (not people but those walking thingies) on the course. Until then, this course will do.

Tuesday? A 10-mile bike.

Yesterday? A 10 mile run.

The whole idea is to stay young as you age. Notice, I said as “you” age. Me? I’m just a kid at heart. I’m just gettin’ going. Wowza!

By the way #1, these books came today:

I’m especially looking forward to doing a deep dive into Greg Thornbury’s Why Should the Devil have All the Good Music? By the way #2, this was my view this morning as I walked from my dorm room to my office.

Have you ever seen a more beautiful campus? I haven’t.

Whether music or architecture, I enjoy excellence. Beethoven’s 5th is every bit as sacred as Handel’s Messiah. The same God gave each composer his talents. Praise be to God!

Up next for moi? A 15 mile run. Yep, always pushing myself. As you know, there’s a fine line between pushing yourself and accepting yourself. I still haven’t found it. Keeps me young at least!

Monday, October 12

9:20 AM While growing up in Hawai’i, I never knew I lived on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere until my first trip to the mainland (the “Big” Big Island, as we used to call it). I was six, and man what a trip that was. We spent two weeks with my mother’s Romanian family in Campbell, Ohio. My grandmother ran a convenience store on the first floor of her home, and everybody slept upstairs. Next door was the Romanian Community/Dance hall. During that time we squeezed every ounce of happiness we could out of the trip. We laughed until we died. We danced until we were sick. To be honest, I never knew being Romanian could be so much fun.

My next trip to the mainland was when I was 16. At the time, Greyhound Bus was offering a special deal for those who lived in Hawai’i and Alaska. It was called “99 Dollars for 99 Days.” For three months we could go anywhere Greyhound travelled in the contiguous 48. As I recall, we started out in the Pacific Northwest and went all the way to Connecticut. When I returned to Kailua, I was a little wiser. I had seen things, I tell you. I would never again be content with my cozy island lifestyle. My new mantra was — Show me something new. I was moving forward, adding layers, changing and growing. When I left for Biola in 1971, I never looked back.

Everything in life is a journey from A to B. Take Greek. This week we’re having our first exam in Greek 1. I think my students are beginning to realize that studying a foreign language is more like a marathon than a sprint. It’s a long process that takes lots and lots of time and effort. I wish I could clap twice and make a magic carpet descend from heaven to transport my charges from beginners to masters of the language. But life never works that way. That’s why we chose this path called Christianity. We knew coming to Christ wouldn’t be easy. He himself told us we’d have to count the cost. But for every sacrifice we make, it is returned a hundredfold in fellowship with our Maker.

This morning I’m leaving for Henderson, NC, for an interview on a podcast. The topic today is my little book Christian Archy. The book begins this way:

There is perhaps no clearer example of the church’s misguided appropriation of the world that the god of nationalism. Instead of simply following Jesus, whose kingdom is marked by powerless love, we have attempted to use Christianity to support worldly power. And this means that the church has lost its way — a transgression that carries with it an obligation on the part of every Christian to find his or her way back to the correct path.

As you know, the first and most important step on every journey is to pick your road. Where are you starting out from? Where do you want to end up? There are infinite possibilities out there, a road for every human thought and desire. But for Jesus, there is only one road. It is a very narrow road, and to enter it you must go through a very narrow gate. But it’s the only road that leads to life. There is no place on this road for distractions. On the contrary, it’s a revolutionary journey, this road we’re on. On this journey our identity is no longer wrapped up in politics or the American Dream. No, Jesus strips all that away and replaces it with his kingdom (= archy) priorities. The great need of the hour is to understand the church as a Spirit-endowed organism that is cross-culturally and trans-nationally valid, not as an institution modeled after the world. Once this distinction is made, the normal growth and witness of the church can be planned for, and various structures of the church can be used effectively.

Each age of church history is unique but not in every way. We can learn much from the past, and especially is this true at a time when we are living under the pressure of the future in a way that has perhaps never before been true on planet Earth. I believe there are few movements in church history that are more relevant for today than the 16th century Anabaptists. The purpose of the body of Christ, they insisted, is to make Jesus visible in the world. In fact, in the present age, the church is uniquely the instrument of the kingdom of God in the world. Thus, service to the kingdom means service to the world through missional activity. Our priority must be to become the King’s servants in the world. Local churches must begin to see themselves as satellite offices of the kingdom of God. Churches must get out of their salt shakers — out of their self-centered fellowships that negate the very reason for their existence.

It all boils down to priorities. We must ask ourselves, “How would God have us use the resources he’s given us to have the greatest possible impact on the kingdom?” What would happen if 90 million evangelicals in America would follow Jesus’ example of unconditional love? It is the way of the cross (via crucis) that the disciple of Jesus must follow with no other motive than that the Master requires it. It was he who refused to conquer the kingdoms of the world by the means proposed by the Tempter. To limit Christianity to social activism would be to betray Jesus because he never placed his spirituality in the service of an immediate political end. The kingdom of heaven belongs not to the powerful and religious, but to the poor and childlike. It is only when we become active in obedience to the Suffering Servant that the ministry of reconciliation is seen in its true meaning and has its full freedom of operation.

Whether we accept it or not, whether the church makes it central or not, whether it seems true or not, Jesus taught that powerless love is the only basis on which to build his kingdom. There is no other “road” to follow if we are to see God (Matt. 5:8). Beloved, let’s not use intellectual excuses to evade our responsibilities as disciples of King Jesus. In him we find a true Revolutionary who is quite capable of saving the world without using coercion of any kind.

Sunday, October 11

8:22 PM Right at this time yesterday I kept thinking, Will this rain never end? You know me. You know how I get when I can’t run for 4 or 5 days. Antsy, to put it mildly. So this evening, when the rain stopped (or slowed to a sprinkle), I got in a run at the track. I managed 4 miles before it started raining again.

I was hoping that the rain would stop altogether but it didn’t. I always do this “hoping” on runs. I hope I can do whatever I want to do. Once again, I was stymied. Why? Because God knew I didn’t need a run longer than 4 miles! Finally I told him, Okay. You’re the boss, not me. Which only made sense since one of my pastors in his virtual sermon was “encouraging” (aka chiding) me while I ran to remember that God designs the race we’re running, not us (Heb. 12:1-3). True, we have to run it, but we don’t have any say in how long it lasts, how much elevation gain (or loss) there is, or what the rules are. That’s God’s job. Our job? The speaker said three things:

1) Get rid of every weight that’s holding you back. You know, innocent things. For me that’s mostly having pity parties.

