Men Who Risk It All

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Men Who Risk It All

 David Alan Black 

We read in Philippians 2:30 that Epaphroditus “risked his life” for the sake of the Gospel. It’s clear that Paul wanted the church at Philippi to understand that here was a man of unquestionable worth, a man worthy of their greatest esteem. The Greek word suggests that he even daringly exposed himself to danger. He was willing to take enormous risks in order to help someone else – in this case, the apostle Paul.

Well might we honor such men today – men who are willing to take calculated risks that involve the expenditure of all they have in response to the worthiness of Jesus Christ. Well might we become such men today.

I know an entire class of loyal, courageous, and self-effacing ministers of the Gospel. Many of them will be at this weekend’s Uniting Church and Family Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are men who are willing to break with tradition and return to a biblical emphasis upon families. Family-integrated churches are no longer on trial. They have proven themselves. Our Lord Himself tells us that we must not keep the little children from coming to Him. It is a part of the strategy of the enemy to make us believe that age-segregation is a biblical concept. The first great need today is to test the spirits and to be wise to the wiles and devices of the Adversary. To do this we need to awaken to the reality that the breakdown of the family is encouraged, not ameliorated, when parents are allowed to abdicate their God-given responsibilities.

Of course, age-integrated churches can get stuck in a religious rut and fall into a mere form of godliness without power. But the true disciple is not out just to be different but to prove in his own experience the will of God. Blessed is the Christian who knows that while he may seem to be out of kilter with his culture, he is following in the footsteps of His Lord, who said “suffer the little children to come unto Me.”

Why is it that, despite all our religious activity and all our programs, we still lose the vast majority of our teenagers to the world when they graduate from high school? Something is wrong when the shrine makers for Diana are so little bothered by our “Christianity” that they stage no protest. If Junior shows signs of being different he is hustled off to youth group to learn how to “get along” – as if the get-alongers were getting anywhere! It is not our main business to denounced organized religion. But we certainly should be producing the kind of young people who have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose those works by the contrast of their godly living. Here’s a verse that should describe every young person in our churches: “Don’t let anybody look down on you because you are young, but instead be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Note that everything the apostle John had to say about his own “young men” was positive: “You are strong…the word of God abides in you…, and you have overcome the Evil One” (1 John 2:12-14).

We need to return to the absolute sufficiency of the Scriptures. God takes no orders from us. Are we so in love with our programs and activities that we are unwilling to bow to His? More important still, does the conduct of our youth and our children advertise the Gospel? How refreshing in these times when so many have such low expectations of their youth to find a church where young men and women are still being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, where every head of the household is a youth pastor, and where the child who is without an earthly father finds direction and help from other godly families in the Body of Christ.

It can be done and it is being done here and there. May we be willing to make it a living reality in our homes and in our churches. May we be willing to risk everything for the sake of the Gospel!

For further reading:

April 12, 2005

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com. If you would like to know more about becoming a follower of King Jesus, please feel free to write Dave.

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Men From Among You

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Men From Among You

 David Alan Black 

No one has ever seen the Body of Christ, the church. The church is not built; it is still being built, and it is not yet completed. How careful, then, must the builders be.

In many of our churches pastors are “called” (often by majority vote) from outside the local community. Some remain in that community for many years, but that is the exception. Frequently pastors move from church to church and from place to place, without setting down any roots in any one community.

Let us notice how far this is from the New Testament pattern. For example, go back to the Book of Acts and remember how the early church selected qualified men for the special work of “serving tables,” that is, of meeting the practical needs of the congregation (Acts 6). The men to be chosen had to meet three qualifications. First, they were to be “from among you.” Second, they were to be “of good report.” Finally, they were to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom.”

Today we often overlook the first of these requirements, to our great disadvantage. We may understand the phrase “from among you” in two ways: these newly-selected workers were to be Christians and not pagans, and they were to be of the number of the (Hellenistic) disciples rather than imported from another community. How logical indeed! As local men, they would have a vested interest in the success of the church. They were already members of it, known by it, and loyal to it. They were not “hired” from the outside as is so often the case today. It was doubtless such local men that Titus appointed as elders on Crete (see Tit. 1:7).

Might I suggest that it is this lack of group loyalty, this absence of community identity, that keeps many good pastors at a distance from their flocks and renders their service less effective than it might otherwise be? The world thinks nothing of moving from job to job and from place to place for reasons of professional advancement. But the church is not to be of the world. No church has any business acknowledging as leaders men whose loyalty to the local congregation is questionable. When the going gets tough, or when greener pastures beckon, men without a stake in the health of the church or roots in the community will find it easy to move on and move away.

It is impossible to read the account in Acts 6 and not be impressed with the importance it attaches to home-grown leadership. When the Body of Christ begins to realize this we shall be at the end of a vast amount of confusion in systematic teaching about Christian ministry. We must not speak slightingly of any leader who comes into the church from the outside, if it be the will of God. At the same time, the biblical pattern seems much more sensible. If those who served tables in Acts 6 were chosen from within the local Body, and if Paul sought to appoint as elders men who were already active within their own congregations, the church of today would be foolish to ignore such a pattern.

July 14, 2006

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Memo from Paul Bremer to Condi Rice

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Memo from Paul Bremer to Condi Rice

 David Alan Black 

(Note: I cannot divulge how this revealing memo came into my hands.)

To: Condi

From: Jerry

Date: October 13, 2003

I read the U.S. papers daily. While civil enough, they plainly tell us that if we leave Baghdad we shall forever be infamous. They also say that if we do not take the lead and keep it, dragging the other powers after us in chains, we are n.g. and Bush will be beaten next November. It never seems to occur to them that the other powers may not like the feel of a rope around their necks and may even want to say something about their interests in Iraq.

It all sums up to this: we shall get no credit whatever we do. Our friends will take it as a matter of course, and our critics will kick us all around the lot. Nothing was clearer than that the whole country would have risen up in uproar if we had sat on our hands. And now that we seem to be agreeing with the UN, “following her lead,” as the papers say, they are kicking like steers. If it turns out that we fail to get our way at the UN, we shall be abused as wobbling and vacillating. So there is nothing for it but to do as near right as we can, and leave the consequences to the newspapers.

The dilemma is clear enough. We want to get out at the earliest possible moment. We do not want to have the appearance of being forced out or frightened out, and we must not lose our proper influence in the final arrangement. If we exit Iraq and leave the nation to England, who unquestionable has already made her own bargain with the natives, we will not only seem to have been beaten, but we run the serous risk of being really frozen out. Germany and France will feel vindicated and will take even less notice of our interests, and Russia will sell us out without winking. You share, it seems, my grave suspicions about the attitude of the British. There is not, therefore, a single power we can rely on for our policy of plunder.

Anxious, therefore, as I am to get away from Baghdad, I cannot help fearing that if we retire without UN support it will end in the unfortunate consequences so direly predicted in the papers. The UN will fall back on her non possumus if we try to make separate terms with England, who by superior brute selfishness will have her way, and we shall be left out in the cold.

Has the president come to any conclusions about Rumsfeld? And did he see Meet the Press on Sunday and how Lugar supported him? We ought to pay all civility to Biden, who appeared on the same program. He is an unmitigated scoundrel, of course, thoroughly corrupt and treacherous. But he represents the opposition and we must deal with him; and it is certain that it has been hitherto to our advantage to succor him, as if we trusted him.

Above all, don’t let the press intimidate you into a cowering position. Somehow we’ll get out of this mess.

October 13, 2003

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com. He is currently finishing his latest book, Why I Stopped Listening to Rush: Confessions of a Recovering Neocon.

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Medical Intervention for the Gos

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Medical Intervention for the Gospel’s Sake

 Becky Lynn Black  

The Gospel is the focus of all activities, both in Ethiopia and here. At least it should be, if we are Kingdom Christians. Because of the extreme need, this connection is more easily seen in Ethiopia. There we are literally surrounded daily with people living on the edge; it is a blatant need. But meeting those needs requires wisdom. God works through needs, and if we remove all the needs, then a powerful tool is removed from His hands. Needs can be very productive in terms of spiritual life.

The other side of the coin is that we are to work with our hands (i.e., gain an income) so that we have the resources to give to those in need. This is clearly taught in1-2 Thessalonians.

Three days ago I returned from another trip to Ethiopia. It was the shortest trip we’ve made….only two and a half weeks. (Usually our trips are 4-6 weeks, but we needed to get back to continue my chemotherapy treatments.) Almost every day we thought, “Lord, now we see why You wanted us to come on this trip!” Many things were dealt with, many problems were solved, many people were encourage, and these could happen only with our physical presence.

Three of these situations were medical. And I’d like to share the details, so you can see the glory of the Lord as He arranges Life.

The first is Akee. While traveling on a rural dirt road, going to meet Christians who had gathered to see me, we passed a group of people walking towards Soyama Town. They were carrying someone on a stretcher. We stopped, turned around, and offered to carry the person in the back of our vehicle. The person they were carrying was about 22 years old.  She was greatly emaciated. Her eyes were glazed over. She was so weak, she couldn’t lift her hand. We got her story as we drove her to the government clinic.

A year ago the Gujis raided the cattle of their family. Her father went out looking for the cattle. (These cattle represented his entire net worth!) She was carrying food to him when the Gujis attacked her. They shot her in the stomach, then began to knife her. Finally they left her as dead.  She was found some time later and taken to a government hospital about 8 hours away. She and her brother are the only Christians in her family. The Burji Church took an offering to help, and she received care at the hospital as long as that money flowed. But when her father ran out of money, she was discharged home. 

Her family tried to care for her as best they could. But she continued to deteriorate. She had a Foley catheter draining her urine; it hadn’t been changed in a year! She had 3 inch diameter decubitus sores on her right hip and coccyx. She was grossly malnourished. She was obviously in septic shock.

The diagnosis of the government clinic? “She has a thrush infection in her throat. We are treating her for thrush.” No IV fluids. No decubitus care. No nutrition.

We transported her, prayed over her, and gave her father 2,000 birr to help him in the cost of her treatment.  We considered carrying her to a hospital, but I really doubted she could be helped; she was just too far gone. Oshe (a Burji church leader) was afraid she would die in the car en-route to the hospital; it is rough road.  (In that case, there would be a government investigation and much trouble for us.)  His concern was valid, and in fact, she died two days later.

Although she died, the Gospel was clearly shown through our kindness, prayer, and financial generosity. But a person cannot come to a saving knowledge of Christ only through kindness, prayer, and financial generosity. So outside the clinic we talked with the father (an unbeliever) and explained very clearly WHY we were doing what we were doing. Many people gathered around us to listen in. The story of Christ’s salvation, freely offered to all who believe and follow Him, was laid out before him. He was obviously considering the message, but to our knowledge, he hasn’t yet “come over” to Christ.

The second medical case is Tiblett. As I turned around after praying over Akee, I saw in this same clinic room a mother holding a little baby. I immediately recognized the mother. She is Bogalech, wife of an evangelist and past director of the women’s ministry in the Burji churches.  I had med her twice before.

Here she was, sitting on this dirty bed, with a 4-yr-old boy beside her, and a small little baby in her arms. Her face told the burden upon her shoulders. Her husband was far away.  She had 8 children at home. She and her husband had volunteered to sacrifice for the Kingdom. They were joyful in this work.

But what should they do with this little baby. Her name is Tiblett. She was now 1 year old. She weighed about 10 pounds.  She had no teeth. She was very under-developed, with poor muscle coordination. When other 1-yr-olds were walking around, she could barely roll over. Despite her physical delay, her eyes were bright and she had a good suck. There was hope.

Bogalech had brought her little child down from the mountains to the clinic many times. It was a 4-6 hour walk downhill, and another 6-8 hour walk uphill. The clinic staff had given Tiblett antibiotics and had put her on a nutrition program. But she continued to fail.

“There’s got to be something else wrong with this child,” I thought. “We need to have a specialist doctor see Tiblett,” I spoke aloud to the mother.  Then we developed a plan….we would take Tiblett and her parents with us in the vehicle when we left Burji.  We would take them to the big city of Awassa, and visit a pediatrician there.

To make a long story short, we saw a general doctor first: diagnosis: Down’s Syndrome.  Then we saw a pediatrician: diagnosis: Edward’s Syndrome.  Then we took her to a big hospital in the capital for an echo-cardiogram. The pediatrician’s diagnosis: Down’s Syndrome.  The echo-cardiogram was not done; the one and only cardiac surgeon was gone from Ethiopia for 6 months!

In the meantime, I was teaching Bogalech about her nutrition. We stopped feeding Tiblett solid food; she couldn’t navigate it in her mouth and she was getting repeat cases of pneumonia. Instead, we focused on Bogalech’s nutrition: vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, and lots of good water. Within days she improved, and by extension Tiblett improved! Amazing how God has created the mother-child relationship.

At first Bogalech and her husband Wolde were shocked by the news of Down’s Syndrome. But within hours they began to see the reality of the Lord in the whole situation. “We are at peace.  Even if Tiblett does not have surgery, even if Tiblett dies, we are at peace because we know what the problem is. We know that God made her in this way, and His way is always right.” What a testimony! And we witnessed in their faces, their smiles, their laughter, their manner that the peace of which they spoke was more than just words.

So today, little Tiblett is back in her distant village, high in the mountains of Burji, Ethiopia. A pediatrician is coming with our Team in July; we will have an ultrasound at our clinic. Perhaps we can do our own in-house evaluation. If the heart condition is easily repaired, there are 2,000 people on the waiting list for surgery. We’re still praying about where to go from here.

But in the meantime, God has gotten to Himself glory, as Bogalech and Wolde have joyfully yielded to His plan for their little girl.

The third case is Melesse.  He is about 35 years old.  He’s been an evangelist for about 10 years, sent by the Alaba Church to the rural areas that are full of active, aggressive Muslims.  Many, many times they have chased him, beaten him, etc.  But still he is radiant with the love and joy of Jesus, a radiance the Lord reserves for those who fully surrender themselves to obedience.

For 8 months Melesse has been struggling with serious illnesses. He’s been to many doctors in Alaba. The diagnosis is malaria, typhoid, typhus, and gastritis.  All 4 of these diseases are very, very common in the Alaba district. It’s just a very unhealthy place to live. Often the doctors see these diseases so often that they fail to do a full analysis; they just automatically diagnosis these diseases and prescribe medicine.

When we first heard of Melesse, he had been moved to a quiet room. He was lying on a mattress on the floor, groaning in pain. His head had ached severely for weeks! We gave him some pain medicine, and the next morning 80- of the headache was gone. Then we began to feed him healthy food.  (This is not possible on an evangelist’s salary.) Over the next few days he seemed to improve. But it was clear that he needed a good doctor. So we decided to take him with us to the capital city of Addis Ababa.

But which doctor in Addis??  The city was full of doctors, but the quality of most was highly questionable.

So I got out my Ethiopia Database — .8 pages of names, emails, and phone numbers. As I looked over the names, I was praying “Lord, show me the right doctor.”  My eyes fell to Dr. Akeza.  Instantly I sensed that he was the one for Melesse. I had met Dr. Akeza only once….in North Carolina, over supper, in the home of Molly and Jason Evans!  He was working in the Emergency Department of Roxboro Hospital, but his dream was to return to his home country and establish a medical practice in Ethiopia. Two years after that supper I phoned him.  I reminded him of who I was (he remembered easily), and then I explained about Melesse. “Bring him over!  I’ll look at him.” Early the next morning, on the morning of Good Friday, Dr. Akeza came to his office just to see Melesse.

His “clinic” turned out to be a 6-story hospital, complete with pediatric ward, neo-natal intensive care, adult intensive care, CT scan, full radiology and laboratory, ultrasound, echo-cardiogram, and a full array of physician specialists! It is by far the best medical facility I’ve seen in Ethiopia.

After lab, X-rays and full exam,  Dr. Akeza diagnosed Melesse, gave him a prescription, and then gave me a tour of the hospital. We talked a long time about joining forces, medically speaking.  Their tele-medicine room isn’t yet complete, but we could access their services for our little Galana Clinic. Also, he needs assistance in some education projects.

So where is the glory of the Lord in all of this?  His providence! Two years ago, He prompted Molly Evans to invite me to supper to meet an Ethiopian doctor she worked with at a local hospital. Two years ago, God was laying the foundation for His intervention, both in our clinic and in the life of Melesse! We’ve seen this type of situation many, many, many times! God does indeed take care of His own work and His own people!

What seems like a small thing today becomes the strong foundation for some important thing down the road. How important it is for us to be always Kingdom focused, even in the small things of Life!

Yes, for Kingdom Christians, the Gospel is the focus of ALL activities in life….both in Ethiopia…and here.

And the full peace, joy, energy of the Lord Jesus is reserved for Kingdom Christians who are living the Gospel.

April 8, 2010

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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The Me Generation

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

The Me Generation

 David Alan Black

America needs a revolutionary change from being the Me generation to the We generation. By this I mean that we need to return to being a nation in which the political power lies with “We the People” rather than with Washington. The Founders of our great nation understood that the best government is always the least government. It is even better when it is accountable to “We the People.”

This coming election will be all about restoring that accountability. While Democrats and Republicans go on their merry way sharing power, our society will continue to go on its accustomed path—“slouching toward Gomorrah,” as Robert Bork has put it. Voters will continue to be content to choose whichever party they consider to be the “lesser of two evils.” Never mind that neither party is committed to paying anything other than lip service to recovering our biblical and constitutional bearings.

The Second Amendment clearly states that the right of the people to bear arms “shall not be infringed,” yet our good politicians will continue to find ways to dance around the word “not.” They will continue to disregard the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence—the right to life—meaning that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right that cannot be infringed! They will continue to seek to placate the homosexual lobby in order to expand their political base. They will continue to make decisions on assisted suicide that have broad, Roe v. Wade-like implications even while supporting activist judges who usurp the power of the people with decisions that stem more from political correctness than constitutional authority. In short, they will continue to put pragmatism over principle as they unleash torrents of political correctness, radical feminism, anti-intellectualism, and affirmative action on society.

What’s the difference in God’s eyes between “evil” and “completely evil”? The only difference between the GOP and Democrats is the degree of evil they support. Do you really believe that God would have you vote for a party that knowingly consents to the continuation of 1.5 million abortions per year and that will appoint judges to decree that Woe v. Wade is legitimate? Am I the only one who thinks there’s an alternative to the brutal dehumanizing calculations of the socialism that pervades our land or to the materialistic worship of the state that big government brings us?

Thomas Paine once said, “Moderation in temper is a virtue, but moderation in principle is always a vice.” I urge you to set a higher standard this election than you’ve ever set before. Determine now that you will not support any candidate who will mouth conservatism but compromise when the going gets tough!

If we continue in our pragmatism, we will get what we deserve—men-pleasers instead of God-fearers. This includes so-called “religious conservatives” who are more inspired by televangelists than by the Scriptures. I don’t know about you, but it matters more to me that we elect people who are humble enough to submit to the supreme law of the land, the U.S. Constitution! If we don’t, the current batch of spoiled intellectuals and starry-eyed, misguided executives will continue to wreak havoc upon the land of the free with their radical egalitarian ideas and ethic of unlimited personal hedonism.

Let it be said: Loyalty to the New World Order is disloyalty to the Republic. To vote for the warfare-welfare state might be politically convenient, but it is nothing less than a vote for the Me generation.

June 19, 2003

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Me and My Ducks

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

Me and My Ducks

 David Alan Black  

This morning I was sitting on the front porch alone, reading my Bible and praying, when a movement in the yard caught my attention. It was Mary, one of our resident ducks, come to pay me a visit. Behind her were a couple of males who seem to follow her wherever she saunters (ducks do not “walk”). I watched the way they looked at me, their eyes telling me they were expecting a handout. Not during my devotions, came my wordless stare, and off they waddled to find some food on their own.

Their visit suddenly got me thinking about how improbable my life has been. What am I doing sitting on the porch of a faux 1820s ante-bellum farmhouse in southern Virginia? I grew up far away from a farming community. I was born and raised on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean surrounded by fluted cliffs and pristine shorelines. I like to joke that I’m from the “southernmost state in the union,” but that’s what Hawaii really is if you look at a map. One of the biggest events in my childhood was making a trip to the “Big, Big Island” (which is what we called the mainland). I came back to Oahu with vivid memories of the breadth of Pennsylvania, the ruggedness of western Montana, the noise of New York City. In Hawaii we knew nothing of such things. Our family lived close enough to Kailua Beach that I found myself surfing there almost every day, even when there weren’t any waves to speak of (surfers are the world’s greatest optimists). The only thing I knew about farm life was what I read in the series, The Adventures of the Hardy Boys.

When I turned 18 my dream was to study the Bible at Biola and then graduate and become a – well, I had no idea what I wanted to become. Back in those days we Jesus Freaks led a fairly simple and simplistic existence of reading the Bible and trying to make sense out of life. At that time I had long hair and wore mariachi sandals just like all of my friends. But I knew I was changing. I can still vividly remember my first 747 flight when I left Hawaii to attend Biola in 1971. As we rounded Diamond Head and I looked down on Kailua and Waimanalo and Kaneohe, I knew one thing: When I returned in December for Christmas break, Hawaii would never feel like home again.

And it never did.

While I was in college something was drawing me to study New Testament and Greek more than any other course of study. I was especially drawn to Dr. Harry Sturz, the Greek professor at Biola. He was the kind of man who kept quiet when everyone else was shouting. He was the kind of man who studied his Bible (in Greek, of course) and prayed and encouraged others all during the day. He lived a genuine faith. It was his influence that prompted me to study for my doctorate in New Testament at the University of Basel. That was way back in 1980, though it seems like yesterday. Thus began a career of teaching and writing at places like Biola, Simon Greenleaf University, Talbot, Grace Seminary, and now at Southeastern Seminary.

It was just after arriving in North Carolina that my life took a new and unexpected turn. To make a long story short, the Lord gave Becky and me a desire to return to her Virginia roots (William Bradford is her lineal ancestor), to begin homesteading on a “real” farm instead of the small 8-acre ranch we had purchased in North Carolina, and to establish a retreat ministry like that of Francis and Edith Schaeffer’s L’Abri. We eventually purchased a 123-acre farm and made the move to rural Virginia. We knew in making the move there would be lots of dramatic changes in our life and a lot of unknowns, but we would trust God to guide us on the way.

This morning, sitting on the porch alone, I was reminded of this strange pilgrimage of mine from the beach at Kailua to the fields of the Southland. I looked again at my inquisitive visitors and a feeling of wonder swept over me. How special these animals are to me. And how wonderful it is to see them on our farm, for they, too, are transplants (we bought them in Carolina). They seem to feel happy and at home.

And so do I.

September 20, 2007

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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McKinley

   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

                

McKinley and the Acquisition of the Philippines: Deja Vu All Over Again in Iraq

 David Alan Black

Gabriel Kolko, in his excellent book, Another Century of War?, shows how America has become the world’s sole superpower by engaging in a perpetual war to oppose an elusive enemy called “terrorism.” He notes that American wars and interventions have usually produced unintended consequences that in the end were far more harmful than beneficial to American interests. He further notes how the Bush administration consistently ignores our nation’s original foreign policy of noninterventionism as enunciated by Washington—a foreign policy that changed to interventionism with the Spanish-American War. It is this latter point that I wish to pursue briefly in this essay.

By the exigencies of that war, the responsibilities in the Pacific were thrust upon the United States for the first time. As in Iraq today, the McKinley administration faced the problem of “making the Philippines”—that is, “redeeming” the Philippines and building a “new civilization” upon the ruins of the Spanish misrule. I see at least two important similarities between modern-day Iraq and the Philippines of the late nineteenth century. The Philippine Islands were rich in natural resources and boundless possibilities of industrial and commercial expansion. They also possessed a heterogeneous population of some seven or eight million souls of many different races and tribes, a feature accompanied by the absence of any semblance of national unity, but in its stead universal jealousy, the Tagalogs distrusting the Visayans, the Christians hating the Mussulmans of Mindanao, etc. The post-war reconstruction policy of the United States was affirmed by McKinley in a letter to General Elwell Otis, dated December 21, 1898, which closed with these words: “…it should be the earnest and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants of the Philippines by assuring to them in every possible way that full measure of individual rights and liberties which is the heritage of free peoples, and by proving to them that the mission of the United States is one of benevolent assimilation, substituting the mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule.”

McKinley was widely supported in his foreign policy vis-à-vis the Philippines, just as Bush has enjoyed the support of the majority of Americans for “liberating” Iraq. However, McKinley had his detractors as well. His phrase “benevolent assimilation” was sneeringly criticized as hypocritical. He was charged with perfidy in promising independence to the Filipinos and failing to grant it. He was accused of turning the “much-vaunted war of liberation into a war of conquest and criminal aggression.” In the face of increasing criticism of his policy of occupation, McKinley refused to pull out. The army was there only to protect the lives and property of the people and to establish order and security, he insisted. The sovereignty of America, having once been established, must remain unsullied until voluntarily withdrawn, he said.

Another favorite criticism of the president’s opponents was that the Constitution of the United States granted no authority for annexing a sovereign nation. They argued, in light of the Declaration of Independence, that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. The president responded by saying that the right to hold and govern territory and peoples as the result of conquest is one of the inherent attributes of sovereignty. The framers of the Constitution, he insisted, intended to create a nation—not with limited powers as compared with their neighbors, but a strong, enduring, and self-sustaining nation with all the powers that make for growth and expansion. It was inconceivable, therefore, that the United States had no authority to retain and govern territory outside its borders, having obtained possession of it. If the Filipinos failed to understand the altruism of the president, it was only because in all their earthly experience they had never heard of such a thing as a philanthropic ruler. Thus, in his letter of acceptance for the Republican nomination for president on September 8, 1900, McKinley asserted, “We will not give up our own to guarantee another’s sovereignty.”

William McKinley was not the first American president to use the argument of philanthropy toward other “less fortunate” peoples. Lincoln “heard” a similar call and responded with the emancipation of four million slaves—at the cost of 620,000 war dead. But that was within our own boundaries. McKinley saw that the time had come when the United States, no longer a weakling nation, but strong and able, should take to itself the apostolic injunction, “We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.” He believed that the unalienable rights that the nation’s Founders had so ardently desired for themselves were not the exclusive privilege of their own countrymen, but were part of the endowment of the people of Cuba, of Puerto Rico, and of the Philippines as well. When the events of history placed the destinies of these peoples within America’s hands, it was its duty to extend to them the same blessings of freedom that it enjoyed.

And so it was that the United States, ignoring the words of its first president to avoid entangling alliances, inaugurated a policy of “benevolent assimilation” in the development of the world and placed itself at the head of all nations as the chief uplifter of less fortunate peoples. The power subsequently wielded by the United States in its treatment of foreign nations was all the direct result of President McKinley’s exalted vision of the fundamental duty of America to make itself a power for righteousness.

October 13, 2003

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com. He is currently finishing his latest book, Why I Stopped Listening to Rush: Confessions of a Recovering Neocon.

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May 2018 Blog Archives   

Tuesday, May 29   

6:45 AM What a crazy week it’s going to be weather-wise. Rain and more rain. Not that we don’t need the rain. Farmers are always grateful for precipitation, especially when their main crop is hay. So it looks like I’ll be taking another hiatus from picking up bales and even from running outdoors unless I can take advantage of any dry spells that present themselves. It’s either that or use a “dreadmill.” My verdict: Make your plans, but hold them loosely. Keep on pushing yourself, be that physically, intellectually, or spiritually. This is our third week of summer Greek and the finish line is almost in view. Interestingly, we’re covering 13 chapters in Greek 1. Doing the math, that’s the equivalent of a half marathon. Today I’m sending my students home with their second exam of the semester, covering chapters 7-11. Then “all” we have left this week are chapters 12-13. I say “all” because every half marathoner knows that 50 percent of your energy is expended on the last 3 miles of the race. You look and look for reasons to quit but can’t find any. So you keep plodding along. And just what are we learning this week in Greek class? The passive and middle voices. Not that hard, not that bad. Not even “deponency” will kill you. When I took beginning Greek, I had several bad days. I struggled, stumbled, and heaved just to finish. Ditto for my first half marathon. I thought about trying to convince the race organizers to shorten the course but they would have nothing of it. The bottom line: 13 miles are 13 miles. And 13 chapters are 13 chapters. You can crawl across the finish line if you need to, but ya gotta go the distance. Even if you don’t beat your time goal, you’ve still beaten your laziness, and that’s something worth celebrating in and of itself.

Below? That’s moi at the finish line of the Dallas Marathon last December. A marathon is twice as long as a half. A 6 week Greek class is twice as long as a 3 week Greek class. The principle here is obvious: You can’t run 5 miles unless you’ve run 4. One mile at a time, and one chapter at a time.

Got it?

Monday, May 28   

11:52 AM Just ran 2 miles in South Boston at (or is it “on”?) the high school track. It’s now raining. I had planned to run a 5K but the humidity got to me and I just had to stop. Tough runners would have continued. Me-type runners call it quits when they are literally about to keel over.

Back to our Hebrews class for a sec. Here’s the one entry I’m having my students read on the topic of textual criticism:

F. F. Bruce, “Textual Problems in the Epistle to the Hebrews” in David Alan Black, ed., Scribes and Scripture: New Testament Essays in Honor of J. Harold Greenlee. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1992. Pp.27-39.

I remember when Prof. Bruce wrote this essay for me. The manuscript I received from him was written on a machine called a typewriter. (You might find one in your local ancient history museum.) White out had been used in places. And when the book was eventually published, Bruce’s essay appeared posthumously. The great scholar had gone home to be with the Lord. I suppose the most interesting variant he discusses is the one in Heb. 2:9. In place of “by the grace of God” many copies of the letter have “apart from God.” Oddly enough, this variant isn’t even mentioned in Guthrie’s commentary, which I just checked. Oh well, it will be discussed in our class, along with other important textual variants. After all, textual criticism is part and parcel of the exegete’s toolbox.

