Fw: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

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From: Janice Brueggemann <jcbrueggemann@yahoo.com>

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:13:31 -0800 (PST)

To: Dale A. Brueggemann<Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth o f a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

Hmm.mm Well, I guess I'm in the camp he is complaining about, since I don't think a "virtual church" can even be a church. And the comment at the bottom about virtual communion and virtual baptism is terrible. Just because "everyone is doing it" doesn't make it right. Simplistic statement I know, but it's still true. There is no personal responsibility or accountability, no real community, in all this virtual stuff.  I think we've lost the idea of what a true church is. We are so attached to the Web and all these devices. I wonder how much further will it go. Are we trying to put all of life in a virtual realm? Will a virtual friend visit you in the hospital? Will a virtual friend help the old lady with putting storm screens up? (700 virtual friends invited to a party and only 1 comes?!) Janice --- On Sat, 11/14/09, Dale A. Brueggemann <Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com> wrote: From: Dale A. Brueggemann <Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com> Subject: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth of a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog To: jcbrueggemann@yahoo.com Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 8:56 AM [http://royshaff.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/the-worth-of-a-virtual-church/] What do you think of this? It's interesting to note that the same blogger posted a complaint that of 700 Facebook "friends" invited to a party, only one showed up at the appointed time and place. The Worth of a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog -- Posted By Dale A. Brueggemann to Dale and Janice Brueggemann at 11/14/2009 06:56:00 AM

The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

What do you think of this? It's interesting to note that the same blogger posted a complaint that of 700 Facebook "friends" invited to a party, only one showed up at the appointed time and place. Just how incarnational can a virtual church become?

The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

BBC NEWS | Americas | Two die at US spiritual retreat

BBC NEWS | Americas | Two die at US spiritual retreat

What desperate attempts people make to establish a "spiritual" existence!

Preach the word (2 Tim 4:1-2)

All Christian preaching should be the exposition and application of biblical texts. Our authority as preachers sent by God rises and falls with our manifest allegiance to the text of Scripture. I say manifest because there are so many preachers who say they are doing exposition when they do not ground their assertions explicitly--"manifestly"--in the text. They don't show their people clearly that the assertions of their preaching are coming from specific readable words of Scripture that the people can see for themselves -- John Piper
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Janice's textile

Janice's textile work
Janice likes to work in textiles, embellishing by tearing, shredding, decorating, weaving, knotting, beading, embroidery, beads, and who knows what else. This is one of her more recent pieces. Maybe I'll see if I can post a flash slide show of some of her work. If I do, you can watch this blog for the address.

Glory in the cross

Paul wanted the focus of his preaching to be the cross of Christ. To that end, he made sure that he didn't employ the pop-wisdom and oratorical flourishes that attracted audiences and built reputations in his time (1 Cor 1:17; 2:1; Gal 6:14).

Would it be reasonable to equate Corinthian pop-wisdom and oratorical flourishes with the media production values being prescribed for today's pulpits? Is it to be the lights of Broadway or the light that shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day (Prov 4:18), which enlightens the narrow way (Matt 7:13-14), the only way to truth and life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)?

Outside the "fabric" of space and time

The philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716, at right) wondered why there is something rather than nothing, then wondered why it is the way it is. He concluded that God had created the best world out of any that are logically possible. I won't argue the merits or problems with that conclusion, but it does make me think that modern physicists are sniffing around the door of the same issue.

Following string theory, modern physicists have also moved from the question of "how" to the question of "why." This is the necessary result of pushing up against the absolute boundaries of space and time, to ask what it was like "before" time and space existed and therefore "outside" of space. At the border between the non-existence of time and the absolute beginning of time, the "how" pushes me to the one who exists eternally outside of time. At boundary between the non-existence of space and the absolute beginning of even still-empty space, the "how" pushes me to the one who fills heaven and earth (Jer 23:24) so that there is nowhere isolated from his protective presence (Jer 23:23).

In turn, that makes me wonder at the grace that God shows by living among us, though the heavens and earth cannot contain him.

