My Love/Hate Relationship with Rita

Did you ever have one of those days which did not end the way you thought it would when you got up that morning. First thing this morning I received a call from a friend whose car had broken down somewhere between Colorado Springs and Cañon City. So I packed up my toolbox and numerous supplies, got my coffee and bagel, and got in my car to go. I turned the key and rrrrr...rrrrr...rrrrr...rrrrr...rrrrr.

"You have GOT to be kidding me, Rita!"

Rita is my car. She is a 1998 Nissan 200SX SE. Here is a picture:


This not Rita but it is the same model and color. She looks just like this (click picture to see a larger .

OK...First, yes, I named my car. I know it is corny but when we first bought it my daughter was about 12 and wanted to give the car a name (she named everything at that age, it seemed like). I chose Rita, something like Really Irritating Trashy Automobile, or whatever it was I told her to make her laugh.

Secondly, and more to my point, I have not any trouble with Rita lately. None. Then, this morning when I needed to go work on a car, she said, "nope." My A.C. has not been working and I know that probably it is the A.C. compressor hanging which makes the belt hang which slows down the engine turnover and prevents the car from starting (this has happened in the past and I am about 95% sure it is the same problem again).

So, I took our Oldsmobile (no name) and finally was able to help my friend, which consisted of inspecting the car for a while and then informing my friend that I do not think I could fix it, my friend would have to have a tow-truck come and get the car, and I do not think my friend's car would make it. Unfortunately, I was right - the engine was toasted.

When I got back, I when to a variety of different part stores in Colorado Springs (AutoZone, Checkers, Advanced Auto, NAPA, etc.) No one had the parts for Rita. So, I had to order them and prepare to work on the car on Tuesday. So, I woke up with one set of plans, and those plans were immediately changed to work on one car, which could not be saved. The day ended with an all-day date with my car on Tuesday.

So I have a love/hate relationship with my car. I love it when Rita is working well. I hate it when she does not.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.18.07

Thank you, pronouns!

Albert Andreas Armadillo, on the School House Rock DVD song for pronouns.

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Same Thing, Different Setting

In my previous posts (here and here) I discussed my frustrations with my desire to teach for education while many students I have recently encountered have not wanted to learn anything but were motivated by something else. In these previous posts, the motivation was grades. However, I have also encountered a resistance to learning in the church. While not motivated by grades, there is still something that blocks these people's desire to learn.

I am the discipleship director at my home church. I provide classes which adults can come and learn more about the Christian life and attempt to implement these principles in to real life (NOTE: the issue of this not being real discipleship or if this is the best way to learn the Christian life is not really the issue here. The point here is that there were classes were learning was offered to adults students).

The last two classes have not went well. The first class was on prayer. There was a DVD instructor, group discussion, and the practice of prayer. It was not the best class on prayer I have ever seen but it was teaching, discussion and practice of the topic. Most anyone should have been able to take something from the class to implement in real life. However, regardless of my efforts to direct the discussion elsewhere, most of the discussion was criticizing the DVD and how it made prayer "too complicated."

Comments like, "We should just praise God in prayer and not worry about anything else," "I watch my 4 year old granddaughter pray and that is all I need to learn about prayer," were par for the course during discussion time.

I attempted to show them that Scripture speaks of prayer in a deeper sense. There is more to prayer than what a 4 year old knows. However, it was not well received.

The next class was on living today in light of eternity. Living each day with the knowledge that our lives today will impact eternity. I think a worthwhile discussion could come from that kind of topic. However, again, most of the discussion has been a critique on the curriculum. I would agree, it is not the best, but is there anything we can take from it to impact our lives? Is there nothing salvageable from this discussion?

The problem as I see it is a critical spirit, which is something that sounds like I have right now. But, my comments here and in the previous posts have been out of concern more than out of critical-ness. Am I failing as an instructor? This is always a possibility. Is there a critical spirit in the church which must be dealth with before people can mature? Am I attempting to "scratch an itch" in the church which is not there? All of these are things I wrestle with and I do not currently know the answer.

I know every experience as an instructor/teacher/preacher cannot be the example of what a classroom should be like. However, as a teacher, I need to see a change in the people I teach. I need to see that they have learned, which means they have implemented the material in their own lives.

I will keep teaching; I will keep attempting to improve spiritually and as an instructor; I will keep attempting to teach what I believe God would have me teach. I just pray that I am impacting His Kingdom for His glory.

Part 3 of 4 (1 2 3 4)

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.16.07

WIN A PRE-PAID CREMATION

In a piece of junk mail from the Neptune Society. Backstory: On my last birthday, I began receiving mail from the Neptuen Society encouraging me to choose cremation as the way of disposing my body after I die. Not exactly the birthday I was hoping for. I have been receiving them since. Today I received this piece of mail with the chance to win the pre-paid cremation. Technically, then, this would be the funniest thing I read to day. But I did read it aloud so it was heard. Apparently, October's "winner" was Thomas A. Malone. Not sure if I should feel good or bad for him.

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Teaching for Learning...NOT Grades

In my previous post I discussed my frustration with students who are not as interested in education as they are in grades, specifically those students who have something of an entitlement mentality. I said, there argument is something like this: "I have paid a lot of money to be in this class. I have shown up every week and have stayed relatively conscious. I have turned something in every time something is due. Therefore, I should receive an 'A' for the class."

When a student says something like this, I attempt to remind them of several things:

1. You are not paying for a grade but for an education...specifically, to be taught by those who have experience and training in the field they are teaching. You are essentially paying for their time to help you become better equipped to do whatever it is you are attempting to do in life.

2. Attending class and remaining conscious in class is not the requirement for an "A." That is the minimum requirement to pass the class - which is the definition of a "C".

3. I try to explain to them that if you look at the minimum requirements of the papers and other assignments and aim for the minimum requirements, do not be surprised to receive the minimum grade you can get to pass. This really outrages them for some reason. When an assignment is given that says, for example, 10 to 15 pages with 5 to 8 sources. This does not mean that any paper which has 10 pages and 5 sources is an "A" paper. It means that any paper that falls within these parameters passes with some grade. Unless the student is an extremely gifted author, the changes are those that match the minimum requirements will not be as good as those papers in which the student has gone the extra mile, looking up extra resources, writing clear statements (which may take a bit more space), and things like that. I tell if you aim for the minimum, do not be surprised with the average grade.

4. I finally tell them, "I cannot just give you points or grades. You earn them. Besides, it is more important that you have learned something in the class and not necessarily what grade you received in the class."

Most of the time, these comments fall on deaf ears.

In one class I wrote a big "C" on the board and asked the class what this grade means.

"Average," everyone said.

Then I asked them what an average paper would look like.

....Silence....

Then I said something to this effect: "When you look at the minimum requirements to pass and aim for that, you are aiming for a "C." If you paper is riddled with APA errors (which is the convention used at this school) then that is average, because the average student will not be concerned if they have APA errors or not. The "A" paper will be one in which the student strives to find the best sources, and worked hard to fulfill the requirements prescribed by the assignment. They took time to proof-read their work and looked up how to correctly cite those sources used in the paper. That is an above average paper."