My next race is next Saturday in Raleigh, by the way. It’s called Race 13.1. Let’s see, where did I put my body glide and aspirin? It will be my second half marathon in two weeks. Not that I’m OCD or anything. I could sit here and write a ton of stuff about how excited I am but I’ll wrap things up and just say how thankful I am to the Lord for allowing me to participate in road races.

Happy Memorial Day! Run strong!

7:55 AM Happy Memorial Day everyone. I hope you’re enjoying your day off from work (if you get one). This morning I’m sipping Kona Coffee that I brought back from Hawaii with me last year. Could anything taste better? I was planning on swimming laps today but there’s heavy rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for practically the entire day. So I thought I’d bring you up to speed on my 5K last night in Raleigh. 5K races are just downright cruel. They make you run, and run hard, the whole way. Unlike a 10K or a half, you have no real excuse to steal breaths at aid stations or even walk up the hilly parts. And this course was HILLY. I had 3 or 4 goals going into last night’s race:

  • Finish.

  • Finish under 35 minutes.

  • Finish without walking at all.

  • Place in my age division.

I accomplished all but the last goal. In fact, this was the first time I was able to run the entire course without taking any walk breaks. Out of pure habit, I ran way outside of my comfort zone. According to my Map My Run app, my intensity level was 97 percent. 3.1 miles is a long way to run when you’re going full out. But I finished strong although it took me several minutes to recover. God’s grace! Remember, Dave, you like to do hard things.

Best of luck to all of you this holiday if you’re out there running or otherwise training. Let me know when you sign up for your first 5K. Do your best and all will be well. 5Ks are definitely rough, but none of it is worth it unless you’re enjoying yourself. I’ll be cheering you on.

A few pix:

1) I drove down to Raleigh early so that I could grab some Ethiopian food before the race.

2) Tegegne is back in charge. He sold the business several years ago but now it’s back in his very capable hands.

3) If you’re ever in Raleigh and want to try some authentic Ethiopian cuisine, the Abyssinia is the place to go.

4) The race started at 6:00 pm but I got there at 3:45 to help with registration and packet pickup. I’m standing in the back passing out the race t-shirts. It was a blast.

5) We lined up for the start at 5:55. There were some really fast dudes in this race. I mean, guys with calves the size of my thighs.

6) It was a beautiful day for a race, for sure, but a bit on the humid side. Okay, a lot on the humid side.

7) Did I mention that the course was hilly?

8) You ran up and down, up and down, and up and down again. The hills seemed never-ending.

9) Here’s good ol’ moi post-race catching my breath.

10) The after-race party included a couple of roach coaches. I ordered some tacos and washed them down with an ice-cold coke.

11) I pulled into the farm at exactly 9:30 pm and was treated to this gorgeous view of the moon.

What a great day! So it wasn’t my fastest 5K but the effort I put into this race made it an incredibly amazing experience. And it was a delight to share it with you.

P.S. In commemoration of Memorial Day, I’ve been watching “Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams. To all the fallen, our deepest and most heartfelt thanks.

Sunday, May 27   

8:45 AM Hey guys, and welcome back to my little blog. I was up early this morning working on the syllabus for this fall’s exegesis of Hebrews class. It’s crazy to think that anyone can cover the entire 13-chapter epistle in one week, so I’ve forced myself (ugh) to select portions of the letter to focus on. What do you think of my choices?

1:1–4

2:1–4

3:1–6

4:1–11

5:11–6:12

7:1–28

8:1–13

9:11–15

10:19–25

11:1–7

12:1–3

13:1–6

I know that some of you who read my blog are runners and, like me, read the Bible for echoes of the sport. Some passages, such as 12:1-3, are obviously running-related, but others are less obviously so. Here I’m thinking of 2:1-4 or 3:1-6, for example. There are two principles at work in these passages. I’d call 2:1-4 “The Danger of Doing Nothing.” In other words,when you do nothing, something always happens. That’s a principle of life you can bank on. Just don’t mow the grass or change the oil in your car. As for the readers of Hebrews, they were in danger of slowly, imperceptibly drifting away from their moorings in Christ, much like a sailing vessel can drift away from a dock. During our lives as runners, we face a moment of truth every time we wake up in the morning. Running for life is a choice we have to make over and over again. Piece by piece, day after day, we are adding to the mosaic of ourselves as runners. Together, inspiration and perspiration carry us through. Every run we do can become a spontaneous celebration.

As for 3:1-6, my takeaway is another often-forgotten principle of life: You don’t have to make someone else look bad in order to make someone look good. You’ll recall that in this passage the author is comparing Moses and Christ. His goal is to show how vastly superior Christ is to Moses. Had I been given that assignment, I probably would have said, “That’s easy. No problem. All I have to do is show how Moses sinned and how Moses failed and then compare him to the sinless Christ.” But the author of Hebrews was much wiser than that. Rather than denigrate Moses in any way or attempt to “unhitch” himself from the Old Testament, he shows how Moses “was faithful in all of his household.” Moses, he says, was a super great leader, perhaps the greatest leader Israel ever knew. Then he goes on to say, almost in a stage whisper, “Pssst, and guess what? Jesus is even greater than Moses, and if He can be greater than Moses He must really be Something.” You see, the author isn’t contrasting Moses’ faithfulness with Christ’s faithfulness. Both were equally faithful. But there’s a catch: Moses was faithful as a son in the house. But Christ is faithful as the Son over the house. Thus the point of comparison has nothing to do with faithfulness but has everything to do with status. One of the reasons I love the running community so much is because it’s so affirming of every runner who makes an attempt to get out there and run — even those of us out of shape slobs who started out running at a caterpillar-like pace. The possible suddenly seems possible, and no one offers you more encouragement than people who have been running all their lives. “Trust me,” they tell you. “If I can do it, so can you. All you have to do is keep training, keep improving, and keep ignoring the naysayers.” You are living a life, my running friend, that only a short time ago would have been a complete fantasy.

Of course, in our Hebrews class, we’ll be covering these passages not in English but in Greek, and believe you me, the Greek of Hebrews can be a bit on the challenging side. But if I get the syllabus up in the next 3 weeks, that should give my students plenty of time to work ahead if they so desire. The course is by default (more than design) merely an entrée into this wonderful epistle. And in addition to exegeting specific texts, we’ll also be covering such macro-issues as authorship. Here’s what they’ll be reading on this subject.

  • Allen, David L. Lukan Authorship of Hebrews. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2010.

  • Black, David Alan. The Authorship of Hebrews: The Case for Paul. Energion, 2013.

  • Guthrie, George. “The Case for Apollos as the Author of Hebrews,” Faith and Mission 18.2. (2001): 41-56.

Of course, when they read my little book, I don’t expect them to agree with me, though I hope they’ll get a glimpse of the remarkable joy of discovery I experienced as I began to study the church fathers for themselves.

Okay, enough about Hebrews (for now). Tonight I’ve got a 5K in Raleigh.

I nearly fainted when I saw the elevation chart.

Am I back in the Swiss Alps or what? The race starts at 6:00, but I’m volunteering to man the registration table from 3:45-5:45 so I’ll get there a bit early. Speaking of volunteering, I am so excited to be able to announce to you that I’ve joinedTeam Lungevity!

They had a booth at the Marine Corp Historic Half last weekend and I signed up! So in October, when I run the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, I’ll do so as a fundraiser for lung cancer research. You can tell, cantcha, that I’m still not over Becky’s passing and love running for “the cure.” Since her death I’ve broadened my understanding of who I am in this world. I’m learning to integrate Becky’s loss into a greater whole. Yes, God is sovereign — absolutely! But God’s sovereignty doesn’t cancel out the important role we play. Through running I hope against hope that somehow, some way, I can make other people’s lives better through my circumstances. At the incarnation, God came all the way from heaven to live among us. The streets of gold became a pile of dirt at His feet. I have grieved long and intensely, but I’ve found comfort in knowing that I can still enter into the pain and grief of others who are battling cancer. The point is, no matter what loss you might experience in life, my friend, there’s always a way to make it into good. Faith allows us to trust God and also to serve others in His name. I’ll be 66 in two weeks, so there’s no time to waste if I’m going to get busy for God.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope everyone is running strong, be your race a physical one, an emotional one, or a spiritual one — or all three. Balance in life is a slippery thing. Runners know well what the word “sacrifice” means. So do followers of Jesus. I know, sometimes it’s hard to wrap our head around the task. But here’s what we can do: stop blaming our laziness on a barrage of excuses, put away our demons, and run with endurance the race set before us.

You got this!

Dave

Saturday, May 26   

12:10 PM Afternoon, folks, and welcome back to DBO. I’m here to tell you I am super super excited that this book came in today’s mail.

I had been anxiously anticipating it. I’ve watched enough YouTubes of Nathaniel Philbrick to know that he is an excellent communicator, and what a story he’s got to tell. Earlier I went to the farmer’s market and brought these beauties home with me.

I just devoured a mater sandwich and plan to use the yellow squash in my spaghetti sauce tonight. Before that I enjoyed a stellar 45-minute workout at the Y, where I worked mostly on my upper body strength. As you know, I had planned to swim after that but I decided to nix that plan as a thunderstorm threateningly approached. Anyway, I hope many of you were able to get that workout or run in today that you had planned to do. As you know, my blog is (partly) an attempt to motivate non-runners or even non-exercisers to get moving, and it’s always a blessing to hear from people who tell me, “Man, what a great run I had today! Just had to share that with you!” You guys are the best. It’s now time to get some rest and then maybe get on the bike this afternoon if it’s not raining. I need to close by mentioning that I’vetotally gotten into pre-race excitement mode in view of tomorrow night’s 5K down in Raleigh. I wish I were in better shape for the race but I’ll take what I can get!

Bye for now.

7:45 AM Good morning friends. I can’t believe I actually slept in until 6:30 this morning, which is something I almost never do, but I must have been worn out after getting up all those bales last night. I love sipping coffee on the front porch with my faithful doggy by my side. (Our view this morning.)

I thought I’d update you on a few things that are going on in my life right now and then I’ll get my day started. I’m pretty excited that the final contract for the book Ben Merkle and I are editing —  Linguistics and New Testament Greek: Key Issues in the Current Debate — came in yesterday’s mail, signed by all parties. The publisher is Baker, with whom I’ve published I think around 6 books and I know that Ben has already published with them too. I am very happy with their decision to take on this work and I’m sure they will do an absolutely swell job with it. As a reminder, the contributors are Stan Porter, Steve Runge, Stephen Levinsohn, Mike Aubrey, Randall Buth, Michael Halcomb, Rob Plummer, Con Campbell, Thomas Hudgins, Nicholas Ellis, and Jonathan Pennington. Ben and I will write a rather lengthy introduction on the history of the study of Greek and the importance of linguistics for students of the New Testament. And if you’re at all interested in attending our conference on this subject, the link ishere. Speaking of Greek linguistics, I checked this book out from our library yesterday and, believe it or not, I’ve already read the entire thing.

It’s excellent in every way. The main authors are two people I’m not familiar with — Wendy Widder and Jeremy Thompson — but I see that both Mike Aubrey and Dan Wilson have also contributed to the book. Chapters include:

  • Introduction to Linguistics and the Bible

  • Linguistic Fundamentals

  • Major Approaches to Linguistics

  • Linguistic Issues in Biblical Greek

  • The Value of Linguistically Informed Exegesis

Mike Aubrey writes in the latter chapter:

Exegesis is and has always been, fundamentally, an intersection of history, theology, and exegesis.

He is so right. I hope this book will do for many of you what Barr’s seminal work on semantics did for me when I was a newly minted Greek teacher at Biola in the mid-1970s.

As for today’s training schedule: a 45-minute workout at the Y, then 20 minutes of lap swimming at the pool. I’ve been feeling pretty good lately, getting in some good runs, and eating pretty clean, though I can always do better in this category. I’m certainly not perfect. On occasion I’ll open a can of spaghetti simply because I’m in a hurry to teach class after a workout. Do you ever feel like your head’s about to explode because there’s so much to learn about this healthy lifestyle business? I cringe when somebody says “I ate healthy today” and then find out they had a TV dinner and Doritos. Of course, how often have I done that!! It’s so easy to fall back into the convenience trap. I’m finding that the 45 pounds I lost when I began weight training and exercising regularly are staying off, but I think that’s mostly due to my high metabolism. I sweat standing still! But I’ve come a long way, as have so many of you. I feel better and stronger than I have in years. On my way home today I plan to stop by the farmer’s market. Eating locally grown food is vastly better than buying canned food. I may also get in a short run this morning. I have to say there’s something incredible about running in the morning. I love Joyner Park in Wake Forest. I get there right at dawn. Honestly, any time spent outdoors, at any time of day, is time well spent. What are you doing for exercise these days? Do you have a favorite training ground? Have you signed up for your next race yet?

Enjoy this day!

Dave

P.S. Happy Third Birthday to my grandson Peyton Black. I love you!

Friday, May 25   

10:10 PM Hey there guys, and welcome back to Rosewood Farm. Hope you all had a super great day. Mine was pretty fantastic. Today we finished 2 out of 6 weeks of summer Greek, and now the students get to enjoy a long holiday weekend with their families. I was thinking about going surfing this weekend but then I realized that Memorial Day weekend is probably not the best time to go to the beach. Instead, the local public pool is reopening for the summer tomorrow and I plan to get back into lap swimming in case I want to do another triathlon this year. The two I did least year in Wake Forest were such fun. Today my goals were to mow both Maple Ridge and Bradford Hall and then get up hay with Nathan. It was a perfect day for working outdoors. The mowing took me about two hours.

I barely finished with that project when it was time to pick up bales. Here’s the first load we got up today.

And the second.

I don’t have a picture of the third load of hay because by that time the sun had already set. That’s right, we worked until 9:30 pm!

Here’s a brief YouTube of what it feels like to work outdoors on a beautiful day like today. I am so blessed!

Right now I’ve got to cook supper, however, so I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow. Cheers!

Thursday, May 24   

6:45 AM The other day the library staff introduced me to a new acquisition. I don’t know who was more excited: the librarians to show it to me, or me when I saw it.

“On Pascha” is worth reading by every Christian. No, it’s not sacred Scripture. But the pioneer generation of Christians (the “Church Fathers”) still have much to teach us. This particular book is a meditation on Christ as the typological fulfillment of the Passover. As with most anything written by the Fathers, it contains some good typology and some not so good typology, so read with caution. I mentioned the book to my Greek class and they were blown away to discover that the Greek they are learning in class this summer will also enable them to read the Greek Fathers, as well as the Greek Old Testament (the “LXX”). Melito (d. 180) was held in great esteem by the early church. He came from Sardis in modern-day Turkey. Here’s a sample from the book. See what you can do with it.

I leave you with this thought: That person who means nothing to you is somebody else’s everything.

Make it a great day!

Dave

Wednesday, May 23   

5:40 PM Hey guys, and welcome back to my blog. It’s mid-week and I’m back on the farm to do farm chores and get caught up on all the animals. I also had a great lunch today in Wake Forest with one of our librarians. Libraries and librarians have always had a very special place in my heart and research. Speaking about eating out, on Monday my assistant and I made a visit to Duke Hospital to check on one of our students who just had surgery and before then I treated Noah to Ethiopian for the first time.

That was a lot of fun. He really thought it was tasty.

Well, it’s been a while since I sat down and really gave you an update on where I’m headed this year with my running. But I have at long last finalized my race schedule for the year and thought I’d share it with you. I’m feeling super motivated, having just done both a full and a half marathon. I have been going back and forth on whether I should sign up for more than two marathons for the rest of this year, and for now I’ve come to the conclusion that in 2018 I don’t think I’ll be able to run as many marathons as I did in 2017 because I don’t think I’ll be able to dedicate as much time to training as I did last year, although I did get in a nice 5K run this morning in beautiful Joyner Park in Wake Forest. (Here’s my view at sunrise.)

So here are the races I’ve signed up for in 2018 that I am so looking forward to running:

  • Sunday, May 27, 6:00 pm: The Raleigh Beach 5K. These evening races are always a good time even though I’m not huge fan of the Dorothea Dix Park course.

  • Saturday, June 2, 7:15 am: Race 13.1 in Raleigh. This will be the third time I’ve done this half marathon. The course is challenging but fun.

  • Wednesday, July 4, 8:05 am: Liberty 10K in The Colony, just north of Dallas. I’ve done this race once before.

  • Sunday, Sept. 2, 7:00 am: Virginia Beach Half Marathon. I also did this race last year.

  • Saturday, Sept. 29, 5:30 pm: Starry Night 5K in Raleigh. This is another one of those awesome summer evening races.

  • Saturday, Oct. 13, 8:00 am: High Bridge Ultra 50 in Farmville, VA.

  • Sunday, Oct. 28, 7:55: Marine Corp Marathon in Arlington, VA.

  • Saturday, Nov. 10, 7:00 am: Richmond Marathon in Richmond, VA.

I may also be signing up for other shorter 5K races as the year goes on. But the big race that I’ve officially signed up for is the 31-mile High Bridge Ultra in October. You might be thinking, wow, that is a while away, and it is, but I’ve already started my training for it and I definitely foresee much of my training to be at the actual course because this is where I like to run and bike anyway. Also this summer, I hope to get back to the West. My plan, after finishing summer Greek, is to fly into either Billings, Montana or Rapid City, South Dakota, with my aim being to revisit Mount Rushmore, the Custer National Battlefield, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons. So be on the lookout for more details about these upcoming events. Right now I’m trying to rebuild my base by running and biking consistently. I am enjoying every day of it. I really need to get back into endurance training if I’m going to have a chance of completing the 50K race in October. I’m also trying really hard to eat better but that’s a constant struggle when you are traveling as much as I do. Yesterday I had Korean Bulgogi for lunch, but as you know, in Korean cuisine meat is not so much a main course as it is a condiment, so along with the Bulgogi I enjoyed tons of Kimchi, Seaweed, and Bab (rice). I’ve been going to the gym regularly (as I did this afternoon) and I’m gradually working on building my upper body strength for the climbing in the Tetons and the Rockies that I plan to do this year and next. In short, I’m going to make my ultra my main race goal of 2018 without neglecting my other goals. I am so, so, so excited about trying out an ultramarathon. I really like races that allow me to get out in nature and enjoy God’s beautiful creation as well as races that make me push myself to the max.

Other than that, our summer school Greek class is going very well and the students are really hanging in there despite our grueling schedule. I think most of them are suffering from PTSD having been introduced to the imperfect and the aorist on Monday, but tomorrow I’m going to hold another study hall in my office after class and we’ll try to help those who need a little assistance to get over this speedbump. It’s so much a cliché because we hear it every day, but it’s really true: Live each day as though it were your last or as if your health will be taken away from you tomorrow. So two thumbs up to all of you who are trying so hard to pursue God’s will for your life with a passion, because really, there’s no other way to live our lives.

The last thing I have to say is that I was finally able to get a pedicure today, a much-needed one I might add. I had intended to cut my toenails before last weekend’s race but I forgot all about it, so today I had a professional take care of it for me. My nails are now officially “healed”!

That’s it for now. Thanks, as always, for visiting.

Monday, May 21   

6:42 AM If you’re a follower of Jesus, God has hard-wired you to serve others in His name. Here’s a picture of a team from Lifepoint Church in Fredericksburg. In accordance with Scripture, they were passing out cups of *gummy bears* in Jesus’ name during yesterday’s race.

They had a corner on the market too, since there were plenty of other volunteers blessing us with cups of cold water. Believe me, at mile 8, these bearers of energy were just what the doctor ordered. But I have to ask myself: In all of my running, this is the first time I’ve seen an evangelical church out on a race course. It can only be done when we begin to realize that the gathering exists for the going. I have a special empathy for people trying to find their place in the body of Christ. But let’s not forget to consider simple, towel-and-basin ministries such as this one. Simply put, serving others in Jesus’ name is what you do with who you are in Christ. Every believer has been called to serve in the kingdom of God. Markus Barth reminds us that the entire church “is the clergy appointed by God for a ministry to and for the world” (Ephesians, p. 479). This is the highest calling possible. Paul says that the body grows into the Head through every joint or connection point. How different it would be to runners if they saw church after church doing such simple acts of service. They would welcome the God-given concern being expressed. This is why, significantly, the goal of leadership in the church is to get every member of the body relating to the Head for himself or herself. The leading servants will do this primarily in the context of exercising their own spiritual gifts. The church needs these specially gifted leaders, but the call of God also comes to every believer who has ears to hear — even if this means that they stand in the oppressive heat and humidity passing out jelly beans in the name of their King. 

Church, I believe we can do better. Can I tell you the dream for my life and teaching? I hope you get to the end of your life and breathe a huge sigh of relief and thanksgiving. You discovered that God is good at being God. You discovered that He was willing to use you in normal, everyday circumstances to be a blessing to others in His name. We don’t have to be superstars. We’re probably better at just being normal folk anyway.

Oorah!

Sunday, May 20   

5:44 PM You hear it long before you see it. Crowds cheering. Horns blaring. Loved ones screaming for their sons and daughters or husbands or wives. As the finish line of the Marine Corps Historic Half approached, I could almost have wept with joy. This is where it all started exactly 3 years ago when my daughter invited me to cheer her on during her race. It’s been a long journey getting here — 12 previous halfs and 9 full marathons — but none of this would have happened without the inspiration of that one person. The result has been 3 wonderful years of training, running, sacrifice, frustration, growth, and victories. To God be the glory! This race was truly “historic” for me. There isn’t any way to adequately describe how grateful I am to Karen for spurring me on to become a runner. All the blood, sweat, and tears required to get to this place were inspired by my family. There’s nothing like the deep-seated feeling of fulfillment you get when you work so hard for something and all your hard work finally pays off. I didn’t get a PR today but I am more than pleased with my results. After all, I survived Hospital Hill! I’ll leave you with a few pix.

1) Here’s my hotel in Fredericksburg.

I chose it because it was located right at the start and finish lines. The staff couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful. They even closed breakfast late today to accommodate all of us runners. Thank you, Homewood Suites!

2) Here’s a word you heard lots this weekend.

3) The race started at 7:00 am sharp. I mosied to the back of the pack. Even there you could see that the crowd of runners was huge.

4) The first 3 miles are all downhill. As you can see, as the sun rose the clouds began to drift away, leaving the runners to deal the best they could with the heat and humidity.

5) Eventually the course veers away from the main roads and you begin running through some nice neighborhoods with many historic homes.

6) Like my downhill form? As lithe as a gazelle, eh? Haha!

7) Before you know you it, you start the long climb up Hospital Hill at mile 11.

8) At the top, the meds are looking the runners up and down to make sure they haven’t had a heart attack or heat stroke.

9) A few minutes later you see the finish line. I took all the high fives I could get. You are about to become a Historic Half Marathoner!

10) This was neither my fastest nor my slowest half.

11) I did conquer the Beast, however!

12) Wow. My first ever Marine Corps Historic Half medal. I somehow don’t think it will be my last.

13) A big Oorah for all the Marines who have served our country so faithfully through the years. Good to see so many of you out there on the course today. God speed and stay safe. Let’s all just take a minute and remember those who didn’t make it back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

To wrap things up, this race was so much fun. I’m so proud of everyone who ran today. The whole thing was so awesomely crazy. The good news is that despite a few minor aches and pains my body is feeling really good. It stiffened up on the long drive home today but nothing too serious. I’m raring to get back on the Greenway as soon as I can this week.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Saturday, May 19   

7:50 AM Taking this book with me to FBurg.

7:10 AM One of my kids asked me this morning if I enjoyed running in the rain. I told him I don’t mind the rain. It’s the humidity that gets to me. There are all kinds of less-than-ideal weather situations, so you just take them as they come. On January 1st of this year I ran a marathon. I wore 4 thick layers, three hats, fleece-lined pants under my running pants, and heavy gloves. If I kept moving I stayed warm, but once I stopped (for any reason) I began to freeze. The temp that day was literally 1 degree. But you know what? Your mindset is more important than your clothing. Stop being a crybaby. Lace up and go. We “get” to run, remember? It’s never something we have to do. My mantra is, “This isn’t going to kill you, you wimp.” Running, like anything in life, is a decision. You either decide to make running a part of your life or you don’t. Ditto for all things academic. Growing up, I always admired smart people. Since I never had their cachet, I figured I could be a mediocre student in high school. But when I got to college, all of that changed. I had become a “student.” Let’s get real. Not everyone in school is a student. They’re more interested in a degree than in learning. What makes the difference between someone who’s just going through motions and someone who’s committed to a lifetime of learning? It’s motivation. Yes. I said it. The M word.

Each of us is driven farther and faster when we do something we love. Harnessing the power of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic remuneration is thoroughly satisfying and infinitely more rewarding. Carrots and sticks (often) don’t work. I say “often” because sometimes we have to use extrinsic motivation to nudge ourselves along. In class yesterday, I had a pop Spelling B. The first 6 students to the board could vie for a much-coveted award: one of my books (hehe). I gave them an English word (say, “law”) and they had to give me the Greek nomos. It was sudden death. They did so well I had to start choosing really hard words. Eventually one of them walked away with a copy of The Myth of Adolescence to the applause of the other students. This weekend, as they do their take-home exam, I’ve promised everyone who gets a perfect score a free copy of one of my books. As I said, carrots and sticks aren’t all that bad. But an operating system centered around rewards and punishment can only do so much. The starting point, of course, is to fall back on extrinsic motivators only when absolutely necessary. I give quizzes and exams. In Basel, that would have been unthinkable. A quiz over the reading material? Ridiculous. I’m reading the book because that’s what I love to do. But here in the States, the game we play is called the tyranny of the urgent. I do only as much as I’m expected to do because I have little to no time to do anything else. If we want to strengthen our academic institutions, get beyond our underachievement, and address the problem of mediocrity in our lives, our businesses, and our world, we need to move from Type X behaviors (X-trinsic) to Type I behaviors (I-ntrinsic). Of course, none of us ever truly exhibits purely intrinsic behavior every waking moment. I know I don’t. A publisher sets a deadline for my manuscript. Whether I feel like it or not, I have to meet that deadline. But in the long run, I believe that Type I people outperform Type X people. No, we don’t disdain money or recognition. But we’re motivated by something more lasting than that. For the follower of Jesus, that motivation is pleasing Him. So we have a choice. We can cling to our old habits or craft a new approach to help ourselves work a little smarter and a little better. Getting an A in Greek is a performance goal. But being able to use Greek once you’ve graduated is a learning goal. Both goals can fuel achievement, but only one leads to mastery.

Thanks for hanging with me.

Friday, May 18   

7:44 PM This came from this weekend’s race director:

Grrrr. Looks like another humid race. I’ve said this 5 million times on this blog, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s running in humidity. Even before you begin running you’re sweating copiously. We runners can get obsessed about certain things. It’s such a hugely important part of our lives that we can take running (and ourselves) too seriously. Then again, heat stroke is no joke. So I need to remind myself to keep perspective. With my 66th birthday just around the corner, I’m not getting any younger. On the other hand, I’m reminded of the saying: “When you want to, you’ll find a reason. When you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

7:32 PM Over time I’ve discovered something very interesting about myself. I love America. I mean, I get teary-eyed over the most inconsequential things at times, including songs like Neal Diamond’s “They’re Coming to America.” I suppose this is partly due to the fact that exactly 100 years ago my maternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Cluj, Romania. They had 10 kids, all of whom were born in the old country except for their youngest, my mother. I can see them now, gazing open-mouthed at the Statue of Liberty as they passed through the immigration center at Ellis Island. When Becky and I visited these sites in 2001, I tried to imagine what my ancestors must have felt. Joy. Fear. Relief to have finally arrived in the land of their dreams. They ended up moving to Youngtown, Ohio, and settling in the large Romanian community there alongside the Italians, Greeks, Germans, etc. I’m reminded that we’re a nation of immigrants — which is one reason I find the rants of a certain lawyer (now viral on YouTube) so detestable. “This is America. Speak English, not Spanish!” Oh really? Don’t you know that the U.S. has no “official” language”? Don’t you know that neither English nor Spanish are “native” to this land? Don’t you know that Spanish (not to mention German, French, Mandarin, etc.) are taught in public schools all across the nation? Actually, if he had told me to stop speaking Spanish in public I’d have probably done so because my Spanish is so malísimo. Then again, I’m pretty mulish. I actually thrive on embarrassing myself in various tongues. The only way to improve one’s Spanish or French is by speaking it, for crying out loud. So don’t be surprised to find me talking, say, German with German tourists, or Pidgin with the mokes in Kailua.

I mention all this because July 4th is coming up and I’ve decided to spend the holiday in Dallas. I’ve signed up for the 33rd annual Liberty 10K at Stewart Creek Park in The Colony. I’ve done this race once before on the 4th and all I can remember is how humid it was that day. But the proceeds all go to a local charity, and it’s one way I can give back to a nation that’s provided me with so many opportunities to pursue my own dreams. Of course, I’ll be visiting mom and dad while I’m there. Which means real Texas barbeque. And Ethiopian food. And Cheddars ….

6:55 PM I might as well share with you the course map for Sunday’s race.

Fredericksburg was once the home of George Washington and James Monroe. It was also the scene of one of the largest battles of the American Civil War. In fact, part of the course follows the historic Sunken Road. Running can be boring. But my guess is that this course will be super interesting. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about running it’s that there’s always something amazing along the course if you’ve got your eyes open.

Now go and run your best!

5:24 PM Odds and ends ….

1) My students have now completed 6 out of 26 chapters in our beginning grammar and are to be heartily congratulated. I lasted only 5 chapters when I first took Greek at Biola back in the day. Today I sent them home with their first take home exam. Honor system.

2) I read this fine book yesterday.

3) My official finish photo came from the Flying Pig Marathon today. I can’t believe I’m actually smiling.

4) Scot McKnight’s brand new commentary on Colossians is out.

