Archive for October, 2009
Two New Blogs, Both by Women Teachers Who are Mighty in Faith
Posted by Peter in Christianity on October 30, 2009
One is obviously my wife, Pastor Lolo‘s, blog WorldChangers. WorldChangers is the name of the children’s ministry which she heads up at our church. It is a way for her to communicate with parents so they can work with their little world changers at home. But, it will be a nice resource for lessons, activities, and other cool stuff you can use with your kids.
The second, Oasis of Praise, is a blog about praise, if you haven’t already figured that one out. It is written by the wife of my friend whose blog (The Watchman’s Gaze) I announced earlier in the week. It is brand spanking new, and I’m looking forward to what she has to say.
I really can’t say enough about both of these women, so I encourage you to check them out (their blogs, of course, not them-they are both taken), and encourage them as they step into the blogosphere.
I would honestly love to take credit for influencing both of these blogs, but neither were my idea, which probably means they will both be pretty darn good.
Hebrews Bible Study-Week 6
Posted by Peter in Bible, Christianity, God, Jesus, Law, New Testament, Old Testament, Theology on October 29, 2009
My intention for week 6 was to cover all of Hebrews chapter 7. But, you know what they say about intentions (actually, I have no idea what they say about intentions, but it sounded good in my head).
Suffice it to say, we didn’t make it through all of chapter 7, but the discussion was great anyway. It seems that ministry opportunity after ministry opportunity has presented itself during our Bible study (and, henceforth, I will use that term loosely). I’m just trusting that God is trusting our little group with these ministry needs, and I am so thankful for our core group who is more than capable of ministering the gospel, ragtag bunch that we are.
We did, however, cover the first 10 verses of chapter 7, which is progress from the pace we were on in chapter 6 (summary part 1, part 2 and notes). So, for that, I am also thankful.
We spent a fair amount of time recapping what we learned about Melchizedek in week 3 because it has, in real time, been over a month since we discussed it. To this Melchizedek, Abraham apportioned one tenth of the spoils (from his battle with the kidnapping kings). We discussed this as the first reference to the Mosaic law of tithing. Also, that the author of Hebrews suggests this as a tithe:
And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Hebrews 7:9-10 (NASB)
And, although we are not under the law of Moses, the spiritual principle of making the whole holy by tithing remains operable. And, while we give our tithes to men, Jesus receives them in heaven, “In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.” Heb. 7:8. Thus the principle of the tithe predates the law of Moses and continues on through the New Covenant.
As I mentioned, the balance of our discussion time was spent ministering to the newest member of our group. It was yet another unexpected, but totally awesome week. May there be plenty more of them.
Hebrews Bible Study-Week 5
Posted by Peter in Bible, Christianity, New Testament on October 29, 2009
As I mentioned in my recap of week 4, we made it through the first six verses of chapter 6. We finally finished chapter 6. We still probably didn’t cover the second half of chapter 6 as thoroughly as I would have liked, but we did get through it.
I began by asking, if we are supposed to move beyond the “milk” referenced in chapter 5 to “solid food,” how do we do that? What are practical steps we can take to move beyond milk? The first was the most obvious, recognize that we are still partaking of milk, not just individually, but collectively as a body. There were others, most of them about maturing individually in our respective walks with Christ.
However, there was another (in retrospect, obvious) answer that my good friend Curtis (who blogs at The Watchman’s Gaze) suggested, which is to pray and ask God what the solid food is. The author of Hebrews doesn’t elaborate, he or she only laments that the audience is not ready, though they should be. I think it is safe to say that there is solid food prepared for each of us individually, for groups of us, and for the body as a whole. It also seems apparent that God is ready for us to be partakers. We seem to be the hold up.
We actually did cover the remainder of chapter 6 (and you can read other discussion points on the chapter 6 notes), but those were the highlights of our discussion.
A Lawyer Dies and Goes to Heaven Joke
A friend of mine from church emailed me this, and I just had to share:
A lawyer dies and goes to heaven. “This must be a mistake,” he says to St. Peter. “I’m too young to die. I’m only 50.”
St. Peter say raising and eyebrow, “Fifty? According to our calculations, you’re 82.”
“How’d you get that?” The Lawyer asked.
“We added up your billable hours.”
Logos Great Bible Giveaway
Don’t forget to enter the Logos Great Bible Giveaway for October. The list of Bibles being given away in October is quite impressive. Here is the info:
Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.