Preaching

John Piper preaching (with all his heart, and all ten fingers)

"The true usefulness of our preaching will not be known to us until all the fruit on all the branches of all the trees that have sprung up from all the seeds we've ever sown has fully ripened in the sunshine of eternity.... God will hide from you much of your fruit. You will see enough to be assured of his blessing, but not so much as to think you could live without it. For God aims to exalt himself and not the preacher in this affair of preaching" (John Piper)

Genesis creation account

By the sound of some complaints about the biblical account of the origins of the universe, you would think it would have been more accurate if it would have been more scientific. But can you imagine a Bible full of formulas like the this one, which I guess would require study Bibles with extended explanatory notes on Planck mass, tension, and time and Planck's constant? How many notes on perturbation theory and space-tearing flop transition would it take to turn your heart to God's gracious provision of salvation in Christ?

Nice piece on worship

Here's a nice reflection on analyzing worship.



Dale

Everybody's wrong--but me, Moses, and Paul

Just joking! But it's to make this point: I don't think either evangelism or worship necessarily qualifies as the number one reason for being for the church, and therefore for the Assemblies of God. I think the central reason for being is as this age's chief manifestation of the "Immanuel" principle, the promise of "God with us."

It seems like the core Scriptural promise is this: "I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you, I will be your God, and you will be my people" (Lev 26:11-12, also Exod 29:45). In the Old Testament this was first manifested in divine fellowship with humanity in the Garden, but sin interrupted that. After that, a few walked with God, such as Enoch, Noah, and Abraham (Gen 5:24; 6:9; 48:15). But it was really with the building of the wilderness tabernacle and then the temple in Jerusalem that humanity might once again experience the Immanuel principle, "I will live among you" (Exod 40:34-38; 1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron 7:1-3).

Even in the Old Testament, Isreal knew that the earth couldn't contain the LORD (1 Kings 8:27; Ps 11:4, cf. Acts 7:49-50). Indeed, the prophets promised a greater temple (Hag 2:7-9; Ezek 36:26-28; Zech 14). And Isaiah promised a child named "Immanuel" (Isa 7:14). When Jesus came as the incarnate Logos, God was "tabernacling" among his people (John 1:14); indeed, he is the one in whom the fullness of God dwelt bodily (Col 1:19; 2:9).

In turn, Jesus promised an extension of the Immanuel principle when he promised a new temple to replace the one that Roman crucifixion destroyed (John 2:19ff). This made the stone temple obsolete (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:49-50; Heb 9). It had been only a shadow of the true heavenly temple that followed the resurrection. Eternally replacing the former shadowing human-made temple, the Body of Christ fulfilled all the promise that God lives with his people. Indeed, individual believers are God's temple (1 Cor 6:15-20; Eph 2:21-22) and the corporate body is the temple (1 Cor 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:5). The church exists as the fulfillment of the Immanuel principle.

Of course, we still live in the tension between New Testament fulfillment in Christ's finished work and final consummation in the eschaton. John's visions promise further fulfillment (Rev 11:19; 15:5, 8; 21:3). So the New Jerusalem has no temple building, because the Lord God Almighty himself and the Lamb are the temple (Rev 21:22; cf. 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron 2:6; 6:8; Isa 66:1).

God dwelling with his people is the whole point--it never was about stone and timber, any more than atonement was about the blood of bulls and goats being offered by faulty priests.

So, we the Church exists as God's temple, as the end times manifestation of the Immanuel principle. That's our most basic and over-riding reason for being. And in that temple, worship rises to God, and from that temple, works of mercy should flow, and from that temple should issue the clarion call of evangelism.

DISCUSSION STARTER: What does this line of thought imply for the all-too common hope that there will somehow again by a stone and timber temple made with human hands?

Getting it Wrong: Part 3

My comments on the earlier two blogs on this theme have pretty much stated my argument, but I'll put it in a brief form here:

There is indeed a reciprocal relationship between worship and missions; as Piper says, "Worship is the fuel and goal of missions." But worship is ultimate and eternal, whereas evangelism is not. When we talk of worship being the goal of missions, we reflect a rich biblical strain of thought, running from the Psalmist's calls, "Let the nations be glad" (e.g., Ps 67:3-4; 69:32; 70:4; 86:9; 97:1; 102:22; 117:1), to the apostles' awareness that the root of the apostolic call was in worship (Matt 19:29; Acts 9:16; 21:13; Rom 1:5; 9:17; 10:13; 3 John 6-7).