I love what he writes about 3:16:

Paul does not reserve teaching to one group of people (apostles, teachers, pastors, elders) but instead here reveals it is to be a fellowship-wide activity.

5) Enjoyed lunch today with my friend and colleague Chuck Quarles at the Olive Garden in the Forest of Wake.

6) The elevation chart for this Sunday’s half in Fredericksburg:

That final uphill portion of the race is called “Hospital Hill.” I think I’ll hire a Sherpa.

7) I’m purposely keeping this blog report short. I’ve got dinner to cook and the house to clean before I leave for the race tomorrow. I was going to go for a run this evening but it’s raining again. I’m okay with that. In the past 30 days I’ve put in exactly 135.4 miles of training. Suffice it to say I think I’m ready, but one never knows until race time.

Ciao!

Thursday, May 17   

6:55 AM Since I won’t be climbing Mont Blanc this summer, this conference looks more interesting than ever.

I’m definitely planning on Marburg in 2019, but maybe I should attend the Athens conference this year as well. Jean Zumstein’s presidential address looks very interesting: “Mémoire, histoire et fiction dans la littérature johannique.” I usually attend “The Greek of the New Testament” seminar, and I note that this year my friend Paul Danove is reading a paper called “The Grammaticalization of Communication by New Testament Verbs and Nouns.” Then there’s Brad McLean’s paper “The Semiology of Louw and Nida’s Greek-English Lexicon and the Semiotic Theory of Louis Hjelmslev.” Wow. Papers in other sessions feature Richard Hays, Dieter Sänger, Mark Seifrid, Alan Culpepper, John Collins, Jenifer Knust, Klaus Wachtel, and Loveday Alexander. Need to think about it and commit it to prayer.

Meanwhile, back to Greek!

Wednesday, May 16   

7:50 PM Two years ago, on June 4, 2016, I ran my very first half marathon. Prior to that race, I had been running shorter distances for about a year. The event was called Race 13.1 and was held in Raleigh. My time was 2:49. If you had told me that 2 years later I’d be running in my 13th half marathon, I’d have crawled into a cave and assumed the fetal position. Although I enjoyed my first half immensely, it was too hard for me to imagine doing it 13 times. Why am I so in love with the half marathon distance? In my mind, the half is the ideal race. It’s short enough that you don’t need to spend days and weeks to recovery, but it’s long enough to give you a challenging and fun running experience. Race 13.1 Raleigh is famous for its beautiful scenery. Most of it is run on a greenway. God willing, I’m running it again on June 2. This weekend’s race is the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredericksburg. It attracts those who want to test their mettle against the infamous Hospital Hill. Training for this race has been fun. On Monday, I ran 6 miles at the Neuse River Greenway in Raleigh. Then yesterday I biked 13.1 miles. On Friday I hope to get a long run in, if the weather allows (we’ve been having a lot of rain). The true wonder of the half marathon is that it’s a milestone you remember forever. Without a successful half (or two) under your belt, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever have the courage to attempt a full marathon. No doubt about it: Running a half is the best training for running a full. Little wonder that the half marathon is the fastest growing race distance in the U.S. It’s neither too long nor too short but just right. It’s not an easy distance, of course. You can fake a 5K; you have to train diligently for a 13.1 mile race. But the excitement of crossing the finish line for the first time, along with the ongoing dedication toward the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, makes it all worthwhile.

In other (and completely unrelated) news, our Greek class is going very well. We introduced the students to the first declension today. Tomorrow it’s adjectives, and then on Friday I send them home with their first review exam. As usual, yours truly is never content with just talking about Greek nouns and verbs. Just today we exegeted the Great Commission passage found in Matt. 28:19-. Yesterday we talked about pastoring and how the goal of pastors is to “equip God’s people for works of service” (Eph. 4:11-12). Only a generation before Becky and I started ministering in her native Ethiopia, the North American church sent people overseas with the authority to lead, control, and command. Today we send people overseas to come alongside national leaders and ask, “How can we help you?” It’s my conviction that we are long overdue for this change to occur at home as well. God is in the business or ordaining the ordinary. And church leaders need to be committed to developing others’ gifts so that the body of Christ will grow into all of it variegated beauty. It’s my prayer that our Greek class will do far more than equip students with a tool that will enable them to get deep into the Word for themselves and help them check the accuracy of their commentaries and Bible translations. It’s my prayer that our course in Greek will get all of us thinking about becoming fulltime ministers of the Gospel — both church leaders and so-called laypeople. Both need to be challenged on this matter. It is a day for a radical transformation of the whole people of God into a ministering body. Nothing short of this will enable followers of Jesus to serve the church and obey the Great Commission.

P.S. I don’t have my students learn the Greek vocative case since the vocative is easily recognizable by being set off with commas in our Greek New Testaments. To help make my point, I shared with them this cartoon. Too funny!

Sunday, May 13   

8:12 PM Happy Mother’s Day one and all. I hope you men treated your wives to a delicious meal today. I had a cheese sandwich. But not to pity: I’m about to cook me some scrumptious stir fry. We just finished getting up two trailer loads of beautiful hay. As you can see, it was hot hot hot.

But the real killer was the humidity. It was at least 200 percent I would guess. Earlier I ran 5 miles at the Tobacco Heritage Trail and then biked the same distance.

My emotions did surprisingly well today. Yesterday morning you would have needed a bucket to catch my tears. It’s funny, this grief thing. Each of us mourns in a different way I reckon. Some days you might weep. Other days you remain at least outwardly controlled. Either way, loss is extremely personal. Nobody else can understand you, really. And that’s fine. Those who experience loss have to heal in their own way.

I want to say “Thank You” to the Lord for giving my such a wonderful weekend. In some ways I’m jealous of one of my kids and his family, who leave for the beach tomorrow. On the other hand, I wouldn’t trade teaching for anything.

Have a great week,

Dave

6:55 AM Last night was such a blessing from the Lord. What precious memories of singing in this chorale together. The concert’s theme was “Seasons,” and it began with a beautiful rendition of “There Is a Season” by Greg Gilpin, with words based on Eccl. 3:1-11. Grief is difficult, and special occasions like birthdays and Mother’s Day can be the hardest of all, but when they activate a flood of happy memories you simply thank God for them and move on. (By the way, maybe it’s the runner in me, but doesn’t the blue backdrop remind you of those portajons you see at races?)

Before the concert I pigged out at our favorite seafood restaurant in Henderson. This is some of the greatest, unhealthiest, and most delicious food you will ever taste. My motto in life is: Eat clean, but don’t overdo it.

Today I’m prepping for my summer Greek class that begins tomorrow. Can you believe I get to teach 6 weeks of the most wonderful language on the planet to the best students in the world? At graduation on Friday I had complete strangers come up to me and say that they were using my grammar to teach themselves Greek. Several of my students are planning on teaching Greek in their local churches this year. I’m hoping we can start another Greek class in Hawaii this fall.

In 1971, when I went to the mainland for college, it was to Biola University in California. There I became captivated by the biblical languages, the wisdom of the church fathers, the skepticism of the skeptics, and the theology of the theologians. My Greek professor in college, of course, did his best to weed me out, but little did he know that I was destined (divine passive!) to be a lifelong student of New Testament Greek. At any rate, he eventually hired me to teach 11 units of Greek at Biola, which meant that I could indulge in my favorite pastime and even get paid for it. That was 42 years ago. Unbelievable.

If you’re doing in life what you love to do, thank God for it. It’s all grace.

Saturday, May 12   

12:12 PM Was running errands today in South Boston when I saw that St. Luke Apostle Church was having a car wash to raise money for a youth mission trip.

I’ve known their pastor, brother Harry, for several years now since we work out together at the local Y. He, his pastoral staff, and their deacons were doing the work. I love church leaders. Especially when they serve. And the vast majority of them do. I have much hope for the church when its leaders get sweaty for the cause of Christ.

Off to cut grass before tonight’s concert in Henderson.

6:44 AM We tell ourselves stories in order to live. We look for the sermon in the suicide, for the social or moral lesson in the murder of five. We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices. We live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, by the “ideas” with which we have learned to freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience.

— Joan Didion, The White Album

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Since you went Home to heaven, my life has changed completely. I no longer live in time. I live in moments. Like watching the sunrise this morning while sitting on the front porch. This is where you and I would perch for hours, talking about life. I wish I could talk to you today. I wish I could tell you again how sorry I am for all the times I was less than the husband you deserved. I wish I could tell you again how much I love you. I wish I could tell you what I’m doing these days. I think you’d be proud of me. I was powerless to control the events that altered the course of our lives forever. Your death was an act of Providence that changed everything. I had the power to choose how I would respond. As it happened, I have found that the God whom we served together for 37 years is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Today I am writing a new story. But it is still our story. I could no sooner forget you than I could stop breathing. You left a huge hole, and all of us are feeling it today. But your spirit will always live on in our hearts and minds. You died with dignity and in faith. Both your life and your death will live on as a testimony to a life lived for your Lord and for others. One thing I know: the shifting phantasmagoria which is my actual experience will one day be no more. “The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end” (Isa. 60:20). I am beginning to experience life again. I am beginning to build new relationships. I am finding things to be grateful for. Already, by God’s grace, there are more smiles than frowns. I am discovering that healthy balance between holding on and letting go. If there’s one thing your passing has done, it’s been to make me more sensitive to the loved ones I still have. I’ve found a new depth of relationship with our children and grandchildren. They too are learning to say goodbye.

Becky, on this, your 65th birthday, I release you to your loving Savior. The God in whose presence you now dwell promises to hold me close and fill my emptiness. I may not have you any longer by my side, but I have our history together, our memories together, and a richer life because of you. And even though I’m letting you go for the millionth time, I will never leave you. You will never be forgotten.

I miss you. I love you. Thank you.

Friday, May 11   

7:55 PM So much fun getting up hay tonight, just before the rain arrived. God is good!

6:30 PM Below are a few pictures from today’s graduation service. What a wonderful day it was indeed. Beautiful music, great teaching, superb fellowship, and lots of laughter and hugs. “More and more,” wrote Henri Nouwen in his book The Inner Voice of Love, “the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them.” He adds, “It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.”

That’s what today was. The simple ministry of presence. Together — administration, faculty, staff, students, and families — we celebrated God’s great goodness. Praise be to Him.

6:15 AM A weird thought occurred to me this week. As we put the finishing touches on my Greek 2 classes, I realized that my beginning grammar has 26 chapters — the exact number of miles in a marathon. I never intended this. It’s just one of those freak coincidences. I congratulated my students on having completed their “Greek studies marathon.” But know what? Runners are never satisfied. They are always in process. That is their “normal.” Is there anyone out there who’s had a year or two of Greek but never used it? I imagine there’s quite a few. Maybe you’re one of them. So I encouraged my “marathoners” to keep up their Greek by joining a fabulous club. I call it the “5-Minute Greek Club.” There’s two things you need to know about my club. One, we never meet, and two, there are no dues. Here’s what membership involves: You commit to translating two verses every day, Monday through Friday, throughout the summer, and if you do this I promise you a copy of one of my books for free come fall.

You see, that’s what running has taught me. Driven by the need to do our best, we make the effort and we make it more often. All around us are people engaged in the same struggle. Each one of us is capable of the ideal. Some will do more, some less, but we are all capable of achieving our personal potential. As I crossed the finish line last Sunday I thought to myself, I think I’m finally learning how to play this game. All it takes is persistence — and love for what you’re doing. Student, if you don’t love Greek, don’t try and drum up the feeling. That never works. Ask God to give you a love for the language. And He will. He delights in giving good gifts to His children.

P.S. Yesterday I was reading George Guthrie’s fine commentary on Hebrews. But on Heb. 12:1 he says this:

The author has in view, however, a marathon rather than a sprint, as seen in the phrase “with endurance.”

I get the gist of what he’s saying, but it’s based on a false premise. There was no such thing as a marathon in ancient Greece. The longest foot race they had was about 3-4 kilometers. The modern marathon started in 1896, when Athens hosted the first modern Olympics.

Thursday, May 10   

6:02 PM The summer’s first thunderstorm just barreled by with the sound of a train locomotive.

It’s now gone eastward and thankfully we still have power. These storms are always both terrifying and exciting.

12:55 PM Yesterday I received my bib number for my race in two weeks.

Meanwhile, I lifted at the Y and then put in 5 miles at the Tobacco Heritage Trail. Almost stepped on this little guy. Ain’t he cute?

Afterwards I rewarded myself with lunch at Mexico Viejo. Arroz con Pollo for only $5.50.

Time for a short nap before getting up hay.

Enjoy your day!

7:58 AM Good morning, tribe! Better grab a cuppa, cause this is gonna be long. Where do I start? How about on the front porch? Can you believe I haven’t sat on my porch for 6 whole days? Talk about going through severe withdrawals. I learn things on my porch that I don’t seem to be able to learn anywhere else. First, I’m reminded of the beauty of my Creator. Here’s today’s sunrise.

Then I open His word. As you know, I don’t have “daily devotions.” I’m too undisciplined for that. I just read the Bible. All the time. And try to listen to what God is saying to me. These days He’s been reminding me that I was once married to a wonderful woman whose 65th birthday I’ll be celebrating on Saturday. In fact, the party began on Tuesday when I had Ethiopian food with some friends in Cary. This Saturday night it’ll continue when I attend the Spring concert of the Northeast Piedmont Chorale in Henderson, NC. (Becky and I once sang in this wonderful choral group.)

Today, sitting on the porch, I was drawn to a passage from Hebrews that we talked about in Greek class this week. It’s Heb. 12:1-2.

Now, I have to admit that I’ve written an excruciatingly boring, long-winded, pedantic, and obfuscatoryessay on this passage that I don’t expect any of you to actually read unless you’re into suffering big time. So I’ll try to give a cook’s tour of the kitchen here and hopefully inspire you to get into this passage yourself sometime. You know, it truly is a masterpiece. (I’m teaching Hebrews in the fall and can’t wait to get to this passage as well as Heb. 1:1-4.) The text begins with a very strong Greek transitional marker — toigaroun — which is found only here and 1 Thess. 4:8 in the entire New Testament. It’s a “therefore,” but a strong “therefore.” The reason Paul uses it here, I believe, is that before he calls on his readers to run their race, he wants to be sure they reflect deeply on the Old Testament personages he’s already pointed out in chapter 11. The application for us today might be this: as you run your race, who are those people in your lives, now in heaven, who set an example for you in terms of running with endurance? And this is just where Becky Lynn Lapsley Black comes into play. If there was anybody I know who bore a consistent testimony to the faithfulness of God in her life, it was Becky. She lived her life of faith, and she lived it well. And now, Paul says, it’s my turn. It’s time for me to remain firm in faith through the sufferings I face.

So how do I do that? Notice the structure of this passage. There’s one main command here and only one: “Let us keep on running with endurance the race set before us.” If your Bible has more than one “let us” (the NASB and ESV have two, the NIV three), sorry, folks, but that’stoo much lettuce. Here’s how the text unpacks itself:

Therefore, let us keep on runningwith endurance the race set before us

  • having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us

  • throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us

  • looking off to Jesus, the Founder and Finisher of faith

The words highlighted in green are all participles in Greek, telling us HOW we are to keep on running with endurance. We can thus (toigaroun!) immediately see the author’s main point – running our race with endurance – as well as his qualifications of the “race”:

  • By knowing that others have finished the race, the present generation of runners can expect to complete it

  • No runner, however, can hope to attain the goal without getting rid of hindrances and an abhorrence of personal sin

  • The runner must look to Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith

Teaching this text? Here’s a possible outline:

  • Our Encouragement (“having so vast a cloud of witnesses”)

  • Our Entanglements (“throwing off everything that hinders us”)

  • Our Example (“looking off to Jesus”)

I am here to tell you: There is a way to run our race successfully. First, there’s nothing quite like drawing encouragement from those who have already completed their race. Remember them. Recall their example. Emulate the outcome of their faith (see Heb. 13:7). Be intentional about it. Stop by their graveside and read Scripture that reminds you of them. Speak of them often to your kids and grandkids. The heroes of Hebrews 11 are the life and breath and strength of the church. The kingdom advances in small feats of courage performed by people who’ve simply been faithful where they were planted.

Secondly, your life is too precious to waste on pettiness, greed, selfishness, pride, sloth — or anything “that hinders us.” The voyage into the kingdom of God is a grand but difficult adventure. It’s like running a marathon. Imagine what would happen if you had to tackle a marathon dressed in a coat of armor? Last Sunday I began the race with a tank top, a t-shirt, and a jacket. I ended with the race with my tank top only. Strip it away! says Paul. And that includes the sin(s) in our lives that give us a great big Charlie Horse between the ears. As the song says, ch-ch-changes are always possible through the Christ who indwells us.

Finally, and ultimately, our race is not about the cloud of witnesses or our easily-entangling sins. It’s about a Person, a safe place to be sequestered, a soul-Lover who understands the journey because He completed it Himself. I grew up looking to men. I respected and loved my pastors and leaders immensely, maybe too much. You see, there comes a time when we have to take responsibility for our own spiritual development. I am suggesting this: listen to sermons, yes, but study the Bible for yourself more. Healthy people do not blindly follow men. They reject the whole pedestal thing. What they look for in their leaders is humility and transparency. Because, honestly, no matter who we look at, we will ultimately be disappointed. Corrie ten Boom, one of my favorite theologians, put it this way:

  • Look inside and be depressed.

  • Look outside and be distressed.

  • Look to Him and be at rest.

Amen!

Becky Lynn, I’ll be remembering you this week. But you know what? I’ll allow you to be human and God to be God. You never achieved evangelical superstardom this side of heaven, and for that I am deeply grateful. But you were a star in my eyes. Thank you for helping to make me the man I am today. Thank you for pouring your life into the lives of our children. Thank you for being secure enough in your identity in Christ that you never allowed others to manipulate you. What an insane privilege it was for all of us to have known you. I hope the world sees in me what it once saw in you: a warm, caring, wide-open-arms kind of person who was determined to build others up at the cost of my own comfort and ease. May the world see in our family a thankful, committed group of ordinary people who can’t get enough of Jesus and one another. Until we meet you again in heaven, we’re grabbing each other’s hands and running our races and laughing out loud that God loves us despite our many flaws. May we all live the example of Christ even as you did so well, sweetheart. May we all care as passionately about the poor as you did, honey. May we all be as bold and visionary as you were, darling. And may we value the Bible as much as you did.

If you, my friend, are facing the silent scream of pain today, or if you’ve lost a spouse (or are about to), or if you’re just tired of running your race, please, please remember that, though terrors in this life surely await us, life is still worth living — celebrating even — if we keep our focus on Jesus.

Wednesday, May 9   

7:58 PM This slow-motion video is amazing. Speakers up.

 

5:26 PM Hey there. I’m sitting here loafing. What are you doing?

As you know, along with 27,000 other people, I ran the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincy last weekend.

It was a grueling battle between me and my body. Crossing the finish line of a marathon for the ninth time was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Since this was the 20th anniversary of the Pig, I thought I’d share with you 20 random ideas about marathoning.

1) You don’t have to be a natural athlete to enjoy running a marathon.

2) Train but don’t neglect a balanced lifestyle. Running isn’t everything.

3) Good running shoes are worth every penny you spend on them.

4) Sleep more than you think you need to when training for a marathon.

5) Don’t forget to hydrate on the course.

6) Just think about each step as it’s happening.

7) Be prepared to fight for your goals.

8) Remember that anything bad can happen at any time.

9) Make yourself push through the pain.

10) The sense of achievement after you finish will stay with you for the rest of your life.

11) Your last marathon is just the start. Your greatest achievement is always your next one.

12) Running a marathon will change you as a person forever.

13) Kindness matters. Be sure to thank the police at the intersections and the fans alongside the road.

14) You can always go farther than you think possible.

15) Everybody wants you to succeed even if they are bored sick with your tales of running.

16) Be honest about your fitness and adjust your pace accordingly.

17) Plan for at least one thing to go wrong.

18) Don’t even think about running a marathon without doing some serious training beforehand.

19) Always carry your ID with you when you run.

20) Smile.

So there you have it – a few random musings about marathoning. I know I still have countless lessons to learn. Whether you’re considering signing up for your first marathon or your first 5K, I hope this helps you with things to do and things not to do. I want to be a simple vessel of God’s love in this world, to work where I have the most potential for good, and to have the passion to make a difference in somebody’s life. Thanks so much for following my story. As you run your own race, I’m pulling for you.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful rest of the week.

Dave

P. S. A few pix from the weekend:

1) The city of Cincy really knows how to roll out the red carpet.

2) I stayed in the host hotel.

3) The expo was huuuuuge.

4) I putzed around but didn’t buy anything because I didn’t need anything — except for my race bib.

5) Dave McGillivray, the race director of the Boston Marathon, gave an inspiring talk on Saturday. Dave has competed in a whopping 155 marathons.

6) I woke up at 4:00 on Sunday morning, eager to start my day. Had a bite to eat then made my way to the race start at the Paul Brown Stadium near the river.

7) My corral (“pig pen”) was indeed crowded!

8) The day I’d been looking forward to for so long had finally arrived.

9) It was a good 30 minutes after the initial wave of elite runners started that my group crossed the starting line.

10) First item of business: Cross over the Ohio River into Kentucky.

11) Then you made your way back into downtown Cincinnati.

12) Musical groups were everywhere. This blue grass band was my personal fave.

13) At mile 7 you began the long climb up Mount Adams through Eden Park until you came to the river overlook, where your efforts were well repaid with views like this one.

14) I have to admit, I was so happy to have conquered Mount Adams that I even enjoyed faux-Elvis belting out 60s hits.

15) By this time I was getting tired, but remember: smile!

16) At this point the half marathoners split off from the full marathoners. I began to feel very alone.

17) This was the loneliest stretch of the course as you began the long downhill back into Cincy proper.

 

You can see very little shade here. By this time, dozens of people had fallen out of the race with heat stroke. Thankfully, the medical personnel were everywhere with cups of ice and wet towels to put around your neck. Life savers!

18) Finally, you reached mile 25. The Finish Swine was just around the bend.

19) I love love love this year’s medal. It may be my favorite marathon medallion of all.

20) The “vital stats.” I was hoping for a sub-6 race but the heat made that impossible.

In short, it was a great race for me. I’m pleased with my time considering the hills and the heat. As with last year, the volunteers (“grunts”) made the race the success it was. Looking forward to doing this race next year with two of my kids!

Friday, May 4   

7:52 PM About to get up our second load of hay. Ain’t it a purdy evenin’?

Earlier, I “trained” for my race.

Time to cook supper and pack. Super excited.

5:32 PM Today I made one of the most important decisions of my life. I think it may have literally been a life or death decision.

As you know, for the past year I’ve been praying about doing another fundraiser for UNC Cancer Hospital, where Becky was treated for 4 years. My trip to the Alps two summers ago, and the climbs associated with it, resulted in a $25,000 check to UNC for endometrial cancer research. You will recall that it was endometrial cancer that took Becky’s life.

My idea was to return to Europe this summer and attempt to climb the highest of the Alps, Mont Blanc, in France. The guide I used in Zermatt two years ago was familiar with this mountain and its challenges, but thought I could manage it. Our planned ascent would take us along the famous Gouter Route. For the first time in two years, I’ve been actively engaged in a decision directly affecting my life. Climbing Mont Blanc would be a formidable challenge, one greater than even the ascents I made in Switzerland. Back and forth I went in my struggle: to climb or not to climb?

When mountain climbers think of risks, their minds usually go to avalanches, crevasses, storms, and altitude sickness. But Mont Blanc poses an additional risk, one that I did not encounter two summers ago in Zermatt: rock falls. Here I’m thinking especially of the notorious Grand Couloir, a section of the route that is as dangerous as it is unavoidable. And then there are the crowds. Each day during the summer about 200 people attempt to summit Mont Blanc, causing overcrowding and long lines on the route. I’ve read that around 50 people die each year on the Mont Blanc Massif. Almost always the cause is climber error. Even what might at first appear to be an act of nature can be traced back to a mistake in the decision-making process that unnecessarily exposed the climber to nature’s dangers. Most of the deaths on the Matterhorn, for example, happen when people try to climb the mountain without a guide. They get lost and get “caught out,” forced to spend the night on the mountain in freezing temperatures. Mountain climbing is not only about getting to the summit. It’s about getting back down safely. The summit is only the halfway spot. If you make a mistake, you can die. The question for me was: Can I take added risks in my life and also honor my promise to my family not to expose myself to unreasonable dangers? Physical toughness is not the issue. I think I have the physical stamina to make the climb. But my decision is firm.

I’ve decided not to climb.

This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but I know it’s the right one. Life is all about making choices, and some of those choices involve risks. Sometimes the hardest choice in life is to say no. I’ve spent many enjoyable moments on top of mountains. But climbing Mont Blanc, in my view, is Russian Roulette. I won’t give up climbing, of course. I hope to climb Mount Elbert in Colorado either this fall or next. At 14,439 feet, it’s the tallest mountain in the Rockies and the second tallest in the lower 48. Like the other 14,000 foot peaks I’ve climbed in Colorado, it’s a big hike but one that almost any fit person can tackle. I have a friend in Denver who’ll climb it with me, so that’s an added bonus. Yet it too can be a dangerous mountain and deserves respect. You never climb when there’s a possibility of a thunderstorm. You never climb without adequate hydration. You must have the right climbing gear and the right footwear. As far as fitness is concerned, you’ll want to be prepared for a 4,700 foot gain in elevation.

The bottom line is that climbing a mountain at high elevation involves managing risks and maintaining a high level of conservative thinking. If the conditions are too dangerous, you turn around or don’t even start. It’s as simple as that.

12:12 PM I just realized that although a 5K run is said to add 30 minutes to one’s life it takes 30 minutes to run, so I guess running is futile after all. 🙂

10:24 AM Just did an upper body workout at the local Y. Last year we paved the parking lot. This year we planted a beautiful flower garden out in front.

I’m a huge supporter of the YMCA and it’s so good to see the parking lot almost always full. Meanwhile I had to go to Tractor Supply to get some worming feed for the goats and then to Goodwill to buy a sweatshirt for Sunday’s race. It cost me a total of 4 bucks. Once things warm up out there on the course I’ll dispose of it and it will be collected and end up back at Goodwill. Right now I’m enjoying another sunny day here on the farm and I’m about to mow and then we’ll get up more hay this evening. I am, of course, excited out of my mind about the race on Sunday. But the journey that got me there is just as important. Like most things in life, there’s usually a yin to the yang.

Enjoy the journey, friends!

Thursday, May 3   

7:56 PM Another perfect day for getting up hay.

With that done, I can turn my attention to something every runner obsesses about: the weather on race day. Here’s the latest from Cincinnati:

75 degrees is a little warm for a marathon. The ideal temp is somewhere in the mid-40s. But I’ll take sunny weather any day over the kind of weather they had in Boston two weeks ago.

Am I ready? I’m a bit on the tired side because of my hay fever. But I’ll spend tomorrow recovering and, despite an early flight out of RDU on Saturday (6:30 am), I hope to get some good rest in Cincy before race day on Sunday. Hydration during the race shouldn’t be an issue. As I said, the course has aid stations every mile, and I am religious about drinking at each station. Missing a water stop is never a good idea. If it’s hot and humid, I’ll adjust my pace. Last year they handed out wet towels during the race and that made a huge difference. Right now, my focus is on eating right and getting mentally prepared for the race. I also need to figure out what clothing I’ll be wearing on race day. Like last year, I’m running to raise funds for cancer research at UNC, so that’s an added motivation to stay strong and focused. Running a marathon is mostly a mental game. You have to constantly push back against the No in you. In that sense, a race is a microcosm of life, which is one of the reasons I love racing so much!

1:12 PM The local vegetable stand has reopened!

My selection du jour.

And what can I say about my first mater sandwich of the summer? Nummy!

Finally, I see that Becky’s rose bush is blooming. They’ll go on my dining room table.

Off to mow!

7:34 AM This is going to be a crazy day. I’ve got a plate load for sure. First off, it’s time to take the van in for an oil change and a recall (something about one of the back seats not working properly). Then it’s banking, grocery shopping, Ace Hardware, mowing, and a long walk before it gets too hot. Then more haying this afternoon. All the while, I need to get some solid rest this afternoon in preparation for Sunday’s race. The Flying Pig is unique in so many ways, not least because everything is pig-themed:

  • The finish swine

  • Grunts (course volunteers)

  • Info pigs (people at the information booth)

  • Pig pens (race corrals)

  • The piglet (kid’s division)

For me, the best part of the race is the crowd support. Sometimes they’re two or three deep. And the signs? So funny!

Not to mention all the people waiting at the aid stations eager to give you water or Gatorade or feed you “pig newtons” or lavish you with Vaseline at the “grease stop.” The best treat of all is the famous “bacon stop” at mile 15, where you’re handed a cup with three strips of bacon cooked to perfection. By then, you’re ready for some real food!

Are you caught up in some wonderful new adventure? Grab it by the horns and hold on for dear life. And remember: Keep up the pace or that lady might hit you with her cane.

Wednesday, May 2   

7:48 PM It’s only been since Monday, but it feels like a year since I last updated my website. My blog is essentially an online journal of my life, so I wanted to fill you in on what I’ve been doing. This was the last week of the semester prior to exam week. I still can’t believe it. How did the semester go by so fast? As always, my students were absolutely fantastic. They are reconciling their faith with their practice. They are embracing the glorious kaleidoscope of God at work in this world. They are praying for and with each other. They’ve come to realize that someone preaching to thousands is of no more value to God than a mother who stays at home with her three kids. They are intent on seeing God’s kingdom come and His will be done. For the sake of the Gospel, they endure countless hours in the classroom. Something is happening here, folks. And it’s something good. Jesus was clear about this: Our only responsibility as Christians is to follow in His footsteps, and I think our students are doing this exceptionally well. I’m so proud of them. That’s the work of the Gospel, no?