New Blog (Check it Out) About Revelation and Other Stuff
Posted by Peter in Bible, Blogging, Christianity on October 28, 2009
Another good friend of mine has entered the blogosphere as more than just a casual reader. His new blog is The Watchman’s Gaze. I encourage you to check it out and give him a few words of encouragement, and I’m sure he would appreciate a few tips o’ the blogging trade.
As I’ve mentioned before, our church has just started a Bible study through the book of Revelation. We will be meeting once a week over lunch and going verse-by-verse through Revelation and related scripture. To quote myself regarding this study:
Why will this be especially interesting, you ask? Because of the participants: yours truly and his lovely wife Pastor Lolo (who are as different as night and day); a friend of mine, the former-Church-of-Christ-pastor-turned-charismatic who hangs around BOB from time to time under the username “watchmancurtis” (and who needs a blog of his own); our pastor, whose eschatological take I am still unable to pinpoint even after considerable poking, prodding, and thorough cross-examination, although I’m fairly confident it’s not heretical (but I reserve the right to change my mind after or during this study); and anyone else who might be interested.
I also mentioned that I wouldn’t be blogging about the study the way I am about our Hebrews Bible Study, but the “friend of mine, the former-Church-of-Christ-pastor-turned-charismatic who hangs around BOB from time to time under the username “watchmancurtis” (and who needs a blog of his own)” will.
I’m sure he will write about a lot of other topics, but he’ll be able to provide a steady diet of revelation about Revelation. Check it out.
And the Winner of the Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway is…
Holy Bible Mosaic
Of the 49 individuals who entered…
and of the 59 total entries…
the winner of the Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway, as drawn by Libby “The Libster” Lopez, is…
- Romana Gomez
If you didn’t win, you can still buy Holy Bible Mosaic @ Amazon in softcover or hardcover.
If you still are not sure, you can read my review of the Holy Bible Mosaic.
More on Mosaic:
- NLT Mosaic Coming Fall 2009
- Holy Bible Mosaic Released Today
- Holy Bible Mosaic (It’s Gorgeous) and Blog Tour Info
- Mosaic Blog Tour Interview with Keith Williams
- Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway
Mosaic Links:
Book Review-Holy Bible Mosaic
Posted by Peter in Bible, Bible Translations, Book Reviews, Christianity, Giveaways on October 23, 2009
I want to thank Tyndale House for the courtesy copy of Holy Bible Mosaic.
Book Details:
Holy Bible Mosaic (NLT)
Tyndale House
ISBN 1414322032
Buy Holy Bible Mosaic (softcover) (or hardcover)
Those of you familiar with me and this blog will know that to the extent I am critical of another member of the body of Christ, it is only ever for causing division in the body. That is why I was so excited to post about the release of Holy Bible Mosaic back in June. It seems to me Mosaic is an attempt to bridge division and bring the body together.
Here is an excerpt from the Mosaic website:
Key Features
- Writings from every continent and century of the Christian Church – Contemporary and historical writings from Christians across the globe such as St. Augustine, Charles Wesley, and Henri Nouwen.
- Full-Color Art – Full color art offers another kind of reflective devotional experience, with artwork from contemporary and historical artists.
- Variety of Reflective Content – The content is arranged so that every week the reader has a variety of content for reading and reflection. Each week follows a theme appropriate to the Church season (such as Advent, Easter, etc). The content included for each week includes full-color art; Scripture readings; a historical reading; a contemporary reading; a prayer, creed, hymn or quote; and space for reflection.
- Space for your response to God’s promptings – Add your tile to the mosaic-write or draw your response, prayers and questions in the provided space.
And that is only a small sampling of what Mosaic contains.
Before I get in to the substance of the review, I want to mention a few technical matters. First, at 8.6″x5.8″ (5.7″ for the softcover), Mosaic’s size is ideal for personal use. It’s not a Bible you have to keep on a coffee table or at home because of its size. It is certainly attractive enough to display openly, but not so bulky that you won’t be able to carry it around if you choose.
The paper (off-white for the insert, bright white for the Bible text), the typesetting, and the cover are as attractive as any Bible I’ve seen in recent memory, and I look at a lot of Bibles.
I have previously reviewed the the NLT Study Bible, so I won’t go into an in-depth review of the Bible text portion. As far as the Mosaic material, it is well worth your time, effort and money. The artwork spans from ancient to contemporary and is included with every section.