The student began to complain: "If the assignment is 10-15 pages, then anyone should be able to get an "A" for any amount of pages they write in that range!" "You are saying we all cannot get an 'A' because of averages." Etc.

I tell them, "I am not talking about grade distribution. I am not talking about the number of pages dictating the grade. I am saying that probably at this level of education, the minimum amount of writing does not produce the quality which is described as 'above average.'"

We go round and round. Needless to say, I have never be the most popular teacher at this school. But that is not why I am there. I am there to challenge these students, to make them strive beyond where they are at. I am there to help them but not pander to them. I am there to teach and not to pass out good grades. I am doing no one any good if I give out A's which are not A's. That would only be cheating the student and compromising the academic integrity of the school. And I would not be faithful to my standards.

My next post will deal with how I have dealt with something similar in the church
environment and differences that creates. For now, I would just say that I am not the world's best student. I do not pretend to have "it" all down. However, I know that the instructors which were most influential in my educations where those who were toughest on my and demanded the most from me. I learned from these instructors. I pray that eventually, my students may have the same experience from sitting in one of my classes.

Part 2 of 4 (1 2 3 4)

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Grades vs. Education

One of my passions is teaching adults. In general, adults who attend a class, whether in school or in church, want to learn something. Lately, however, I have been an instructor to students who do not really care to learn but, instead, are in the class to receive a grade. More specifically, they are in the class to receive an A, whether their work reflects that level of understanding or not. This is incredibly frustrating for me as an instructor. (I will be using "this student" a lot in the next few paragraphs as I do not wish to reveal anything about the students I am talking about).

I realize that part of the problem may be the result of my inadequacies as an instructor. Therefore, I am always looking for ways to improve a class, create better assignments, and sharpen my teaching skills. However, I am seeing more and more students who are not interested in learning anything from the class but are only interested in how to obtain that all-important "A".

Case in point: I just completed an Ecclesiology class at the Colorado Springs branch of a college at which I am an adjunct professor. This is a class dedicated to the understanding of the theology of the church and how the church is governed. To begin with, there was one student who had taken the class with me before but the student failed in the previous attempt to complete the class. So this was the students second time around. I told this student, "DO NOT turn in the papers I graded last time for this class! That would be self-plagiarism and would carry serious consequences." However, by week 2 of the class, this student was copying work from the previous class and turning it for a grade...again. This student did this for almost every assignment in class. This meant that each assignment failed the meet the criteria AND I turned in the work to the center director so that they could take action on it. This student was not interested in receiving an education; this student was interested in receiving a grade with as little work as possible. This student did receive a grade but not the one he or she was hoping for.

Another student in the same class was almost panicking because this student received a "C" on a major research paper. And that is exactly what it earned. It was not above average in its observations or its errors. It was average and so that is the grade this student earned. This student nearly went ballistic when the student saw the grade and immediately starting to ask for extra-credit. This student's comment was, "I have to redeem myself. I have never failed a paper before." These comments baffled me as I attempted to explain to the class that a "C" is good grade and it is not failing. However, for many adults students there are two grades: A and F. If they do not get an A on a paper or in the class, in their minds, they have failed. I should note that after I assigned the extra-credit assignment, this student did not really fulfill the requirements of the assignment (which is technically the definition of a "D") and ended up with a "C" on the extra-credit assignment (I showed too much grace, I know). My point is, I am not sure this student learned anything about the church and I do not know if this student knows the material in the class impacts this student every Sunday. But at least this student received a "B" in the class (there were other assignments which this student stepped up the quality of work and with the extra-credit pulled a "B" out of the class - which I am sure disappointed this student).

Another student in the same class attempted the extra-credit assignment because this student was very concerned they were 1/2 of a degree point between a B+ and an A-. Now, I do believe that this student did learn something in the class but it seems to be quite a lot of work to make sure you get that all-important "A" (the extra-credit assignment was reading an 18-page article and then writing a summary about that article). When this student turned the assignment, it was almost completely plagiarized from the article. In the first two pages of the assignment there were maybe 10 to 12 sentences which were original. The rest were directly from the article with no citations.

I told this student that, first, I would not accept this paper and if I did accept it, I would have to turn it into the office for plagiarism violations. Secondly, I usually round up to the nearest whole number, which means even without the extra-credit, this student would receive an A- (the other assignments were great and I am not sure what possessed this student to do this on the extra-credit).

These students were all Juniors or Seniors when counting their credit hours and they all should have known better. I expect this type of thing from adults who have not been in school since 1974. But these students had been in this particular program for at least a couple of years.

I could go on but I will not. My point is, I have seen more and more students with the entitlement mentality.There argument is something like this: "I have paid a lot of money to be in this class. I have shown up every week and have stayed relatively conscious. I have turned something in every time something is due. Therefore, I should receive an 'A' for the class."

My next post will deal with my response to these type of students. For now, I just would like to say that I frustrated with struggle between students wanting a grade instead of an education. I know I am not the only instructor who deals with this but is frustrating nonetheless.

Part 1 of 4 (1 2 3 4)

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Out of Print Gold

I have several things that have been on my mind lately. Most of them have to do with teaching and lack of receptivity in students, which I have experienced lately. I want to post these thoughts but there is some development I need to work on before I post them. However, there is one thing that I have been thinking about.

In my never-ending search for good books, I have come across some great books which are now out-of-print. It breaks my heart because they are exactly the kind of thing I would love to give every student I have in my bible classes. Here are three of them:

1. The Discovery Bible New Testament, Gary Hill & Gleason Archer, ISBN: 0-8024-4162-9

This is a resource (that is code for "book") that I use for bible study a lot of the time. It has a feature called H.E.L.P.S. in it. H.E.L.P.S. stands for Hill Emphatic Language Pointer System. In short, it is a way that anyone can gain understanding of the impact of the Greek language on a passage without really knowing anything about Greek.

The front cover is a little bland but the back shows a little how this system works. If you look at the back cover and then the sample page you can get an idea of how this book works (click on image to see a larger view). This is a great resource.

If I could find these for anywhere from 5 to 10 dollars, I would buy as many as I could and give them out to every student in the hermeneutics class I teach. If anyone knows where there is a cache of these, please let me know.

2. Strong's Concordance (Paperback), ISBN: 0-8010-8108-4
This resource is not as unique as handy. This is a complete and unabridged version of Strong's, but this is not the size of a small car, like most Strong's Concordances are. This one's dimensions are 7" wide by 9 1/2" tall by 1 1/2" thick. I would like to find these for 5-10 dollars as well and give them to every serious bible student I meet. Again, you may already have a Strong's, but this one is light, small, and easy to take with you wherever you go.


3. The Letters of John the Apostle: An In-depth Commentary , Donald Burdick, ISBN: 0-8024-2356-6
This last out-of-print nugget is not for general study but for John's epistles. I would not give this out to everyone, but I would suggest it to anyone wanting to do a deep study of the Johannine epistles. The point is, it is valuable resource which is no longer in print (Amazon used books has it listed for $109.00!! I think I got it for about $14.00!).