2) Deal with the sin that so easily besets you. The “sin” in this context (see chapter 11) is undoubtedly the sin of unbelief. “So Dave, what do you do when you encounter a fight, a struggle, a race (the word is agōn in Greek)? Do you trust me to get you through? Or do you crawl into the corner and sit there whimpering?” Folks, no matter how much we “plan,” it’s always tough to predict what will occur out there on the track or during the race itself. In other words, have a plan, but for the sake of all that is holy, be flexible! And that’s definitely one thing I’m not! I don’t like surprises!  

3) Focus on Jesus. Here the Greek word seems to mean, not merely “look unto Jesus,” but “look away from everything that would distract you and fix your gaze upon Jesus.” Why? For crying out loud, he’s the one who both designed the course and finished running it! This is the endurance element of any successful training program. At this stage, the “Coach” is telling you that you need to work on a better aerobic base, stronger legs, less fatigue, and better fat burning. Your goals, strategies, and objectives have to work together. You have to be prepared to change your goals after the race has started. You have to keep your objectives firmly in mind. A bad strategy is worse than no strategy. Folks, after years of running, I’ve learned that true long-distance success is more about tenacity than talent. The older theologians had a special term for this: perseverance. And that’s the word Paul uses — “Let’s run with perseverance the race that God has set before us.” In other words: Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone! Effort is the key! Don’t wuss out!

Friends, we are given the choice, day by day, to choose to run this way or not. Feelings will not help us very much. More often than not, it will call for principle over impulse. We have to be honest enough to recognize our feelings and to reject them when they are wrong. What constitutes a “successful” race? Where does it begin? Always with humility. Not in being served, but in serving. Not in self-actualization, but in self-surrender.

So it was back to the old drawing board for me tonight as I ran my measly 4 miles. I once heard an old saying that guaranteed the absence of boredom in life:

1) Have something to do.

2) Have someone to love.

We have both of these in Christ. He’s given us work to do this week and people to love on. I never realized the pure therapeutic value of loving others until I lost Becky to cancer. Honestly, I don’t think I could get through a single day without having someone to love. At least there is always Christ to love. And then there are our sisters and brothers in Christ. Finally, there are the lost. Whatever we do this week, whoever we love, let’s put our whole heart into it, okay? Let’s do it as though we are doing it for the Lord and not people, because we really do have a Master who will give us our heritage as a reward for our service.

Christ, be my Master this week.

Let me serve and love thee as I ought.

In your name, Amen.

10:20 AM If you’re thinking about doing Ph.D. work in New Testament, you must absolutely get this book.

I used it when writing my master’s thesis at Talbot (“The Address of the Ephesian Epistle” — see my summaryhere) and I had it constantly before me when I began my own doctoral studies in Basel in 1980. Gamble’s work is a model of academic research. Besides, he hits the nail on the head when he offers an explanation as to why Romans has come down to us in three versions: a 14-chapter version, a 15-chapter version, and a 16-chapter version. The shorter versions of Romans are all attempts to transform the letter into a catholic epistle meant to be read by all Christians everywhere and not only in Rome. This explains the omission of the words “in Rome” in Rom. 1:7, 15 in some manuscripts. Ditto for the omission of “in Ephesus” in 1:1. It is amazing to discover that all of the letters in the New Testament, though they may have very particular addressees, were ultimately intended to be read by all Christians everywhere. This is why you and I can read Philemon today without blushing or thinking, “I can’t do this. I’m reading someone else’s mail!” But in the earliest church, before the process of canonization had kicked in, the way you transformed Romans into a universal letter was by mechanically removing the place designations in its opening chapter and by omitting all the names in the last chapter.

Are you glad you know this?

9:10 AM In teaching Greek, it’s always helpful to go from the known (English) to the unknown (Greek). I try to do this in my Learn to Read New Testament Greek. Sometimes, however, I will use illustrations from other Indo-European languages — especially Spanish — to make a point. That’s because students, if they’ve learned a foreign language in high school, are more likely to have been exposed to Spanish than any other IE language. As we can see below, Spanish indicates the person who is doing the action by changes in the verb itself, which makes pronoun use optional. French, on the other hand, uses both verb endings and pronouns to get the point across — much like a man who wears both suspenders and a belt. German does much the same thing as French. This means that a knowledge of Spanish, even a rudimentary one, can be very helpful when trying to master the Greek verb system, where pronouns are optional as well.

In linguistics, Spanish is known as a “pro-drop language.” All this means is that pronouns can be dropped when they are grammatically inferable. Thus for tengo in Spanish (one word) we have I have in English (two words) and Ich habe in German (two words). We might say that English and German are “non-pro-drop languages” because they require the pronoun, though not in all instances. For example, instead of saying “I’m going home now. Do you want to come with me?” we could also say, “Going home now. Want to come with me?” This is very common in informal spoken English. Often it’s the first person singular pronoun (“I”) that’s dropped. This is known as “conversational deletion,” though sometimes a speaker will use it in more formal settings. A famous example is George W. Bush’s acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention:

Those were exciting days. Lived in a little shotgun house, one room for the three of us. Worked in the oil business, started my own. Moved from the shotgun to a duplex apartment to a house. Lived the dream — high school football on Friday night, Little League, neighborhood barbeque.

When speaking English, I’m constantly dropping pronouns in the first person singular — “Gonna,” “Need to,” “Should’ve.” Here’s a couple of German examples:

  • Wie findest du das? Kommt mir komisch vor.

  • How do find that? Sounds funny to me.

  • Lese gerade ein Buch.

  • I’m reading a book.

But you will rarely find this in formal contexts. Which other languages are “pro-drop” like Spanish? Here’s a partial listing:

  • Japanese

  • Korean

  • Chinese

  • Italian

  • Portuguese

  • Modern Greek

English is not one of these! And this takes some getting used to when you’re just learning Greek. 

Why am I boring you with this? I want to emphasize something about language — the fact that it has architectural precision. Even the exceptions have “rules” behind them. In linguistics, morphology is the study of words, including how they are formed. That’s why a good beginning grammar of Greek will always try and help the student understand the internal structure of verbs. Consider these the “rules of the road,” much like when you were taking driver’s ed and learning that “Yield” means that you have to yield and that a blinking red light is not an optional stop after all. You learned that signs have purposes that are best appreciated when you don’t ignore them. Sure, learning to drive, like learning a new language, can be intimating. But don’t let your fears hold you back. Just begin. Eventually you will love the word of God as never before! 