It's also useful to note that missionary thrust of the prayer Jesus taught is missionary-disciples: May your name be sanctified/honored/cherished and honored above any other name (Matt 6:9).

This assertion of the priority of worship over evangelism seems to me to be essential.

• Reversing the priorities has the potential to do severe damage to the evangelistic cause, as modern American church history has shown when churches lose the real divine cause and allow missions to lapse into merely humanitarian effort.

• Missions that are not driven by the glory of God can only be driven by some human impulse, whether it's vague humanitarianism or merely a guilty, patronizing, and condescending attempt help the developing world.

Now, after making that claim, I'm going to use my next blog posting to assert that there is something even more basic and primary that defines the key priority of the church. (Watch this space.)

Getting it Wrong: Part 2

It was interesting how the argument for and against reversing the priorities to put Worship first and Evangelism second played out. On the side for change, the resolution's sponsors provided a brief argument from biblical priorities. On the side for retaining the present order, Stanley Horton attempted a narrow argument from Acts.

But essentially, the argument against promoting Worship to first status and relegating Evangelism to the secondary position ignored Scripture and argued from our own historical documents rather than from Scripture. An emotive tactic, but not one calculated to do anything about clarifying biblical priorities.

In subsequent postings, I'll provide some of my own biblical arguments that Worship is clearly a priority over Evangelism. I'll invite comments in advance as to how you think I'll argue this case.

And in the end, I'll even argue that there's an even more compelling number-one priority that transcends even Worship or Evangelism as the church's chief priority. What do you think I'll see as the most elemental priority of the church?

Getting it Wrong: Part 1

In the previous blog, I asserted that the AG got it right in a vote at this month's General Council.

This blog asserts that another vote got it wrong. A resolution called for the AG to reorder its priorities to reflect a more biblical order. Presently, the order is 1. Evangelism and 2. Worship. The resolution argued that 1. Worship and 2. Evangelism would reflect a more biblical order of priorities.

The General Council voted this down. But the resolution was spot on and its rejection is clearly misguided.

I'll make my argument in subsequent blog postings.

King of Pop

While exercising at the YMCA this morning, all I could find for news on the TV screen was about Michael Jackson's death. Despite his dissolute and bizarre lifestyle, what I heard was mostly hagiography. It was almost as if death erases everything, rather than writing it all in indelible ink. As if death sanctifies rather than finalizes. God doesn't say, "Never mind at our death." The only death that sanctifies and erases is Jesus' resurrection-reversed death.

Seminars

I've been wanting to revise my booklet on "The Gifts of the Spirit," and must do so before I teach that seminar again the first week of May. But before I do that, I must prepare two other seminars and an address on Christian education.

I deliver the address on Christian education to a banquet for the community at Littlefield Christian Academy in Littlefield, Pennsylvania--right on the Maryland border just south of Gettysburg.

That same weekend, I teach a seminar on "How to Read the Old Testament as Christian Scripture" for the Littlefield community.

Also in early May I teach a three-night seminar on "The Biblical Theology of Missions" to Hillcrest Trinity Assembly in Boise, Idaho.

If you're interested in any or all of these as printed publications or as seminars I might teach in your church, contact me through this blog or directly by e-mail, and I'll get back to you as I complete them.
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The NAME

This week's news reported a story from Boca Raton, Florida. A hospice chaplain resigned, complaining that she was forbidden from using the terms "God" or "Lord" in public settings at work--to say nothing of "Jesus."

Outrageous, you say? Well, the hospice company's response makes me wonder. They said there was no such ban. Their story goes this way. Someone had invited this chaplain to do a brief motivational talk during a staff meeting. The guidelines indicated that it was to be a secular talk for the staff, which would have include people of every and no religious persuasion.