I am sure the valuable "out-of-print" book list would not even include these books. However, I think they are "gold, Jerry. Gold!"

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.12.07

You lousy bunch of bleeding hearts.

Juror #3, played by Lee J. Cobb, in Twelve Angry Men

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Chocolate Biscuits - Take 1

My wife has many allergies which makes it hard for her to eat any pre-prepared food. So instead of getting her chocolates or cookies and things liek that, I try to show her how much I love her by making food for her. Consequently, I am becoming quite the cheif/baker/cook. She bought a cookbook entitled, "Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook and in that cookbook is a recipe for plain biscuits that I am getting pretty good at making. However, this evening, I was thinking that I would like to try to make chocolate biscuits, something that I have never heard of before. So, using the plain biscuit recipe as the base, I attempted to create chocolate biscuits with the things Rhonda can eat. Here is my first attempt:

1 cup - sifted flour
2 tsp - baking powder
1/2 tsp - salt
3 tblsp - cocoa
1/2 cup - sugar
4 tblsp - butter
1/2 cup - milk

400° for about 17 minutes (high altitude)

They came out pretty good. They tasted like chocolate cake cookies, but not really biscuits. I think I need to make the following adjustments:

• Increase flour to 1½ or 2 cups. It was pretty sticky trying to get the dough to roll out with a roller.
• Increase baking powder to 2½ or 3 tsp. They did not really rise at all. However, I am assuming that the sugar hinders the rising.

The flavor was good. If anyone out there is a baker and can give me any suggestions, let me know. I do not want a cake but something like a biscuit but chocolate.

That is "Take 1." I will adjust and see what happens.

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Visual Eschatology

I have been teaching a class for Pikes Peak Bible Institute called Christian Doctrines. It is a systematic theology class. The class follows the following outline:

Revelation
Theology - The study of God
Anthropology - The study of humans
Harmatology - The study of sin
Christology - The study of Christ
Pneumatology - The study of the Spirit
Soteriology - The study of salvation
Ecclesiology - The study of the Church
Eschatology - The study of end things

I just finished the final lesson plan and found some nice graphics that summarize the different views of the Millennium and the Tribulation. I found them in Van Kampen's book, The Sign. While I do not think I hold to Van Kampen's view (I am still in the process of studying Scripture and the various views regarding end times), he does have some nice graphics which sum up these issues.

I wanted to use these in my PowerPoint slides for the class and scanning the graphs into a document would not have produced a nice looking graph. So I recreated them in Word. And I including them below.

Click on each picture to view the full size image:

Different Views of the Millennium

Different Views of the Tribulation

I will reiterate these are not original in content but I wanted to make this available to others. I hope they are helpful. You can download these graphs by clicking on the pictures above, right clicking on the image which appears in the new window, and then choosing "Save Picture As..." from the menu option.

I do not know exactly where I stand on the different views represented but at least I can share what I know about the various views.

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Incarcerated Freedom

This last weekend my pastor, Ron, and I drove to Sayer, Oklahoma, to make a ministry visit to a guy in prison. It was a medium security prison and was quite an adventure. We walked up to the door in which we were to enter the prison and pressed the intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Ron Watkins and Rolland Kenneson to see Jason" and we gave the last name (I will leave the last name out but just know we had to tell them who we were visiting).

Bzzzz. The door began to open and we walked into a cage. The door shut and we were now in the prison system. The cage first had a mesh fence which had signs on it warning that it was an electric fence. This mesh was attached to a chain-linked fence. Outside of that was razor wire.

We walked to the other side of the cage and pressed the next intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Visitors for Jason."

Bzzz. We walked into a nice courtyard and into a building. After emptying our pockets, walking shuffling through a metal detector, and being padded down, we were able to go to the next door and intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Visitors" was what we were told to say for this door. We walked through this door and then waited at yet another door for the prison guard to open the door from the inside. This time she buzzed.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

The guard gave her name and we were suddenly in the visitation room waiting for Jason to be brought out to us. When he came, we spent around 4 hours talking with him. At one point, we begin to turn the conversation to spiritual issues. Jason has been taking bible classes while in prison and sounds as if he is truly being changed.

He said, "You know, if you think about it, I have been in prison since I was thirteen, when I began to drink and get into drugs and stuff. It was not until I was sitting with my lawyer as he gave me the plea bargain of my sentence that I realized I needed to change. Now I see that I needed something to wake me up. Prison did it."

I asked him, "So your incarceration set you free?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

This brought to mind two things. First, it reminds me of Romans 6:19-22, especially verse 22:

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

We all were enslaved or inprisoned from birth, not just since we were thirteen. But,

He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

.
The second thing I think of is Steven Curtis Chapman's song, Free:

The sun was beating down inside the walls of stone and razor wire
As we made our way across the prison yard
I felt my heart begin to race as we drew nearer to the place
Where they say that death is waiting in the dark
The slamming doors of iron echoed through the halls
Where despair holds life within its cruel claws
But then I met a man who's face seemed so strangely out of place
A blinding light of hope was shining in his eyes
And with repentance in his voice he told me of his tragic choice
That led him to this place where he must pay the price
But then his voice grew strong as he began to tell
About the One he said had rescued him from hell, he said...

I'm free, yeah, oh, I have been forgiven
God's love has taken off my chains and given me these wings
And I'm free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom I've been given
Is something that not even death can take away from me
Because I'm free
Jesus set me free

We said a prayed and said goodbye and tears began to fill my eyes
As I stepped back out into the blinding sun
And even as I drove away I found that I could not escape
The way he spoke of what the grace of God had done
I thought about how sin had sentenced us to die
And how God gave His only Son so you and I could say...

And if the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free indeed,
Oh, You are really free
If the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free, really, really free

Oh, we're free, yearh, oh, we have been forgiven
God's grace has broken every chain and given us these wings
And we're free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Because we're free, yeah, the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Becayse we're free, oh, we're free
We are free, we are free
The Son has set us free

If the Son has set you free
You are free indeed

My visit was not near as dramatic as the lyrics of this song. However, the thoughts in my mind were similar. Walking out of that prison with my freedom while others trodded back to their cells to wait another 5, 10, 40 years is a sobering thought. To get out, we faced the same voice through the buzzers and were only let out because our name was on the list of those who could leave.

This is what has happened spiritually. We were in prison and God sent his Son to rescue us. In fact, the early church fathers believed Matt. 12:29 to be in reference to salvation. Jesus came into the house and bound the strongman and then led the captives free, but only those who have trusted in Him. Those who are identified as His.

How about you? Are you inprisoned and wanting freedom? Press the button and answer the question:

"IDENTIFY"

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.4.07

...and if it falls out, it is free!

The Dairy Queen employee from Shamrock, Texas, in reference to her turning the blizzards upside down.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.3.07

...and across the street you can eat at the combination Mexican restaurant/laundry mat.

My pastor, Ron, about a restaurant we saw in Texline, Texas.