P.S. In my NT 2 class this week we will see that Paul wrote Romans, among other things, in order to enlist the church’s help in his mission to Spain. My question is: Was Spanish spoken in Spain in the first century? Answer on Wednesday!

Saturday, October 10

12:42 PM Rom. 1:1-7 is a really neat passage. It’s actually thelongest opening greeting in all of Paul’s writings. And it’s written to a congregation Paul had never met! Why, then, its length? Where is Paul going with his run-on sentences?

This is where a careful analysis of the structure of a text can help us. No, I’m not talking about English-based sentence analysis, though I’m sure this has its place.

Instead, I love a method developed by my friend Johannes Louw of the University of Pretoria. He called it “colon analysis” (no, not that colon) based on a term actually used by the ancient Greeks. The idea is to identify all of the independent main verbs (even when they are merely implied) and then see how the writer expands on them. Since we’ll be walking through this passage in class on Wednesday, I thought I’d sharemy own analysis with you. This is what exegesis looks like through the lens of colon analysis! What’s not to love, I ask you? I haven’t found a mortal who couldn’t do this after a year of Greek instruction. I invite you to experience the joy that many of us experience when we do a deep dive into a text!

11:06 AM Years ago I began working on a journal article but let it lapse when I got busy farming. Today I resurrected the matter. The impetus for my research came from a remarkable footnote in the RSV that I had never seen before in any Bible translation. On Mark 7:3, the translators of the RSV write:

One Greek word is of uncertain meaning and is not translated.

Say what? How can this be? How can a Greek word not even be within reach of an educated guess? The word under discussion is pugmē.Here’s the verse in Greek.  

The RSV left pugmēout when it rendered the verse as follow:

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders.

Apparently, at least from what I can gather by reading the Greek text, the dative nounpugmē is trying to tell us how the Jews washed their hands. All the Greek has is “with a fist.” Here are some other English versions:

  • NET: “a ritual washing”

  • ASV: “wash their handsdiligently”

  • Young’s Literal: “wash their hands to the wrist”

  • NIV: “ceremonial washing”

  • NLT: “over their cupped hands”

  • ESV: “wash their handsproperly”

  • NASB: “carefully wash their hands”

Whatcha think? Purty interesting eh? Are you ready to head down this rabbit trail me? Stay tuned!

8:40 AM There’s a fascinating new series on YouTube discussing the Amish and their history. It’s calledBreaking the Silence. I’ve watched all 6 parts and can tell you: This is a thorough critique of the Amish way of life, including their beliefs about salvation. In addition, the cinematography and editing are superb. The series delivers what I believe is an exceptionally hopeful and visionary picture of what the Amish can and should be. If we are indeed on the cusp of the next major reformation of the church in America, as I believe we are today, then our own churches have to come to grips with our slavish adherence to the traditions of men rather than the word of God. As the great A. W. Tozer once said, “The New Testament contains full instructions, not only about what we are to believe but what we are to do and how we are to go about doing it. Any deviation from those instructions is a denial of the Lordship of Christ.” I found this series to be a compelling demonstration of this truth. I heartily recommend watching it.

8:22 AM Weekly interaction papers, yes weekly papers, ladies and gentlemen! That’s what my wonderful NT 2 students write for me week in and week out. This coming week their paper is on the book of Romans. Their assignment reads as follow:

Read Romans in its entirety. Romans 12-15 contains a host of valuable expectations for everyday Christian conduct. What does Romans 12:9-21 in particular have to say about the Christian way of life?

That’s right, folks. It’s always best to read an entire NT epistle from beginning to end in one sitting if possible. That’s how the original recipients would have done it. Notice, too, how Paul emphasizes the Christian faith as a way of living. For eleven chapters he’s been unfolding God’s great plan of salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ, who died for sinners and was raised to life. Through Christ the Father is creating a new society — a new humanity. Now the apostle moves on from the creation of the new society to the new standards that are expected of it. So he turns from exposition to exhortation, from what God has done (in the indicative) to what we must do and be in Christ (in the imperative). The shift is from doctrine to duty or, as Simpson puts it, “from the credenda … to the agenda” — from things to be believed to things to be done.

What’s so interesting to me is that the majority of commands in Rom. 12:9-21 are not in the imperative mood at all. Paul uses the participle, the infinitive, and even adjectives to issue his injunctions in this passage. Why is that? And what does he hope to accomplish by “mitigating” his commands in that fashion? Come to class and find out! If you can’t make it, here’s asneak preview.

I have a dream that my students will come away from this class session with a new appreciation of the church as God’s new society and that they will begin to flesh out the New Testament reality that the church is a living organism and not an institutional organization. Let’s make Jesus Christ the Head of the church again, folks, not in pious rhetoric but in living reality. May his supremacy be the mainstay, the focus, the pursuit of every Christian and every church. May every local church be transformed into spiritual families where the members know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and rejoice with each other unfailingly, as we are instructed to do in Rom. 12:9-21!

Friday, October 9

8:04 PM These are fresh out of the oven — blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry muffins for Sheba.

She practically inhales them. I’m glad she still has an appetite for certain foods. It hasn’t been easy for me watching her age. Thankfully we have Becky’s handicap ramp for her to get up and down the porch from. She gets weaker by the day. She is now incontinent. That’s okay. I want her to eat and drink everything she can put down. For 17 years we’ve been inseparable. I have hardly known a day in this house without this sweet puppy. When I’m in my office and sitting at the computer, as I am now, she comes up to me and asks to be scratched. She is a fighter. Selfishly I want her to stay with me forever. What to do? One day at a time. Having pets is great but this part stinks.

Y’all know that writing is like therapy for me. So thanks for reading my words and allowing this platform for me to express my thoughts and emotions. Amazing how pets are part of the family. Letting go will be like losing a dear friend and companion. Thankfully that day hasn’t come … yet.

I love you Sheba girl. Thank you for loving me back.

7:30 PM Question for ya. We have Christology (the study of Christ). We have Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit). Why not Patrology (the study of the Father)? Is our theology balanced? The study of the Father is usually subsumed under “Theology Proper.” But why?