I arrived back on the farm just in time to get up the first bales of our new haying season. Just think: If the Lord wills, we’ll be baling until December.

I love what I do. I love from the center who I am. And here’s what’s beautiful about it all: It’s all a free gift from God, none of it deserved, but all of it appreciated. Long ago I learned to stop holding my breath for God to work everything out in my life so that I could be used by Him. No, He delights in taking earthen jars of clay and displaying His power through them. Even the physical strength I had to pick up bales today came directly from His hand. My soul longs for Him, no matter what I’m doing — whether I’m in a field or in the classroom. My ministry, my work, is not mine. Every solid acre of this farm belongs to Him. Every blade of grass is His. Every class I teach is a stewardship. Most of all, I am His, and I’m so glad for that. From nothing to something. From rejected to accepted. His mission is now my mission. We are apprenticed to the Master. We walk in the footsteps of our Father. “The Kingdom of God is where we belong,” wrote Frederick Buechner. “It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it.”

So I’m sitting here tonight with a full heart, and a grateful one too. Sheba has been pampered. The goats have been checked on.

The donkeys are munching on carrots. The rice is cooking. What can I say? I don’t watch TV, so this is how I have fun.

God comes to those who ask Him. And we can see Him even in a harvested hay field.

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May 2017 Blog Archives 

Monday, May 29 

6:24 AM Even as I prepare to host a major conference on New Testament Greek, I ask myself: “What would I be like today had I never taken Greek in college?” Greek has taught me so much about myself. It’s been the entrée into a wonderful career. It’s humbled me, that’s for sure. There’s always so much more to know, so much more to master, so many topics I’ve yet to explore. It’s a Grand Canyon of discovery.

This morning I thought about another question: “What would I be like today had I never gotten into running?” Oddly, and despite my innate laziness, this sport didn’t end up like so many other 21-day fads, adopted and then abandoned. What makes running so wonderful for some of us is that from our very first step we got it. Running met our need for courage and conviction. It helped us to move off the spot we seemed to be stuck in. Every step takes us closer to who we want to be. I think of every race as a pure gift from God. Each day that I can get out of bed and exercise is a day I can treasure. I guess you could say I’m living life literally one step at a time. At 64, I realize that nothing lasts forever. At the same time, life ain’t over till it’s over, and we humans need to keep growing and striving and improving. Running has taught me that there is joy in accepting the infirmities of old age, as long as I’m always discovering new secrets about myself. Every run opens some window into my soul. Running has taught me that I can persevere. It’s taught me self-discipline. In fact, when you become disciplined in one area of your life, that discipline tends to spill over into other areas of your life as well. As I munched on my sirloin yesterday after the race, I analyzed my motives for running. I’m motivated, in the first place, by a strong sense of personal duty to my family to stay as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I also have an intense desire to conquer new territories in life. I desperately crave adventure, to live my life to its fullest. I’ve come to realize that devoting my mental and physical energy to the sport of running has a very beneficial, even therapeutic affect. The differences and varieties of the problem are so challenging that I’m always fully occupied. Something inside of us humans needs a finish line, a symbolic “game plan.” What’s more, we need to fight for something bigger than ourselves, like those two men who lost their lives in Portland over the weekend defending someone from hatred. Charity and good works fill a void inside us that just sitting behind a desk all day can’t. As in the church, there’s a solidarity in the running community. My server at the restaurant yesterday is a high school student who told me he’d like to get involved in running. I told him about the sponsor of yesterday’s race — the Richmond Road Racers Club. I spoke with a number of club members yesterday. Their support goes far beyond running. How about you? You may not be the fastest runner or even the most dedicated person out there, but running will embrace you anyway and offer you rewards beyond your expectations. As I face the challenge of growing older, of ever-changing relationships, of all the good and bad that life brings, I realize that I’ll have to dig deep. And I can because through Christ I have a mighty reserve of strength.

Sunday, May 28 

5:50 PM You hear it long before you see it. The finish line. The crowds. Those coveted words, “Great job!” But I’m getting ahead of myself. Even though my 10K race ended at 9:00 am, it’s already turned into a happy blur. In case you’d like to be bored with the details ….

Yesterday at noon I packed up and got in the car to drive up to Richmond. It was either spend the night there and sleep in, or get up really early and leave the house at 5:00 for the race. Since I wanted to be super fresh for the event, I drove up yesterday, stopping briefly on the way for some yummy Bulgogi.

I Googled hotels and sure enough, there were two that were close to the race venue — the Hampton Inn (where I normally stay), and a Days Inn. The Days Inn was about 50 bucks cheaper than the Hampton. Score!

Or so I thought. The place was pretty lame. Well, really lame. Smelly room. A boom box playing near the trash dumpsters outside my room until about 2:00 am. Oh, some nice guy set the alarm clock to go off at midnight. Thankfully I managed to get about 4 hours of quality sleep before the race — barely enough to function let alone to try and run for 6.2 miles. But as Becky used to say when asked how much sleep she got the night before, “As much as the Lord wanted me to get.”

I loved this race. I had a total blast. Here is my “before” picture.

You went downhill for a long mile, ran along the James River (which was at flood stage or so it appeared — a day sooner and the race would have been rerouted because of the high water), and then you plodded back up the hill you started on. Finally, I saw the finish line. I staggered, punch drunk, to the water and refreshment tables, found the man who had taken my pre-race picture, and asked him if he’d be so kind as to snap a post-mortem as well. I was sopping wet.

The humidity was 95 percent, and light rain had begun around mile 4. Just before he snapped this picture I heaved a sigh of relief. It was over. I had done it. I had beat that “HILL.” I had even PRed the race. My time was 1:03:16, a full 5 minutes faster than my last 10K in Raleigh. My last four 10K races were 1:08:49, 1:10:55, 1:26:42, and 1:30:28. I had set out to slay the dragon, and on a humid, rainy day in Richmond, I had done it! When my legs were screaming at me, “Please can we walk now, just for a moment!” I said, “No, not yet, not now. Wait!” I had every excuse under the sun to slow down and walk. Others were doing it. I had had a lousy night sleeping. The humidity was pure torture. (Humidity is to me what Kryptonite is to Superman.) My pace was slow and agonizing, but I kept moving forward, my arms pumping gracefully, regularly, forcefully. Sweat and rain had rolled down my legs and pooled in my shoes and socks. “Go, go, go!” a spectator yelled to me at mile 5. People were passing me. You’re fine, Dave. You’re not trying to beat anybody. Stick to your plan. I felt light in my new running shoes. They even made me look like a “real” runner. Good, average pace at the start. Legs and feet going strong. I was running smoothly. Breathe in. Breathe out. I was pushing my body to the brink. My breathing was steady, however, and I felt strong. And then it was over. I came, I saw, I had an incredible experience, and I got a PR on top of everything else. God is so gooooood!!!!!!

I always feel like a million bucks whenever I have enough gas to really gun it at the finish.

Running is …

  • Terrifying

  • Challenging

  • Inspiring

  • Addicting

And hunger-producing. But don’t worry, I got a post-race sirloin at the Texas Road House.

Today was everything I’d hope it would be and more. Such a special race and happy day in Richmond!

Saturday, May 27 

10:45 AM My workout at the Y is done. Plus my morning run. It’s too wet to mow today so I’m blogging instead. I forgot to tell you why I chose to run in the St. George Marathon. It’s mostly downhill. You heard me right. DOWNHILL.

You’re bussed 26.2 miles to the starting line in the Pine Valley Mountains of Utah. And then you descend 2,600 feet into St. George. Sure, there are some gradual uphills, and the infamous “Mile 18 Hill.” But all in all, its an easier course than the Flying Pig. Plus, October is said to be the most beautiful month in St. George. Of course, you have to be careful not to push yourself going downhill so you don’t burn out at the end. But I’m really looking to seeing what it takes to conquer this course. My non-downhill-trained-legs are in for a huge surprise, I think!

7:30 AM This week I took a little time off from running. Mostly because it seemed to be raining all the time. I did get in a couple of 5K runs at a local park in Wake Forest between squalls. I am more than a little behind on yard work so I know what I’ll be doing today. But first the gym and then a 10K workout in South Boston. I spent most of yesterday evening making flight and hotel arrangements for my upcoming “big” races, in addition to actually registering for the events of course. Many of these races sell out quickly so you have to stay at least an hour ahead of the hounds in terms of registering. Thus far I’ve registered/book flights/hotel rooms for:

  • The Chicago Half Marathon on July 16

  • The Virginia Beach Half Marathon on September 3

  • The St. George Marathon on October 7

  • The Richmond Marathon on November 11

I’m not worried about the logistics for the Honolulu Marathon in December because the race doesn’t have any limits on participants. So today I plan to spend a gorgeous day outdoors and see if I can work up a “good tired” so that I can get in a great sleep in preparation for tomorrow’s 10K, which is “only” 6.2 miles. Needless to say I’m not anticipating a PR tomorrow because of that final 1-mile hill. But all that matters is that I ran. Besides, it’ll be a good time to work on my uphill form — pushing rather than pulling (with your weight moving forward rather than behind you), using your arms to keep your legs on task, speeding up your breathing before you reach the hill, waiting for the crest before letting up, etc. As you can see, learning how to run is like learning Greek. I feel like I’m in Running 101. Here’s the deal. Whether it’s learning a new language or learning how to run, you need to step outside of your comfort zone and prove yourself wrong whenever you say to yourself, “I can’t do this.” Running the marathon hurt so bad. It was sooooooooo hard. But the feeling you get when it’s over — well, there’s nothing like it. (Okay, I’m done now. Runners are the worst bores.)

Friday, May 26 

7:58 PM Love quotes like this one:

“Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases some memory of a past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each foot strike rubs away a word, a look, or an event which led us to believe that success was beyond our grasp.” — John “The Penguin” Bingham.

4:22 PM I put this sticker on my van this week.

I would have preferred a sticker with my marathon finish time on it, but the numbers don’t go that high (hardy har). Of course, this would make a great sticker too:

I know that, for some, a 26.2 sticker makes me look like a complete dork, but personally I like seeing cars with that sticker on them. They always motivated me to want to try a marathon one day myself. Here’s the deal about displaying a marathon sticker: People who know you, or who have run a marathon themselves, will understand the sacrifices you made to earn it. Of course, that’s nothing when compared to stopping behind a car that has a Purple Heart license plate on it. I guess everything in life is relative. Yes, I know the sticker makes me look like just another happy jogger, but that’s what I am, and I’m honored and blessed to be one.

I’m crazy excited about my upcoming races. This Sunday I’ve signed up to do the Stratford Hills 10K Race in Richmond. The course looks really interesting. It starts with a mile downhill section, then it follows the historic James River Road for about 4 miles, and then it ends with a mile uphill back to the start/finish line. The weather promises to be clear and not too humid on Sunday. I have to say, I LOVE 10K races! I also have to say I’m a bit nervous about this race. I’m hoping my hams will hold up, the cramps will stay away, and I will stay positive. But psychologically, I’ve never been so ready for another race. It just gets into your DNA after a while. After the race I plan on visiting Grace Bible Church in Midlothian, where I saw this on their website.

Love it. The site also says that Grace welcomes people “who desire to learn and obey the Word of God.” Glad they added “and obey”! Next weekend, of course, is the Raleigh Half Marathon in North Hills. I would absolutely recommend this race. (I ran it last year.) There’s great course support, lots of photographers, a huge variety of charity runners, and a giant post-race party. The course itself is beautiful, and the finisher’s medal is gorgeous.

This week I stopped by Fleet Feet Sports in Raleigh to get a new pair of New Balance running shoes. I heard that this store actually had 13 wides, which is something of a miracle these days. Sure enough, they had just what I was looking for.

These shoes are even MORE comfortable and springier than the shoes I’ve been wearing for about two years now. Plus the colors are pretty “groovy” wouldn’t you say? The store manager was extremely helpful. She had run over 30 marathons and was keen to give me advice on where I should run my next one. Right now I’m scheduled to do the Richmond Marathon in November, which is billed as “America’s Friendliest Marathon,” and indeed the manager at Fleet Feet confirmed that it IS a great race. At first I assumed that the course was very hilly because Richmond is perched atop a mountain, but it turns out that the course is relatively flat with only a couple of mildly challenging hills. I’m also going to be signing up for the St. George Marathon in Utah in October, which corresponds with my fall break. After the race I’ll spend a few days in Bryce and Zion, where Becky and I spent so many happy weeks camping together. I plan to climb Angel’s Landing (scary!) and capture the adventure on my GoPro. Let’s see … what else?

  • I’m signing up for my first triathlon on June 25. The race involves a 250 meter pool swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run.

  • I’ll be visiting mom and dad June 29-July 3 and have decided to run in the Liberty by the Lake 10K Race near Frisco, Texas. 

  • I plan to do the Honolulu Marathon in December. Then next year it’s on to Chicago and New York, Lord willing.

Two other items of good news:

1) Green light for our Linguistics and New Testament Greek conference on campus! This will be the fourth conference I’ve helped to organize since I came to SEBTS in 1998. I’m praying that it will be the best one ever. In fact, I’ve never been more excited about the future of New Testament Greek studies than I am today.

2) Next Friday I’ll have the honor of presenting a check to the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center based on my Piggin’ Out for a Cancer Cure fund when I ran the Flying Pig Marathon three weeks ago. Our goal was $4,000 for endometrial cancer research, but by the grace of God and thanks to many of you, I’ll actually be presenting a check for $7,000. I could not be happier.

Run on, everyone!

Dave

Monday, May 22 

7:10 AM Learning Greek is so much like learning to run. In running, you focus on running one mile at a time. In our 6 week class, you’ve already done one week. DON’T PANIC! You got this. Yes, five more weeks seems like a very long time. Focus on finishing this week well. Remember, you are building a base. Don’t rush it. The hardest part is adjusting to the daily grind of studying. Focus on winning small victories. Today is review day. What, no new material? Nope. Welcome to your first review exam. We’ll do this every 5 chapters or so. Enjoy your kickback day! Keep going because you’re doing amazing.

Coach Dave

7:06 AM I’m ordering this book on theGreek perfect today.

6:54 AM Thinking of addingthis race to my 2017 schedule. Flat course. Yay!

Sunday, May 21 

7:22 PM Evening yall! Tomorrow begins week 2 of Greek class. I’m more excited than when the Big Mac was first introduced. Experts say that it only takes 3 weeks to develop a new habit. That’s only 21 days, folks. So tell yourself you’re now one-third of the way to establishing your new habit of LOVING GREEK. That’s right. Your life will never be the same. I’ll never forget when I ran a mile without stopping for the first time. I was ecstatic. I’ll never forget where I was: Kainalu Avenue in my home town of Kailua. I haven’t stopped running since. My second happiest memory is finishing my first 5K. I will tell you, when you cross that finish line for the first time, no matter how fast or slow you are, it will change your life forever. Martyred missionary Jim Elliott once said, “Wherever you are, be all there, and live to the hilt whatever you convinced is the will of God for your life.” Friend, you’re in this class not just because you chose to attend. God is sovereign, and I believe He wanted you to be here, I’m completely convinced of that. And, because He’s the One leading you, you can trust Him to carry you to the finish line. Your part is to set your sights high. Once upon a time I was a doctoral student at the University of Basel. One of the greatest influences in my life was my doctoral advisor, Prof. Bo Reicke. Before I embarked on my dissertation project he wanted to know, “What difference will it make in anybody’s life?” More and more I’m becoming a language pragmatist. Why should I study Latin if I’m never going to use it? Or German? Ditto for running. As a runner newbie, I find it’s so easy to get caught up in all the techy stuff like apparel and food supplements. But the only thing that makes any real difference is running. Even if I come in last place, even if I look like an old man with a goofy stride, I am rewarded by the race itself. Greek student, listen. You’re in a race that will bring you more joy and satisfaction than you could ever imagine. In racing, if you’re motivated to train for an organized running event, you’re a runner, regardless of what your pace per mile is. Likewise, Greek is for people of all shapes and sizes, people with language aptitude and people with none, people with good memories and people with lousy ones, people who take an hour to master the lesson and people who take five. You are a Greek student because you believe you are. And no one can tell you you’re not.

May week 2 be one more step in attaining your goal. I’m behind you 1,000 percent!

6:54 PM O my. This is soooo true! Lol!

 

2:36 PM While I’m cooking my meals for the week, I thought I’d list here my sporting goals for 2017:

1. Run the Flying Pig Marathon. (Done.)

2. Run 20 5Ks. (Eight down: January 28, February 12, March 4, 11 and 18, April 1 and 9, and May 20.)

3. Run 4 Half Marathons. (Two down: March 25 and April 22.)

4. Run the Raleigh Half Marathon on June 3.

5. Run the Chicago Half Marathon on July 15.

6. Surf in Hawaii August 3-11.

7. Climb Mount Elbert (the highest 14er in Colorado) in September.

8. Run the Richmond Marathon on Nov. 11.

9. Lose 10 pounds of body fat.

10. Listen to my body.

11. Have fun.

You might have noticed that I changed my mind about running the Savannah Marathon in November. The course can be extremely humid and I HATE humidity. In fact, a couple of years ago they diverted runners from completing the entire 26.2 miles because of heat and humidity. I plan to do the Richmond Marathon instead. I might be the slowest kid in the park, but I’m determined!

7:46 AM Was up early finishing my review of The Synoptic Problem: Four Views, edited by Stanley E. Porter and Bryan R. Dyer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016). It’s now been sent to JETS. I almost ran a 10K in Raleigh today but decided against it. I had been eying this race for several weeks. No biggie, though. My body needs a break.

Saturday, May 20 

6:16 PM A few thoughts of mine onPhilippians 4. Here Paul runs the gamut, from women in leadership to reaching the “up and outers” among us.

Thus ends our overview of this wonderful letter. This leads to my response to one of the questions I’m most frequently asked: “When do you plan to stop teaching Philippians in your Greek classes?”

Never, of course.

1:50 PM If you’re like me, you’re counting the days and weeks until your next big race, which for me happens to be the Race 13.1 Half Marathon in Raleigh on June 3. Time flies, and it will be here before you know it. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy a few 5Ks just for the fun of it — and to raise funds for great causes. Today’s race was called the NC DNA 5K Run. This is the second year I’ve participated in this event. The goal is to connect scientists from all over the Triangle (Duke, UNC, etc.) with high school classrooms all across the state of North Carolina. I had mixed emotions as I drove to the UNC campus this morning. You’ll recall that this was the same drive that Bec and I took hundreds of times for her countless cancer treatments, hospitalizations, surgeries, checkups, etc. I needed Jesus to help me through the day because I knew my mind would be flooded with memories of her. The weather was very pleasant for race day, around 70 degrees. I felt I was well prepared for the race both physically and mentally, though I sensed an underlying desuetude probably caused by me coming off of a marathon high two weeks ago. For the first mile or so everything felt good, but once the hills started I was in a psychological mess. I can honestly say the air was being knocked out of me. Everything in me wanted to stop or at least walk the rest of the race. I had run out of steam long before the finish line. I realized it would be a miracle if I could come in under 40 minutes, if I came in at all. Then I remembered Becky. I remembered all the times she could have quit when the going got tough. I remember how she would always push through her tiredness and her aches and pains, and how she’d always do it with a smile on her face. My mind went back to the last essay she published on Dave Black Online. It’s called Running to Home Base. In it she wrote these courageous words:

I am not going to get to home base by just looking at it. I can’t just sit down and wait. Any baseball player runs with all his might to reach that home base. The race is not done. God still has work for me to do. God still has challenges for me to conquer by faith. God still has ministry for me, even as my body is failing. And I want to be faithful all the way to the end. And that means taking every advantage to influence others for Christ. That means pushing through the fatigue, pushing through the pain, pushing through the discomfort to pray, to communicate, to obey the Spirit.

I knew, at that point, that unless I did my very best for the rest of the race, I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror again. So I mustered up the remaining strength I had to cross the finish line. Minutes later, by the grace of God and the sheer will-power He gave me, I had done it! I finished 83rd out of 243 runners and even placed first in my age division with a time under 30 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly!

I stayed for the awards ceremony, and when my name was called to receive my medal I knew, I just knew, I had done it for Becky, inspired by her example. My head was filled with many happy memories as I ran, and some unhappy ones too. I relished every second of the race. Eventually my thoughts shifted to today and how happy I am despite my singleness. Running has helped me learn a lot about myself. On a regular basis, it clears my head and gives me perspective. It makes me happy when I think how far I’ve come. Everyone there today did such a great job. I stayed at the finish line until the last person crossed it with a time of 57:51. I shouted, “You got this! You’re almost there! This is what you trained for! You can do it!” Unconcerned with what others are doing, each of these runners is driven by the need to do their best, to make the effort, to finish. For those few moments, all of us became equals, regardless of our finish times.

I want to thank the running community for being so wonderful. After the race a guy about 30 years old came up to me and said, “Thanks for being such a good pace setter for me today. I needed that. I just followed you from beginning to end.” When I told him that at one point I had wanted to stop, he said, “Thanks for not quitting.” I’m really writing this recap so that I can express to everyone how grateful I am for the blessing of being able to get up in the morning, let alone to run in a 5K race. And I’m so glad for the inspiration God gave me to finish the race today. Why, I think I would have crawled across the finish line if I had to. I dedicate this race to the one who is living happily in heaven with the Lord she loved so well. I love you, Becky!

Again, thanks to all, and let’s all get ready for our next race! 

Friday, May 19 

6:48 PM Soaking wet but happy. Humidity felt like it was 100 percent. Otherwise, it was a good day for haying.

Rain storm began just as we parked the last trailer. Believer, we get to rest in the provision and protection of the Lord.

Tomorrow’s race at UNC is iffy. My left knee is talking to me. Nothing major. A couple of Ibuprofen and I’ll probably be good to go. We’ll see. I run because I enjoy it. I don’t feel like I have to run. Does this mean that I always feel like running? No! That said, I never regret it when I get up early and get in on one of the many races in the greater Raleigh area. The best way to look at it is this: Running is an avocation of mine, not the core of who I am. If I do run tomorrow, I look forward to sharing my experience with you. And mighty bored you’ll be!

7:04 AM Today it’s the Greek adjective. Many adjectives can be used interchangeably. On the other hand, synonymous adjectives can sometimes have different connotations. For a good overview of how adjectives function in New Testament Greek, gohere. Yesterday in class we went on several rabbit trails (intentionally, of course), including one that addressed the 8th qualification for an overseer: didaktikos, which we rendered “teachable” in the ISV.

How can you teach unless you are a good learner? We also discussed whether book learning is the most effective way to train up leaders in the church. Arguably, the best way to produce Christian leaders is through apprenticeship, which could well be supplemented by the more formal training one gets in a seminary. There is real value is being mentored by someone more experienced than you are. In Basel, my professor was called my “Doctor Father,” and for good reason: the first month I lived in Basel, I stayed in  his home. I had access to his personal library. He viewed his job as training, not merely teaching. I love the emphasis in our own doctoral program on mentorship. I like the way students are asked to do and not just think. Remember, a “disciple” (mathetes) is more of a “trainee” than a “pupil.” Perhaps as a result, more and more students are taking teachers and not classes. This is a far cry from simply enrolling for a course because it’s required!

Biblical insights on leadership? Ah yes. Greek can help us aplenty here!

P. S. Greek student, this quote from Augustine will “encourage” you!

Why then did I hate the Greek classics, which have the like tales? For Homer also curiously wove the like fictions, and is most sweetly vain, yet was he bitter to my boyish taste. And so I suppose would Virgil be to Grecian children, when forced to learn him as I was Homer. Difficulty, in truth, the difficulty of a foreign tongue, dashed, as it were, with gall all the sweetness of Grecian fable. For not one word of it did I understand, and to make me understand I was urged vehemently with cruel threats and punishments (Confessions 1.13-14).

Thursday, May 18 

9:04 PM It was a terrific day in every way. Taught all morning, then got up hay all afternoon and evening.

I’ve never worked so hard in my life. Well, at least since yesterday. I know a group of people who also worked very hard today. They learned the first declension. They’re in it for the long haul. They running to win.

You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself (1 Cor. 9:24-17).

Why, you’d think the apostle Paul worked for Adidas or Nike! Paul seemed to know something about running. He knew how easy it is to give excuses for not doing our best. But not him! He wasn’t going to “get caught napping”! How ’bout you, my friend? Why not take a few minutes and make a list of the 10 biggest obstacles that hold you back from achieving your goals — whatever they may be (learning Greek, losing weight, etc.). Write them down. Then ask God for help to run your race with endurance. Starting is easy. Finishing? That’s another story!

Keep running your race,

Dave

5:54 AM My next half marathon is in only 16 days, and I couldn’t be happier! 10Ks and Half Marathons are my favorite distances right now. I need to focus on getting in more miles, however. I did 3 the other day in Wake Forest so I’m getting back on track. If you’re in the midst of training for a race, all the best! Be sure to go at your own pace. You’re competing against yourself, period. Also, be sure you do races you enjoy. I love Raleigh’s Race 13.1 because the course has easy parking at North Hills Mall and takes you through the Crabtree Creek Greenway before heading back to the starting line. You have to register early for this event because it’s limited to only 1,500 runners. There’s also a 5K and a 10K in case you’re interested in coming out.

Where do I go from here? The Chicago Half on July 16. Surfing in Hawaii August 3-11. Then the Savannah Marathon in November. In each of these races I’ll be ecstatic to cross the finish line regardless of time. I am driven to do better, and I will. Continuous improvement is a constant goal of mine. When I turn 65 on June 9, I hope to leave 64-year old Dave in the dust!

I’m so grateful for running. Life sucks at times, it just does. This past month has been particularly difficult for me because of Becky’s birthday and Mother’s Day. But the Cincy Marathon was a huge encouragement. When I reached the finish line I was so happy. I almost cried when the kind volunteer placed the finisher’s medal around my neck. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I had done it and had raised not a little amount of money for a great cause. My purpose here is not to brag but to remind myself that when I need Him the most, God is always here. I love, love, love my life today, despite all the emotional ups and downs. Reflecting on the past 3 years, I don’t think there’s one thing I would have done differently. Starting new hobbies like running, and resurrecting old ones like surfing, made a world of difference. My love for the classroom still runs deep, and I’m so thankful to be part of a guild of New Testament scholars who truly love the Lord. I’m really looking forward to what He has in store for me in the coming years.

5:14 AM Enjoyed some Latin poetry before hitting the hay last night.

4:48 AM Up early this morning meditating and praying. And blogging (wink). We’ve now covered the first three chapters of Philippians. For whatever it’s worth, here are a few takeaways I’ve jotted down.

Lasting Lessons from Philippians 1.

Lasting Lessons from Philippians 2.

Lasting Lessons from Philippians 3.

In chapter 3 we read that our Savior is going to return and transform our humble bodies into glorious bodies. Nobody knows the date of His coming. But He urges us to live in anticipation of it at all times. This morning my mind plays the same tune over and over again: “Come soon, Lord Jesus, come soon.” For two thousand years He’s been preparing a place for us, and I imagine it’s going to be quite a habitation. In the meantime, I’m to hold forth His life-giving word to all who will listen.  

Wednesday, May 17 

8:35 PM Attitude is everything. That’s true whether you’re studying Greek grammar or running a foot race. This week we introduced the Greek verb (present and future active indicative) and the Greek noun (second declension). It’s the concept of inflection that we’re after, not just memorizing paradigms. I praise the Lord for helping us to grasp these difficult concepts. Here’s the class taking their first quiz yesterday.

So proud of them!

Got home today and got up tons of hay.

Ain’t nothin’ I like doing more.

My body worked so hard I treated it to Fajitas Texanas tonight. Buenísimo!

I saved half of this gignormous meal for lunch tomorrow. This Saturday, of course, is race day again. This time we’re running to help raise money for science education in Chapel Hill’s high schools. Life is good.

Stay positive folks! Attitude is everything. If you’re struggling with your mojo, try adjusting your attitude. 

Monday, May 15 

7:08 AM Back to Phil. 3. For the sake of Christ, Paul has willingly experienced the loss of all things. But does he call those things “dung” (3:8)? Or something else? For a discussion of the options, see Gary Manning’s fine essayDid the Apostle Paul Use Profanity?

I’ll add this. Let’s not think of Paul as some sort of wannabe when it came to status. No, he had in fact acquired well-nigh unmatchable personal achievements. His grounds for boasting were impeccable. It’s one thing to say, “I could have gone to Duke (or Harvard, or Cambridge, or Oxford) for my Ph.D., but I chose a state institution instead.” A good question might be: Were you accepted at Duke? Or at Oxford? And turned them down? Paul had studied under Gamaliel II in Jerusalem. Didn’t get much better than that in those days if you were a Jew. I’m reminded of the famous words of Malcolm Muggeridge:

I may, I suppose, regard myself as a relatively successful man. People occasionally stare at me in the streets: that’s fame. I can fairly easily earn enough to qualify for admission to the highest lopes of the internal revenue. That’s success. Furnished with money and even a little fame, even the elderly if they care to may partake of trendy diversions. That’s pleasure. It might happen once in a while that something I said or wrote was sufficiently headed for me to persuade myself that it represented a serious impact on our time. That’s fulfillment. Yet I say to you and beg you to believe me. Multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing – less than nothing – a positive impediment measured against one draft of that Living Water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty, irrespective of who or what they are.

“They are nothing — less than nothing.” Indeed. Why not take some time today and write what you would say about your achievements in light of the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ?

Sunday, May 14 

7:04 PM Yesterday I walked a mere 5 miles. Today my goal was to walk at least 10 miles. (Notice I said “walk.” My family would kill me if they knew I was running a mere week after Cincy.) Well, I got 5 miles done. My body is fine externally — no aches or pains whatever. But there’s an underlying lassitude and weakness that I’m having a hard time describing to you. So I came home and mowed the yard instead, and believe me, it needed it badly.