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Staying in Tune

The other day our daughter had a band concert. Every year Colorado Springs Christian School's High School Concert Band goes to specific high school in the area and they have a concert together. It was a really nice concert and they sounded great.

Usually, our school (CSCS) has concerts in their gymnasium, which as everyone knows are the worst kind of room for acoustics. Additionally, the band teacher forces every parent to sit through fifth grade band, sixth grade band, seventh and eighth grade band, high school band, and jazz band. The concerts are usually around 2 hours long and everyone is sitting on bleachers or plastic folding chairs. I love hearing my daughter preform but becoming crippled in the process is not the best time I have ever had. I will not even talk about when they combine all the above with the corresponding choirs (Can I get an "Amen", Mark?).

However, the venue for this concert was an old school theater. It had the nice padded seats and it was built for acoustics. The CSCS band sounded great! The other band was good but something about their performance was not as impressive, and not just because my daughter is the CSCS band. I was considering this for a while. The second band had some fantastic individual players. They had a huge number of students in the band. Their director was obviously accomplished. What was it that made the difference?

Then I remembered something that happened before each band played. When the second band got up to play, one individual played a single note and then the rest of the band played the same note. They held it for a while and then they were done. This was presumably the tuning. This is somewhat an imprecise way of tuning an entire band. First of all, it assumes the lone-note player was in tune to begin with. If this person is out of tune, and the entire band tunes themselves to this player, then the entire band will be off.

Second, it assumes that everyone else playing the note is playing to make sure they are in tune and not just playing the note because that is just what they do. I am sure someone on that stage knows that before the conductor comes out someone will play a note and I will play a note and then we will get started. I am sure the concept of tuning has been lost to this individual.

Finally, it assumes that each person has the ear to hear if their instrument is out of tune. It is hard to tune an instrument with just the ear if you are not regularly practicing how to do that and listening for the harmonics. I am not sure every one of these high schoolers had that ability.

In contrast to this, the CSCS band directors had tuners and went to each individual in the band and tuned them to the tuner. It took much longer but each player's instrument was tuned to the correct pitch. They did not have to check their tuning with the person sitting beside them because they all were tuned to the same thing. Once the individual tuning was accomplish, the director ran them through a scale. No tunings, no problem. Their scale was fantastic. Their music was the best I had ever heard them play. It was truly a beautiful concert.

This reminds me of the church. Too many times in the church we have one person blaring some discordant note and then others in the body begin to "tune" their thoughts and beliefs to this out-of-tune teaching. The leader of the church proclaims something they believe is truth but is in actuality "out of tune." Then, the entire congregation is tempted to hold to the same untruth. Then when the body stands together and "performs" for their community, it is less than satisfying.

Either that, or like the band, people just uncritically repeat what they heard. They are not worried about "tuning" but instead just make the noise when they are supposed to. They are told to play and they play without concern for the proper tone. Or, there are people in these churches who want to be in tune but need to develop the skill to do so. However, if they are never taught how, they unfortunatly never learn how to distinguish the right tone from the tone which is off just a tad.

The trend now-a-days is jettison the concept of truth out the newarest window and teach that everyone should feel free to interpret Scripture in their own context and hold to what they feel is right. This produces a noisy, off-pitch church.

What the church must do is have every individual tune their beliefs, thoughts, wills to the one true tone: the Word of God, the Truth. We are not to align our lives to match those around us but to the one true example of Jesus revealed to us in Scripture. Then when church attempts to reach out to those who are lost, they hear the beautiful melodies, the rich bass lines, and the intriguing harmonies.

Just as the note middle A is 440 hertz and not up to every musician to decide what it sounds like, truth is NOT decided on by what feels right or sounds good. Truth is what lines up with Scripture. When each believer stays in tune, that is, looks to the truth and aligns their life to its teachings, then the resultant church will be an enjoyable thing to behold.

I hope the point is not lost and the illustration clear enough. In short, I guess I can just say, there is something about the desire to stay in tune.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 11.1.07

Ha Ha...wait a minute!

My daughter, Jessica, after she realized I was talking to her and not the dog.

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The Coolest Skeleton

Since it is Halloween I thought I would post an appropriate picture. This is the coolest skeleton on the web.


This is a picture made entirely of Craftsman tools. You can see their ad HERE and it will show you which tool is making what part of the skeleton. You can even make it dance. I thought this was a great advertising idea. I bet someone at Craftsman got a bonus for this.

Now, I know as a Christian I should not even know Halloween exists, so if anyone is offended by this, just think of this skeleton as Martin Luther's skeleton and I am posting it in celebration of the day he nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenburg door.

Anyway, Craftsman tools...too cool.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 10.23.07

Get up off that thing.

My wife, Rhonda, to my daughter, Jessica, at the doctor's office.

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What Else Can You Get For Two Bits?

Last Saturday (Oct. 13) my local Christian bookstore, Born Again Used Books, had an big sidewalk sale. They has 120 boxes full of 25¢ books. I just cannot pass up a 25¢ book so I spend some time meandering through the books to find those books that most will pass over. I think I found some great finds for future use:

• Between the Testaments by Charles Pfeiffer, Baker 1963. This looks like a nice book for an overview of the history of the time between Malachi and Matthew. This will be a great tool for research on any New Testament class I may teach. While not related to this book, here is a nice PDF file about the Intertestamental times. Click Here. Price: 25¢.

• The Burden of Søren Kierkegaard by Edward John Carnell, Eerdmans 1965. "An inquiry into two major themes in Kierkegaard's theology: "existential living" and "truth is subjectivity" by a conservative theologian." (quote from this bibliography). All I know about Kierkegaard is that his theology is existential in nature and I thought it would be good to read up on him.Price: 25¢.

• Rediscovering the Parables by Joachim Jeremias, SCM Press 1966. This seems to be a somewhat influential book in regards to the interpretation of the parables. In fact, this article's abstract seems to indicate most biblical interpreters today have been influenced by this book. Price: 25¢.

• Dogmatics in Outline by Karl Barth, Harper & Row 1966. This looks like a good introductory book to understand Barth and his theology. I have been wanting to dig in a little deeper to Barthian theology, so this will be a good start. Here is an article about this book. Price: 25¢.

• Christian Excellence: Alternative to Success by Jon Johnston, Baker 1985. This is a topic I believe needs to be revisited over and over again. In our Western culture, the success syndrome has infected the church. Here is an article related to the topic of this book. Price: 25¢.

The diddy says, "Shave and haircut - two bits." Last weekend, I did not get a shave and a haircut but I did purchase some great finds for two bits. Not a bad trade.

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Yes, I Am A Geek

With new season of television shows starting, I have noticed that I have been watching mostly the sci-fi shows. Now, I realize that I should be watching less T.V. but with the help of TiVo, I can at least watch when I want and so my schedule is not dictated by the networks. Nevertheless, I was glad when the seasons for Stargate Atlantis and Doctor Who started up again. I am loving Eureka. I have noticed NBC is capitalizing on the sci-fi theme (not surprising since they own the Sci-Fi network). I have been enjoying Heroes, Journeyman, and Bionic Woman (sort of). I am even looking forward to the Battlestar Galatica new season (whether I should or not). My point is, I realize I am a science fiction geek.