7:08 PM “A truth’s initial commotion is directly proportional to how deeply the lie was believed. It wasn’t the world being round that agitated people, but that the world wasn’t flat. When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.” Dresden James.

2:23 PM Okay, who is busier than I am? This morning I got a B12 shot, then ran 5 miles, then sent off an essay on Christmas for publication. Right now I need to go to the bank and then put the final touches on my lectures on 1 Corinthians for my NT 2 class next week. That same day we also have to talk about the book of Romans, aka The Cathedral of Christianity. This month I may have completely bitten off more than I can chew. But I have done it willingly and with gusto. Life is very full these days. Mt latest project? Answering interview questions for an upcoming issue of the Southeastern Theological Review. It’s a special issue on “The Bible as Literature,” and I’ve been asked to talk about my own philosophy of Bible translation and why we attempted to translate the poetry of the Greek New Testament as poetry in the ISV. This is keeping me very busy. I am disintegrating a bit, but I will persevere. I have the hardest time saying no and keeping myself from over-committing. I’m not so sure I would want it any other way though. Still, it’s good to pause, take a deep breath, and enjoy the slow pace here on the farm. You see, if you want it to happen, it will happen. It may not be easy, but it’s better than the alternative (doing nothing). Listen fellow whiners, we get to do what we do. And it won’t last forever. Ask God how, what, and where to move forward in your life. Ask him to reveal to you any weak areas (like over-doing things!). He’ll meet you at the next step and show himself faithful. My journey of faith is mine and yours is yours, but let’s never stop moving or invent our own way. You don’t want to miss out on his best. And neither do I!

8:58 AM I think there might be a spiritual lesson in this picture I took yesterday at the Antietam National Battlefield.

If you were a soldier on the field of battle that day, this is just about all you saw. The common soldier sees very little of the general engagement. It’s impossible to see everything that’s going on around you. You have your own part to play, and that task absorbs your entire attention. Add to the mix the billow of smoke expelled by thousands of muskets, and you can judge the direction of the battle only by sound.

Someone has said that the battlefield is the loneliest place that men share together. Isn’t life like that, my friend? Isn’t it easy to get so lost in the details of our lives that we fail to see God’s big picture? Maybe you’re struggling with God not wanting you to have something you feel is indispensable to your life and happiness. Maybe he has removed someone from your life and you don’t understand why. Isn’t it wonderful that God sees our beginning and end all at once? 2020 has been a year of change for all of us. I know it’s been that for me. I see only the cornfield around me. But I’m trusting that God sees and knows the big picture. When one chapter in my life ends, another will take its place. Life will go on.

I pray for strength for us all as we face the changes in our lives. Remember that you are not alone. Thank God daily for the people in your life who pray for you and love you. Please pray for me too as I face change this year and next. Change is a part of life, but God always sees the bigger picture.

Lord, help me to trust you today with complete abandonment!

Thursday, October 8

7:48 PM Evening, guys! It seems like everyone has their nightmare story. I just added a couple more to my list, like getting a parking ticket in Shepherdstown, MD when I stopped for lunch in a local eatery and accidentally parked in the university parking lot (it sure looked like a municipal lot to me), or forgetting my Garmin battery recharger at home, or ending up with a noisy hotel room, or getting lost in Frederick. It may not be as bad as landing on the Hudson, but chances are you have had your own nightmare stories. Thankfully, the good things far outnumbered the bad. I’m happy to say that I accomplished my goal of hiking both the Monocacy and Antietam Battlefields (without getting lost once).

Suffice it to say that being on the actual field of battle gives you a brand new appreciation for what those men endured 150 years go. I can only wonder what it must have felt like to watch cannon balls emerge from the smoke or the strain of going into battle after being forced marched for 17 miles. At any rate, here are some additional pix of my trip before I get some much needed rest:

It took me only about 4 miles to cover the entire Monocacy Battlefield.

The Worthington House, much as it looked on the day of battle.

Switching now to Antietam, the battle began on the Poffenberger Farm.

As the fighting moved south, the soldiers entered the Miller cornfield.

They fought here for hours. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I am a descendent of David Miller on my paternal grandmother’s side (she was a Miller). Sorry to keep mentioning this, but it’s my only claim to fame.

The famous Sunken Road.

And the even more famous Burnside Bridge.

Here’s my favorite monument on the Antietam battlefield. After the Union soldiers had crossed the bridge, they were able to enjoy a brief break in the fighting.

This monument commemorates a young soldier whose sole duty that day was to carry hot coffee to his comrades. Nobody would have remembered him had he not become president of the United States and then the victim of an assassin’s bullet.

Someone may say, “A monument for something as insignificant as serving coffee?” I imagine the men who received the coffee would have never asked that question.

The final battle that day took place here.

You can knock out a hike of the entire Antietam Battlefield in about 8 miles and 3 hours of walking.

Oh, did I mention that fall is very much in the air in Maryland?

When I got back to the farm, I saw that the kids had been busy getting up hay.

Hope they enjoy my little treat for them. Thank you for working so hard! 

So there you have it, folks. I’ve said it before. One of the best things about living in the good old U.S. of A. is that there’s always a new adventure right around the corner. It never, ever gets boring. If I’m lacking challenge and excitement in other areas of my life, I know I can find it with exploring history.

P.S. I tried hiking the C & O Canal tow path but oh my goodness it was sooooo boring. Maybe I should have tried doing that hike first.