My mower threw a fuel filter at the worst possible time, and it took three weeks for me to get it fixed. I still have a couple of acres to mow but I’m done for this evening. I need to cook my meals for the week and then finish reading a wonderful book called Griego Para Pastores. It even has a section on sentence diagramming.

If you read Spanish, do yourself a favor and check it out. You’re welcome.

Earlier today I was browsing theNerdy Language Majors website (which I do daily) and noticed that Mike Aubrey resurrected a couple of his essays on Ephesians. In one of them he mentions (in passing) that he’s still a bitagnostic about the letter’s destination. Let me ask Mike (and any one else who’s interested) to put aside the variant in Eph. 1:1 for a minute. Let’s just assume, for the sake of argument, that the epistle was originally sent to the Ephesian church. We would still have to explain the noticeable absence of personal greetings in the letter. That is, how we do account for the impersonal nature of Ephesians if it were indeed sent to a church that Paul knew so well? These are good questions that deserve our careful consideration. Believe it or not, I think there are good answers to these questions, and if you’re interested in them I invite you to take a glance at myessay on the topic. Yes, I know the essay originally appeared way back in 1981, but if Mike can resurrect an oldie but goodie, so can I!

Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out my training schedule for my next half marathon, which is coming up in only 20 days. To me, running is a wonderful sport. It’s a time for me to be alone, collect my thoughts, and decompress. Plus, the internet allows me to connect with runners all over the globe. There’s nothing I crave more when I’m stressed, sad, or lonely than time in nature with the Lord. I know I’m not alone on this. For me, running is the perfect sport to build stamina physically and mentally. In fact, I’m still on a “high” a week after the Cincinnati Marathon. I have a feeling of exhilaration that just won’t go away. Odd thing: I’ll carry this same sense of exhilaration into the classroom tomorrow morning at 9:00 as I begin my 41st year of teaching Greek. Running is a very daunting hobby no matter how fast you are. I think the same thing is true of language learning. My advice to people just starting out: it’s hard in the beginning, but keep trying, because YOU CAN DO THIS. 

Catch you later!

Dave

8:14 AM This is how the syllabus for my summer Greek course begins:

There are at least three very important reasons why you should study Greek. The first, of course, is to be able to intimidate your pastor. The trick is to sit in the front pew with your Greek New Testament wide open and watch the poor soul sweat to death. (Note: This procedure is considerably less effective if your pastor is preaching from the OldTestament.)

Second, you also need to take Greek to be able to impress others with your considerable learning. You see, anyone can say what the Bible means, but only Greek students can say what the Bible really means. The key is to use all kinds of impressive jargon—aorist passive imperative, for example—that nobody understands but all can be impressed with. Take a lesson from your medical doctor: Why say a child is turning blue when you can say he’s cyanotic?

The final reason to take Greek—and the most important one—is because some day, if you’re really lucky, you too can become a Greek professor!

7:42 AM The Bible, as you know, is full of genealogies. Names were important to God! More than any other label, your name symbolizes who you are. It’s so personal that some marathon runners have their name printed on their running bib. When they hear their name on the lips of a bystander, they seem to get a real psychological push. My Hawaiian name is Kawika. In Ethiopia I’m Dawit. The author in me uses David Alan Black. But mostly I’m just Dave.

Today we come to Philippians chapter 3. The first major shift in the letter body took place between 1:11 and 1:12. There Paul moved from thanksgiving and prayer to the body proper. Here in 3:1 we find the second major shift– a shift so sudden and seemingly unexpected that many scholars resort to theories of multiple letters to explain it. Not necessary.

Beginning in 3:1, Paul takes up again the theme of pride and personal ambition — the lack of humility being the greatest obstacle to Christian unity (2:3). Paul, if you will, reverts to his Jewish moniker “Saul” for a moment. In contrast to their opponents, who (like Paul once did) set their minds on earthly things, the Philippians are to have an attitude shaped by their heavenly citizenship. The passage in 3:1 opens with a vocative (“brothers and sisters”), a command (“keep on rejoicing”), and the adverbial phrase to loipon, which here cannot mean “finally” (Paul’s got 44 more verses to go!) but rather “furthermore.” Thus, 3:1 serves as a transitional element to Paul’s warning against the Judaizers beginning in 3:2. These “dogs,” “evil workers,” and “mutilators” rely on dietary laws, works, and circumcision, just as proud Saul once did. The Philippians, by contrast, are to worship God by the Spirit and place no confidence in the flesh. Then Paul sets forth his own life as a pattern for them to follow in this regard. I love how Eugene Peterson puts it:

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

In short, Paul voluntarily renounced all of his “gains” for the sake of something far better — to know Jesus personally by conforming himself to Christ’s death and taking up his cross daily. In other words, Paul is no longer Saul.

This fall I’ll have the privilege again of teaching the letters of Paul in my New Testament 2 class. It’s impossible to find anything to say about Paul that’s not been said before by other scholars. But if there is one theme I would like to emphasize (hopefully not at the expense of other equally important themes), it’s this: When Jesus really gets a hold of you, your life begins to move in a different direction. People take on new importance because of who they are rather than for what they can bring to the table. Jokes at the expense of others now seem like a waste of time. Now scholarship is not a goal in and itself but a mere tool for the Master’s use. Becoming a follower of Jesus is an acceptance of these facts and many more. It’s not a striving after something, a ceaseless seeking for credit and recognition. Slowly you begin to notice that Christ is working in you both to give you the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him. He gives you new purpose, new values, new goals, and a whole new pattern of life shaped not by the evangelical cult of the superstar but rather by men like Paul and Timothy and Epaphroditus.

I truly sympathize with people who have been told (and believe) that the book of Philippians is all about joy. But for Paul, joy is at best the byproduct of living for others. It’s the result of what happens when we stop justtelling people we’re Christians and start showing them. And above all, Jesus’ own example provides the best guideline for us:

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Saturday, May 13 

8:12 PM The greatest of Boston’s greatest hits. Ever. Don’t look back (Phil. 3:13).

6:24 PM Greek Syntax and Exegesis students, take note ofthis series on Philippians, a letter we’ll be exegeting in class this fall. The series is called “The Cause.” Friends, let’s live for “the only thing that matters” (Phil. 1:27) and penetrate the darkness with the light of God’s love!

6:12 PM Checkthis out, Greek students!

5:48 PM As an avid student of Hebrews, I’m eager to get my hands onthis new Festschrift.

5:10 PM Have you ever noticed the parallels between Paul’s speech to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:18-35 and the book of Philippians?

  • Paul claims to be a servant in both.

  • In both he insists that humility is an indispensable Christian virtue.

  • He speaks about persecution in both.

  • In both he emphasizes his financial independence.

  • In both he exalts the Gospel over all other messages.

  • In both he notes how courage is necessary for the servant of the Lord.

  • Unselfishness is emphasized in both.

  • In both he calls upon his audience to imitate him.

Interesting! Incidentally, this is the only message in Acts where the audience is exclusively Christian. Preaching in the New Testament is otherwise to the lost, not the saved. Yet we often call our pastor the “preacher” and the 11:00 service the “preaching service.” Intriguingly, Luke records that Paul met with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. Pastors/elders/overseers are “teachers” (Eph. 4:11). They must be “able to teach” (or “teachable,” 1 Tim. 3:2). The implication is that each of the Ephesian elders was teaching. Apparently none was the church’s “preacher.” Is this an argument for team teaching in our churches? Thom Rainerseems to think so. Personally, I think a team teaching approach is immensely attractive, not least for the reasons Thom mentions (as well as those who left comments on his blog post). At any rate, there are many takeaways (real and potential) in Paul’s address to the Ephesian leaders, and I feel I’ve only scratched the surface!

12:18 PM Bank, post office, workout at the Y, a 5-mile walk — been a pretty normal Saturday around here. The highlight was definitely the local farmers market, where I found these detectible stir-fry ingredients (including fresh snow peas!).

If you value your food at the peak of freshness, there’s probably a farmers market near you.  

A certain Mr. Yoder and I chatted away in German (Pennsylvania Dutch for him, High German for me). His family is part of the growing Amish community in Charlotte County, VA, which boasts that it’s the only country in the state that doesn’t have a single traffic light. The Yoders recently moved here from Dover, MD, after their eldest son was killed when a car collided with their buggy. I can only imagine the heartbreak this family has gone through. People, please slow down around the Amish. Anyhoo, right now it’s time to relax and enjoy the last of the rainy weather, as the rest of the week will be perfect for getting up more hay. By the way, if you have a chance, listen to Scott Simon’sinterview about the English language on NPR that aired this morning on Weekend Edition Saturday. The point is that we often use the English language not to communicate but to obfuscate. I think of the technical jargon we Greek teachers sometimes use in class. Listen, our students have enough trouble memorizing Greek words let alone having to adopt all of our neologisms!

(Yes, I just used “obfuscate” and “neologisms”! Sigh!)

6:44 AM Greetings to you students taking summer Greek with me starting on Monday! Please keep in mind that there are many tools besides my beginning grammar you will want to consider purchasing eventually.Here’s a list for your consideration. There are some honest disagreements among sincere Greek scholars about the best approach to learning Greek, but we all agree on one thing: Greek will help you live out your faith in very ordinary ways and trust God in very extraordinary ways!

6:40 AM Yesterday I signed up for the Chicago Rock N Roll Half Marathon on July 16. This will be sort of a running vacation for me, having just taught 6 weeks of summer Greek. I’ll be staying at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. I hear the second half of the course is pretty brutal. You’re away from the crowds and by that time the sun is beating down brutally on your head. Still, they say this is one of the best races in Chicago (right up there with the Marathon). Besides, I love the Chicago skyline. Prior to this race, I’m registered for the Race 13.1 Half Marathon in Raleigh on June 3. I did this one last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The race takes you through three beautiful greenways, and they’ve even added a downhill finish. The race tech t-shirt you get is pretty cool, as is the finisher’s medal. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a challenging but certainly do-able half marathon. The other big race of 2017 will be the Savannah Marathon on Nov. 4. I hear there can be a lot of heat and humidity at this event (even in November!). I’ll probably do this race as a fund raiser for UNC Cancer Hospital since the event comes just two days after the fourth anniversary of Becky’s homegoing. I’m told this is the premier racing event in all of Georgia, so it should be fun.

So when’s your next race?

Friday, May 12 

6:28 PM She would have been 64 today.

Honey, I’m so grateful for the 40 years I knew you and so honored to have been your husband for 37 of those years. Today you and I are both experiencing the sweet presence of the Savior, just in different ways. I never knew until the day you died just how much of my self was gambled away upon the heart of another. I miss everything about you, but especially your smile. For all I know, you might have been an angel in disguise! Was there ever a more powerful demonstration of the grace and power of God than when we went through our cancer journey together? I watered this day with tears, but they were mostly tears of joy and happiness at every thought, every memory, and the anticipation of That Day. Happy 64th Birthday, Becky Lynn. I love you.

6:14 PM Celebrating the goodness of the Lord in the lives of our graduates.

 

7:38 AM No marathon would be possible without a vast array of volunteers. Think: information booth (who? what? where?), gear check (pre- and post-race), corral (“chute ’em!”), aid station (hydration support), cheer station (cheer, laugh, scream), course entertainment (are you an Elvis impersonator?), post-race area (hand out medals, distribute food and water), tear-down crew (which, well, tears everything down). Even runners are “volunteers” in the sense that we pay our own way to run, and many of us are running for a charitable cause of one kind or another. This year the Boston Marathon had 9,400 volunteers supporting 30,000 athletes.

As I was running on Sunday I saw these volunteers everywhere. They literally kept me going.

If you want to see a good picture of a what New Testament “deacon” should look like, look no further. Deacons are servers, plain and simple. And get this: we are all to be serving one another, whether or not we have the title “deacon.” I say this because many churches today have two categories of people: the ordained, and the ordinary. But there’s good news. More and more I’m seeing in my students a willingness to challenge this way of thinking. In fact, today God is ordaining the ordinary. Shepherds (pastors) gladly see themselves first and foremost as fellow sheep. There is a great deal of New Testament teaching about spiritual gifts, about serving one another in love. Every single writer mentions its gravity. Fellow-service — isn’t this part and parcel of our salvation? Then why isn’t it a reality for so many? What happened to the spirit of volunteerism?

Today is commencement. To our graduates I say: May the world see in you committed family members who can’t get enough of each other, members of a body that requires a thousand moving parts to function optimally. You are capable of that kind of Spirit-filled life without constant management by your profs. The tools for kingdom service are yours for the asking: the Bible, willing hands, and a heart full of Jesus.

Love God.

Serve others.

Happy Graduation!

Thursday, May 11 

7:55 PM This classic is yours for the asking.

I got it when I studied in Israel. The book is personally signed by Anson Rainey. I need to hear from you by 6:00 pm tomorrow. If more than one of you requests the book, I’ll pick the recipient by random.

7:38 PM Great time with Nate, Jess, and the grandkids today at THE happiest place on earth. Well, in Durham, at least. Four sons, with another on the way. 🙂

8:18 AM Endless gratitude and appreciation to everyone who’s already sent me feedback (some emails several pages long!) about my idea for a linguistics conference. In what follows, I’ve incorporated a good many of your helpful suggestions. There are so many special challenges our guild faces — nomenclature confusion, pedagogical disagreements (some major), hermeneutical disputes, etc. Right now I’m looking at invited papers (possibly) followed by discussion groups. Let me mention here the main topics I’m thinking about. Feel free to offer any feedback you like via email, including the names of possible speakers. (I’ve got my ideas, but I’d like to hear yours.) There are four major areas of research I’d like to see discussed:

  • Lexical semantics

  • Linguistic theory

  • Pedagogy

  • Syntax

I would probably want sessions on the following specific topics:

  • Semantic domains

  • Lexicography

  • Discourse analysis

  • Linguistic “schools”

  • The use of electronic tools

  • Pronunciation

  • The living language approach

  • The ideal beginning grammar?

  • Tense and aspect (including temporality in the indicative mood)

  • Voice (including deponency)

  • The perfect

  • Word order

  • Linguistics and exegesis

Your thoughts are welcome. I’d especially like to hear from you Greek students out there. Just write me at dblack@sebts.edu.

Dave

7:05 AM Today’s assignment — grade these essay exams.

6:58 AM Good morning fellow bloggers! Here are a few lessons from my first marathon:

1) I need encouragement, and I need to be an encouragement to others. The energy you draw from the bystanders during a race makes a huge difference in the outcome of the race. For me personally, it allowed me to achieve a sub-6-hour PR. The day before the marathon I was on the sidelines cheering for the 10K runners. It was as though I was experiencing their race with them. The first half marathon I ever attended was as a cheerleader. The point? We’re in this together.

2) Run light. I took nothing with me that I could leave behind — iPod, iPhone, snacks, etc. As a result, there was less to weigh me down. I could do this because the race was so well-organized with plenty to drink and eat along the course.

3) Stay positive. I smiled — a lot. I kept my head up. I fought through the rough spots. Sure, you could spot a frown on me from time to time. But overall, I was cheerful. Again, Phil. 2:14 — one of my favorite verses from this wonderful letter — came to mind.

4) Sleep before the race is vital. So is rest afterwards.

5) Your feet are the key, both to avoiding injury and to enabling you to make good, comfortable strides. God has undeservedly blessed me in this area — no blisters, no feet pain, no knee pain, etc.

6) The finish line is as amazing as everybody claims. I first noticed it about a half mile out. It took me over two years to train for this event, and all of a sudden it’s right there. The Finish Swine! The goal was attainable! At that very moment I forgot all about my tiredness. As I crossed I raised my arms in gratitude to God because it was a deeply personal victory. I didn’t have any family members there to hug on, so I just bent over and sort of gave the Lord a big hug. Running, like all of life, is an extraordinary event. It’s not a sprint but a marathon. But the finish line will come, trust me on that.

I can’t really explain it, dear friends, but running has changed me for life. I no longer see barriers in my life as insurmountable, as long as I take it one step at a time. Awesome feels awesome. The sense of achievement I felt on Sunday, May 7, will stick with me forever. As the old saying goes, “The more you work to get there, the more you’ll appreciate the result.” My goal in life today is to help others run the race set before them with as much gusto as they can muster, relying completely on God to supply their needs. This goes for my students too. That’s why today I’m giving away a copy of this book.

It’s the story of how the Lord took me from Kailua Beach to Basel and beyond. If you’re contemplating a doctorate in biblical studies, and if you’d like to have a glimpse into my personal journey, the book is yours for the asking at dblack@sebts.edu.

Keep running your race!

Dave

Wednesday, May 10 

5:22 PM I’m excited to share with you that my vision for a Greek and linguistics conference is moving forward. Everyone I’ve talked to so far loves the idea. I’ll know more in the next couple of weeks. Feel free to shoot me your ideas about topics, speakers, format, etc.

Yesterday my assistant and I had our final mentorship meeting of the semester (he’s also my Ph.D. student).

I love my students. They’re moving forward, growing in grace and faith. God hasn’t failed us once.

Oh, today Ben Merkle and I spent time over lunch talking about our possible linguistics conference and what we would like to see happen.

Many of you are using Ben’s remarkable books in your New Testament and Greek classes. Much appreciation for the insights, friend!

Finally, saw this 0.0 car sticker and had to laugh out loud. Ya gotta love their honesty!!!

Time for supper!

Tuesday, May 9 

8:02 AM I have to say it again even though I’ve said it ad nauseum. Take the first step toward better fitness. I know. It’s going to hurt. You will think it’s IMPOSSIBLE. There will be doubts galore, but the only way to overcome them is to push through them. Take a second to ask yourself: Am I taking care of the temple? Accept where you are now. Ignore any shame you might be feeling. The past is past. Today is today. In exactly one month I’ll turn 65. But that doesn’t mean I have to slow down. Working out isn’t about looking cool or being the “best” at what you do. It’s about taking nothing in life for granted.

I want to be a cheerleader for you. People, we’re stronger and better together. Looking towards the rest of 2017, I want to see more people taking ownership of their health. Hard work really does pay off. I want you to know that the fitness community is inclusive. Even if you’re never exercised a day in your life, you are still invited. Come exactly as you are. Feel proud that you are making an effort. All you have to do is take that first step.

7:35 AM The crowd support at the race was, as I said, amazing. Along Eastern Ave, in Linwood (about 8 miles to go), was a group of seasoned citizens that had everybody in stitches.

A few miles later and there was the theme from Chariots of Fire. Corny? Nah. Inspiring! I would do this race again if only for the crazy signs and great music (including an Elvis impersonator who was really good!).

Monday, May 8 

9:10 PM Hey folks!

I arrived back on the farm just in time to get up this trailer load of beautiful Orchard Grass. It’s gonna make some horses very happy.

But methinks my reading audience (all two of you!) are expecting a post-race report. So here goes ….

As you know, yesterday’s Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati was my very first marathon experience. I’ve been running now for about two and a half years, and I’ve managed a few half marathons plus gobs of 5Ks and 10Ks. But I felt it was time to go for the “big one.” I chose the Pig because it just sounded like fun, plus (and this was a huge plus) it had a very generous 7 hour time limit, which makes it the perfect race for newbies like me (despite the hills). So …. Cincinnati it was!!!

Friday at noon I hopped a flight to Atlanta and then flew to the Cincinnati Airport (which is actually in Kentucky). It was raining cats and dogs when I arrived and the interstate was a parking lot, so our shuttle driver decided to take us via a “short cut” along the Ohio River, and I’m so glad he did. We passed bucket loads of quaint ante-bellum homes snuggled up against the river. Beautiful! Before we knew it we were in Porkopolis itself, and there I checked myself into the plush downtown Hyatt.

Then I walked across the street to the Duke Energy Center to get my bib and race shirt in what they called the “Expo.” The Expo itself wasn’t very interesting — mostly salesmen pitching their wares. But boy was it packed! After finding a place for dinner I settled into my room and slept hardly a wink that night, I was so excited. Saturday morning I took my legs for a 5-mile walk along the Ohio River and then rested all of Saturday afternoon and evening. I really prayed hard for a good night’s sleep on Saturday night and the Lord came through for me. When I awoke at 5:00 am I was refreshed and ready for whatever lay before me. I ran downstairs for a cup of coffee and a pastry and then walked down to the river to find my race “pig pen” (corral). My nerves were fine and, in fact, I was eager for the excitement to begin. I was in the very last corral with a few thousand other runners, many of whom I’m sure were first-timers like me. Everyone was in good spirits. There was no jostling for position or anything like that, just joking around and lots of laughter and picture-taking. I wish I had had my iPhone with me, but I felt I should run as light as possible, so — alas — no pics of the race! At 6:30 on the nose the horn sounded and the first wave of elite runners were off. It took about 20 minutes for our pig pen to get moving, but eventually we were off and running too.

The race was SO MUCH FUN!!!!

I was in the back of the pack but I think we slow pokes had all the fun. I began tiring around mile 16 and was worried I wasn’t going to make the 7 hour time limit. But God seemed to give me extra strength, and all of a sudden there was the Finish Swine! I turned on the afterburners and not only beat the 7 hour time limit but came in UNDER 6 HOURS!!! I was in absolute and utter shock. Yes, I know I trained hard for this race, but coming in at 5:56 was beyond belief.

The race itself was perfectly organized I’d say. Gatorade and water every mile. Tons of cheering fans along the course. Porta potties everywhere. And you could choose from a large variety of snacks along the way, from orange slices to gummy bears to cookies and gels. There was even bacon (of course!) As I said, the course was hilly, and I mean HILLY, especially miles 6-9 or so. It felt like I was climbing the Alps again!

But then again, there were so many volunteers and supporters on the course that you knew you couldn’t stop for anything. As mentioned above, when I realized that I only had about a mile or so to go, I felt I could break the 6 hour barrier if I really poured it on. As I approached the Finish Swine I began to hear the crowd roar with shouts of encouragement. I turned my head, eager to see who they were cheering for. It was ME! In fact, the announcer had even called out my name. So there I was, finishing my first marathon, to the shouts of complete strangers who must have known I had come to run my best race possible. I got my race medal, and then (since I didn’t have a camera) asked one of the race officials if she would be kind enough to snap a photo of me so I’d have something to send to my kids and grandkids. Thank you, Robin!

Right now I’m sitting here at the computer savoring yesterday’s accomplishment. God has been sooooooooo good to me. But we can’t live in the past, folks. Yesterday’s finish line was not the end. Finishing a marathon only gives you permission to plan and dream. What’s the next adventure? Climbing the second highest mountain in the contiguous U. S. in September to celebrate what would have been Becky’s and my 41st wedding anniversary. You know, running allows you to do that. You’ve been humbled by both your potential and the fragility of your body. You’ve discovered what you thought were limits and gone beyond them. You’ve also discovered what keeps most people from achieving their dreams — the confines of their imaginations. Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned yesterday is a lesson for all of life: it comes down to taking each mile one step at a time.

This week I’ll face a special post-race challenge. John Bingham likens a long-distance race to being in an auto accident. Your body has taken a beating. It needs time to heal. For a marathon, a person needs about a month to recover. I’ll try to be a big boy and lay off running for a while, but I’m sorely tempted to get out and run tomorrow!

I want to thank the Flying Pig organization for putting on a race that can only be described as spectacular. I will definitely run this one again. I did this marathon as a fund raiser and to pay tribute to a pretty wonderful gal named Becky. I won’t say it wasn’t tough, but to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed every single minute of the Pig, even the hills! Now I’ve got my sights set on the Savannah Marathon in November. In short, I still can’t get over the race yesterday. As unbelievable as it sounds, I finished. Even more unbelievable is the fact that I can now humbly say these words:

I AM A MARATHONER.

Dave

Friday, May 5 

7:48 AM Well, it looks like a perfect weekend for a marathon. I’m adopting John “The Penguin” Bingham’s marathon strategy:

Finish the same day you start.

I’m not kidding! Beyond that, I’ll just chew off one bite of the course at a time. You’ll recall that I’m using the “5 Mile” trick. The idea is to convince yourself you’re only running 5 miles. They you do the same thing for the next 5 miles, and then for the next 5 miles, etc. I’ll also take along a few mini-candy bars for nutrition. I plan to eat about one per hour — but who knows? As you know, for this race I’m trying to put the “personal” in “personal record.” It’s all about cancer research. I get to train for and run the race for Becky and then share my experience with all of you (plus, hopefully, a check for $4,000 to UNC). Life don’t get much better than that. This is a huge deal for me, both physically and emotionally, as you can imagine. I could go on and on but that’s really not the point I want to make here. So let me get to my POINT.

(Deep breath.)

Why aren’t you out there running? Of course, you might not be ready for a marathon. But how about a 5K race? You could walk it or run it or do a combination of both. The causes you’ll be running for are out of this world. Plus, when you join the running community, you’ll have a built-in support system. Sign up your whole family (there’s usually a kids’ “fun run” mixed into the fray). As you know, I try and use my blog to inspire others. If only one person started walking or running or climbing or biking or going to the Y because of me, I would feel like I’ve accomplished something important. In fact, the reason I’m running today is because someone I know asked me to attend a half marathon as an observer a couple of years ago. How amazing is that??!! They managed to inspire the laziest guy on the planet to get out and do something healthy. O sweet irony. So go online and sign up for a race today. Don’t even think about it. Just do it. Then go on Facebook and tell everyone about your new adventure. Get out there on the course and be proud of yourself. You’ll find that “fitness” quickly becomes a lifestyle. And, believe me, you’ll never go back to your couch potato days. I can’t wait to hear about your first race!

Okay. It’s time to pull the trigger. Sooooo excited. I’m feeling good, thank the Lord. No aches and pains. As I said, my grand plan is to (hopefully) finish. I really do love my crazy life. I’m grateful that I’m still safe and sound after all the training I’ve done. Loving all your emails too. Keep ’em coming. I so appreciate them — and you! You keep me g oing. Thank you for cheering me on and making me laugh with all your great comments. I’m so thankful to be on this journey with you.

See ya at the finish line.

Dave

P.S. Hope to get into many Jesus convos this weekend. Taking copies of Running My Race to give out too. See how great running is? The blessings are everywhere.

6:54 AM Summer School Greek (which lasts for 6 weeks) starts a week from Monday. Thus far there are 30 enrolled. To you (and to any audits who might attend) I want to extend my warmest welcome. When I think about Greek, of course, I think back to my own introduction to the language in 1975. In subsequent years, the language seemed to take hold of me. For me, language study is truly a foretaste of heaven. I hope your own experience will likewise be enjoyable. If you’re after mediocrity, you can get it easily. But if you want to attain excellence, you’re gonna have to work with all your might. For starters, you may wish to take a moment and peruse ourNew Testament Greek Portal, which I hope will give you a pretty clear picture of what’s available today in terms of online helps. I am well aware that our website is incomplete, so if you find something that’s not there please let me know and we’ll add it. On the first day of class we’ll be learning the Greek alphabet and how to pronounce Greek words, and it might help if you listened to the MP3s that are available on the portal. Until then, I just thank God that each of us, regardless of the world’s standards, stand equal before God. The only thing that truly matters is that we measure up to His standards. And for that, we’ll need our Bible.

Thursday, May 4 

6:44 PM This is probably the next to the last post I’ll be able to publish before I head out to Ohio.

Today I got in my final training by doing an easy 5-mile walk at the Tobacco Heritage Trail in Brodnax, VA. Folks, I entirely needed this. “Just a little walk with Jesus makes it right,” the old song says. Trust me, nobody wants to begin a race feeling lonely or isolated. For the past four weeks I’ve not been myself. I’ve been more scatterbrained than usual and more unfocused than I like to be. It’s been like taking a detour along life’s journey, a walk on another path that at times seems to lead to Nowhere. For me, running this race is a chance to honor Becky’s life and memory, but at the same time, even while remembering her, I’m filled with a huge sense of loss, where all the “right answers” fail me, where I’ve begun this monumental dialogue with God about death and resurrection and pain and joy. I’ve been forced to press extremely hard on the Gospel and ask the hard spiritual questions. AGAIN. That’s why this walk today was so meaningful to me. Because God never turns away a seeker. He walks side by side with us through our valleys of fear and grief. He is my heart’s full joy, and with Him in my life, everything else falls into place. Just look at the beautiful weather He gave us for our walk.

It’s as though He was saying to me, “You’re doing a wonderful job, Dave. I know that life without Becky is mind-numbingly hard, but I am here with you as your friend — and your Savior. My light is greater than any darkness the evil one can throw at you.” I am a grown man and I already know all these things, but sometimes it’s good for the Lord to walk beside you and just remind you of what you mean to Him. I guess I’m just saying this: I’m at home with myself, at peace with the world, even ready for the weekend, come what may, because He is saying to me, “I will see you through this.”

While I was walking I got this email from the good folks at Map My Run and I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. It’s my performance summary for April.

140 miles of training in a single month. I fully intend to keep up this pace as long as my body allows me to do so. The possibilities of running other races excites and motivates me. God truly operates in mysterious ways, and I am shocked that I’m even attempting the race this weekend. But this is who I am, folks — as unbelievable as that may seem. This is who I’ve become in Christ. Friends, Jesus is the only one who can define us. Learn to be who He has made you to be. Let Him walk into your home and determine what matters to you. I am either a man who is passionate about being all that God is calling me to be, or I’m not. We cannot have it both ways. I either follow where He leads me, or I don’t. The fund raiser I’m doing for cancer this weekend might seem like a very small thing. Our culture has tricked us into thinking that a piddly amount like $4,000 can’t make a dent. But hear me on this: Enjoy the little things that God allows you to do for Him in His strength. Invite Him into the chaos of your life and watch Him open the doors of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is embedded in the kitchen sink and a financial crisis and a crumbling marriage. It’s everywhere — even in Ohio.

Well, I’ve got to go and fix supper, but I did want to thank all of you who’ve written me today with words of encouragement. Your advice is timely, I assure you:

Dave, stay within your ability.

Listen to your body.

Don’t start out too fast.

You can do this.

Really, I can’t thank you enough. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say that each of you is at least a solid 26.2.