That is why I was somewhat intrigued when I heard that George Lucas was coming out with a live-action T.V. series based on Star Wars (read the article here). Since half the sci-fi on t.v. is reworked shows from the 70's (Battlestar, Bionic Woman, Doctor Who) and they seem to be a doing a fairly good job with them, perhaps this Star Wars series has a chance.

I realize that in general science fiction shows do not match with my theology. Almost by definition, science fiction rules out the concept of God, especially as Creator, and holds up science as the answer to all of life's problems. The shows usually say, "If we could just develop the technology, we could solve...." and then enter any of life's problems: crime, death, disease, famine, whatever. As a believer, I realize that this is not the case and the answer to these issues is rooted in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

That being said, there is nothing like watching dogfights in space, time traveling, worm holes, robotic/bionic/cybernetic whozewhatis, firefights with lasers/phasers/ray guns/stun guns, and so on.

So, I am sure when it premieres, the ol' Tivo will be set to the new Star Wars series and I will give it a shot. Even if that does make me a geek.

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There Is A Good Illustration In There Somewhere

Today, while I was in a waiting room, I picked up a USA Today Sports Weekly newspaper. In it was some interesting statistics on Brett Farve, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Now, I am not a Cheesehead but I do like to watch a good quarterback play. I am also not the most avid sports fan (that is Mark's and/or Tony's area). However, I do recognize the makings of a good sermon illustration when I see one. Here is what I am talking about (These stats are old already but they still paint the picture at which I am getting):

The article told how Brett Farve has just tied Dan Marino for career passing touchdowns. They both have 420. In fact, here is the top ten list:

T1. Dan Marino ------420
T1. Brett Farve-------420
3. Fran Tarkenton ----342
4. John Elway---------300
5. Warren Moon------291
6. Johnny Unitas------290
7. Peyton Manning----280
8. Joe Montana-------273
9. Vinny Testaverde--270
10. Dave Krieg--------261
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

The fact that Farve tied Marino is probably pretty well known as it was publicized when it happened. However, there were a few more statistics that I found interesting and fodder for sermon illustrations.

First, there is another record on which Farve is fast encroaching. He is three interceptions away from having the all time record for career interceptions. Here is the top three list:

1. Geroge Blanda----277
2. Brett Farve-------275
3. John Hadl--------268
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

It seems to me that these records should be seen side-by-side. For almost every two touchdowns Farve threw, he also threw an interception. If someone only heard that Farve is only two interceptions away to tying the record and three away from stealing this inauspicious title, they may be tempted to think Farve a failure as a quarterback. His failures should be interpreted through his successes. Sure, those interceptions were mistakes, and they made him mad (I'm sure), and it probably hurt the team. But his interceptions did not stop him from trying. He kept throwing and throwing and now he is tied for the all-time record for passing touchdowns.

Another statistic impressed me that I think must be interpreted with the passing touchdown record. Brett Farve has had more consecutive starts by a quarterback in regular season than any other quarterback. Here are the top seven:

Brett Farve, Packers (92-07)----240
Peyton Manning, Colts (98-07)--147
Ron Jaworski, Eagles (77-84)----116
Joe Ferguson, Bills (77-84)------107
Tom Brady, Patriots (01-07)----97
Dan Marino, Dolphins (87-93)---95
Roman Gabriel, Rams (65-72)---89
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

It is interesting to note how work ethic and longevity has helped Farve capture the record for passing touchdowns. One wonders if he would have anywhere close to 420 passing touchdowns if he had not started 240 games.

Related to this, the article in USA Today Sports Weekly showed the number of quarterbacks other teams have had since the beginning point of Farve's consecutive starts (beginning in 1992). While I will not tell all of them, Chicago had 20 quarterbacks, Raiders have had 15, Denver has had 13, Indianapolis has had 9. Green Bay has has one. Surely, the cohesiveness of team can be contributed to Farve's longevity and the strength of the team leadership is the reason Farve threw for 420 touchdowns so far in his career.

I am not sure what Scripture passage this could illustrate - Surely verses on a good work ethic and leadership. But I am thinking more about those verses which speak directly to the leaders of the church. Do we stop throwing because we accidentally threw an interception? Or do we keep throwing for the end zone? How can pastors effectively lead the body if they have no longevity? It is these questions that run through my mind when I see these stats.

I am sure there is a good sermon illustration in there somewhere.

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Which Jesus Do You Follow?

This video is not for the faint of heart. There are some graphic images in it. But it is powerful and worth watching if you can. I do not know anything about the singer or about the circumstances around the writing of the song. It is somewhat provocative; worth thinking about.



Let me know what you think.

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If YOU Build, Will They Come?

In my search for a pastorate, I received numerous questionnaires about my personality and my doctrinal stand. There is one that stands out to me because of the first question on this questionnaire. The first question this church wanted to know about was not "What is your belief in Jesus?" or "What do you hold to concerning the Scriptures" or "What do you believe about salvation?" The first question was not even, "Please give us your testimony." The first question on this pastoral questionnaire was "How would you grow the church?"

My answer was essentially, "I will not grow the church. If the church grows that is God's business. I will teach, disciple and exhort the body to penetrate the world with the gospel. I will provide an example of evangelism. But God will be the one to make the church grow if that is what He desires (1 Cor. 3:7)." While I put it more gracious terms than this, it nevertheless captures what my answer was. They did not call me as their pastor.

In this vein, here is an interesting article which that church may want to read. It is entitled Ten Ways to Grow a Church Without God. Others may have the muscles to this kind of job in their own strength. I sure don't.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.30.07

If you first do not succeed, hide the evidence.

Mickey, a lady at church during our discipleship class

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.29.07

Don't drop that on my head...I'm serious!

Jessica, my daughter

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Loving the Small Things

I was given some encouragement the other day regarding Pikes Peak Bible Institute from an unlikely source. I was actually on a phone interview for a ministry position to which I had applied. I wanted to accurately reflect the status of PPBI and let the interviewers know that PPBI was still small as we struggled to make it a more stable ministry. One of the interviewers quoted Zechariah:

For who has despised the day of small things? Zech. 4:10b

In this passage, the Jewish people have returned to Jerusalem are rebuilding the temple. Their enemies had already taunted them for rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem (Neh. 4:2-4). Then, their enemies took action to stop the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4). The enemies were successful for a time (Ezra 4:24) but then Haggai and Zechariah lit a fire under the nation's collective hind end and they finished the reconstruction (Ezra 5:1-2, Haggai, Zechariah).

The point is, this verse in Zechariah 4 shows that in the inception of any work, it is small. And people should not "despise" that smallness. In fact, even though this new temple was nothing compared to the previous temple (Ezra 3:12, Hag. 2:3), it is in this temple the Lord promised to show a great glory (Hag. 2:9). In fact, it is in this temple where God-in-the-flesh walked in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, it is this lowly, small, plain temple where the most majestic display of God's love and glory would be put on display. Therefore, the prophet Zechariah concludes, one should not despise the day of small things.