Wednesday, October 7

7:55 AM Good morning folks! My Bible time this morning was in Phil. 2:12-18, the passage we’re studying next week in Greek 3. Oh my, what a passage! When I was a new struggling believer, I read this passage over and over again. I needed to be reminded that obedience in the Christian life is not only required but enabled. Not surprisingly, this went against the grain of the “throw a stick on the fire at the end of summer camp and rededicate your life once and for all to Jesus” philosophy of the day. Anyway, at some point I came to acknowledge that if I were to make progress in this thing called Christian living I would have to learn how to be filled with the Spirit. It’s the only way to true wholeness, the abundant life that Jesus promised, and profound joy. This is what kingdom living is all about — living in the way of Jesus, by his strength and according to his Spirit. I also have to add: we do this in community. My contention is that when Paul writes “God is always at work in you both to give you the desire and the ability to do what pleases him,” the words “in you” are better rendered “among you.” Yes, it’s true that the Christian life is an individual matter between us and our God. However, we have to carefully guard ourselves against a lone ranger mentality that says, in essence, “I don’t need you.” We’re called to imitate the Jesus who always went about with a group of men and women with whom he did ministry. And, in case we missed it, his commands “Love your enemies” and “Do good to others” and “Bless those who curse you” are in the plural. In Christ, God is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters. In fact, the metaphor for the church that dominates the New Testament is the family. In contrast, the dominating metaphor in many of our churches today is the corporation, where you have a pastor (CEO), staff (upper management), and the people (employees). We give glib assent to the church as family but the very architecture of our worship centers encourages individual spectatorism. Recall what Paul says in this passage about the Philippians “doing all things without grumbling and complaining.” Paul’s passion for genuine community is contagious, and if your church family is healthy, you know your fellow brethren to the point where it’s instinctive to show them affection and grace. By contrast, a dysfunctional church family shows little affection toward its members. There is no experience of verbal or nonverbal expressions of love. Are we really being honest to call our church a “family” when its members hardly even know each other?

The one thing I believe Paul is emphasizing in this passage is that only when we are genuinely unified as a church body can our witness to the world be effective. Paul envisions a people who shine like stars lighting up the sky in the midst of a world of corrupt and sinful people, whom we offer the message of life. Again, the way we do “one-anothering” makes all the difference! 

This whole passage in Philippians has a prophetic quality about it that I hadn’t anticipated — calling believers back to their beautiful, biblical, core identity as the family of God. I leave on my trip today excited, eager to dig deeper into this text in the days ahead. But it also leaves me profoundly unsettled, seeing mostly hostility and bitterness in the Christian Twitterworld. (Yes, there are exceptions!) I’m going to be praying about what all of this means for my own teaching and writing.

Blessings on you!

Dave

Tuesday, October 6

7:18 PM Today was a day for decisions. My friend can’t climb tomorrow due to his work schedule so I’ve decided to forego Sharp Top and proceed into the great commonwealth (or is it state?) of Maryland to hike the battlefields I mentioned earlier. Let’s see, the Monocacy Battlefield has the Ford Loop Trail and the Thomas Farm Loop Trail, while good old Antietam has the Union Advance Trail, the Battlefield Forest Creek Loop Trail, the Snavely’s Ford Trail, the Final Attack Trail, the National Battlefield Trail, and the Burnside Bridge Loop Trail. Then it’s off to the Point of Rocks parking lot where I hope to pick up the C & O tow path. No biking, no running, just walking. It’s a great season of the year to be outdoors! You know me. Always up for the next adventure. The next tale to tell. The next story to blog about. And the next book to read, of course — which tonight means anything about either of these two battles I can get my hands on. People growing up on the East Coast may take their history for granted, but I don’t. Are you a history buff? When I was a kid I couldn’t get enough of WW II history. Those were the days of the Rat Patrol and Combat! on TV.

Defending my home in Kailua against all her enemies, real or imagined.

When we lived in Basel it just wasn’t possible for me to travel enough to visit historic sites such as Kaiser August (Caesar Augustus’s HQ on the Rhine) or the Kappel Battlefield where Zwingli the Protestant was killed while fighting the Catholics. Does it matter how people in other times and places thought? Isn’t history more of a problem than a solution? All Christians need to know at least church history. We need these earlier Christians. We can learn a great deal both from their insights and blind spots. We can grow by allowing them to instruct us. I take this trip hoping it will stimulate my study of history and allow me to expand, nuance, confirm, or correct my own convictions and assumptions about the past and the present. Historical thinking can relieve us of our narcissism. It can cultivate humility and love for truth. It might even help transform our lives more fully into the image of Jesus Christ.

Trips like these always give me much to ponder and ruminate over. Friends, during this time of Covid, we have to adjust our expectations and do what we can do. But we can never give ourselves permission to check out and eat donuts all day. Keep looking up and do the best you can!

2:04 PM U.S. Hwy. 58 runs for 508 miles between Virginia Beach, VA, and Harrogate, TN. It’s pretty much my link to civilization. From it I can get to the Food Lion in Clarksville or my dentist’s office in South Boston.

If you see more than 4 cars on Hwy. 58, it’s considered a traffic jam.

This is the heart of Southside Virginia. Natives here like the open spaces. We have wonderful fishing, superb hunting, and the nicest people you will ever find. I had no idea that the land would claim me when I moved here with Becky 20 years ago. It gets in the blood. You are a caregiver. You husband the land the same way you take care of your children because it’s in your care. The best part of living here is that you don’t need a passport to enjoy an excursion to the Tobacco Heritage Trail. Today my plan was to do a recovery walk of 5 miles out and back, which actually turned into 7.8.

Seems they decided to open the newest part of the trail, thus extending the trail by 1.4 miles each way. A shout out to the Roanoke River Rails to Trail board of directors for maintaining this wonderful hiking/biking/horseback riding trail. Eventually it will total 160 miles and connect the counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Halifax. This section of the trail follows what was once the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which later became part of Norfolk Southern.

The new trail terminus. I do hope they extend it a few more miles.

They thought of everything, including picnic tables …

… and hitching posts for your horses.

You see fields everywhere along the trail. These soy beans are ready for harvesting.

This region of Virginia is also noted for its hiking trails. Tomorrow a friend of mine and I are heading to Bedford to climb Sharp Top. The Peaks of Otter are among the most notable peaks in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Sharp Top is the most accessible and even has a shuttle you can take to the summit and back. Truly, Virginia is a hiker’s paradise! As for the rest of the week, I’m still hoping to head north for some more hiking. The plan now is for me to hike both the Monocacy and Antietam Battlefields before getting in a few miles on the C & O tow path. We’ll see!

7:45 AM Value, value, value, that’s what it’s all about ladies and gentlemen. Are you getting value from reading this daily blog? As you know, I blog only from my home computer, which is why you don’t hear from me while I’m staying on campus teaching my classes. But when I’m home, I’m blogging. I do so from the place I know best — a few acres of Virginia piedmont on which I am encamped for a few years in my wanderings through this thing called life. In fact, were I to summarize the goal of this blog, it would be to remind you of two vital facts:

1) We are all disciples of the Lord. As you know, the term mathētēs in Greek is a reminder that we are people who spend our lives apprenticed to our Master, Jesus Christ. We are always and ever in a growing-learning relationship with him. We are students, not in an academic sense, as though we were sitting in a classroom at the seminary, but rather in the sense of being on a worksite, learning a craft from a master builder. Our goal is not merely to acquire information but skills.