So which is the problem here? The ban, or the chaplain's willingness to be co-opted as a secular motivational speaker? The ban, or the chaplain's easy use of the divine name for a secular feel-good be-a-success moment? What of the command against taking the LORD's name in vain (Exod 20:7), that is, in any empty way--such as in a prayer over a secular motivation speech? Maybe the chaplain should concern herself more with that.

Facebook | Beside the Point

Here's a critique of Rush Limbaugh that I found pointed and worthwhile. I know that he's the favorite voice of a lot of people whose politics comes from the right, and that includes a lot of Christians. But the issue raised here ought to challenge Christians to build a politic that is consisitently Christian, and not to follow any other party line than that with uncritical loyalty.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=58032088565&h=b0xmr&u=GX78m&ref=mf

On Dawkins' facile and dishonest dissing of Christian theology

An interesting blog taking on Richard Dawkins for his facile and dishonest dissing of Christian theological positions.

The Life and Opinions of Andrew Rilstone: Being for the benefit of people who want to link to this kind of thing

Hermann MO

We just visited Hermann, Missouri, a town established in 1837 by Germans from Philadelphia to be a German Athens on the plains. Its earliest settlers blamed all their troubles on the company agent named George Bayer, who thereupon "died of a broken heart." The settlers buried him in a distant corner of the town's cemetery and decreed that no one should be buried within 75' of his grave.

Not to worry. After a lengthy inquiry, a court exonerated Bayer--in 1986. Seems that Philadelphia Germans has badly miscalculated how tough it would be to make a life in the Missouri wilderness, especially during the winter. It also seems that rehabilitating Bayer rather added to the "nice" feeling of the towns' centennial celebration.

Go!

Don't be templed to opt out of your own responsibility to leave things behind and press on in obedience to the upward call--or to the outward call to the nations.



Go where God sends, you and go when God sends you. Do what God asks of you: Do it in God's way, do it in God's time, depend upon God's resources, and do it all for God's glory.

Send

Send those whom God ordains to go, just as the early church sent out Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-3). Failure to do this is a fatal link in the Gospel chain of responsibility that Paul describes:



"Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (Rom 10:13 NLT)





Challenge those around you to take up the mission, adopt an attitude of accountability for the worldwide mission of the church.



And give to support those you send. You pray that God will send out workers; now support those that you send in response to his sending. You pray that God will give them success; now support them with the necessary tools for aggressive work that tends toward success. And care for the whole curch, as the early church did when the Jerusalem church fell on hard times.

Pray

Pray that God will send out workers into his harvest, because "The harvest is great, but the workers are few" (Luke 10:2). This is especially true of the Eurasia region, which has such a large percentage of the world's unreached people but still has only 5% of Christian missionaries headed that way.



Pray for those who go:

1. Pray for the sucess of the gospel. Pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt 6:9ff; see other prayers for successful ministry: Rom 15:30; 2 Cor 1:11; Eph 6:18-20; 1 Thess 5:25; Heb 13:18; 2 Thess 3:1; Col 4:2-3)


2. Pray for the safety of gospel workers. Pray for Christians workers caught up in the sectarian violence of the Middle East, for the church workers suffering violance in India and elsewhere in Southern Asia.

Girl on purple

Here's the picture I was actually looking for when I stumbled across the "soldier boy" image. This is Janice photoshopped. You can see I was a little kinder to her than I was to myself.

Soldier boy

I was browsing for another picture that I intended to upload, and I came across this old B&W image from my time in Viet Nam--long ago. In case you're interested, I weighed in at about 110 lbs.

Conclusions about Great Commission

The Scriptures root the international Christian mission in the Abrahamic covenant, whose heirs we are.

Two possible responses to the missionary task (1) The rebel's response is to refuse to send and go. The refusal may be veiled in theoretical discussion, greedy refusal to make the sacrifice, or any number of avoidance mechanisms. (2) The saint's response will always be to pray, to send, and even to go.

1. Pray


2. Send


3. Go

The Church and the Great Commission

As the church expanded through evangelism, Paul interpreted the job description and promise given to Abraham in terms of worldwide evangelism. He reminded us all, "The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God" (Gal 3:7 NLT). That means the Abrahamic promise applies to us. This is so, becasue "all of God's promises have been fulfilled in [Jesus Christ] (2 Cor 1:20). And it meant the mandate applies to us.