This thought gave me encouragement. Yes, PPBI is small when looking at it from the human point of view. It is the beginning of a ministry. However, I truly believe that God has great things in store for this ministry. I can only see the beginning and like the people who saw the previous temple and were a bit discouraged, I look at other ministries and think, "Shouldn't PPBI look like that?" However, also like the people who did not realize that something better than they could ever conceive was coming, I must remember that I am at the beginning and God is already at the end.

Today if you are discouraged because you are at the beginning of the Lord's work for you, remember Zechariah 4:10. Do not despise the day of small things. Learn to love the small things. God knows end from the beginning and has great things planned for you and your ministry. Be encouraged that you are able to participate in the building of the small thing that God will use to build His Kingdom for His glory.

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Now...Which Way Was I Going?

Rhonda and I were in Portland, Oregon, this last weekend and week "beginning" for a job interview out there (I am not sure how that went and will post on it one way or the other soon). It was somewhat interesting that driving around in Portland felt like much of what is going on in my life right now. I knew I was in Portland but the streets were unfamiliar and their traffic flow was erratic. The street layouts seem to make no sense to me and if I missed a turn, it was not an easy task to get back where I started.

On Sunday morning, we went to a little Baptist church and had a nice worship experience with them. I think the message addressed this issue in life. The church was Mill Park Baptist Church, led by Pastor Gary Lay. Pastor's sermon was thought provoking and well presented. I would like to give you his thoughts from the day.

The message was based in Isaiah 30:19-26 and was about turning your life around.

First, Isaiah indicates that to change the direction of your life, there must be repentance (vs. 19). That is, Isaiah indicates that when the people of God cry out to God in repentance, He will hear them and be gracious to them.

Second, there must also be acceptance, that is, accepting the consequences of past ungodly actions. Even though, Isaiah says, that the people of God had been given the "bread of privation and water of oppression," even though they are bearing the consequences of their actions, God will show Himself to them as their Teacher. Getting your life back on track takes an acknowledgement of the consequences of getting off track.

Third, with repentance and acceptance come guidance. The people of God, when they accept responsibility for their actions and turn from them, will hear a voice guiding them onto the path their Father wants them travel.

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, there must be change. The people of God must cast away their false idols, those gods who compete for the hearts of God's people, those impure things that so easily capture the hearts of those who want to follow the One True God. There must be a "Spring cleaning," so to speak, in the heart of the follower.

Finally, in this passage Isaiah declares the results of these actions, which is healing. Verse 23-26a speak of some physical things that will help the Jewish people physically. But these are all representative of what God has really done, found in the last half of verse 26:

On the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.

This is an obvious reference to spiritual healing. He will restore the relationship between Himself and His people.

I found Pastor Gary's message very thought provoking and challenging. Not only was I glad to be in a church where the pastor preached an expository sermon, but also one whom God used to speak to me when and how I needed.

I think this passage is worth thinking about. With repentance and acceptance of the consequences, God will give guidance to the believer. However, most important in this process is the believer's willingness to change. He must get rid of the idols that trip him up. With this change, comes a healing to the relationship.

Thank you, Pastor Gary, for your willingness to be used by God. I pray that God will continue to use you in powerful ways there in Portland.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.26.07

SHE'S GONNA BLOW!

Jo Lupo, played by actress Erica Cerra, on SciFi's Eureka

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.25.07

Dave...it looks like you have a bit of...looks like ash on your camera.

Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs

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It's Like Cheese, Only Different

Part 2 of Christian Maturity. For part 1 click here.

I love cheese. To make cheese takes time. It has to mature. Below is a time lapsed video in which you can watch cheese mature.


If you would like to watch cheese mature in real time click here.

To get a good cheese one must be patient and realize the final product is worth the wait. Additionally, there are periodic tests to see if the cheese is "done" and ready to consume.

This is similar to the Christian life. It takes time to mature and, while one will never be "done" maturing on earth, there are earmarks of maturity. Paul says it this way:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitter and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Eph. 4:11-16

This passage shows Paul's desire to see the church mature more than anything else. First he says that God gave the church leaders for the purpose of equipping believers. This is the issue of maturity. The words used throughout this passage are pregnant with this meaning: "building up," "mature man," "measure of the stature," grow up," "growth." Paul's concern is about mature.

But what does maturity look like. Gary Bredfeldt, in his book Great Leader Great Teacher: Recovering the Biblical Vision for Leadership, uses this verse to summarize maturity:

Maturity is marked by increased unity, knowledge, and Christlikeness, as well as a lessening vulnerability to the deceptions of false teachers. pg. 18

What a great summary of this passage in Ephesians! Paul says that if believers are maturing there will be unity. This is not unity at any cost. A quick glance through Galatians and one will recognize that Paul would reject unity with those preaching a false gospel and a false Christ (Gal. 1:8-10, 5:10-12, etc.). However, for those who hold to the truth, there should be increasing unity.

There should also be a growing knowledge of Christ. In today's terms, this is considered theology. What one believes about God, about Christ, about salvation, or any other aspect of the Christian life is truly their theology. I hear so many people say, "I do not want to hear all that theology. I just want to hear about Jesus." I realize this is an attempt to sound very spiritual, but it shows how little one truly understands the implications of their beliefs. What Jesus do they want to hear about? Do they want to hear about the Mormon Jesus who is Satan's brother and was conceived by the literal sex act between God and Mary? Or do they want to hear the Oneness-Pentacostal Jesus who is God, but not God at the same time the Father and Spirit is God? Or do they want to hear about the Jesus the Scripture reveals? What they "hear" about Jesus is real theology and this must be ever increasing if one wants to mature.

In addition to unity and knowledge, Christlikeness is a mark of Christian maturity. Paul summarizes this concept in Philippians 2:1-11. It could be summarized as humility or selflessness. It could also be summarized by holiness (1 Pet. 1:14-15). Maturity meand becoming more and more like Christ.

Finally, maturity also means recognizing false teachers and falst teachings when one hears it. This is perhaps the most insidious problem in the church today. Today, many are swayed by every novel and shiny fad that is packaged as the Christian faith. In reality, most of these are teachers are simply preying on the immaturity of the average believer. Recognizing false teaching is an essential element of Christian maturity.

None of these aspects are instaneous but there should always be movement closer and closer to the goal of maturity. Cheese will come to a place in the maturation process where it is ready to go on the market to be consumed. The believer, however, is never "done." The Christian is always maturing, always growing, and forever becoming like the One he loves.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.19.07

Leaving...on a jetplane...don't know when I'll be back...

My pastor, Ron, in our nominating committee meeting

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Leaving the Diapers Behind...So To Speak

Babies are pretty cute little critters. The are not hard to read. If they are happy, you can easily tell from the smiles and the giggling. When they are not happy, they make sure everyone knows this. These immature humans have an innocence that is refreshing to experience and watching them mature is one of the joys of life.

This is same for the church. As the lost come to know Christ, there is a great joy watching them mature. However, for many believers, they never leave the "diaper" stage of Christian life. Last night, I was reading Great Leader Great Teacher: Recovering the Biblical Vision for Leadership by Gary Bredfeldt (I will post on this book later - long story short, it is a worthwhile read so far) and came some thought provoking concepts on Christian maturity.