2) We are all pilgrims on this earth. The Greek word for “pilgrim” (parepidēmos) reminds us that we are people who are going somewhere. We’re on a pilgrimage to God, and the path is none other than Jesus himself, who said “I am the Road”  (John 14:6). None of us can get to the Father apart from him.

So there you have it in a nutshell — why I keep this blog a-comin’ atcha day in and day out. Jesus is alive and well, winking at us, inviting us to get up and dance to his music. Learn of me, discover me, dive into me, let me change your life, he says to us. Let me make the tiny corners of your daily life amazing. Let me show you the way ahead. Quit stewing about the past and begin kicking up your heels in the sunshine of my love and forgiveness.

As always, thanks for stopping by, expecting to find something of value here. I hope to never disappoint you. The longer we laugh and cry together, the stronger the journey gets!

Monday, October 5

8:08 PM Organizing my life — that’s what this day has been about. Overall, I’m ecstatic with the results. I was getting a little stressed by the disorganization in the house, and not having a woman here to whip everything in shape only added to the burden, if you know what I mean. Next step in getting organized is looking under all the beds! Of course, today my mind often went to Becky. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t dwell on her every day. Life is so busy that sometimes I go a while without thinking about Becky. But today I was thrust back into all the emotions I experienced when I lost her 7 years ago. When she died, I realized that I faced a choice. I could either let her death ruin me, or else I could, as much as possible, learn and grow from it. I decided on the latter option. Here are some ways my life has been different:

1) I appreciate just how demanding house work is. If you don’t stay on top of things, everything can get messy real soon.

2) I think it increased my empathy. I think I can understand people better today. I try to support and encourage my students who are going through tough times. I still have lots of room for improvement, but I’m trying.

3) It put things in perspective for me. I’ve learned how to turn my solitude into prayer. I’ve begun to know the strange peace that the world doesn’t understand. I think I’ve even come to accept the gift of widowerhood that God has given me. Lord, is this the cake you need from me? Then I’ll bake it for you. As well as I can, I lay all my desire before him to whom all desire is known and from whom no secrets are hidden.

I know that some of you have experienced a significant loss in your own life. Your temptations, and mine, are common to man. I believe God wants us to be happy, but in a much deeper sense than we can imagine. A loving hand is behind it all, a great tenderness even in the mist of the loneliness (and the messy house). All in all I’m satisfied with this “how to organize my life and thought processes” that I’m going through right now. I’m grateful for family and for peace. And with your prayers, I will continue to rest in him.

1:18 PM Time to clean house again if you know what I mean. Here’s the deal. Three things — today I’m going to throw out at least three things I haven’t used in over a year. I’m going to start with my collection of empty book boxes.

Organization and efficiency is the name of the game, ladies and gentlemen. I’m challenging you to do the same. I don’t care if it’s a paper clip or your old TV set. Come on, let’s get it done!

12:40 PM Just back from the post office and bank. Also got in an easy 5K walk on the local trail.

I believe this is called “active recovery.” Running alone isn’t enough to get you into shape. Just move and you will improve. And the perfect movement is walking.

Meanwhile, I’m still researching my races for 2021. Depending on what happens with Covid, there could be a huge number of marathons (and marathon PRs) next year. If you’re like me, then you’ve got to have a race on the calendar at all times. I’m considering races in my area, of course, but I’m also casting a wistful eye on maybe running the Phoenix-Mesa Marathon again or even the Flying Pig in Cincy for the 4th time. However, there’s no sense in actually registering for a race yet because of the high possibility of them being cancelled. So I’m stuck in no-man’s land when it comes to my 2021 race schedule. I’m a goal person, always have been. I do like to have goals and expectations for myself of what I think I’m capable of doing. That said, I don’t get super hung up on wanting to have everything planned in advance. Of course, no one but God knows what 2021 will hold for any of us. But barring anything major happening, I plan to get in another half marathon or two and at least one full marathon in 2021. I want to become a good runner, but I’m also a realist, especially at my age. Friend, no matter what your speed, it’s your drive, your dedication, and so much more that aging can’t take away from you that matters. Things hurt, it takes longer to recover, and there are so many other things that can be discouraging as well. You just gotta keep being active — regardless of how fast or slow you are. As Amby Burfoot says, “Don’t judge your running by your speed.”

Life is never linear. It has so many ups and downs and plateaus. If only we could coast through and be done! But God has a better way. We need to disregard the naysayers. As they shout, “You can’t!” God is whispering, “With my strength, all things are possible.” Remember that, my friend. And remember that he is just a prayer away.

8:30 AM USA! USA! Sara Hall finished second in yesterday’s London Marathon! In terrible conditions (severe weather issues, no crowd support due to Covid, etc.) I might add. She was the first American in 14 years to stand on the podium in London. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, at 37 she’s still throwin’ it down. Awesome job, Sara! Being a Jesus follower, note how she gives glory to God. Ya gotta love it!

As I near the end of my formal academic career, I desire to do the same. Maybe you recall Jesus’ parable in Luke 17 about the servant who has just come back from the field. Does his master invite him to sit down and dine with him? Hardly. He says, instead, “Prepare my supper and wait on me while I have my meal. You can have yours afterwards.” So with you, Jesus says. When you have carried out your master’s orders, you should say, “We are merely servants and deserve no credit. We have only done our duty.”

The world system has it all wrong in this regard, folks. We take credit for what we have done. Success is my accomplishment, not God’s or anyone else’s. We fail to recognize that all of our accomplishments are gifts of grace rather than the product of our own efforts or wisdom. I have now taught Greek for some 44 years. I have preached and taught in many foreign countries. I have published approximately 1 book every 2 years. My publishers have invested thousands of dollars in these books. Even more surprisingly, people have invested money in buying them. But when I get to glory, Jesus will not say to me, “Look at all you have accomplished, Dave!” No, he will say (I do earnestly hope and pray), “You were faithful, Dave. That’s all that is important to me.”

