2008 DG Pastors Conference

The time has come. Hope to see you there.

Holman Bible Atlas - review

The Holman Bible Atlas by Thomas Brisco us a complete guide to the expansive geography of Biblical history. Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award presented by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, this atlas provides extensive maps and pictures for the Bible student.

Brisco draws out many of the surrounding events that would have impacted events in Scripture. For example, he notes the impact of Sepphoris on Jesus in His younger years: "Nazareth, His (sic) home, was a small village overlooking the fertile Jezreel Valley to the south. Three miles to the north lay the city of Sepphoris ... The large scale building projects in Sepphoris supported by Herod Antipas provided jobs and an economic boost for the villages of the area." (p 218)

Brisco also gives rich background to places and people. The maps are incredible; some with a 3-D perspective so one can see the terrain. He provides a solid description of the the peoples and highlights quite a few issues that you wouldn't catch from simply reading the Scriptures.

The are parts of this atlas that I took issue with. Instead of using Scripture for explanations, there are some instances where Brisco offers a more anthropocentric explanation. Here are some examples of what I'm getting at:

* Human origins: Brisco ambiguously dates human origins to before 18,000 BC and divides the eras as per contemporary anthropology. Aside from a brief comment about the Garden of Eden, there is no real attempt to help reconcile the Biblical information in the early chapters of Genesis with contemporary archeology. Brisco simply maps the table of the nations and starts with Abraham. (pp 31-34)

* Edom: "The name Edom comes from the Hebrew word meaning 'red,' a reference to the red Nubian sandstone." (p 73) This is conflicts with the origins of his name in Genesis 25:30 - And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.)

* The period of the judges: "It is best to regard the period of the judges as an extension of the resettlement process." (p 76) This seems to minimize Judges 2 where it says that God used this difficult time as testing, discipline for disobedience, and to train Israel.

* The temples: Brisco describes the temple in 1 Kings 6 and Ezekiel 40-42 as the same temple with no other note on the possibility them referring to a different temples. (p 114)

* Authorship: Isaiah 40-55 is portrayed as most likely post-exilic. (p 158)

* Phillip's travels: No mention or alternate explanation of Phillip's 'Spirit carried' (Acts 8:39-40) trip from the road to Gaza to Azotus. The map shows him going through Ashkelon to get to Azotus. (p 242)

(Now I'm being nit-picky)

* Reign of Omri: "We are dependent upon Assyrian sources and archeology to evaluate [Omri's] reign." (p 125) A true enough statement if we are evaluating Omri's reign humanly. An additional word or two could have made a powerful statement. You have a king who conquers, builds, and begins a dynasty but receives no recognition for these accomplishments in Scripture. Instead all we really know from Scripture is that he did "evil in the sight of the Lord, more evil than all who were before him." 1 Kings 16:25

* Jesus and the Pharisees: "Conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees often centered on the oral tradition because Jesus did not regard it as binding. (Mark 2:23-28; 7:1-13; Luke 6:1-11)" (p 212) While this is true, these passages point more to how one regards God's commandments and interprets the OT. Again, it seems to minimize the issues, both in size and scope. More importantly, there were many other instances where they rejected who He was claiming to be - like when Jesus says, "your sins are forgiven" in Luke 5:20, 7:48 or because of His miracles in John 11:45-53 - and want to kill Him.

* Jesus and the money changers: "Jesus drove [money-changers and sellers of sacrificial animals] out of the temple precinct because of their lack of sensitivity to worshipers." (p 232) Again, the text says that Jesus' passion is for God and His house, not for the insensitivity to the worshipers.

In summary, there wasn't this notion of the Lord working in history. There was little mention of the Lord doing anything (other than Jesus' time on earth), aside from the occasional 'miraculous' comment. I want different commentary than what Rand-McNally would offer if they did this project.

To be fair, Brisco prefaces his atlas by grounding it in God's redemptive work. "[The Bible] tells the story of God's redemptive work in human history. This story is revealed through the nation of Israel, the early church, and supremely in Jesus Christ." (p 2)

Despite the long critique, I really enjoyed this book. As a lover of maps, this book is a real gem. If you do not have a good Bible atlas on your shelf, I HIGHLY recommend you get one. This is a good choice; it is thorough and accessible. If you make allowances for the cautions listed above, then it is almost a must buy.

