Entries from February 2009 ↓

• Deeply in awe of the little dude who figured out what was hiding in a coffee
  bean… you ROCK, fella! #
• I’m in a slight state of shock this morning to find out that my old NT
  prof Harold Hoehner has passed away. A great man of God. Just … #
• Quite a busy little day, but got most stuff done. #

One of the greatest privileges in my life was the gift of God to me in allowing me to study at Dallas Theological Seminary. It has played (and continues to play) a significant role in shaping who I am as a leader and servant of Christ.

One of the amazing blessings of being able to attend DTS was the interaction with some of the most godly and super-smart people on planet earth, whose direct influence has had a marked impact on me as a person. One of those people was Dr. Harold Hoehner, Distinguished Professor of New Testament. Dr. Hoehner passed away on Feb 12.

My first introduction to Dr. Hoehner was in my first semester in NTI (the infamous New Testament Introduction, which always seemed a bit more than just an introduction!), and continued through the years because I majored in the NT area.

There are so many stories and memories that it’s hard to even pick one. He was just a great man, very humble, very smart, very godly, very opinionated, and yet gentle and caring. The plain truth is that there have been some not so nice people at Dallas Seminary or who have been the products of DTS, but I really believe that Dr. Hoehner was one of the finest examples of a Dallas man, in the very best sense. I am richer for having known him and learnt from him.

Interestingly, I went through seminary with his son, David, as one of my closest friends as we did “battle with evil” (the weekly NTI quizzes), and I had a long chat with Dr. Hoehner just this past US summer when I was over in Dallas. He had preached at Grace Bible Church (a very thought-provoking sermon out of Ephesians 5 on the roles of husbands and wives), and we had a good chat afterwards where he quizzed me (he was good at quizzes) on how I was going and what I was up to.

I am the proud owner of a copy of his magnum opus commentary on Ephesians, given to me as a gift by another dear friend at Dallas. I remember, even while I was a student back in the 90′s, Dr. Hoehner lamenting that the publisher was wanting him to make substantial cuts to the length of the text, which was a painful process to a man whose thoroughness is the stuff of legends, the ultimate “high C” personality.

I’m sure when I join him in eternity, he’ll be running exegesis classes somewhere (with quizzes) and those awful Aggie jokes… :-)

In this week which has involved (I have noticed) wide and varied celebration of Charles Darwin, I came across this very thought-provoking article in the Guardian which I think is worth a read in a western world which tends to view evolution as fact rather than an imperfect attempt to explain the world as we find it.

• Just finished an excellent session with our small group leaders. I’m
  really encouraged by the heart & quality of these people. We are … #
• Always good to see how our “representative” democracy can be
  manipulated by one or two independent senators with their own special
  … #
• I’m in a trig mood. Amy’s homework has had me thinking in old familiar
  ways. #
• God is doing something VERY cool at Warnbro Church! Wow! #
• I have found the coolest video clip for Sunday. One of my favourites. #

This is a very interesting read, which I’m sure is more directly relevant to the US scene, and which some in Australia would no doubt disagree with. But, it’s an interesting read and I think that we’re seeing some of the same shrinkage here in Australia.

I, personally, have found much of the debate and issue over emerging church, emergent church, whatever whatever church, all a bit irrelevant, except for some of the annoying and silly things said by people on both sides of the debate. To me, it’s all about mission… I don’t care what you look like as a group if you are genuinely introducing people to Jesus, baptizing them, and helping them grow in Christ in an authentic and biblical spirituality for our times. That’s the bottomline for me. It seems to me that some of the loudest voices have had the least results over a long enough period of time to assess success in mission (in some cases over a decade).

And, I don’t wish to talk about it any more… :-)

Best line from the article? “Churches that want to survive are adapting, reaching out and experimenting”

Right on!

I’ve often noted that sometimes the people who make my role as a pastor more difficult are other pastors, people who do and say stupid things that reflect badly on who Jesus really is.

So, I wish this dude had kept his dream where it belonged. It kills me that he thinks he’s speaking the truth on behalf of God here. It feels like a bit of an echo of Falwell and the 9/11 comments he made.

“Weep, weep for those who have made a desert in the name of the Lord.”

I’ve been reflecting on politics a bit lately, given the interesting times in which we live, and especially watching the current Australian debate on the government stimulus package working its way through parliament.

We’ve had a situation a few times in recent history where independent senators have held extraordinary influence, and I don’t know if I’m the only one, but it bothers me that a single (or perhaps couple) of independent senators (who in reality often reflect the views of very few of us) can have such influence in our political process which is meant to reflect and represent the views of “the people”.

Flipside is that I also found the total majority situation that the Howard government enjoyed a dangerous thing because it gave them a blank cheque to pass legislation without solid debate and review.

Representative democracy is such a fascinating system…

• Off to share with our talented worship team. We are so blessed to have
  such gifts in our church. #
• Nice sunset! #
• That was one very full day. I’m tired. Looking forward to some serious
  sleep. #
• Interesting principle from today’s LifeJournal readings in Lev: you
  have to approach God on his terms, not yours. #

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx

• Coffee… must have coffee… #