Success is a worldly word. Have I been successful in my career? Have you? Yes, I believe that God called me to the task of teaching and writing. But I am under no illusion that I have made any essential contribution to the kingdom. I will be forgotten, just as my own professors in seminary and grad school are forgotten today. The fact is, life is not about success. It’s only about being faithful to what God has called us to be and to do. I think most of us would have to acknowledge that not much of what we have done with our lives can count as accomplishments before God, let alone before the world. We freely confess our own unworthiness. Jesus is on point (as he always is): it’s not about getting credit. It’s only about doing our duty. We are unprofitable servants.

As you know, yesterday I ran a half marathon. The challenge seemed staggering. You face the temptation to give up and drop out. It’s one thing to fight for a while and then quit. It’s quite another to go the distance and finish. The apostle Paul endured through every temptation, trial, and bout with discouragement and despair. Just before he was killed he wrote, “I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting — God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming” (2 Tim. 4:6-8, The Message). Paul had never heard about Nike or New Balance, but he knew enough about track and field to realize that he needed to run hard if he was going to finish the race. He could say, “I’m giving it everything I’ve got!”

Is the “fruit of faithfulness” lacking in your life, my friend? Perhaps you could take some time today to identity the obstacles that are holding you back. Ask God to help you overcome them. He’s on your side. He’s rooting for you to finish your race. How better can we witness to his grace in our lives than to say, “It wasn’t my doing. It was all his doing. And he did it even despite me!”

Sunday, October 4

7:14 PM Evening walk.

5:44 PM Hi. It’s me again. Let’s get going on this race report, shall we, before I forget everything, being as old and senile as I am.

Now what was I saying?

I’m still learning how to be a runner, folks, so I love to share what I’m learning with you guys. The big news is that today’s 13.1 mile half marathon is in the books. I feel privileged to have now run 23 half marathons, 16 full marathons, 5 triathlons, and one 32-mile ultra. Running a race longer than 5K involves overall health, smart training, discipline, and the blessing of the Lord for sure. After all, running a half takes over 25,000 steps.

Above all, I smile and try to enjoy the experience. The greatest marathoner in the world, Eliud Kipchoge, says: “A smile is what actually ignites my mind to forget about the pain. That’s the beauty of a smile.” About 2 million runners entered half marathons in 2019 — about 4 times the number of runners that finished a marathon. Generally speaking, the half marathon is safer than the marathon because there’s less chance of injury from repetitive movements. Sure, I’m not fast, but as Abe Lincoln once put it, “I may walk slow, but I don’t walk backwards.” There’s no need to hurry. After all, I’m training, not just for a race, but for the rest of my life. Here are a couple more pix of today’s trail adventure:

The starting line. I began dead last as per usual.

These two ladies paced me for the first 3 miles. I eventually passed them and never saw them again.

Vigilance is required every step of the way. If a rock doesn’t get you, a root will. I tripped a couple of times but, thankfully, never face planted.

The scenery. I can’t even. 

Hills? Nobody said there’d be hills!

Is this Switzerland or what?

Well, thanks for putting up with all the pictures and babbling. I was very pleased with my results today. I finished in 3:12 — a fairly respectable time for such a demanding course. In all honesty I loved every minute of the race. The most important thing was to keep moving forward without bonking or getting injured. The weird thing is, after mile 6 things got easier, or at least they didn’t get any harder. Maybe all this training is paying off after all. The plan now is to give my legs two days off and then climb either MacAfee Knob or Sharp Top with a friend on Wednesday. If the nice weather holds, I’m praying about hiking the C & O Canal towpath later in the week. The towpath covers 185 miles along the Potomac River. I’m told it’s one of the flattest trails imaginable and very well kept. If I do go there, I will probably try to hike at least 26.2 miles. 

Thanks for joining me on this journey, guys!

Saturday, October 3

5:32 PM The Pocahontas Trail Festival is going down tomorrow. This is an annual race that takes place at the Pocahontas State Park near Chesterfield, VA, about 2 hours from the farm.

Distances include the full marathon, the half marathon, a 10K race, and a marathon relay (4 teammates). I’ve signed up for the half. I have never done a trail half marathon and I can’t wait. A demanding race in awesome weather? Perfection. Trail runs are the best. Running on trails is harder than running on roads in some ways, but spending a couple of hours in the woods is my idea of heaven. They even offer PBJs and cookies at the aid stations. I love our state parks. I consider myself blessed to be surrounded by such beauty. Lord willing, I’ll report back tomorrow with an after-race blog post, ladies and gentlemen!

1:58 PM Just finished grading my NT 2 exams. You guys crushed it. Thanks to each and every one of you!

12:05 PM So thankful to God for the ability to do a 13.1 mile bike ride on a very beautiful morning.

Daily living, that’s what it’s all about, folks. The “ordinary” things we do in our lives are all part of the “extraordinary” that God has planned for us. Everyday “mundane” stuff (like biking or mowing the grass) is where we can and, I would argue, should find our fulfillment. We should never, ever, be bored, and no day should ever be merely “mundane.” So yes, I’m trying to make the ordinary extraordinary here on my blog. As Chesterton once said, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children”!

Love you and thanks for stopping by!

7:48 AM “Be joyful always.” That was my main takeaway this morning as I read the book of 1 Thessalonians in one sitting. Paul is so upbeat in this letter. And why shouldn’t he be? Jesus is coming back. Segue to today. What space and time do we find ourselves in? I believe we are moving into a society that is qualitatively different from anything yet experienced by Americans. Although this time of upheaval is similar to the situation of the first-century Graeco-Roman world of the New Testament, circumstances are bringing us to an unprecedented history. We find ourselves in a substantially different world from even a year ago. The empirical evidence is undeniable. And the rate of cultural disintegration only accelerates. This means that unless there is a major intervention by God to stop this downward spiral, we are in for a very rough time. It’s as though all of the political, social, scientific, and religious revolutions of the past 100 years have been crowded into one short span of time.

Enter the book of 1 Thessalonians. Paul is clear about the way God’s hand has reached through the darkness in each of our lives. Even persecution can become a shard of hope in his hands. How Pollyanna it all sounds, but it’s true. 1 Thessalonians is all about the way God redeems darkness and pain and brings something beautiful out of something horrible. Thank God I was wrong about everything when Becky died 7 years ago. Thank God that he used that experience as a preparation for a good thing in my life. And with growth comes great hope. We — you and I — are living “in the interim” between Christ’s first and second comings. And if we’re honest, we feel the ache of the “meantime” deeply. I really learned to pray when Becky passed away, out of necessity and fear. But now I get it. I believe in God because I have to. There is a particular beauty to this season of darkness in America. You feel trapped by the pain and the darkness, but there is something always calling you past the heartbreak, past the curse, past the despair, past the turmoil, and that thing is the joy of the Lord.