The scripture readings, essays, quotations, and other material are laid out according to a church calendar: A four week Advent, the Christmas season, a six week Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and 28 weeks of Pentecost. And there is related material for each week of the year.
For example, according to the calendar, this is Pentecost, Week 23, and the topic is “Diversity.” The scripture readings are Ruth 1:1-22, Psalm 145, Philippians 1:27, and Matthew 12:46. There is also a “Prayer for the Heart and Will of God” by Thomas A. Kempis (c. 1380-1471), an essay by Derek Chinn entitled “Distinguished by Diversity,” quotations from Justin Martyr and Jerome Nathanson, additional suggested scripture reading, an area for your reflections, and more. A different topic is covered each week, including “Blame,” “Forgiveness,” “Justice,” “Apocalyptic Blues,” “Wealth,” “The Birth of the Church,” and many more. Each section, Advent, Christmas, etc., are treated similarly.
Mosaic is not a study Bible, per se, but you will learn a lot by reading it beyond what you would learn from the Biblical text. These particular uses came to mind when I was reviewing Mosaic:
- Obviously, personal Bible study
- Small group Bible studies
- Family Bible studies
- Inter-faith Bible studies
- Sunday school classes
In my interview with Keith Williams, Mosaic’s General Editor, I asked Keith to suggest ways pastors and other church leaders could incorporate Mosaic into their church life, and his suggestions were certainly appropriate and well thought out. Click the interview link above to read those.
I don’t see Mosaic as a replacement for a good study or life application Bible, but, if your primary reading Bible is the New Living Translation, it could certainly replace a regular reading Bible. What I do see Mosaic being is a magnificent addition to any library and a useful tool for every Christian.
Mosaic is not just another themed Bible, and to lump it in with the vast majority of themed Bibles would do it a tremendous disservice. But, there is without question a theme that threads through this book, that we are all part of one mosaic, and it’s a work in progress.
My Other Mosaic Posts:
- NLT Mosaic Coming Fall 2009
- Holy Bible Mosaic Released Today
- Holy Bible Mosaic (It’s Gorgeous) and Blog Tour Info
- Mosaic Blog Tour Interview with Keith Williams
- Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway
Mosaic Links:
Tyndale and NLT Links:
Mosaic Blog Tour-Interview With Keith Williams, General Editor
Posted by Peter in Bible, Blogging, Book Reviews, Giveaways on October 23, 2009
Keith Williams
I want to thank Tyndale House and all of the people responsible for the Holy Bible Mosaic and the Blog Tour, which stops here today.
I also want to thank Keith Williams, the General Editor for the Mosaic, who has so kindly and graciously agreed to answer a few questions for my readers today.
One of my majors in college was communication, so I have a little (a very little) bit of journalism training, probably just enough to be dangerous, but I’ve set that aside for the majority of this interview and only pitched Keith one really tough question and four softballs – you decide which are which.
Here is my interview with Keith:
1. Now that we are one month removed from the launch of the Holy Bible Mosaic, what has been the public response to Mosaic? Has it been better than expected, about as expected, or something unexpected?
I have been very gratified that so many people have been saying positive things about their experience with the Bible. In many ways, we weren’t sure what to expect, since this Bible is unlike anything that has been available before now. But we believed in the concept and had worked hard to make it as excellent as it could possibly be, so I was very hopeful that it would be well-received. I think the main challenge is helping people to “get it,” since it doesn’t fit in the usual categories. The blog tour is definitely helping with that, and I’d encourage anyone who finds the Bible useful in their walk with God to tell their friends and church leaders about it. I’d like to see it get as wide an audience as possible.
2. If and when there is a second edition of Mosaic, what is one thing you would include, exclude or change?
Great question. I think I would write a much more extensive introduction to the church year and explanation for how to use the Bible. I think that bears some more explanation than the brief space we gave it, and I plan to round some of that out on the website over time. Some people might prefer that I had excluded a particular author or tradition from the Mosaic of contributions, but I think we’ll resist that; it wouldn’t be in keeping with the ethos of the product. One thing I might change is to give each week 8 pages instead of six, to be able to include a bit more content and a lot more whitespace. Additionally, there are a few things that I would do differently from an editorial standpoint, to help the process move more quickly and smoothly the second time around, but that would bore everyone to tears.