The Scriptures had looked forward to this time when God would accept Gentiles too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this good news to Abraham long ago, when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you" (Gal 3:8; quoting Gen 12:3). It is through Abraham's descendants that the nations would be blessed (Gen 26:4; 28:14), and such we are (Gal 3:7).



So we must go and send. We must be a blessing to the nations, if we are not to deny ourselves of God's covenantal blessing for obedience. And being a blessing to the lost requires that we bless them by turning each of them from their wicked ways (Acts 3:26)

Here's something I did just for the fun. I scanned my face then photoshopped with a "plastic" filter.

Abraham & Idols

Scripture says Israel's ancestors served other gods when they lived in Mesopotamia. From that, many have concluded that his father Terah was an idol worshiper, perhaps even a priest or idol seller. Here's a story based on that the reflects the idea that Abraham abandoned those idea for monotheistic worship:


Terah was an idolator. Once he went off somewhere and left Abraham to sell [idols] in his place.... Later, a woman came bearing a container of flour. She said to him, "Here, offer this before [the idols]." He took a stick and broke [the idols] and then put the stick into the hand of the biggest of them. When his father came, he said to him, "What happened to these?" He said to him:... "One [idol] said, 'Let me be the first to eat,' another said, 'No, let me be the first to eat,' then the bigger one took the stick and broke [the others]." [Terah responded], "Why are you mocking me--do these idols know anything?" [Abraham] said, "cannot your ears hear the words coming from your own mouth?" (Genesis Rabba 38:13; cited in James L. Kugel, THE BIBLE AS IT WAS, p. 138)

Jesus came renewing the missions mandate

When Jesus came, he went first to the house of Israel (Matt 10:5f; 15:24). But his ministry didn't focus on the Jewish parochial hopes for worldwide superiority: "You will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples of teh earth" (Exod 19:5 NLT). Rather, he reinvigorated the Jewish promise that they would be a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Ps 72:17; see Acts 3:5; Gal 3:8). He did this in two ways:

First, he began fulfilling the Old Testament promise that the nations could come in to Jerusalem and its temple: "My temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray" (Isa 56:7 NET; quoted in Mark 11:17). "All nations will stream to it" (Isa 2:2 NET). Jesus begin reinvigorating God's goal with respect to Zion was this:

On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the LORD. 2 He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. 3 O city of God, what glorious things are said of you! Interlude 4 I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me-- also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! 5 Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, "Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there." And the Most High will personally bless this city. 6 When the LORD registers the nations, he will say, "They have all become citizens of Jerusalem." Interlude 7 The people will play flutes and sing, "The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!" For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune "The Suffering of Affliction." A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite. (Ps 87 NLT)

Second, Jesus sent his disciples out to the nations: "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:19f NLT).

Blessing the Nations (cont.)

As we've seen, throughout the Old Testament, the people of God didn't come through very well on their original mandate to bless the nations (Gen 12:1-3). By the time Jesus came, worldwide Judaism seemed pretty much neutralized as a missionary force.

Some had adopted too much of the accursed lifestyle of the Gentile world to exercise nearly the moral influence they ought to have had on it. In the ancient Near Eastern world, Israel's kings had adopted every god from Baal to Tammuz and had even gone so far as to practice child sacrifice. In the Hellenistic world, Israel allowed Graeco-Roman paganism to make severe inroads--even in Palestine. They ended up worshipping every Zeus, Dick, and Hermes that showed up in the Judean hills.

And much of the "holiness" they did claim was perverted. It could be the legalistic "holiness" of the Pharisees, which obscured the beauty of biblical holiness. It could be sectarian, like the "holiness" of the Qumran community, who escaped the pollution of city life to live in caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. But such a community stood no chance of affecting main street.

But Jesus came renewing the missions mandate. We'll look at that in the next blog posting.

Only 5%?!

Given the huge population of Eurasia, and given how much of the "10-40 Window" it comprises what should we conclude from the fact that only 5% of Christian missionaries work in Eurasia?