Paul was a spiritual father to the Thessalonians. They were his dear children. “We dealt with you one by one, as a father deals with his children, appealing to you by encouragement, as well as by solemn inunctions, to live lives worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” I don’t live for any worldly kingdom. I live for God’s kingdom and glory. And that kingdom is about to break into the darkness. Our job is the prepare the way of the Lord, to build the landing strip, and to invite as many people we can to join us. Despite the disintegration of our day, Jesus is still in the business of making new men and women. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves. He wants to live his life in and though us, and thus to make us conduits of his peace. He will dispel the darkness, as soon as he can, but not before. The fear, the uncertainty, the pains of this life are a part of the process he is at work on. If we understand that, we will never become bitter about it. This fractured world will one day be exchanged for wholeness. This is why, with Paul, we can “be joyful always.”

Friday, October 2

2:10 PM I am a fall fanatic. I love coming home to a warm house, lighting a fire in the fireplace, and settling down to an evening of reading. I love being able to get outdoors when the temps are cooler, like today. Here’s my 5 mile run.

What a picturesque view. I love hot soup and crusty rolls. I love watching the deer rutting. I love knowing that Christmas music is right around the corner. I love pulling out my sweaters. I love watching the trees shed their leaves, a reminder that I too have to let go and open the door to a new season, and with it new opportunities.

I am a fall fanatic.

8:35 AM Shots fired …

7:55 AM Hello bloggerites. If you’ve recently joined my readership, you’ll think I’m a man obsessed with Bible study. That’s because I am. This morning I was in Phil. 2:1-11 — the heart of the epistle.

And what a wonderful passage it is in every way. Unity in the church is so needed today. But unity without humility is impossible. Knowledge never travels alone. It always has to be accompanied by love. Knowledge apart from love leads only to spiritual pride. Fellowship in the church should be a very close kind of fellowship. Having an inner disposition of harmony is fundamental. It is a oneness in love and aim. And it took a humble cross-bearer to show us the way. I wish every Christian would memorize Phil. 2:1-11 so as to be reminded day in and day out that oneness in the body of Christ cannot be achieved without lowliness of mind.

Of course, the Bible is not the only book I read. This came in the mail yesterday and I am eager to give it a look-see.

As you know, I weigh in on the side of grammars that are much more succinct than this one is, but hey, to each his (or her) own.

Finally, this week I met with my Old Testament colleague Chip Hardy to finalize the syllabus for our LXX course in the spring. Yes, it’s going to be a study (in both Hebrew and Greek) of the great book of Jonah! I’m trying to think of some creative way to end this blog post, but all I can think of is to mention the book we’ll be using for the class, written by one of my former students who is now completing his doctorate in New Testament in Germany.

Here he is reciting a passage from Ruth when he took my LXX class years ago.

God, out of his passionate love for the lost, is calling all of us to become Jonahs to a lost and dying world. The missional life is the only way to true wholeness, profound joy, and an abundant life. Why, then, instead of taking Christ to the world, do we prefer to argue about everything? This was the way paradise was lost. Yet Jesus still faithfully calls to life and to utter bliss those who follow his downward path. It is the way of the cross, but the only way that leads to resurrection.

Revolutionaries, live in the way of Jesus.

Blessings,

Dave

Thursday, October 1

8:02 PM Hello my intellectual internet friends. Just spent a wonderful week on campus teaching my classes and attending meetings. Did I mention having lunch with friends? Now it’s time to switch gears. We’re off all next week and the weather is supposed to be perfect for being outdoors. What to do? Well, races are coming back! So I’ve signed up for a half marathon trail run this weekend. As slow as I am at running, I keep doing it because I enjoy it. Then next week I’m trying to talk a couple of friends into climbing a Via Ferrata in West Virginia — the same one I did a couple of years ago. Here’s my GoPro in case you’d like to see what it’s like.

What else? I’m toying with the idea of doing a longish bike ride of maybe 50 miles, though I don’t know where yet. For me, cross-training on my bike brings many benefits. It improves my running performance, reduces the strain on my limbs, increases my overall fitness, reduces my risk of injury, and, well, makes my happy. Biking allows me to add variety to my training to avoid boredom and burnout. This Tuesday I ran 5 miles, on Wednesday I biked 14 miles, and then yesterday I ran 6 miles. I took today off as a recovery day. A change of pace and a change of place each week does wonders for me. How you cross train isn’t as important as just getting out there and doing it. The good news is that if you use the same muscles over and over again (without overtraining them), they eventually get stronger. As it happens, a little less running and a little more cycling is actually making me a better and more efficient runner. Of course, racing is where the real fun begins. As I think about the half marathon trail race this weekend, I’m filled with terror, excitement, joy, calm, and panic. If you think about completing the whole journey in one bite, it will seem completely impossible. So you take it one mile at a time, breaking the race down into bite-sized chunks so it doesn’t seem so hard. During a half marathon everybody gets a good taste of reality pie. Fast or slow, it’s not a distance to underestimate, especially if you’re going to be running on mountain trails. You have to take whatever talent you have and then go out and see what happens. Besides the training, this week I’ve got a dissertation chapter to read, a journal article to finish, and essay exams that require grading, not to mention farm work. So you see, there’s a lot of variety coming up during the semester break. On the one hand, it’s a time of rest and relaxation, but on the other hand, I will be as busy as ever (hopefully, in a productive way). Push yourself through too many hours of work and your brain starts to push back. You need to give yourself and your brain some rest. I tend to be a person who works around the clock simply because I can. Not very wise. One Harvard study showed that PTO (Predicable Time Off) was nothing short of miraculous in restoring one’s mental health. Talking time off will actually help you to thrive in your life and your career. Even a Stay-Vaca can help.

In these days of chaos on the national scene and stress on the local scene due to Covid, it’s so wonderful to be able to cock an ear toward heaven and, above the drone and din of the humdrum, listen for God’s gentle voice calling your name. In times of trouble, our lifeline is Jesus. Grab on tight, my friend, and then pray like crazy!

That’s all for now. Thanks for blogging in.

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