In some previous posts (here and here) I have mentioned that the church uses a variety of ways to measure success in the church, all of which seem to be influenced by the secular world around us. However, it seems like the main, if not only, way Scripture measures success is the maturity of believers.

Bredfeldt shared a several verses on this topic. Two verses from the prison epistles really captivated my thinking (I will make this a two or three part post as I have been informed some of my posts are a bit long). The first verse is from Colossians:

And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. Col. 1-28-29

The first thing of note in these verses is that Paul's main ministry was teaching Christ. He proclaimed Christ and only Christ (1 Cor. 1:23, 9:16; Phi. 1:18) and this is what made Paul a great leader. In fact, it is this concept which Bredfeldt's book encapsulates:

The most powerful means of leading the people of God is by teaching them the Word of God. pg. 18

Paul is first and foremost about teaching believers the one true Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.

The second thing of note in the Colossians passage is that Paul's goal was not a radical new vision for the body of Christ, nor was his goal to be more relevant to the culture around him. His goal was the maturity of the believers he was teaching. His goal was to present them "complete" or mature in Christ.

The third thing of note in this passage is Paul gave everything he had toward this goal. Paul strenuously worked, not in his own strength, but with all the strength God gave him, to bring people to maturity. Everything Paul endured (2 Cor. 11:22-33) was to bring those he ministered to into maturity for the glory of God.

As one examines Paul's life, it is all about maturity of believers. It is immature faith of the Galatians which causes them to desire to drift back to Judaism and which spurs Paul to write that scathing epistles. The church in Thessalonica' immaturity allowed them to be continually swayed in their understand of eschatology which prompted Paul to write two letters to correct them. In fact, you can see this element in each of Paul's epistles to some extent. He believed that the key to the Christian life was nothing other than maturity.

One has to wonder why many in the church do not use maturity as the measure of their effectiveness in ministry. Is it because maturity is hard to measure? Is it because maturity takes a long time and in this instant-access society we cannot wait for such things? Is it because we do not want to mature and thus we must find other things to justify what we do? This I do not know, but it is something on which every leader should dwell.

But what does biblical maturity look like? How do we recognize it when we see it? I will address this in my next post.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.18.07

You're just seeing things.

Rhonda at 5:30 AM, when I asked her "What was that?" referring to the noise that woke me up.

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What The Students Are Saying

In a previous post, I mentioned the annual report for Pikes Peak Bible Institute. I included the following student testimonials in the report. This is what they say about PPBI.

By taking the courses that have been offered through PPBI, I am able to achieve the goal of having a BA degree… The thought of me progressing in the ministry was a near impossibility with my current career and family responsibilities. However, the study time and sacrifices that need to be made for me to go to PPBI are now done without relocating my family to another state. Bill M.

As an ordained minister in our denomination, I am thankful for PPBI for providing much needed education and training. As a father and husband, I appreciate the low cost of such quality education. Juan R.

The courses I have taken at PPBI have equipped me to better teach Sunday School at my church. They have also opened my eyes to the reality that every Christian needs to be adequately prepared to present a well-reasoned and articulated message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to our unbelieving society. Kevin G.

PPBI has been such a blessing! Being able to go to school here in Colorado Springs and study the Bible is great. This school has brought a better understanding of the Bible, Christian faith, and the Baptist denomination. For a person who wants to learn more about God, PPBI is a true blessing. God has used PPBI to reveal more about himself to me, and nothing can compare to a deeper relationship with our Lord. Kevin R.

I have been able to work on my degree wile keeping a full time job, raising two teens, and serving as an elder and leader at my church. I could not have been able to work towards my degree if it were not for PPBI and their convenient classes. The classes have helped me better prepare for the ministry. They have been very useful in the service of my church. Lonnie H.

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Hey...That's How You Do That!

Have you ever been reading someone's blog and see that they had entered a copyright symbol or had the correct accent marks on a word such as Attaché or used a ¼ or even utilized a • to set off a list? Did you ever wonder "How in the world do they do that?"

Well, this is how. Below is a list of characters which can be inserted in just about any text when using a PC (if you are one of those are just too cool to not have a PC and must prove to the world how individualistic you are that you must use only a Mac, you can click here to get this list for a Mac. I cannot find any place that you can click to get a life.)

Those of you who blog regularly (Kim and Mark), now you can insert these cool symbols which will show everyone that we all spend probably way too much time on our blogs.

Here is the list (please note that I found this on the web and it is not my creation). To use these, hold down your Alt button and keep it held down while you enter the number. First, I found that you have to use the numbers on your number pad. The numbers at the top of your keyboard will not work. Second, you will not see anything while you are typing, but when you enter the number and then release the Alt button, the symbol will show up.