Does this indicate a serious gap in our obedience to the Great Commission of Genesis 12:1-3?
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Great Commission in the Old Testament

The Old Testament [OT] job description for the people of God was to bless the nations (Gen 12:1-3). But the OT show little success at this. Indeed, just about the only times Israel provided much by way of blessing the nations was when they were exiled among the nations because of divine judgment.



We see Joseph in Egypt, blessing the nations--and the threatened seed of Israel--by exercising divine wisdom in the face of international famine. We see the Israelite slave girl telling her Assyrian over lord where he could find divine healing from leprosy. We see Daniel and his wise colleagues exercising wisdom on behalf of Babylonian and then Persian over lord. And the only time we see a non-exiled Israelite blessing the nations, it's the unwilling and embittered Jonah, who hated doing it and even resented it when his ministry did bless the Ninevites by provoking repentance, which forestalled divine judgment. And Jonah probably stood in as a type of OT Israel's failure to bless the nations, for failing to fulfill their reason for being.

The Great Commission

When asked to open their Bibles to the Great commission, most congregations would open to Matthew 28:19-20. But if you think about it, why not open to Genesis 12:1-3? This was the job description for the people of God given to Abraham, the father of the people of God.

The purpose of God's people was to "bless the nations" (Gen 12:3). And lest you think these were deserving nations, read Genesis 11. The only nations there were (Gen 10) joined an international conspiracy against God (Gen 11). And what was God's response? Yes, he put a stop to the rebellion. But then he set about raising up a chosen people to bless those nations.

The 10-40 window is full of undeserving people. But God has called upon us to continue that task. That's why Janice and I work as missionary-educators throughout Eurasia.

10-40 Window

Yesterday, I described the Eurasia region that Janice and I serve as missionary-educators. In that post, I mentioned how much of the 10-40 window Eurasia comprised. If you compare the Eurasia map in that posting with the 10-40 window posted here, you can see what I mean.

The 10-40 window refers to the degrees latitude that mark a "window" of the least evangelized peoples of the world.

What does that mean in Eurasia? Eurasia's 44 countries and territories comprise 4,000 unreached people groups. And yet, less than 5% of Christian missionaries go to Eurasia!

Surely, you see a great gap in our obedience to the Great Commission. We're doing all we can through the training of pastors, evangelists, and missionaries to change that.

My Kind of Place

I saw this a few days ago in a Philadelphia suburb. Now that's the way to assure proper caffeine intake.

Eurasia

Here's the Eurasia region that Janice and I serve. It includes the following areas:

• Middle East/North Africa.
• C.I.S. and Baltic States: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuana, Estonia, Moldovia, Georgia, Armenia.
• Central Asia: All the countries ending in -stan plus Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
• Southern Asia: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives.

If you were to look up a copy of the 10-40 window, you would see a very strong overlap.

Introduction

This is my second attempt at blogging. A few years ago, when blogging first began, I gave it a brief try but didn't think anyone would want to read my sporadic stream of consciousness. But lately, I've had quite a few people asking me why I don't blog and promising on their honor to read mine if I started it. So here goes. I'm blogging again.



I'll not try to define the nature of this blog narrowly. It'll just be my thoughts, which flow from my various roles:

• Grandfather: Sometimes you just get me running on about my grandchildren, Anna, Kate, Jake, Chloe, and Sam.
• OT Professor: Sometimes you'll get a bit of exegetical or background talk on things having to do with biblical studies, especially Biblical Theology, OT Theology, and OT Exegesis and Exposition.
• Preacher: Sometimes I'll get "preachy," whether on a particular exegetical matter or on a topical concern.
• Missionary: Often you'll get me in my missionary-educator role, especially explaining why it is that Janice and I give our lives to what we do. I'll offer a wide range of material on this, as time goes by. Sometimes biblical theology, sometimes personal musings, and sometimes reports on our work.
• Photographer: I've had a long-time interest in photography and have returned to it with more focus--pun somewhat intended. If you would like to see a collection of my work, see the following site http://www.ppfuk.com/gallery.php?id=1172508026