7:40 AM Who taught Greek to F. F. Bruce ? To C. H. Dodd? To Oscar Cullmann? To Bruce Metzger? I’d like to know. Wouldn’t you?

7:30 AM Having just discussed “diminutives” in Greek class this week, I thought I’d post a link tothis outstanding essay by Mike Aubrey.

7:16 AM Sending wishes your way for a fabulous weekend! The marathon officials sent me an orientation email that’s left my head spinning. So much to decide! One matter of utmost importance: Which “pig pen” to join for the race?

Well, it’s a no-brainer, really. I’m certainly no better than a G or an H. I almost hate to write this for fear of jinxing myself, but I really feel I have trained hard enough to finish under 6 hours unless something catastrophic happens to me on the course (which is ALWAYS a possibility). Of course, the irony of even mentioning a time is that if you don’t reach your goal you’ll feel like a loser, but at the same time setting a (tentative) goal pushes you toward it. Make sense? I’ll be the first to admit that I can be really hard on myself. I’ve always been that way, even in my studies. But one thing I know I’m good at is not comparing myself with others. Just focus on what you do well and forget about “beating” anyone else. After all, there will always be people who are smarter, more productive, faster, etc. than you are. I am the Father’s son, beloved and treasured, and that’s good enough for me.

Like I said, enjoy your weekend. I’ll try and do the same (said he while shaking in his boots). 

6:54 AM Since this subject came up recently ….

Wednesday, May 3 

8:32 PM Evening update:

1) I love work. I could watch it all day.

2) Can’t we trade lives with our animals for just one day???!!!!

3) The oldest building on the farm (ca. 1790). Even predates me. Now that’s old.

4:32 PM Howdy pards! Just back from our beautiful campus.

It’s so hard to believe that in just four days my marathon experience will be over. (Insert the sound of me babbling like an idiot.) Since my thoughts have begun creeping me out, I’ve turned to reading fiction again (which always seems to settle me down). And what better fiction to read than Arthur Conan Doyle?

Regaining focus is my motto for the next three days. Prayers appreciated!

Oh, here’s the latest weather forecast for Cincy.

Isn’t God good??? Cool and sunny on Sunday! If you’ll indulge me another pic or two, I wanted you to see my Greek class taking their last quiz of the semester.

I’m so proud of them and beyond excited about what they will now be able to do when they read their Greek New Testaments. Greek is challenging but worth it! Speaking of Greek, these guys are in my LXX class.

We had a blast eating Mexican and yakking about all things Hellenistic. Finally, endless gratitude to my former student Chris Jones for his outstanding lecture today on “Shepherding in the Gospel of John.”

Our Lord transforms our ideas of “leadership.” The way we acknowledge Jesus as the Great Shepherd of the Sheep and Senior Pastor is a big deal to Him. Thanks tons for the reminder today, Chris, and best wishes on your doctoral studies!

Time to get up hay!

Tuesday, May 2 

7:12 AM Quote of the day (source): 

Das paulinische Missionswerk wurde vornehmlich durch (mit-)reisende und lokale Mitarbeiter vorangetrieben. Erstere haben vor allem in der Erstverkündigung gewirkt, neue Missionsgebiete erschlossen und Gemeinde gegründet. Letztere waren vor allem für die Konsolidierung der gegründeten Gemeinden und die Missionierung des Umlandes zuständig. Sie alle waren einem gemeinsamen Werk verpflichtet, dass sie in der Verantwortung vor Gott wahrnahmen.

Of course, I didn’t try to translate this into English. I just read it in German. German is German, and English is English. The goal of language learning is not translation but comprehension.

Let’s remember that as we study the biblical languages.

7:06 AM I saw this amazing video this morning:

I know many of you have told me you’d like to be in Cincy rooting for me. I also know you can’t be there in body. But I’ll take your love and encouragement with me every step of the way. Thank you.

6:58 AM This is such a great letter from UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Obesity and diabetes are associated with increased risk and worse outcomes for endometrial cancer. Metformin is a drug used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Bae-Jump finds that metformin has anti-cancer activity, due to its indirect effects within the body (insulin, glucose) and direct effects on endometrial cancer cells through inhibiting signaling pathways involved in metabolism, including suppression of fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis. Thus, it is logical that metformin may break the link between obesity and endometrial cancer and emerge as a new targeted agent for the treatment of this cancer. A portion of this work was recently presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology in March 2017.

Based on this promising preliminary data, Dr. Bae-Jump has an ongoing randomized phase 2/3 clinical trial evaluating metformin versus placebo, in combination with standard of care paclitaxel/carboplatin for the treatment of endometrial cancer, sponsored by the NRG Oncology Group (GOG 286B). The phase 2 portion of this study has completed, and the trial subsequently re-opened to phase 3 in December 2016. Dr. Bae-Jump hypothesizes that predictors of metformin response will include both molecular and metabolic biomarkers, specifically obesity, insulin resistance, upregulation of insulin/glucose signaling and heightened fatty acid/lipid biosynthesis. From this work, Dr. Bae-Jump hopes to validate metformin as an innovative treatment strategy for obesity-driven endometrial cancer. Funds from the Becky Black Memorial Fund to Fight Endometrial Cancer will be used to support the biomarker research that is vital to this study.

It’s pretty much all Greek to me. The gist is this: Vickie Bae-Jump’s research on endometrial cancer is progressing well, thanks in part to yall’s generosity through the Becky Black Memorial Fund ($25,000). Let replicate that effort this weekend. OurPiggin’ Out for a Cancer Cure fund is still open. This oinker appreciates every dime donated.

Monday, May 1 

8:50 PM Had a great workout today at the gym. The local gym. As in really LOCAL. Think hay field. That’s where I picked up a few hundred 60 pound bales today. Like I say, it’s as good a workout as you’ll get atLA Fitness, for sure. Plus, just think of all the bonuses you get: runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, sneezing, and post-nasal drip. All for no extra charge. We started haying at 12:00 noon and stopped at 8:00 pm. We ended up getting two trailer loads up today, and in the nick of time too — a storm system was heading our way. But as usual, the Lord took care of us. No sooner had we parked the last trailer under the barn than the rain started in earnest. All glory to God!

Right now this tired old man has got to take a long hot shower and cook his meals for the week. Lots of pasta on the menu, I see. Wonder why?

Over and out.

10:44 AM Hey folks!

Well, after months of training, the big week is finally here. The planning is over, and the tapering is done. It’s time to roll.

This marathon marks a turning point of sorts in my life. By God’s grace, I’ve navigated three and a half years without Becky. I feel I’m finally out of the woods. It’s time to mark my success by running this marathon in her honor and memory.

Running a marathon is like winning a major award in life, say an Oscar. For the rest of your life you can say you’re an Oscar winner. And, like winning an award, you’ll be thanking everyone who helped you reach your goal. My family members are not runners but they understand my commitment and are totally supportive. The miracle is not that I might finish. The miracle is that I had the courage to start the process. Marathoners give themselves permission to dream about the perfect race. It may not happen that way, but that doesn’t stop them from dreaming. As in the Christian life, faith is what keeps them going when nothing else will. They’ve faced down their fears and have been humbled by both their strength and their fragility.

That’s the grand lesson I’ve learned on this long journey. I’ve learned that life boils down to taking one step at a time. I’ve learned that I can’t accept anything less than my potential. I’ve learned that life is lived not alone but in the company of others. I’ve learned to be grateful for my strengths and to accept my weakness.

So here we are.

I’ve put in the training. I’m ready to give it my best. I’m now a long-distance athlete, fitter and better trained than about 99 percent of the population. Somewhere in front of me is a finish line and a medal. I’ll be surrounded by 30,000 other runners whose example will spur me on. At the front of the course will be the elite runners. They’ll finish the race in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I couldn’t finish that fast if the race were vertical and they dropped me down from an airplane. I’m filled with terror and excitement. My emotions are a cross between a child on Christmas morning and a soldier landing on Omaha Beach. My greatest danger now is not the course. It’s my unwillingness to accept the difficulty of the challenge. Every mile marker will effectively start a new race for me. I will take whatever talent I have and go out and see what happens. I’ll experience the limits of my body, the limits of my mind, and the limits of my spirit. But I know you’ll be with me every step of the way.

Thank you for joining me on a journey where the finish line is just the beginning.

Dave

8:20 AM Ah, the discourse structure of Philippians. What a happy theme to return to on a beautiful Monday morning. What’s Paul done so far in the body proper of the letter? He’s shown us what kind of man he’s turned out to be in prison: someone who lives completely for the Gospel (1:12-26). He’s pleaded for a unified Gospel witness among the Philippians (1:27-2:18). Now he’s going to do something that won’t surprise anyone who’s studied Paul. In accordance with the pattern set down by his own Master-Teacher (Luke 6:40), Paul encourages his readers by giving them two models to follow as they set about trying to live out their heavenly citizenship in a manner required by the Gospel. Against worldly ambition and self-seeking (2:3-4), Paul sets forth the striking examples of Timothy (2:19-24) and Epaphroditus (2:25-30). Note: Paul is not only making it clear to the Philippians that these men are excellent examples of what it means to put others first. He is promoting them and their ministries, “esteeming others as better than himself,” if you will. Of course, their work was done in a “supportive” sense relative to Paul’s. But Paul implies that all of them are equally valuable to the work God is doing in Philippi. In fact, Paul himself started his ministry as an “assistant” to Barnabas. Frankly, I don’t think Paul was very interested in status and titles. He calls Epaphroditus — an otherwise unknown “lay” person from Philippi — his “brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.” The two of them shared the same Father, shared the same work, and even shared the same danger. And think of the trust Paul placed in these men. He could rely fully on them!

Do you have people like that in your life, men or women who will drop everything to help you out when you need assistance? When I got home from Wake Forest last Wednesday, the water pump was out on the farm. No water for the animals. No water to take a hot shower with. No water to cook with. I called a man in the HVAC business whom I knew would help me out if he could. I asked him if he’d be willing to come over and trouble shoot the matter and then advise me on what to do next. Not only did he promise to help me, he sent his very best workers (including himself!) the very next day to replace the water pump. His gracious ministry to me reminded me of Paul’s words about Epaphroditus. Here were two humble servants of the Lord, faithfully carrying out their normal duties, willing to sacrifice for the sake of others.

When brother Jason Evans and I trekked among a fierce tribe in Ethiopia years ago, the only Ethiopian who would volunteer to translate for us was a young 24-year old university graduate named James. He knew his mission carried its own particular risks. But James was James, a courageous person willing to take enormous risks for the Gospel. After Jason and I had returned home, we got word that James had been found dead, suffocated in his sleep. There are no words to describe the honor and respect and love we have for brother James. His life stands as a rebuke to a hot tub religion that makes no demands and calls for no self-denial.

Friend, don’t wait for some kind of formal ordination before getting your hands dirty in ministry. Put your faith to the test by getting involved in people’s lives. Don’t just pray for others. Roll up your shirt sleeves and help. Anyone can say they are a Christian. But how many of us are willing, for example, to spend time with that elderly person we know or have lunch with the most unpopular kid on campus? Faith like that speaks louder than words.

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May 2016 Blog Archives

Tuesday, May 31

6:52 AM Week 2 of Greek class. It is amazing. It is Mind Expanding. The jewels of Scripture require extracting. (Okay, enough melodrama.) Greek is just plain old tough work. You slog through. It is high drama, all the time. You think you’re sitting in the Crazy Seat. We’re falling into an abyss that has no bottom.

Is it worth it? It’s too soon to assess. But I think so. I hope so. I am convinced it is so. So stay the course, my dear friends. If you show up brave and true, and if we each own our place in the process, God is big enough to see us through.

Monday, May 30

12:12 PM Suffering from NDD? (Nature Deficit Disorder.) Two quotes from today’s Diane Rehm show:

“There’s a difference between being outdoors and being in nature.”

“The healthiest option is not only being in nature but being near a body of water.”

Hmm. Maybe that’s why I find Kailua Beach so therapeutic. Studies have shown that living by the coast improves health and well-being. Moreover, a blue mind is a creative mind, according tothis report. 

Being outside near water while you’re exercising will potentially give you more of a mental boost than exercising in a crowded, hectic gym environment with TVs in front of you and people all around.

By the way, the local pool opens up today for the summer. Can’t wait to get back into lap swimming. Being outdoors is so good for everybody. It’s so sad to think of all the books written today about the health benefits of nature. Today’s society is so disjointed from nature we need 1,000 reasons to get outdoors before we do anything.

Got a spare half hour and want something to do? God’s restorative creation is calling! 

10:32 AM I’m not usually prone to exaggeration, but this manuscript is phenomenal.

It arrived yesterday. It’s title is “The Greek of the Gospel of John: A Deep Sounding. Critical Features of John’s Language in John 1-6 and 18-21.” The author is Jim Voelz of Concordia Seminary and it’s his paper for SNTS this August in Montreal. I’m the respondent, so I get to say all kinds of nice things about Jim and his work. And what doesn’t Jim discuss? He treats word order, parataxis, asyndeton, hypotactic constructions, subordinating conjunctions, apposition, collapsed relative clauses, verbal aspect, historical present indicatives, perfect stems, and more. And I have an entire 10 minutes to respond. Hey, I’m not on roids!

9:55 AM My colleague Alvin Reid and I have so much in common it’s downright scary. We both came out of the Jesus Movement. We both played the bass guitar in Christian rock bands. We both are passionate about global evangelism. (I quote him all the time: “Life is a mission trip. Take it!”) Finally, it seems the Lord has called both of us to write about our personal fitness goals and challenges. His latest post is worth linking to: Friday Is for Fitness: Sabbatical Gains. Guys and gals, take my advice: Read what Alvin says and then go out and do it. Body weight is no place to be overly sensitive. Don’t fret over every little ounce. Who really cares that you get fit after all? Well, I do. And so does Alvin. But we’re not legalists. In fact, I will say this: I literally cannot imagine any Christian becoming serious about health and fitness unless and until they are convicted by a much higher Source than either Alvin or me. Many of us are fighting a battle we don’t even know exists. No, its not the weight battle. It’s the battle against trying to do something in our own strength. Can’t be done, people. Try it that way and you’ll destroy the whole thing. On the other hand, when you take the noose off your neck and allow the Holy Spirit as it were to “breathe” you along from where you are to where you want to be, that’s when things begin to get exciting. Hear me: grace is our only hope. This is true of weight management as much as it is true of marriage or relationships.

Two final thoughts that I think Alvin would agree with though he didn’t state them explicitly:

1) Don’t waste your energy trying to change anyone else’s body. This includes your spouse’s. The only result is that they’ll become bitter. Besides, it never works. Never.

2) Have fun while exercising. God isn’t a kill-joy. I love working out. I love 5Ks. I love biking. I love climbing. Will I learn to love half marathons? I guess I’ll find out this coming Saturday. If you know someone who is doing this — someone who is really serious about fitness but who are also just as serious about having fun while working out, compliment them once in a while. They are unique people!

As an aging Boomer, I’m worried that my generation will drop the ball here. Our kids and grandkids need role models, spiritual mentors, and granddads and grandmas who will prioritize transformation over methodology. Alvin is one of these dudes. He’s trying to lead a horse to water but you know, sometimes horses can be weird. Now don’t you be one of them weird horses!

P.S. In the nick of time I reached my 100 mile running/biking goal for May by riding 5 miles today. I sprinted all the way (15 MPH). Believe me, the rumbling of thunder in the distance is a great MOTIVATOR.

Sunday, May 29

8:26 PM On June 9, my odometer will flip to 6-4. How in the world did I get to be 64 years old? I’m told that anyone who lives to be 60 can expect to live at least another 20 years. Who knows. (God does, of course, but I’m trying to be philosophical here.) I do know this: If the next 20 years go by as quickly as the last 63, I’d better get busy now with living. Baby Boomers like me are now the largest demographic cohort in most Western nations. We’re asking ourselves, “Have I done something with my life that really matters?” Since Becky died I’ve asked myself that question a thousand times. “Dave, have you created anything that bettered the world and that will outlast your life?” And now, on the home stretch, that question seems more urgent than ever. Life 2.0 centered on career building and marriage. Life 3.0 doesn’t reject those things but now focuses more on purpose maximization. “In a curious way,” said former U.S. Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz, “age is simpler than youth, for it has so many fewer options.” Regardless of how many more years God gives me, I want to pursue purpose is all that I do. Perhaps the most important word in my vocabulary these days is “Why?” This is a powerful word. Teachers like me tend to obsess over the “How?” word. Yet we rarely discuss why we are doing what we’re doing. How can we do anything exceptionally unless we understand why we’re doing it in the first place? Perhaps it’s here that we Baby Boomers can take the lead. Perhaps we can begin to reshape culture along the lines of pondering one’s purpose for being. We know that the most enriching experiences of life come not when we’re outperforming others but rather when we’re doing something that matters and doing it well and (for the follower of Christ) doing it for God’s glory.

Can I tell you one of my goals as I age? That my students would “mostly get it.” No, not Greek. But truth. Obedience. Something to live for. A ministry that is not church-centralized but Christ-centered. A church where people take more responsibility for their own spiritual development and are less reliant on their leaders. Where Jesus Christ is openly and gladly acknowledged as the Senior Pastor. (Honestly, I can’t wait for this to show up on some church marquee somewhere.) 64 years in, I’ve learned a few things. Mostly the hard way. Caring about what Jesus teaches is a big, big deal. John wrote that the darkness has never overcome the Light, and that Light is ours. And when we drag the Light into our lives and homes and churches, kicking and screaming and bleeding, we begin to see the “things” in our lives for what they really are. Start saying yes to what you are really good at, what God has made you to be and not what others think you should be. No one will do this for you. You have to do it for yourself. God designed you to be really good at something. Find out what that is and then pursue it with all the passion you can muster. Don’t waste your life. Don’t bury your talents. The paycheck isn’t as important as glowing and coming to life and blessing the world. Students, be exactly who you are. It is so tempting to be less than that, to fake it. Say no if you need to. Jesus has your back. He wants to bring us into oneness and wholeness. He yearns that we experience all that He has to give us.

We were meant to do more than grow old. We can live life to the fullest.

8:58 AM I won’t spoil your day by more stories about haying. As I looked at my hands this morning, however, it did occur to me that there might be an object lesson here.

(1) I should have worn work gloves and (2) it’s obvious that I haven’t gotten hay up in a while. The concept of perseverance has been baiting me for a while. I am realizing that it’s easy to get even a finger “out of shape.” I’m reminded of what Heb. 2:1-4 teaches about drifting away from Christ. The principle could be stated this way, I guess:

When you do nothing, something always happens.

Just don’t mow the lawn.

Or change the oil in your car.

As I think back on 40 years of teaching Greek, it occurs to me that the great majority of my former students probably do not use their Greek all that much. In fact, I have asked countless grads to translate a simple verse for me and they are usually speechless. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Oh yes I can. Because it’s happened to me. Countless times. I often let the little things on the farm slide until it’s too late. A simple procedure now requires an expensive repair. As usual, Jesus hit the nail on the head. He said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He was being clear: Live in this day. Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can and should do today. Enjoy life today, or enjoy it never. This very day is a unique gift from God. It will be gone before you know it. And once it’s over, it’s over. Don’t obsess about what’s gonna happen tomorrow. You will never have this day again.

So get on with it. You’ve got your list of things to do; I have mine. Maybe on your list is chillaxing with the kids. Go for it with gusto and without declaring it a waste of time. Every small piece of time you give your kids now matters, even if its results are invisible for the time being. Today I finally got around to writing an email I knew I needed to write but kept postponing. (I’m a coward at heart.) No, you don’t have to become a legalist. No, you don’t have to finish every last item on your list. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into play. This is when Jesus reminds us, “I’ve left you with another Helper. You can do this. I am right here with you.”

Well, that’s my devotional for the day. Today I’m planning out my New Testament class for the fall — arranging the reading assignments, lining up the guest lecturers, deciding which topics I’ll lecture on. I’ve got to cover Acts through Revelation. (Yes, I know it’s foolishness to think that one can actually do that.) One of my lectures is called “The Forgotten Father.” God refers to Himself as Father more than any other title because He wants us to begin to experience the boundlessness of His love and the height of His patience. Love the Father well, and your house will stand, my dear friend.

Saturday, May 28

6:50 PM Done. Our first cutting of summer hay, that is. Well, hardly. We’ve only cut a couple of small fields. The larger ones eagerly await their haircut. But with more rain in the forecast, they will have to wait for the right conditions. Here’s Nate baling the front “yard” of Bradford Hall.

There is nothing this guy cannot do. Including tossing bales. I used to be a “fifth level” tosser. Not anymore. Four’s my limit. So Nate gets to do all the heavy tossing.

As it is with the tossing bales of hay, so it is with life. If I once mourned my lost youth, I do so no longer. I’ve buried the past, the 30-year old I once was, and am happily aging. If the best baseball is played in September, the best lives are lived in life’s September. I’m here to announce as a 63-year old: The seventh-inning stretch still exists, and the rest of the game is going to be fantastic. Lookie here. I even “summited” today — Lol!

I will never be 30 again but that doesn’t matter because all that matters is that I push myself to the limit, which I did today and yesterday. I am the same me today that I always was and perhaps even a better me. Every stage of life is simply being yourself with a slightly different focus. For me, being outdoors is a ballast to thinking and writing. I keep out-of-doors for my sanity’s sake. When I fail to see the loveliness of life and begin to complain only of its difficulties, I go into God’s great cathedral and am once again reborn. As I watch our goats, I think of Psalm 23 and see the Great Shepherd walking with me through the winding valleys of life. Creation has so many reminders of how great our God is, amen?

P.S. The maple I dedicated to Becky last year never did take root so today we planted a new one, and right now I’m working on the text for the plaque that will accompany it.

After much prayer, I’ll decide what it will say. In the meantime I’ve got more Round Up to spray and more fields to bush hog and more lawns to mow and more fences to fix. Plus I’ve got overnight guests coming on Tuesday and you know what that means (house cleaning). But God is going before me. He is working tirelessly in my life — and in yours — to draw the best out of every single situation we have encountered, good or bad, because He always does more than we can ever ask or imagine. Which makes me so grateful to Him.

Off to cook supper.

Blessings!

Dave

12:32 PM Man, I’m going through my chores at the speed of light. Most important of all, I got the porch back together again, and it shore looks good. Squeaky clean.

When my world gets too busy, nothing fixes me like sitting on the porch listening to the sounds of nature and allowing real life its rightful place again.

Also filled the donks’ water. (This is sacred work. Our animals depend on us.)

Also turned off the humidifier in the crawl space and changed out the water filter in our filtration system. (Aren’t I handy?)

Also made a long overdue trash run. (When it comes to trash, I am really lazy.)

Also trimmed the rose bushes, including Becky’s “Burji Rose Bushes” from Ethiopia — her faves!

Still need to pay my property taxes, fill a couple of Greek DVD orders, and get the rest of the hay up. Then it’s sit and chillax. After all, it’s a holiday weekend and I’m in a very relaxed mood.

8:18 AM Odds and ends …

1) My stir-fry last night. Key ingredient: Water chestnuts. Oh my, they’re good!

2) Quote of the day (Becky Black):

I want to tell you as clearly as I can that there is nothing, nothing, nothing in this life that is worth the cost, and worth the sacrifice, except the Lord Jesus. Everything in life will fail: marriage, children, career, money, prestige, possessions, relationships, all things will turn to vanity. All things will fail you. Only Jesus will never fail.

3) Got up early to scrub the chairs, which are now drying under a very hot sun. And to think we have to get up more bales this afternoon. (Oh boy, I need counseling now.)

4) This story is unbelievable: A man is “in love” with Everest:

Speaking after his return, Mr Cool, who lives in Quenington, Gloucestershire, said: “My wife Jazz says that Everest is my mistress and I go back to her every year.”

My stars! What a marital legacy he’s forming. Beck Weathers (who barely survived the 1996 disaster on Everest) said it best this week:

If you don’t have anyone who cares about you or is dependent on you, if you have no friends or colleagues, and if you’re willing to put a single round in the chamber of a revolver and put it in your mouth and pull the trigger, then yeah, it’s a pretty good idea to climb Everest.

5)Why Study Greek?

Friday, May 27

8:58 PM Love it!

 

Thursday, May 26

6:50 AM Mountaineer Alan Arnette (whose summits include Everest, K2, and Manaslu) has just written a fascinating piece calledWhy People Die on Everest. Reasons include:

  • low cost operators

  • unqualified Western guides

  • untrained Sherpas

  • inexperienced climbers

  • not enough time acclimatizing on the mountain

He recommends going with only the best guide companies. If I were to climb Everest (which I never will), I would insist on a 1:1 Guide/Sherpa-Client ratio, guides who are certified by the IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations — my guide in the Alps this summer is a member), and something that Alan doesn’t mention: live-streaming of my personal data (location, altitude, O2, EKG, heart rate, speed, etc.). This service is already available (seeWicis-Sports) and uses satellite technology to stream their data across the world every few seconds. This way medical professionals (either at base camp or 5,000 miles away in your own doctor’s office) can get medical and GPS data live and in real time. I’m surprised this wasn’t thought of years ago but apparently it’s a fairly new service. No one climbing Everest should leave home without it.

Wednesday, May 25

5:42 PM Great couple of days. Made it through the basic Greek verb and noun. (Cackle as I type that.) Biked 10 miles yesterday near Wake Forest.

The trail was a cardio killer (check out this elevation scale).

Then today I ran 3 miles near South Boston. It was very hot. You can see how many others were out running today:

I may crash and burn when I climb the Alps, but it won’t be because I didn’t train hard enough. (Yes. I rest too. Like now.) Just getting into shape, I guess, to pick up bales on Friday. This is some gorgeous hay the Lord has given us this year.

Not to be denied, however, was the front porch, on which the birdies have been pooping all winter long. (I’m dealing with it.) The chairs will need some deep cleaning.

But as least I got the porch in shape — swept, mopped, then mopped again. I think it looks pretty nice, don’t you?

Sorry, but I can’t resist posting a GoPro of me biking yesterday — plus frolicking in the pool at the Hampton Inn in Wake Forest. My generation is so funny. We flit from this thing to that thing. When we get to glory, we’ll probably hear something like, “Well, done, you guys. You sure were faithful. And great fun to watch!”

 

Off to cook me some stir fry.

Tuesday, May 24

6:35 AM Well said, Bonhoeffer:

The one who loves the most is the one who sees deepest, sees the greatest danger. A seer has never been popular. That is why the church will also not be popular, least of all on days like this.

6:24 AM Greek students: Here are a few cool vocab apps/resources for my beginning grammar:

1)Flashcards.

2)Quizlet.

3)Vocabulary.

4)Parsing Guide.

5)Why Study Greek?

6) Pastor’s Perspective Interview:

As you begin your Greek studies, remember that no one wants more for you than God. We can confidently give Him our hopes, aspirations, and fears.

See ya in class!

Monday, May 23

7:22 PM I am deeply saddened to hear about the deaths this week on Mount Everest, not to mention all of the reports of severe frostbite. Of course, let’s not forget the 300 or so climbers who successfully reached the summit since May 11. The fact is, altitude sickness can strike anyone, at any time. Guides can put up warning markers for their clients, but they cannot chart their individual courses or decisions. I don’t mean to push the fear button. Climbers are their own people; they must own their own decisions. Mount Everest is exceedingly beautiful. Read any book written by someone who has summited Everest and their stories are almost primordial. They chose to confront their mortality, up close and personal. They were willing to break out of their comfortable lives to venture to a place where few of us would dare to go. In return, the mountain requires from them responsibility, good decision making, and (sometimes) heroism. Everest also lays bare one’s fatal flaws and irrecoverable errors. Again this year, some have emerged from their ordeal on Mount Everest; others have perished. The larger question for me is, “Why? Why do mountains attract us like flies to the light? It is mere hubris? Is it to find something more meaningful in our lives, some human achievement that can be attained in no other fashion? What motivates people to travel thousands of miles around the world to risk their lives on a mountain? Is it worth the cost?”

The tragedies we read about on the web today will no doubt stop some people from climbing Everest. But it will not keep others from pursuing their dream. When I summited Mount Olomana last month it was a terrifying, joyful moment. The mountain was dangerous but I had overcome my fears. I can start to understand why brave men and women would risk their lives to climb Everest or K2. We cannot shrug this off as a hypothetical question only. Most of will be faced with similar questions as we face the tough decisions in life. We must be allowed to wrestle with our fears, and come to terms with our own limitations. Believe it or not, people like to grapple with their limitations. Good Greek teachers try not to coddle their students. They put the hard stuff in front of them. They teach them to overcome their fears of the language. Let’s stop patronizing their intelligence by being shallow. I can tell you, most students are absolutely capable of spiritual and academic depth. Perhaps this would be a good time to discuss with our children that they ultimately have to make their own decisions in life. We as parents cannot guarantee their safety in life. There is no magic “formula” that ensures that our kids grow up to be brave and responsible adults. (That includes homeschooling, by the way — and I say this as a former homeschooling parent.)

If you’re not involved in mountain climbing, all of this will probably make zero sense. But regardless of our experiences in the great outdoors, there will always be healthy boundaries and unhealthy boundaries. A healthy boundary says, “You should do what you believe is best for you.” A bad boundary says, “Don’t you ever try to climb a tall peak!” Each of us has permission to say no to engage in behaviors that we deem to be certifiable insanity. We are free to walk away from certain toxic relationships as well. I am glad to see that the Nepalese government is beginning to look deeper into the root causes of the deaths on Everest. There are systemic issues at work, an example being allowing too many climbers on the mountain at one time, thus producing killer logjams and prolonging a climber’s time in the infamous “Death Zone.”