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ACCENTED VOWELS
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Á (A-acute) -- alt-0193
À (A-grave) -- alt-0192
 (A-circumflex) -- alt-0194
Ä (A-dieresis) -- alt-0196 or alt-0142
à (A-tilde) -- alt-0195
Å (A-ring) -- alt-0197 or alt-0143
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á (a-acute) -- alt-0225
à (a-grave) -- alt-0224
â (a-circumflex) -- alt-0226
ä (a-dieresis) -- alt-0228 -- or -- alt-0132
ã (a-tilde) -- alt-0227
å (a-ring) -- alt-0229 -- or -- alt-0134
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É (E-acute)-- alt-0201
È (E-grave) -- alt-0200
Ê (E-circumflex) -- alt-0202
Ë (E-dieresis) -- alt-0203
----------------------------------------------
é (e-acute) -- alt-0233
è (e-grave) -- alt-0232
ê (e-circumflex) -- alt-0234
ë (e-dieresis) -- alt-0235
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Í (I-acute) -- alt-0205
Ì (I-grave) -- alt-0204
Î (I-circumflex) -- alt-0206
Ï (I-dieresis) -- alt-0207
----------------------------------------------
í (i-acute) -- alt-0237
ì (i-grave) -- alt-0236
î (i-circumflex) -- alt-0238
ï (i-dieresis)-- alt-0239
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Ó (O-acute) -- alt-0211
Ò (O-grave) -- alt-0210
Ô (O-circumflex) -- alt-0212
Ö (O-dieresis) -- alt-0214 -- or -- alt-0153
Õ (O-tilde) -- alt-0213
Ø (O-slash) -- -- alt-0216
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ó (o-acute)-- alt-0243
ò (o-grave) -- alt-0242
ô (o-circumflex) -- alt-0244 (PC)
ö (o-dieresis) -- alt-0246 -- or -- alt-0148
õ (o-tilde) -- alt-0245
ø (o-slash) -- alt-0248
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Ú (U-acute) -- alt-0218
Ù (U-grave) -- alt-0217
Û (U-circumflex) -- alt-0219
Ü (U-dieresis) -- alt-0220
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ú (u-acute) -- alt-0250
ù (u-grave) -- alt-0249
û (u-circumflex)-- alt-0251
ü (u-dieresis) -- alt-0252
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Ÿ (Ydieresis)-- alt-0159 (PC)
ÿ (ydieresis) -- alt-0255 (PC)
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OTHER ACCENTED CHARACTERS
----------------------------------------------
Ç (C-cedilla)-- alt-0199
ç (c-cedilla) -- alt-0231
®¢ (Eth) -- alt-0208 (PC)
©£ (eth) -- alt-0240 (PC)
Ñ (N-tilde) -- alt-0209
ñ (n-tilde) -- alt-0241
Š(Scaron) -- alt-0138
š(scaron) -- alt-0154
Ý(Yacute) -- alt-0221
ý(yacute) -- alt-0253
®≠ (Thorn) -- alt-0222
©≠ (thorn) -- alt-0254
----------------------------------------------
LIGATURES
----------------------------------------------
®≠ (fi) -- alt-0222
Æ (AE) -- alt-0198
æ (ae) -- alt-0230
Π(OE) -- alt-0140
œ (oe) -- alt-0156
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PUNCTUATION SYMBOLS
----------------------------------------------
§ (section) -- alt-0167
• (bullet) -- alt-0149
¶ (paragraph) -- alt-0182
¿ (questiondown) -- alt-0191
¡ (exclamdown) -- alt-0161
« (guillemetleft) -- alt-0171
» (guillemetright) -- alt-0187
… (ellipsis) -- alt-0133
– (endash) -- alt-0150
— (emdash) -- alt-0151
“ (doublequote left) -- alt-0147
” (doublequote right) -- alt-0148
‘ (singlequote left) -- alt-0145
’ (singlequote right) -- alt-0146
‹ (guilsingleleft) -- alt-0139
› (guilsingleright) -- alt-0155
· (period centered) -- alt-0183
‚ (quote single base) -- alt-0130
„ (quote double base) -- alt-0132
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MATHEMATICAL/GREEK SYMBOLS
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° (degree) -- alt-0176
± (plusminus) -- alt-0177
÷ (divide) -- alt-0247
‰ (per thousand) -- alt-0137
ú (minus) -- alt-0173
Å~ (multiply) -- alt-0215
½ (one half) -- alt-0189
¼ (one quarter) -- alt-0188
¾(three quarters) -- alt-0190
¹(one superior) -- alt-0185
²(two superior) -- alt-0178
³(three superior) -- alt-0179
µ (mu) -- alt-0181
¬ (logicalnot) -- alt-0172
ƒ (florin) -- alt-0131 (PC)
ß (germandbls) -- alt-0223
----------------------------------------------
MONETARY SYMBOLS
----------------------------------------------
¢ (cent) -- alt-0162
£ (sterling) -- alt-0163
¥ (yen) -- alt-0165
°Ë (euro) -- alt-0164
----------------------------------------------
COPYRIGHT SYMBOLS
----------------------------------------------
® (registered) -- alt-0174
© (copyright) -- alt-0169
? (trademark) -- alt-0153
----------------------------------------------
ISOLATED ACCENTS
----------------------------------------------
´ (acute) -- alt-0180
¨ (dieresis) -- alt-0168
– (circumflex) -- alt-0136
˜ (tilde) -- alt-0152
¯ (macron) -- alt-0175
¸ (cedilla) -- alt-0184
----------------------------------------------
OTHER SYMBOLS
----------------------------------------------
ª (ordfeminine) -- alt-0170
º (ordmasculine) -- alt-0186
¯ (dagger) -- alt-0134
˘ (double dagger) -- alt-0135
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
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Here is an abbreviated version of a list like this (click here).

Hope this helps you. Let me know if does.

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PPBI - Year in Review

I was asked to today for the yearly report for Pikes Peak Bible Institute, the educational ministry I lead for the Pikes Peak Baptist Association. The association's yearly meeting is on October 1 and I need to let PPBA know how things went.

This is always a good exercise to engage in for any ministry: to take stock in the middle of the year and make any adjustments to end the year where you need to be. Here are some highlights of the 2007 year for PPBI.

§ Spring 2007

• We offered two in-seat classes for the Spring 2007 semester
» "The Life of Christ" - a survey of the Gospel's
» "Biblical Hermeneutics" - How to understand and apply the Bible

• We offered one online class for the Spring 2007 semester
» "Teaching and Learning in the Church" - just what it sounds like

• We were able to attend an education fair at Schriever Air Force Base. This is a big deal as we were the only bible college which attended this ed fair located on a military base.

§ Fall 2007

• We offered two in-seat classes for the Fall 2007 semester
» "Old Testament History and Literature" - a survey of the Old Testament
» "Introducing Christian Doctrines" - a systematic theology class

• We offered four online classes for the Fall 2007 semester (but only one had students)
» "Biblical Ethics" - just what it sounds like
» The other three classes were New Testament Survey, Old Testament Survey and Teaching and Learning in Churches. These online classes are actually offered by Oklahoma Baptist University but PPBI's students can take any of them they desire.

• We will be able to attend another educational fair at Schriever AFB in a couple of weeks (Sept. 17).

§ 2007 Over All

• Continued discussion with a project I am not sure I am able to share publicly.
• Continued work on purpose, mission and vision statement. PPBI's purpose statement says "Pikes Peak Bible Institute exists to equip Christ-followers spiritually and intellectually to serve God in their local church and communities throughout their entire lives." This is based in Ephesians 4:12-13.
• Developed some new advertising products.
• Continued work on a student handbook.

While we did more than this, this is some of the highlights of the year. This helps me formulate some of what I will put in the annual report.

I will post some students comments tomorrow so that you can hear what is going on in the student's lives as a result of their work at PPBI.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.10.07

Oh, look...I found it.

My daugher, Jessica, after her mother showed her the location of the item for wich Jessica was looking.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.9.07

Larry: "Hallelujah, my brother"
Sheriff Carter: "Sh'up Larry"

\
From the preview of next week's Eureka.

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The Funniest Thing I Heard Today - 9.8.07

Loco por Jesus

Title of a Spanish version of D. C. Talks "Jesus Freaks" at my local Mardel's store.

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Happy Birthday to Me...and Larry

Today was my birthday. I share my birthday with my father-in-law. We were 101 years old today (Him 63 and me 38). We had a good day. I enjoy sharing my birthday with my father-in-law.

I am not sure if I have any thought provoking insights from today except that I am at my middle age if I live to 76 years old. I could not find what the average age of men are when they die but I am guessing it is mid-70’s. Anyway, I have probably lived half my life (obviously this is only if the Lord does not have anything different planned).

I guess I am just thinking about the whole of my life and that I desperately want to hear Jesus tell me “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I pray that my life so far has had more positive than negative when it comes to things eternal. I pray that I have encouraged more than I have discouraged when it comes to relationships. I pray that I am becoming more and more like the One who formed me while still in my mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:4).

Here is some lists of things that happened…
This day in history

The Year I was born

The day I was born

Instead of gifts, feel free to send cold hard cash OR gift certificates to any good theological books store. Just kidding...just send the cash.

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