Basics for Believers - review

Basics for Believers by D.A. Carson is a five part exposition of the book of Philippians. Here Carson outlines five basic principles that are crucial for every Christian:

(1) Put the Gospel First (Philippians 1:1-26)

(2) Focus on the Cross (Philippians 1:27-2:18)

(3) Adopt Jesus' Death as a Test of Your Outlook (Philippians 1:27-2:18)

(4) Emulate Worthy Christian Leaders (Philippians 2:19-3:21)

(5) Never Give Up the Christian Walk (Philippians 4:1-23)


An excerpt on imitating others (chapter 4):

How did you learn to pray? If you were reared in a Christian home, doubtless you learned to pray by hearing your parents pray. Perhaps, too, they taught you some very simple prayers to be prayed at bedtime: "Now I lay me down to sleep" or "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild." If you spring from a Christian home where the King James Version introduced you to archaic English, your first public prayer (perhaps when you were six or eight years old) probably sounded like this: "We thank Thee, blessed God, that in Thy mercy Thou hast given to us Thy grace through the merits of Thy Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ." But if you were not converted until your third year at university, in an InterVarsity or Navigators or Campus Crusade group, and you spring from a home that never brought you to church at all, your first public prayer probably sounded something like this: "We just wanna thank you, Jesus, for being here." In both cases you learned to pray by listening to others. ...

So the question is not whether we shall learn from others by conscious and unconscious mimicry, but what we shall learn and from whom we shall learn it. ... [Paul's] aim is to provide clear Christian examples that younger and less-experienced Christians ought to emulate. For if they do not have such models, or if they are not encouraged to follow them, they are likely to follow poor or misleading or even dangerous examples. (pp. 70-72)

This an excellent book; it is quite short and cheap so there is little that would keep anyone from being able to enjoy Carson's insights. New Christian or old, this book helps us remember what is central to being a follower of Jesus.

Acts 23 - Different cities, same Jesus

Temple Mount
Originally uploaded by Christopher Chan.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” - Acts 23:11 (ESV)

Italian and Israeli culture are about as different now as they were in the 1st Century. Yet, both back then and now, the message of Jesus remains the same. What struck me about this passage is that both Rome and Jerusalem (not to mention the rest of the world) needed to hear about Christ. They still need to hear it.

Do we have the same determination as Paul? Before we start looking to testify about Jesus in Rome (or anywhere else), we should be active in proclaiming Him in our own area.



It is cold today in Algona though. I not complaining or making excuses, I'm just sayin' that there just isn't much of a crowd outside. But our Lord can make things happen even in the coldest of climates. Right Steve?

Acts 6 - The right work at the right time

Paperwork
Originally uploaded by ryan.melissa.

We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
- Acts 6:4 (ESV)

D.A. Carson says this about this passage:

We may not have the Twelve today, but pastors/elders/overseers have inherited this ministry of the word and prayer. That includes not only teaching others, but doing the serious study and preparation and intercession that stand behind good teaching and preaching. There will always be a hundred things to distract you. Do not be distracted from what is central.

Two years ago my wife shared this verse with me along with the corresponding devotional thought from D.A. Carson's For the Love of God vol. 2. I have a copy of this page on my desk to help focus and prioritize what I do. Since I am currently going through this book myself, I was struck again the determination of the Twelve.

Here it is, many days after reading this thought, and I am finally getting around to completing this post. The "hundred distracting things" have been receiving more attention than they should. May the Lord help us all to keep the important the central part of what we do.

Srebrenica Survivors in St. Louis - review

Srebrenica Survivors in St. Louis by Patrick McCarthy (pictures by Tom Maday) chronicles the events leading up to the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995 and the flight that lead 20,000 Bosnians to St. Louis. McCarthy looks at the Serbian invasion into Srebrenica through the lives of six siblings and their families.

This book is also a photo journal and the pictures are vivid. The accounts by the six siblings are wrenching - the anger, the despair, the evil of the whole event. McCarthy coordinates the accounts well, even following one family back to Bosnia to begin a new life. The conditions and the failures were utterly unbelievable.

While the descriptions of what happened in 1995 were harrowing, one of the more intriguing parts was the refugees' view of America. While they appreciated the availability of work (though it was hard), the siblings each viewed America as an unsafe place to raise children. They commented on how they couldn't let children play outside because of predators or complaining neighbors. Most wanted to go back to their homeland if the region stabilized again.

This was an impulse purchase as we visited St. Louis this Christmas. It was a rewarding and revealing read.

M I Z Z O U

The Columns & Jesse Hall (Mizzou)
Originally uploaded by BrianZim.

What a great way for Missouri to end the season - a 38-7 victory over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl!

One wonders if the Selection Committee chose the correct Big 12 team for the Orange Bowl.


I say no.