And what about the expedition leaders? Did they insist on a turnaround time for their clients? Were they turning people around and sending them down the mountain before the symptoms of HAPE or HACE became too severe? What about companies that offer cheap packages to clients, who are thereby exposed to safety risks? Who is responsible to see that the climbers’ equipment is in good working order? Did each climber have their doctor’s seal of approval before embarking on their expedition? People easily ignore the body when it sounds the alarm. I have even read of cases where ultra-marathoners have died of heart attacks even when their training journals revealed that they had been having typical angina pectoris while running.

If pain is the mystery of life, altitude is the mystery of mountain climbing. Everyone has a physiological limit. The problem is that one’s fitness at sea level is no predictor as to how one will do at elevation. I have never climbed higher than 8,000 feet and my first peak in Switzerland this summer is over 13,000 feet. I do not question that I will experience counterprevailing sensations — wanting to push ahead despite the lack of oxygen, acting like a man in extremis, or giving up and seeking lower ground. All I can do is take the risk, seek the challenge, invite the pain, and act sensibly when the time comes when I know I should turn around. Peaces lies not in attaining the summit but in being myself — my best self, my responsible self. I climb to learn how to be true to my innermost being. But precisely because I know myself and my tendency to push ahead no matter what, I have hired a professional and highly experienced mountain guide to whom I’ve given permission to turn me around at the drop of a hat.

I suppose the climbers who died this week on Everest had a similar philosophy toward their sport. I’m sure they approached Everest with respect and even trepidation. They knew that this contest of theirs would require consequences in pain and fatigue and exhaustion unrivaled in any other sport. This is all the more true because all of this agony is self-inflicted. Those who perished were just like you and me for the most part — ordinary citizens ready to take on perhaps the most grueling challenge devised by man. When I climb (much smaller mountains, of course), I join these courageous men and women who find their creativity in doing something extraordinary with their lives. I am totally and completely in the present. Time stands still. It is like being so absorbed in reading that you are unaware you are reading. I am no longer a spectator leading a vicarious existence. I am truly alive, and with this living I discover perhaps the most important fact of all — that I am the only obstacle to my success.

1:50 PM This and that …

1) Working on the Greek alphabet.

2) Just booked my flights for an August trip to Dallas to share about Ethiopia at Grace Bible Church.

3) Arrived today:

4) Greek students! Don’t forgetthis page.

5) A hearty welcome to everyone who joined our Five Minute Greek Club. I am a freak about all things Greek. A complete weirdo. Welcome to the club.

6:50 AM So apparently, some people are still uninformed about our prestigious club that gets underway today.

There are two things you need to know about our Five Minute Greek Club: We never meet, and there are no dues. You simply “sign on the dotted line,” promising me you will translate two verses every day (Monday through Friday) throughout the summer. Your prize? A gratis copy of one of my books. If you had me for beginning Greek last semester, you are eligible. See the email attachment from my assistant. Today’s the last day to join.

I feel like I’m on the edge of something huge right now. Oh yeah. Summer Greek begins today! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. The class is full with a waiting list. I hope you all can get in. The more the merrier. I want lots of people to share my crazy love of this language.

Time to cook some French Toast and hit the road!

Sunday, May 22

7:42 PM Just got in another 5K. That makes my monthly total 81.6 miles. Only 18.4 miles more to go to reach my monthly goal. Now I’m awaiting the sunset. Should be gorgeous tonight.

5:18 PM It’s Sunday evening and the sun is shining again. I’m sitting at my desk contemplating the amazing two weeks I’ve just experienced. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever heard God speaking to me so clearly as when He told me to meet with UNC and set up Becky’s cancer memorial fund. As I sit here, alone in this big house, I taste salt in the corner of my mouth. I knew when I got married that it would have a price. I just didn’t know how high a price God would exact to show us humans the consequences of loving another person. Marriage is a powerful yet simple example of how we can — or can’t — conduct ourselves in life and not come to harm. More than most experiences, marriage– divine, vast, unfathomable — shows us what we are made of in a period of time that seems like an eternity but is really only a brief second. It changes us.

Now, two and a half years after I said goodbye to Becky, I can still no longer escape the sense of profound loss, the grief. But I am a survivor. God has given me work to do, part of which is to try and transform a loss into something better, something meaningful. I am scarred by Becky’s passing, yet grateful to have shared some of life’s wonders with an extraordinary person who can never be replaced. Who am I that I should have been chosen to be her life mate? How unworthy I am of God’s heart. Yet He woos me with the sweet promise of His presence and joy. I am so in love with Him. He is always here. And sometimes He gives extra grace. Today was one of those days.

I’ll keep trying to help people remember Becky. For as long as it takes. Every woman who has ever suffered from endometrial cancer is created, known, and loved by God. I am not called to cure this dreaded disease. I am called simply (if I can be so bold as to call such a task simple) to be God’s index finger pointing to a worthy cause, His heart breaking when His creatures are suffering and dying, His voice telling others, “I care.”

To everyone who has already given — a thousand thanks. What an absolutely amazing surprise. And to everyone who has taken the time to write an email of encouragement, thank you. And to Becky — I count it a privilege that my heart feels like it’s been shattered. It means that my life has been blessed, and a huge part of that blessing was you. You will never be forgotten, at least not by this man.

 

8:15 AM The United Methodist General Conference has just concluded. As an outsider, I found three YouTube videos that helped me to understand a little bit better the debate in the UMC over same-gender unions; you might want to check them out:

1)Recap of General Conference.

2)Adam Hamilton Remarks to Seminarians.

3)A Response to Adam Hamilton’s Recent Post on the Bible and Homosexuality.

Saturday, May 21

7:10 PM Last night I watched a YouTube of one of Newt Gingrich’s recent speeches in which he sought to account for Donald Trump’s popularity. His answer had four parts: Trump is great at talking; he uses fourth grade language (i.e., people can understand him); he engages his audience; and “he loves what he’s doing.”

At the time I’m writing this, Becky has been gone for 29 months. The ordinary pleasures of life — walking the dogs on the farm, taking a hot shower, watching the sunrise — are tempered by the long penumbra cast by her death, which ever so slowly recedes with time. Thank God — oh, thank God! — that He gives widowers the gift of faith to accept His love. In His presence I feel awe and wonder, and even joy. Yes joy! There is no greater joy in life than being in relationship with the Father. As my knowledge of Him grows, so does my assurance that He will never let me down. I’m enjoying Him — all He is and all He does. More profoundly, my enjoyment of the life He’s given me is growing in the same way. Like Trump, I love what I do. God created us to feel His pleasure both in our labor and in our leisure. On Monday I’ll begin my 41st year of teaching Greek. Sometimes I think I’d rather teach than eat. Then there’s the satisfaction that family brings. It’s an awesome thought to realize that your family enjoys you and wants you to enjoy them. Equally satisfying is the joy of the great outdoors. God has written His name in the natural world and has given us the precious gift of appreciating the splendid beauty of creation. From that appreciation springs a desire to glorify our Creator and Savior God by loving and serving Him. Faithful obedience becomes a response of pure joy.

My forthcoming book Running My Race: Reflections on Life, Loss, Aging, and Forty Years of Christian Ministry, is about learning the secret to the lost art of truly enjoying God. It’s written for people who’ve struggled to live life to its fullest, people who let their struggles defeat them because they forget God’s unlimited lovingkindness, goodness, and grace. We don’t live joyful lives because we’ve forgotten how rich we are in Christ. During the past two and a half years I’ve been surprised and pleased at the many dozens of emails I’ve received from people who identify with my bouts of discouragement and loneliness. In part, my book is a response to their questions. No, I don’t have all of the answers to the puzzle of human suffering. Instead, my book is about how God has used Becky’s death in my life to reveal more of Himself to me. I’m sure we can all agree with C. S. Lewis, who wrote that “the real problem is not why some humble, pious, believing people suffer, but why some do not” (The Problem of Pain, p. 104). One can never accuse God of being unjust because He owes us absolutely nothing. Yet not a single tear of ours goes unnoticed.

Now that’s amazing. But the best news of all: One day He will make sense out of our most senseless suffering.

Can’t wait?

Neither can I.

P.S. Peyton Black turned 1 this week. Happy Born Day, grandson!

2:18 PM Hello bloggers. Nothing much to report here. Did another bike ride in Farmville then visited (since it was nearby) the gorgeous campus of Hampton-Sydney College, one of only three all-male colleges in the U.S. (former students include Stephen Colbert). Following are a few pix.

Maranatha!

Friday, May 20

6:04 PM A few graduation pix, in honor of those unforgettable words of Mark Twain, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

7:14 AM Happy Graduation to the SEBTS class of 2016! As someone who received his M.Div. in 1980, allow me a few words:

1) Teaching is not teaching unless lives have been changed. It is not mere instruction we need in the classroom. Instead we need men and women who will model the Jesus lifestyle. Those who do, who depend completely on the living God and not on their own intellectual prowess, are the people God will use to shake our generation.

2) Today we have a glut of information about the Bible. The result is often a slavish dependence upon computers, degrees, education, management skills, and human talent. If there appears to be any human explanation for what we do, we jump on it. When this happens, our science and technology become nothing more than tools of the Evil One. It is only when we are freed from our over-dependence on human plans, programs, and leaders are we able to trust God rather than ourselves.

3) Our “studies” often betray our callous indifference to God and what matters most to Him. If we love the Lord our God the way we say we do, how can we spend so little time in doing what is of eternal importance? The world is looking for handsome, self-important people to lead it, but God is looking for humble, Spirit-dependent people who will love the lost as He does.

Through 40 years of teaching I’ve often closed my classes with a prayer that contains these words: “Lord, make us winsome and attractive for the Gospel.” I get the imagery from 2 Cor. 2:15. Paul says our lives are to be a “fragrant aroma.” We are to influence others like perfume. Our goal is not to beat people into submission with arguments. I have yet to witness a debate where anyone’s mind was changed. Maybe you have, but I haven’t. I think Paul is saying that redemptive people are winsome. And even when they do engage in apologetics (a legitimate enterprise), they have an attractive fragrance that stands out from the aromas of the world. In short, Christians with a combative disposition do not help the cause of Christ.

So, Lord, please make us winsome and attractive for the Gospel. Please help us to put a lost world before our diplomas. It can be done, and by God’s grace it must be done.

P.S. Yours truly and his bride in 1980, the year I left Talbot for Basel.

Clearly, we had much to celebrate. You probably have dozens of well-meaning people who have advice for how you should live your life and what career choices you ought to make. But remember: A good education tells people how to think, not what to think. Then you can reach a bold decision on your own (with the help of the Spirit, of course) about what to do with your life. “The only way to be truly satisfied,” said Steve Jobs, “is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.”

Friend, find out what makes you tick, and then go for it with all the gusto you have. Once you get this right, everything else will fall into place.

See you at Commencement!

Thursday, May 19

10:42 AM The reset buttonhas been pressed:

The fifth annual Blue Cross and Blue Shield Race 13.1 Raleigh, NC – Spring will be held June 4 and will feature a brand new course without the final dreaded hill on Lassiter Mill Road. The half marathon, 10k and 5k event will again start in midtown Raleigh’s premier shopping and dining destination, North Hills, and will now feature a lap around the beautiful Shelley Lake as well as an out-and-back portion on the shaded Crabtree Creek Greenway before finishing back in North Hills, where returning runners will be quick to note the lack of Lassiter Hill. 

The date, as you can see, is June 4. I like this venue a lot better than Umstead. I guess I prefer a little more terra firma under my feet. The course, as you can see, snakes its way through much of Raleigh.

I’m also glad it’s on a Saturday and not on a Sunday. Not that I haven’t had Sunday worship on a mountain somewhere. I’ve left a hiking trail as sanctified and renewed as any “worship service.”

By the way, I received an awesome text message today. It made me feel immeasurably loved and cared for. You know who you are. Thank you.

9:24 AM I’m calling it off. Sunday’s half marathon at Umstead Park in Raleigh that is.

The ground will be too sodden for walking let alone running (I’ve hiked in wet conditions there before). When I first started doing 5Ks I vowed never to run in wet conditions and risk injury. Overly cautious? Or just being a wimp? Maybe both!

9:12 AM Lord willing, in exactly 7 weeks I leave for Switzerland. My goal is to try and climb the Matterhorn — at least as far as my ancient legs will take me. Previously, my ambition was to summit Mount Olomana again. Checked that box. Hawaii’s trails are as treacherous as they are beautiful. Thankfully the weather was as dry as it ever gets in Windward Oahu when I made my summit bid. (The video ishere.) And now it’s on to the Matterhorn — without doubt the best known and most coveted peak in the Alps. For training, we’ll climb a couple of other mountains before attempting the Big M. After initial training with crampons on ice and snow, we’ll attempt the Breithorn (13,661 ft.), a 4,000 meter peak that involves a glacier approach and mixed snow climbing. The next objective will be the Allalinhorn (13,212 ft.), a similar 4,000-meter peak that involves more training in climbing technique. My most important goal — my “Impossible Dream” — of course will be the Matterhorn itself (at 14,692 ft.). For this ascent we will first hike to the Hörnlihütte at 10,000 ft.

This mountain hut eliminates the need for sleeping bags and cooking. They’ll provide meals as well as bunks and mattresses. Not that I think I’m going to get much sleep that night. The next morning we’ll attempt to move steadily up the mountain ridge over steep and exposed rock. During the climb one’s stamina, coordination, and balance are tested to the max. I’m told that it usually takes 6 hours of rapid climbing to make it to the summit and about 6 hours of downclimbing to make it back to the Hörnlihütte. I think it will be a fantastic experience. I know it will be a tremendous challenge, even if I’m only able to climb 100 meters beyond the hut. I’ve got one incredible mountain guide, I can tell you. His YouTubes are all over the web and we’ve spoken several times by phone. From what I can tell he aims to make climbing the Alps safe, fun, and exciting in equal measure. If you want the “why” about this trip, I’m not sure I have an answer. I think a big part of it is the possibility of getting away from the routine of life for a few days. The Matterhorn is also just difficult and dangerous enough to capture one’s full attention for a while. I know it will be a great test of my endurance and skill. Obviously, I need to continue to train very hard before attempting any of these mountain peaks.

I’ll be staying in Zermatt, a beautiful pedestrian-only town with incredible scenery and numerous flower boxes (such as the ones Becky and I used to enjoy in Basel). I want to thank you ahead of time for your encouragement and well wishes. Even if I don’t summit any of these mountains and end up just trekking through the lowlands (complete happiness is relative), I know it will be an interesting week. This trip is more than about mere destinations. More and more I’m seeking out the natural beauty of God’s creation wherever I travel. I subscribe to the theory expressed by Richard Nelson in his book The Island Within: “What makes a place special is the way it buries itself in the heart, not whether it is flat or rugged, rich or austere, wet or arid, gentle or harsh, warm or cold, wild or tame.” Hiking, in my opinion, offers a traveler no better way to achieve this familiarity with the “special places” in life. Even in Virginia I have found endless possibilities, from the local hiking trials to the Virginia Piedmont where one hill rises gently after another.

Hiking beckons. If you answer her call, you won’t be disappointed.

Wednesday, May 18

7:46 PM Meeting today with one of my Ph.D. students reminded me of a wonderful mentor I had back in my Biola days. As you may know, this is my 40th year of teaching Greek. When I was hired to teach Greek at Biola in 1976 it was a dream come true. I was like a boy taking his first theology lesson and saying that he would like to be a Karl Barth. The salary was microscopic, but in those days very little could be expected if one was a humble instructor. This was during my second year of seminary at Talbot School of Theology. It was the same year I married Becky. We used Chase and Phillips’classical grammar for beginning Greek. It was designed to be covered in one semester at Harvard, but we scraped by in two. Students were obligated to translate, parse, and endure quizzes and exams. I was closely supervised by the head of the Greek department, Dr. Harry Sturz. No one was kinder to me, or more encouraging. I was bent, grimly and ferociously, on mastering every secret of Chase and Phillips. I must have succeeded, as I was hired again in 1977.

I think my chief intellectual adventure in those days was my interaction with Professor Sturz. His noble features showed little trace of the burden of years, and he had already been a legend for years on campus as a symbol of excellent teaching. “He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” All of us recognized his immense intellect. Yet he was never dogmatic, never over-bearing. It was there at Biola in the 1970s, under the tutelage of this gentleman scholar, that I honed whatever skills I possess as a Greek teacher. He left his imprint on my life.

Forgive me for trotting out a tired cliché — but it really is true: We become like those with whom we study. For better or for worse. I grin when I read that statement. I wonder sometimes what my students think of an old geezer like me. No matter. Let’s each of us run our race and be proud of it. Let’s be grateful to God that He made us who we are. This will be risky of course; there are people watching us, closely. Gray hair makes us older but not necessarily wiser. Here is the truth: We all need mentors, people we can aspire to become like. I hope I’ve been that.

And that’s the irony of it all. One can never be sure. The only proof is in the lives of our successors.

7:10 PM Just ordered from Amazon. (I’ve always wanted to know what Columbus’s voyages were like; I hear Haley’s new history of Hawaii is politically incorrect [which makes it unique]; and Jeff Shaara’s latest novel is said to capture Sherman’s March to the Sea in vivid detail.)

6:18 PM “Thank You” notes:

1) To all of my doctoral students. Here’s one of them at lunch today.

You young scholars are a blessing!

2) To Raleigh, for being one of the fittest cities in America. (I’d also like to thank your little partner, Cary.)

3) To G. K. Chesterton, who once said,

I believe what really happens in history is this: the old man is always wrong; and the young people are always wrong about what is wrong with him. The practical form it takes is this: that, while the old man may stand by some stupid custom, the young man always attacks it with some theory that turns out to be equally stupid.

(Hooray for the old guys!) 

4) To Chassity Neckers for the reminder thatskinny doesn’t mean you take care of yourself.

5) To Paul Himes for making his New Testament exegesis studentstranslate from the Septuagint. (Here’s one of my former students reciting Psalm 1 in Greek. Go Jayson!)

 

6:44 AM This and that …

1)Should one man set the “vision” for a local church? Read the commentshere and decide for yourself.

2) Whyfootwashing is important for today.

3) Want to learn or review Spanish? Gohere for some of the best YouTubes online.

4) Did you ask your search committeethese questions?

5) How your GPS can bedeadly — literally.

Tuesday, May 17

2:51 PM I keep getting emails from a 13.1 mile race that I signed up for months ago in Greensboro but never participated in. “Congratulations!” “Check your official race time here.” “Purchase a picture of you at the finish line here.” Obviously, I cannot fix this. The internet has its beauty and its downside.

10:10 AM Map My Run just sent me this email. 

In just one year I have grown to love the outdoors, to enjoy being active again on a regular basis. I love the fitness community. It’s what I know. God has always made the most sense to me through His word and through the world that He created. I crave health and well-being for me and mine and for you and yours. But believe me, this is a God thing. I am from the beach, remember? I’m naturally prone to hanging loose, bruddah. When I see that I traveled 817 miles in one year of exercise I think, “That’s not me. Good grief — that’s theexact distance from Washington, DC to Tampa, Florida.” I hope you get a laugh out of that. After all, if God can do this for a lazy kid from Kailua like me, He can do it for just about anybody I suppose. He’s good at being God. That first 5K unleashed a chain reaction of liberation from being a couch potato. But He made it all possible. This is my point: Good health is a gift from God. Pure and simple. Sure, we think we can engineer a carefully sculptured bod. People, I declare this is nonsense. If we are in good shape, super. But all the praise goes to Jesus. One day I’ll go off the rails healthwise. We all will. Through sickness. Cancer maybe. Who knows. Maybe I’ll get injured doing something stupid (er, audacious) like climbing the Alps. Friend, if you are doing your best to maintain the temple, that’s good enough. We don’t live in a reality TV show; we’re living real lives. I’m just grateful for all the good things I’ve experienced being outdoors and doing silly things like running in races or hiking up hillsides. For me, getting in shape was like completing a doctoral program. I absolutely understand why people find other things to do with their time. Yet I think that sometimes we very much underestimate the power of God to change us. I bet we are tougher than we think. Like all human beings, we grow through struggle, failure, and perseverance. And if it turns out we never really do lose all that unwanted weight? We can still love God and follow Him. Because when our physical health tanks (and it will), He will hold us fast.

9:04 AM Odds and sods …

1) Thank you, Joel, for your testimony (Participating in the War on Cancer) and for your support of Mama B’s memorial fund.

2) 36 students have enrolled in my 6-week summer Greek course, which starts next Monday (no rest for the weary). If you fine people make it through the first three days you will have gone further than I did when I first enrolled in Greek at Biola. Students must be allowed to wrestle with the content without being shamed or they’ll default to the registrar’s office and we’ll lose them. At any rate, welcome to the class and I promise to work my tail off for you.

3) Jane Eyre (speaking of her Mr. Rochester): “I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blessed — blessed beyond what language can express; because I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine.” Tell your spouse today, while you still can, “You are my heart’s full joy.” (No need to add, “Even though you’re so imperfect.”)

4) Rainy day. Reading a dissertation chapter. This one is a home run.

5) Read12 Truths About Losing Grandparents. (Man I wish I could write that well about loss.)

Monday, May 16

4:32 PM Good principles here on healthy church practices.

2:22 PM This morning was a busy one, beginning with a half hour of heavy lifting, then a bike ride of 5 miles, then a 5K on hoof. Then it was off to Roxboro to have lunch with Kim and the kids (Joel had to work) and I got to hug my painfully cute grandson Gabriel. Right now I have to cut grass, so if you’ll excuse me ….

6:22 AM Today I’m thankful for:

1) 5K races that give you gift cards instead of medallions. Inside Out Sports, here I come!

2) Hassan Siddiqui, who, in our awards chapel this semester, received the prestigious Arthur F. and Olga M. Robinson Advanced Language Prize for mastery of both Hebrew and Greek on the graduate level. I would also like to welcome Hassan as my newest Ph.D. student.

3) John Wesley, who said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”

4) News websites that don’t automatically begin playing an annoying video when you click on their home page.

5) New challenges in life, like this Sunday’s half marathon in Cary. The good news is that it’s my first race, so I can be assured of setting my personal best time. (It will also be my personal worst time, of course, but let’s look on the bright side, shall we?)

Sunday, May 15

2:22 PM For those of you who love the good old outdoors as much as I do, it’s probably obvious to you that I’m going to post something about hiking if it’s a Sunday. I’m sitting here pondering on the fact that, as I hiked the gorgeous Twin Lakes State Park near Farmville, VA, there was a breeze blowing the whole time — which seemed appropriate enough being as it is Pentecost Sunday. To be honest, I have rarely had such pure enjoyment on a nature hike as I had today. So here I am, training as hard as I can every weekend for my alpine experience this summer, yet finding the Lord refreshing my spirit every time I get outdoors. The lake was, of course, beautiful. I could post a hundred pictures of it. Health-wise, I feel like I’m getting stronger and stronger. I have been blessed with good weather of late to get some real hard training in. After my hike I visited Farmville Baptist Church, where the choir’s anthem reminded me of how simple the Christian life really is. Even when you can’t do anything, God can, through His Spirit. It’s so simple. God is doing a massive work of grace in my life in this area. I’m forced to peel away all the self-sufficiency, all the hubris. I’m learning that it’s the scars that define me, not the successes. But, oh, thank God that He is my Savior and my Lord and my Cover and my Rock, because even when I am stripped of everything else I still have Him.

Pix (of course):

1) This was my second visit to this quiet and secluded park.

2) Prince Edward Lake.

3) Love this sound.

4) A slow pace — intentional on my part as I simply wanted to enjoy the outdoors today.

5) Farmville Baptist Church.

6) “Breathe on me.” Amen.

8:20 AM Thank You Notes:

1) For friends who behave like friends.

2) ForLowe’s Home Improvement (new dish washer).

3) For final exams. (Bless my students. I cannot imagine working as hard as they do.)

4) For prayer, which allows us Christians to intercede for our politicians instead of just venting about them (2 Tim. 2:2: “pray … for kings and for all who are in authority”). Silly us. God is not about to fall off His throne.

5) For fun. Fun is so underrated. Hope to do something silly myself today.

6) ForFakebook. Normally all you get is Fake Shiny Other but sometimes you get the real deal.

7) For adjustable saddles on mountain bikes. I have to be quite careful when coming to the at-ease position.

8) For the beautiful Sanctuary made without hands. In the Rolodex of joys in my life, this has to be one of the highest.

9) For being normal. Average is not normal. Normal is being the best you can be.

10) For brain sweat. Nothing beats reading a good book. I read lots of them. They’re the gymnasium for my mind.

Saturday, May 14

8:24 PM So what’s a bachelor doing on a Saturday night?

1) Eating a chili relleno and a cheese enchilada.

2) Watching the clouds roll by. How small and insignificant I look in comparison.

3) Staring at the grass grow. Literally. Still waiting on 4-5 days without rain to begin cutting. On a farm, patience is not only a virtue but a necessity.

4) Re-reading Anatoli Boukreev’s The Climb — an apologia pro vita sua after being excoriated in the press. If you’re interested in the 1996 Everest disaster, this book is a must read.

My brain is no more a passive instrument than my body. I train my mind the same way I train my body: by constant practice. The brain has to wrestle and run every bit as much as the body does. My kids tell me, “The first thing is to go is the memory, dad.” O yeah? “I never knew an old man,” said Cicero, “who forgot where he hid the money.”

Talk to you tomorrow!

7:48 PM On the schedule for Saturday, May 28: Mount Mitchell Hike in the Boone area.

It’s the highest peak east of the Mississippi and has been called “very strenuous.” The trail ascends over 3,000 feet. It gets steep and then just steeper. I’ll hike it with a buddy (whose car we’ll leave at the top so we don’t have to hike back down). I imagine every step will have to be made with great care. Footing can never be taken for granted. Just like in the Alps.

12:25 PM Greetings, cyber-pals!

Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote about happiness, which he referred to aseudaemonology. He declared exercise as the basis of mental health as well as physical health. “When people get no exercise,” he stressed, “there is glaring and fatal disproportion between our outward activity and inner tumult.” “Health,” he added, “outweighs all other blessings.” He’s absolutely right — if you include spiritual and emotional health in the mix.

Today I am, well, happy. In fact, very happy. That’s because I just participated in one of the best 5K races I’ve ever had the privilege of being involved in. I’m happy not because the race was easy. (It wasn’t.) Nor because the course was flat. (It wasn’t.) Nor because I achieved my personal best race time. (I didn’t. My time was 31:56.) I’m happy because I achieved three personal goals today.

1) I ran the very best race I knew how to run. Folks, I gave it 200 percent. That’s the only way to live life, and that’s how I want to live the rest of my life.

2) I kept an even pace despite the ups and downs of the course. I knew going into today’s race that it was going to be brutal. Here’s an elevation graph to prove it.

So the goal I set for myself was a simple one: keep the same pace whether I was going uphill or downhill. And I did. Without once stopping to rest I ran a consistent 9.5 mile per hour pace, and that makes me very happy because that’s the kind of stamina I’ll need when I get to the Alps.

3) Finally, my third goal was to become informed about this work of God called Dorcas Ministries. The common denominator in all of my races is the motive. I race mainly (though not exclusively) to help a cause I think deserves help. Thankfully, Dorcas Ministries came to the event fully prepared to advocate for their cause.

Even the mayor of Cary (seen below in the far distance) spoke about the virtues of this organization and how much it’s helped his fair city.

I looked at him like a young Arthur looking at Merlin. “That’s the trick, for sure. That’s how communities ought to function.” Running, therefore, can never become for me an end in itself. When I run, I am forced to ask thewhy question. And that’s the simple reason why I love 5Ks so much and why I am so happy today. Honestly, I just love watching people help other people. And if I can get involved personally, so much the better.

Dear reader, nothing will bring you greater happiness than doing for others as God gives you the opportunities to do so. I’ll even get you started. Check out a 5K race in your town. Maybe they’ll sponsor a Dorcas Ministries in your city. (If you don’t have one, you need to start one. You will be a star.) I meet people all over the country and when I look at them in the eyes I see loneliness. People need to belong somewhere — to be loved and to give love, to know and to be known. Isn’t this so? Online life is no substitute for getting out into the real world, where we both give and get. According to Jesus, that’s how people will know that we are His followers. Running a 5K doesn’t involve any fancy clothes, so don’t let that stop you. All you need is a good pair of running shoes. So thank you, God, for inventing legs and the ability to run and the desire to give and not just get all the time and the happiness that comes from the satisfaction of knowing you obeyed the prompting of the Spirit when you went out and helped someone.

Schopenhauer, you da man. To obtain the greatest amount of pleasure in life we have no choice but to get out of ourselves and off of our fat sofas. All of us have that ability. But the art lies in how we use it.

P.S. Did you see that Becky’s fund is now up to $1,250? I can’t believe I just typed that. Thank you to all who made a contribution. Jesus’ description of His kingdom comes to mind: small beginnings, invisible, humble, tiny seedlings, mostly hidden. You gotta love a kingdom like that where everybody counts, especially the little people.

The priesthood of believers is a reality after all.

Peace and love (I sound like John Lennon. That’s creepy),

Dave

5:58 AM Great quote here (seecomments):

Trump represents who many Evangelicals actually are, not who they say they are. High divorce rates and all.

Off to the races!

Friday, May 13

6:25 PM Why a hug is important.

 

8:40 AM Here’s a series every pastor should read:Personality Disorders in the Church. These include perhaps the most nefarious of all, theNarcissistic Personality Disorder.

8:12 AM Ok, folks. I’m keeping you brutally on the hook. Here’s a great ministry in Cary, NC, that helps families in need. It’s calledDorcas Ministries.

The Dorcas Crisis Ministry exists to serve local residents who find themselves in a temporary financial crisis, using proceeds from the Dorcas Thrift Shop. Assistance may be given with past-due necessary bills such as utilities, prescription medicine, or housing expenses (rent/mortgage). Residents of Cary and Morrisville may also receive food assistance from the Dorcas Ministries Food Pantry. Durable medical equipment supplies (that is, walkers, crutches, canes, or bedside commodes) are provided free of charge when in stock.