3. I’m particularly fond of the Epiphanies. What is your personal favorite part of or thing about Mosaic?
Epiphanies is a good week (Epiphany Week 1, p. m50-55). My favorite part of is the extended historical readings. Each week has one extended historical reading (marked with a small cross with dates above and below in the margin), and I love these because they are more than just a one-liner; they draw me into the thought of a Christian very different from myself. I love that.
4. Beyond personal study, how would you advise a pastor, Bible teacher, or small group leader to incorporate a part or all of Mosaic’s material into a Sunday school curriculum or the life of a church or small group?
This is only limited by the creativity of the leader, but I do have a few ideas for different contexts in the church. The Devotions for Advent booklet ($1.99) could be a perfect entry point for a church that is interested in using the material without wanting to commit to asking everyone to buy the full Bible. In fact, I plan to offer the Devotions for Advent booklet to every interested member of my church next month.
Small groups
Small groups could use Mosaic as the jumping off point for their corporate study of the Bible. Each member could follow the weekly material individually throughout the week and then come together to share about what God had been teaching them through the Scripture readings, artwork, quotes, etc. Or a leader can go a little bit deeper by tracking down an original source or two using the Tesserae and help the rest of the group come along as well. This could also work in a Sunday school environment.
Worship
Mosaic could be brought into the worship of the church in several different ways. Pastors could choose to use one or more of the lectionary passages from Mosaic as a primary preaching text (with or without explicitly following the church year as a church), and then use the quotes and readings either as part of the sermon or as congregational readings as part of the service. Hymns or prayers could be integrated as such.
Congregationally
Church leaders could encourage the entire church to use Mosaic to share a devotional experience together. Worship and small groups could also integrate Mosaic in some of the ways mentioned above to extend the experience and help members get the most out of their time in the Word and connecting with the global, historic Church.
5. Now, on a more serious note, I’ve often thought that the one themed Bible that the market sorely lacks is a Blogger’s Bible. If I volunteer to edit it, will you pitch the idea to Tyndale House 
?
I love the idea, but let’s flesh it out a bit. How many bloggers are we going to include? And is there any way you can keep John Hobbins from trying to make everything sound like it was written for a poetry seminar at Harvard?
You can join me in thanking Keith for all of his time and hard work in the comment section below, or by showing your support on the Mosaic website, the Mosaic Blog, or the NLT Blog.
The blog tour will continue throughout the day with my review of the Holy Bible Mosaic, the announcement of the winner of the Mosaic giveaway at 5:00pm (CST). If you haven’t entered yet, you better hurry. You have about 1 hour left, entries will be accepted until 12 noon (CST) – enter the Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway.
Buy Holy Bible Mosaic @ Amazon (softcover) (or hardcover).
My Other Mosaic Posts:
- Holy Bible Mosaic Giveaway
- NLT Mosaic Coming Fall 2009
- Holy Bible Mosaic Released Today
- Holy Bible Mosaic (It’s Gorgeous) and Blog Tour Info
Mosaic Links:
Hebrews Chapter 7-Study Notes
Posted by Peter in Bible, Christianity, Genesis, God, Law, New Testament, Old Testament on October 22, 2009
These are my study notes for Hebrews Chapter 7. I don’t know if they will make much sense to anyone else, but if they are helpful to anyone feel free to use them.
The scripture references and discussion notes should have aligned with the appropriate scriptures, but I lost that somehow when I loaded the table into my blog. On the left is, obviously, the Bible text, the center column contains the scriptures I referenced or wanted to reference, and the right-hand column has discussion topics.
| Hebrews 7 (NASB)
1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. 4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him, 18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, 22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. |
Scripture Refs.:
7:4 – Numbers 18:20-26 7:14 – Genesis 49:8-10 7:17 – Psalm 110 7:19 – Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. |
Discussion Notes:
7:1, 6 – “blessed him,” and “blessed the one who had the promises.” Had Abraham received the promises yet? 7:1 – Melchizedek: see notes Ch. 5. 7:4-10 – Abraham gave tenth to Melchizedek, Levi paid tithes while still in Abraham’s loins. 7:4 – “tenth of the choicest spoils” – Abraham took nothing for himself, gave from the spoils? 7:12 – “change of law” – What does this mean? 7:14 – “tribe of Judah” – Israel’s blessing to sons. |
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