I’m hoping to help lead a tribe that does more than put money in their offering plates. Come and join me tomorrow as we run in support of this fine ministry. This is going to be so fun.

Thursday, May 12

7:15 PM A bit of fun in the sun, anyone?

1:44 PM Yet another testimony from UNC, this time from Becky’s former oncologist:

It was my pleasure to take care of Becky for many years. Unfortunately, her disease ultimately dictated the way things would go. However, she did not give up easily and she battled her cancer with grace, dignity and faith. She was ever mindful of others and would always ask how I was doing and divert the attention away from herself. The mission work that she and Dave did was a very important part of her life and it is through that legacy that she keeps on giving today.

-Dr. Paola Gehrig, Professor and Director of UNC Gynecologic Oncology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

How can you not LOVE theTarheels?

12:30 PM I’m sitting here reading Malcolm Muggeridge’s classic The End of Christendom. It can’t happen soon enough as far as I’m concerned.

Can this really be what life is about, as the media insist? This interminable soap opera going on from century to century, from era to era, whose old discarded sets and props litter the earth?

That said …

Earlier I took a long walk at the Occoneechee State Park, which is not but a mere 12 miles from the farm. Grief is difficult but never more so than when you have special occasions such as Mother’s Day and birthdays. Ugh. The double whammy. Unfortunately, they can’t be avoided. Predictably, the grief attacks come in waves. Yesterday I was a basket case both physically and emotionally. Today I’m doing much better — about 80 percent physically and 50 percent emotionally. So off to the park I went to relish in the beauty of God’s creation — where I am reminded that God is present (always), that there is never a moment when He isn’t walking with us in our sorrow, that He is well acquainted with grief and sorrow, that He understands, and, finally, that He’s not in any hurry to rush us through our grief. On days like today, tears are not just helpful, they’re necessary. Real tears. Real hope. On my walk I felt so much comfort, so much solace, so much peace, so nurtured, as though I was in the arms of a Father. “Jesus broke out into tears.” How long do you think He wept? Go on and cry, Dave. Let your tears carry you to the One who knows a thing or two about grief and pain.

But now it’s back to my book. I know I shouldn’t be as harsh on American culture as I am. I’m still working on that grace thingy. However inane are those who preside over the world’s affairs, the truth of the incarnation remains intact. I don’t know about you, but I’m movin’ on, folks. Here I have no continuing city, not even my wonderful Shangri La out here in the country. I have found in Christ the only true answer.

Blessings!

Dave

A “few” pix:

1) Man, is this a nice place.

2) I did the historic “Buzzard’s Head” trail. Lol!

3) Trekking poles were an absolute must today.

4) Shhh. Can you hear it? SILENCE.

5) Nifty historical marker.

6) Well-marked paths.

7) Bet this old chimney could tell a story or two.

8) The beautiful sounds of nature.

9) Hey everyone!

8:50 AM Endless gratitude to L. C. Technology International in Florida. They were able to recover the video files from my corrupted SanDisk SD card. Perhaps no living being is less interested in wasting other people’s time than me, but I just had to link to this YouTube of some old-timer trying to summit a silly mountain in Hawaii. Goodness gracious!

 

8:32 AM Hello folks! Can you handle one more story about Becky? After all, today would have been her 63rd birthday. There is so much to share I don’t know where to begin. Let’s just say I’m super excited that today is Becky’s birthday because I have a very special announcement to make in that regard.

Have you ever found yourself on the verge of a radically new discovery about yourself? Well, for several weeks now I’ve noticed that there was a thought lurking deep within my subconscious mind. A few days ago I decided to let it surface and began to explore it. As you know, for about a year now I’ve been involved in running 5K races partly for the exercise they afford and partly to support certain “causes” sponsored by those races. Those causes have ranged anywhere from raising funds for a local volunteer fire department to supporting the American Brain Aneurysm Foundation. It’s strange really, how forgetful I can be, because all of these “causes” seem to blur together after a while.

In the middle of all of this I thought I heard the Lord telling me I should add a new “cause” to all of the other worthwhile activities I support. So I screwed up my courage and approached UNC in Chapel Hill to see whether they might be interested in developing a fund that would be used to raise awareness and research dollars specifically for endometrial cancer — the form of cancer Becky had and to which she eventually succumbed. There wasn’t much question of what needed to be done. I got the ball rolling and before I knew it I was sitting in the offices of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. As is turns out, UNC just happens to be one of the leading centers in the United States for endometrial cancer research. On Tuesday morning I met with Dr. Victoria Bae-Jump (MD, PhD), an Associate Professor in the Division of Gynecological Oncology at UNC. Her research, come to find out, focuses on understanding the interactions between cell signaling pathways implicated in endometrial cancer as a means of targeting a therapy for this disease. As she showed me her slides, we talked about her work with metmorfin. We talked about her work with mTOR inhibitors. We talked about her work on obesity as a possible factor in endometrial cancer development. Somewhere in the midst of all of this it became crystal clear to me that this was precisely the institution and precisely the researcher my subconsciousness had been pointing me to all these months. So I prayed. I prayed that the God of love, whom I’m getting to know a little better each time I’m blindsided by life, would show me how I could both express my appreciate to UNC for the outstanding care they gave Becky for five years and support the work of the hospital in terms of cancer research. Everything seemed to come together in a flash, and before I knew it we had developed a webpage on the UNC Lineberger site. Yesterday, it went live. And so today, on Becky’s 63rd birthday, I have the honor, the privilege, and the unspeakable joy of announcing to one and to all:

The Becky Black Memorial Fund to Fight Endometrial Cancer

Today I sit here overcome with joy, helpless, tears in my eyes as I reflect on the goodness of our God. I get an overwhelming sense that this is a good thing that God is doing and that Becky would be pleased were she here to see it playing out. I am reminded that even when my world has been shaken and my footing is less than steady, I have Someone to turn to, Someone who places a seal over the hearts of the grieving and even plants dreams deep down in their subconscious minds. And whenever I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall, I’ll remember this fund in Becky’s memory and I will feel calmed by the knowledge that followers of Jesus can indeed stride confidently up to the throne of grace, because God listens, He cares, He grieves with the 60,000 women in the U.S. who will be diagnosed this year with endometrial cancer and with the families of the 10,000 women who will die in America in 2016 because have they lost their battle with this horrible disease. And that’s a startling truth. God knows. He sees. He cares. He loves us all.

And so I pray. I pray that God may use this fund to accomplish His purposes in this world, whatever they might be. Can you pray too? Pray for Dr. Bae-Jump and her team of researchers. Pray for the women whom you know are struggling with cancer. Pray that all of us would learn what love is and how to love well, not in word only, but also in deed. Because not loving others is just not an option.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safely in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable (C. S. Lewis.).

It is not true that there is no hope for the suffering. So together, you and I, we’ll keep on fighting. We’ll keep coming up with new experiments and new therapies and new plans and inventing new procedures and praying for new miracles. Because right now, that’s all we’ve got.

Happy 63rd birthday, honey, and my love and appreciation to all of you who knew her and loved her so well during her 60 years on earth.

P.S. A few addenda.

1) A lighter moment during Tuesday’s orientation meeting.

Dr. Bae-Jump is on my right. On my left is Ms. Kelly Mansfield, Director of Development at UNC Lineberger.

2) One of Dr. Bae-Jump’s many slides.

3) Here’s her wonderful staff.

4) They gave me the royal tour of their research lab.

5) On the drive back to campus I treated myself to — what else? — Ethiopian food.

6) Dr. Bae-Jump was kind enough to send along the following:

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy, yet research has been limited by insufficient funding. I am passionate about changing this trend. My work in the clinic and laboratory drives me to seek solutions, so that we can better understand how cancers of the uterus develop and progress, with the hope of discovering new targets for treatment. We are at a critical juncture in the progress of this research. The Becky Black Memorial Fund to Fight Endometrial Cancer will help expand our findings, bringing them closer to widespread use as treatments and ultimately save lives.

I love how she puts that. No, I am no utopian. We humans are such a mess! People will be broken and hurting until Jesus returns. In the meantime, we can all pull together, pitch in, and (for us followers of the Lamb) press into God. After all, He can do far above what any one of us could ever ask or imagine.

Best regards,

Dave

Tuesday, May 10

7:24 AM Good morning! Enormous shout-out to everyone who has tried to climb K2, including Ed Viesturs, the author of this book that arrived yesterday.

The climbing community is rare and unique. From it has arisen an inspiration in my own soul that I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams. These people are together. They cheer each other on. When they’re scared to death, they declare “We can do this.” When they are defeated (by the mountain, by disease, by weakness, by high altitude sickness — but mostly by the mountain), they lift each other’s heads up. They know themselves. There is a time to keep on climbing, and a time to walk away. Ed Viesturs knew this better than most. That intuition saved his life many times. Sometimes in life (or even in an election year) the bravest and best thing to do is to stop fighting for something that is never going to produce a winner. Give Jesus something to stick to in the real world and life will feel worth living again.

I am by no means a wise man, but I feel like I’m beginning to understand what is of greatest value in life. That’s why, before going to campus today, I’ll be meeting with the powers that be at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill. I can’t betray the good news yet. But once again in my life, I’m about to give it everything, and it feels good. I pray that I would use my days wisely, that I would be faithful to all that God calls me to do, and that I would not grow (too) weary in well-doing. Godworld isn’t just the title of my next book. It’s a reality — a kingdom in which even older Christians are finally learning how to walk. And the coolest thing is that you don’t even have to climb a mountain to do it. Whenever I feel so small, so useless in this big world, I tell myself that my God isn’t small or useless. He is working to redeem this world in His time and in His way. I’m well aware that what happens today at UNC is a mere drop in the bucket. But this time, I’m not going to use my own water only.

Make it a great day.

Dave

Monday, May 9

6:05 PM This and that …

1) Did another 5K today. Year-to-date miles: 498.3. May 2016 miles: 45.2.

2)Hebrews Highlights Henry (Huh?).

3) Got a call from Florida today. Seems like my billions of GoPro video files from Hawaii were recoverable. Yay! Should have them on Wednesday. Warning: Be prepared for more insufferably boring YouTubes of my vacation.

4) Still on my bucket list before the end of June: ClimbingMount Mitchell (6,684 feet).

5) This week in Greek class we get to talk about the 5 Greek words for “love.” (The lecture is purely hypothetical.) (No it’s not.)

6) Time to cook supper. The cuisine? Here’s an anagram hint (*wink wink*): “She nice.”

10:25 AM Reflections on a Mother’s Day without Mom:

1) My faith in God is stronger but quieter.

2) Jesus is more at the center than at the periphery of my life.

3) My kids and grandkids have assumed a greater role in my life.

4) The understanding of God’s sovereignty is now much bigger in my life.

5) What I lost was good. It’s therefore okay to feel bad.

6) Becky’s death has winnowed dramatically the number of people who function within my intimate circle. I don’t need surfacy friendships.

7) Time and time again I have heard someone say, “Dave, you have no idea how much your new dedication to fitness has inspired me.” That dedication was inspired by Becky’s own courage.

8) Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate the mystery of tragedy and suffering yet also the mystery of grace disguised by pain and loss.

9) I have been dreaming about Bec almost every night now. They’ve all been happy dreams.

10) Loss can make a person not less but more. I am discovering a whole new world beyond Becky.

11) My goal? If I had one, I guess it might be to mourn deeply and live well.

Plus: To remember well. Her love, her insight, her selflessness, her faith, her character, her intimacy with God, her courage, her generosity, her light-heartedness, her drive to complete tasks thoroughly, her willingness to forgive, and especially her relentlessness in prayer.

Becky, because of you I live within the ambivalence of night and day. I wonder: Can you see from where you are how far I’ve come? How the rawness is being replaced by contentment? How I am moving past your death even as I continue to experience it daily? How I have changed? Nothing again in my life will ever be an “accident.” Life is entirely God’s doing. And one day, all of life will be made well and whole again.

Little did I know, two and a half years ago, how losing you would reshape everything about me. Little did I know how glorious and mysterious and harsh and wonderful my life would become. I just want you to know that I’m doing okay. I’m going to make it. Life has assumed a new routine. And like the sturdy cedar beside our house, you are ever present — strong and seasoned, your delicate face like that of the carved and strong visage of a farmer’s wife, full of years and strength and memory and character. God is not through with this story yet, honey. He is redeeming it for His purposes. I have made peace with your loss and with His sovereignty. The mountains still tower before me, but I will give it everything I have to conquer them.

Happy Mother’s Day, honey. I love you.

Sunday, May 8

4:10 PM This post is for all my daughters and daughters-in-law who take such great care of their husbands and kids (my grandkids) all year long. Ladies, you are my heroes. You each deserve the “Mother of the Year Award” as far as I’m concerned. Today, in your honor, I decided to do a mountain bike marathon (26.2 miles).

You say, “That must have been hard!” Nope. Not hard — not even close to being hard — when compared to all of the work you gals do, day in and day out, year in and year out, as wives and mothers (and daughters). Ever since mom died I’ve had this Horrible Dad Moment when I just know I will forget to honor your birthday or, even worse, Mother’s Day. Listen, gals: I just want you to know how proud I am of every one of you. I’ve never known mamas to work so hard, love so deeply, and care so genuinely.

This was FOR YOU:

P.S. Afterwards I stopped at the MacDonald’s in Farmville for an absolutely scrumptious Filet-O-Fish meal. Yes. I know. I swore off on fast food joints months ago. Religiously.

Sure glad I’m not a legalist. 

Saturday, May 7

8:22 PM Hey there, Ishi! You’re lookin’ good! 

8:08 PM I know you can’t balance an overloaded beam. But I really do think I’ll be ready for another 5K next Saturday, so here’s taking the plunge. Besides, I like being in Cary.

If you’d like to join us, gohere to register.

1:54 PM Photo update:

1) Pretty weather for a street party and a 5K, wouldn’t you say?

2) Oxford’s finest were out in full force to keep the streets safe for the 350 or so runners who participated in today’s race.

3) One of the many pre-race pix I took. Love this community!

4) Post-race pic. I came in just over 30 minutes.

4) One of the local Baptist churches was hosting a fund raiser to support a mission trip to western North Carolina this summer to put a roof on a house.

Now that’s a win-win situation. They get a donation and I get a “healed” car. 

To sum up: I love competing in 5Ks (as you know). It produces fit muscles but it also provides another kind of fitness — an ability to be mentally fit, which is an asset especially when you’re in my line of work. No, life is not all about reason and only reason. But in the game of life, reason is necessary. When then do we settle for lassitude and fatigue in our minds? There’s a solution, and it’s called motion, motion of any kind. For those of you fine folks out there whose treadmill in your den is the most expensive clothes hanger even invented, you might want to keep that in mind.

With all due respect-ish,

One Tired Dude (zzzzs time)

P.S. Here’s a video of today’s fun-and-games if you’re interested.

Friday, May 6

8:32 PM Odds and ends …

1) Pardon the cheese factor here, but I really like old Alfred Hitchcock movies. Think I’ll watch North by Northwest tonight.

2) Unlike most of my races, tomorrow’s 5K in Oxford won’t be earning big bucks for any cause. The purpose is just to have fun and enjoy the city’s downtown district. I’ll still pull myself together any way and go all out. For me, a race is a race is a race. You do your best no matter what. Time and venue are incidental.

3) I will admit that I’m a huge Paul McCartney fan simple he was (and still is — he turns 71 on June 18) a musical genius plus the fact that I love his songs (“The Long and Winding Road” is one of my favorites that I used to sing to my girlfriend in high school accompanying myself on the piano). Then too, as a former bass player (I played bass for four years in college in a group calling ourselves Joyous Creed), Paul hardly ever stuck to the basic base notes but instead used a diverse choice of rhythms that I tried to mimic when I was in college. Perhaps “Come Together” is the most well-known example of Paul’s diverse style of base playing, but I also love the patterns in “Magical Mystery Tour.” All of which to say is that I’ve gotten my ticket to see Paul McCartney at the McGregor Hall in Henderson, NC, on Saturday May 21. The tour is called The McCartney Years and features a Dutchman named Yuri Pool as Paul. For tickets, gohere.

4) Topbaby names of 2015. I love them all.

5) Two opposing views:

We’ll be discussing this issue when get to the so-called “Pastoral Epistles” next semester in New Testament Introduction. (Yes, this is exactly me: to question everything.)

1:44 PM Thank you, LaCrosse, VA, for having a knock-dead rigorous bicycle course.

And thank you, Map My Run, for being the coolest app ever.

Not only do I know how far I’ve gone; I know how many calories I can scarf down after I’m done exercising.

Sincerely, A Man Getting Ready to Do the Marathon Rumble.

Friday, May 6

10:14 AM This and that …

1) Just booked another flight to Hawaii. I’ll have the privilege of inaugurating our first ever Greek class there on September 6.

2) Grateful for all the precipitation we’re getting. So are our hay fields. “How singular, and yet how simple, the philosophy of rain! Who but the Omniscient one could have devised such an admirable arrangement for watering the earth!” (Andrew Ure).

3) Just 17 days until my first half marathon.

4) This day in history: TheHindenburg Disaster.

Thursday, May 5

8:08 PM Remembering the poor and remembering the powerless. What a powerful statement by Dr. Russ Moore, head of our own SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. WatchThe Gospel vs Sunday Morning Gospel Darwinism. I love this touchstone. As I shared with my Greek students this week, my life verse is usually translated “distributing to the needs of the saints” (Rom. 12:13), but I prefer to render it as “Share what you have with God’s people who are in need.” As Dr. Moore insists, we must learn how to read the “other” charitably, including the illegal immigrants in our midst and the Muslims within our land. As I write in the preface of my forthcoming book Running My Race:

I can say with some confidence: If you find God’s will for your life, you will be happy and content. Then you can begin to work with other happy and contented people to accomplish something great for Jesus. Church, we are all on the same team. That includes you house churchers and you traditional churchers. That includes evangelical Baptists and evangelical Methodists. We are cross-cultural and cross-denominational. We are intentional about overcoming the effects of consumerism (nothing turns off a millennial as much as a preoccupation with our church). The church organization is not central because it was not meant to be. We resist partisan identification as Democrats or Republicans because discipleship requires an abstinence from ego, greed, and selfishness. In Christ’s upside-down kingdom, believers stop being caricatures of their real selves and become real and transparent. We may even begin to change the way we think and act (instead of “Halloween is evil” we start alternative observances in order to leverage the holiday for the Gospel). We lead with love, not with doctrine (yes, I love doctrine, but love comes first according to 1 Cor. 13:13). A Christian gets a tattoo or nose ring and we compliment them and let it go. Enough of church-speak and condescending stares. A missional approach to life puts other people first.

Notice how Dr. Moore slows his words for emphasis (quoting the apostle Paul): “‘We remember the poor and we remember the powerless, the very thing that we should be eager to do,’ because we are conserving the Gospel for the future.”

I’ve taken to calling the next year of my life the “Jesus Year.” As much I believe in attending a church, I believe in being the church. Dear Millennial, you are not a “none.” Yes, I realize that small acts of kindness to others seem so inconsequential. A cup of cold water is such a little thing. Yet these simple things are the very things that matter to God. Your little trails of kindness and love and remembering the poor lead straight to God through the Gospel.

In the coming year, let’s experiment with what Dr. Moore is trying to tell us and take a Christian stand apart from the crowd. Sharing your room with someone who is homeless, giving your coat to someone who needs it more than you do, feeding someone who is hungry, visiting the widow and widower in their grief — Jesus said that such acts reap great rewards (Matt. 25:34-40). Sometimes kindness means refraining from saying something negative that otherwise you have the right to say. Kindness is a bouquet of flowers or babysitting for free or a whispered compliment or a warm smile or a squeeze of the hand. The teaching of the book of 1 John (which we are studying in Greek class) is that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with a God who is both light and love, and our love for Him can be measured by the amount of time we spend with Him and by how much we allow Him to do for others through us. The Bible declares that Jesus is not some nebulous power but a person as real as your best friend. That’s why I’d like to call the next generation of Christians “Jesus People” (sorry Alvin!) because, like Jesus, their lives are marked first by their love for God, then by their love for others.

Russ’s video is the kind of video I’d like see every millennial and church leader watch. As Dr. Moore shares his vision for a church that loves the powerless, he is charitable as well as courageous, full of conviction of how we are all to be the church. His words are wise, tender, and beautiful.

Thank you, Dr. Moore.

2:24 PM Today, between rain squalls, I did a 5K power walk in South Boston.

I’m getting behind in my monthly miles. As you can see, I failed to reach 100 miles in April.

I’ll try harder in May. Problem is: My Map My Run app doesn’t include surfing, snorkeling, and lap swimming.

10:48 AM Announcement! This Saturday the historic city of Oxford, NC, is celebrating its bicentennial. It will feature a 5K walk/run. If you’d like to register for this stellar event, gohere. Race starts at 8:45.

Actually, when Bec and I first moved to the area 18 years ago we lived on a small ranch just south of Oxford and were part of this great community. Happy Anniversary, Oxford, and we’ll see you on Saturday, Lord willing!

Wednesday, May 4

7:16 PM Photo update:

1) Enjoyed lunch today with our librarian and my good friend Jason Fowler. We talked about the darkest hour of our lives — when our wives passed away from cancer — and thought especially about God’s sovereignty and His goodness to us and marveled that He gave us humans the capacity to know Him, love Him, and trust Him.

2) Today we had our final faculty meeting of the semester. I’m gonna really miss these guys this summer.

3)Well, I see that Tolo Tolo (our male donkey whose name means “Hurry Up!” in Amharic) and Tinish Koi (“Slow Down!”) finally had their baby.

I’ve named her “Ishi” (“Okay!”). Welcome to Rosewood Farm, cutie pie!

Tuesday, May 3

9:06 AM Notes to self (and/or whoever)…

1) Youwill get over jet lag. Eventually.

2) New at our Greek Portal: Noah Kelley’sTransformational Generative Grammar and Biblical Studies.

3) “To believe in heaven is not to run away from life; it is to run toward it.” Joseph D. Bunco.

4) Have you seen the political polls lately? I think they’re very CREEPY.

5) A week ago I was eating this.

Crispy Gau Gee Mein with Vegetables. It is so delicious you will weep over it.

Monday, May 2

5:22 PM This week in Greek 2 I’m introducing the final grammar chapter in our textbook. Yep. We made it. Friend, may I affirm you in your calling? Maybe that isn’t to take Greek or teach the Bible. Fine and dandy. Just because you’re not “out front” doesn’t mean that your work is insignificant. We all are watching you. Give it your best. Play your part in the orchestra. Keep on running your race. Be grateful that God made you YOU. Honestly, the whole of life is simply loving and serving God. This is sacred work. Your life REALLY counts.

P.S. Thanks to the great guys in our IT department who are helping me troubleshoot all kinds of problems I’ve had since I downloaded “updates” (pooter killers) to my Windows. If you know how to get the “Import pictures and videos in Windows” box to pop up on my screen when I plug my iPhone into my desktop, I sure hope you’ll let me know. 

2:44 PM What happens to grass when you don’t cut it? Alas, that’s the main problem with vacations. While Adam is gone (and Eve too), the Garden still needs tending. No problem. The Lord provided a simply gorgeous day to get out the old lawn mower.

Here’s the back yard at Bradford Hall — before ….

… and after.  

By the way, no mono-culture lawns here on this here ol’ farm. NoSirree. We just pretty much let grow what wants to grow (since what was once “grass” is now “weed”).

Off to get some groceries before I starve to death. Believe me, the prices are much cheaper here than in Hawaii!

9:32 AM I took karate during my high school days in Hawaii. My dojo was in Honolulu — and was one of the best. I made it to brown belt before losing interest. I recall my instructor asking me, “So, Dave, why are you studying karate?” “Because I like it,” I replied. “What do you like more?” he asked. “The image of karate or karate?”

Greek student, now that it’s the end of the semester, I have a question for you: “What do you like more? The image of Greek or Greek?” Before you protest too much, please read my essayGreek Student: Quo Vadis?

Maybe two years from now we’ll still be able to discuss Greek together. I sincerely hope so.

9:22 AM More notes to self:

1) Never take yourself too seriously. Nobody else does.

2) Think of your last years as your best. (Jesus often reversed things).

3) Be grateful for those who have really loved you and have consistently shown you their love in this life.

4) Be like a child in your love of learning.

5) My infirmities can be a blessing to someone else.

6) It’s easier to grow old when we are neither bored not boring.

7) Laughter is God’s medicare.

9:12 AM There’s something wrong with my GoPro Studio so I haven’t been able to upload any of my videos of Hawaii yet. To slate your appetite, here’s a sneak peak of what you can expect (taken with my iPhone).

I was so happy to complete this hike but it took several days for my thighs to recover!

Sunday, May 1

4:25 PM Kailua.

One word.

Three beautiful syllables.

And an entire universe apart.

If you’ve ever been there, you already know what I’m going to say in this post. My earliest memories were formed at Kailua Beach. And every time I return there (twice a year it seems since Becky’s death), the town still has a Kailua-ish feel to it. (It ain’t no Honolulu — yet). As soon as I arrive at my beach home in Kailua and put on my swim trunks and slippers, it seems as though I’ve never left. The place still retains the Aloha Spirit, big time. I can hear it wafting over Honolulu’s all-Hawaiian-music radio station. The real Hawaii is there, for sure — but it’s also in the plate lunches and the shave ice and the guava-mango-pineapple juice you get at Safeway. Mr. Obama claims the northern shore of Kailua Bay as his Winter White House. So be it. “My” beach is far quieter and more secluded and (most importantly) has the biggest waves. For a plunge into antiquity I drive my rental car past the three stick-built houses I lived in as a keiki and the three schools I attended there. For grinds there’s Willow Tree for Korean and New Mui Kwai Chop Suey for Chinese. Later I stop to get my groceries for the week — cereal, papayas, mangos, and (of course) chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.

Not every trip to Kailua was as important as this one was. I had three goals, each a unique challenge: finish my book Running My Race, summit Olomana, and help organize a beginning Greek class on Windward Oahu.

1) As for the book, I finished it Friday morning.

2) As for Olomana? I had my doubts. When you come through the Pali Tunnels to the Windward side you’ll immediately see Olomana in all its glory. Walking on the beach it stares at you, jutting out its jaw in the Maunawili Plains with the Koolau Range as the backdrop. It’s a scene right out of Rocky I. As keikis we climbed “The Beast” all the time. I suppose it was considered a local rite of passage. But at 63? The tourist guidebooks all warn the inexperienced away. Well, I may not have a lot of experience but I’m no spring chicken either. The fact is Olomana is not only the most dangerous hike in the Islands but also the most exhilarating. Climb it and your mountaineer happy gauge will be shooting through the roof. You get to scramble up clay, then roots, then rocks. Just below the summit a 15-foot section of class 4 rock awaits you, boasting a frayed-looking climbing rope. (“Do I trust it or not?”) But the view from the top is no laughing matter. Think of it as the most awesome postcard of Windward Oahu you’ve ever seen. The hike itself is a rigorous climb with a solid fear factor of 10 out of 10 for the inexperienced. We call it our “Matterhorn” because you ascend a very similar-looking spine ridge to the top. It’s a really fun hike but be sure to do it only in dry conditions. And when you do get to the top, be prepared to be buzzed endlessly by tourist choppers. (I’ll post a video shortly.)

3)And the Greek class that will be using my DVDs? Our organizational meeting was well attended and super motivational. I may even take the class myself! We’ve decided to start in September and have two “semesters” with a break at Christmas. The home school community on the Windward side seems particularly interested. We’re opening the class to anyone from any church and even to not-yet believers. I’m still in a state of total shock that this may actually happen. But that’s God.

Pix:

1) My home-away-from-home.

2) This is how the Lord greeted me every morning.

3) I had a daily routine (of sorts). Watch the sunrise, go to Starbucks (or Denny’s) and write, swim/snorkle/surf/jog/climb, then grab a bite to eat and spend the evening reading.

4) “My” beach.

5) The exact spot at Kailua Beach where Becky and I celebrated our honeymoon 40 years ago. 

6) The Beast itself.

7) Here’s the sign at the trailhead. Guess I broke one of the rules, eh?

8) The Olomana Trail is sometimes assisted by unmaintained ropes and you can’t automatically count on their condition. You can’t see it in this picture, but there are drop-offs of several hundred feet on both sides of this rock face.

9) Shaka bruddah! Made it!

10) I look around me and see overwhelming beauty. I feel like an ant crawling across a green bed sheet, so tiny on this huge mountain.

11) I had Olomana to myself until a young couple climbed the rope to the summit. We snapped pix of each other. I think we all felt so blest to be in such an amazingly beautiful place and in such a primitive environment. Olomana is a very, very beautiful mountain and it’s located in a very, very special place in my life. Humility, pride, wonder, fear, gratitude, and bravado all had a place in our kaleidoscope of emotions I suppose.

12) Budding Greek scholars at Windward Baptist Church, the host venue for our Greek class in the fall.

13) The new principal of Kailua High School with my book It’s All Greek to Me.

14) My friend Wesley not only has the best Chinese food in town he’s also a follower of Jesus. I was so happy to see him get a copy of Seven Marks of a New Testament Church in Chinese.

15) There WILL be bulgogi in heaven.

Thank You, Lord, for my week in Hawaii and the refreshments, large and small, You poured out on me — from catching a thousand waves to adoring the views from atop Olomana to a busy pen in the morning to a full table at night to the joys of talking with loved ones on the mainland and the anticipation of seeing loved ones in heaven. Thank You for the strength and vigor You’ve given me to be physically active at my age, for the mental powers that enable me to think and write, and for every moment of happiness I’ve ever experienced on this island paradise. Your goodness is too great even to contemplate. Ten thousand words could not express my gratitude. Please greet Becky for me and tell her I miss her. Just as You are the sole object of her affection, so increase my love for You until that Day when the three of us will all meet in person.

With much aloha,

Your keiki,

Kawika

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