Providence in action...

While reading for my preparations to teach Hebrew poetry, I ran across this little gem in Derek Kidner's Psalms commentary, written about the parallel structure of Hebrew poems:

It is the striking fact that this type of poetry loses less than perhaps any other in the process of translation. In many literatures the appeal of a poem lies chiefly in verbal felicities and associations, or in metrical subtleties, which tend to fail of their effect even in a related language. The programme-notes of any Lieder recital are enough to prove the point! But the poetry of the Psalms has a broad simplicity of rhythm and imagery which survives transplanting into almost any soil. Above all, the fact that its parallelisms are those of sense rather than of sound allows it to reproduce its chief effects with very little loss of either force or beauty. It is well fitted by God’s providence to invite ‘all the earth’ to ‘sing the glory of his name’.

• Kidner, D. (1973). Vol. 15: Psalms 1-72: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (17). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Really, what have I been doing?!?

Over the last few months, I have been deciding what to do with this piece of cyberspace that I have claimed as my own.  I can't sell it, so I guess I will have to use it myself.

Since my last post, a lot has happened.  I am no longer a student.  I now inhabit the other side of the desk, teaching Junior and Senior High (Religious Studies, English, Social Studies, and Career and Life Management).  I no longer live in Ontario, but now reside in North-central Alberta.

I hope to use this space as a way of thinking through the formative and foundational aspects of teaching, and even through some of the content.  If that sounds exciting, good.  If not, you can pick and choose what to read.

Soon I hope to post about what I have been working through with respect to teaching Religious Studies.  I will aim for Friday.

(You have Sherri to thank for this...she talked me into it!)

A New and Fun Tool:

In my Technology and the Classroom class, we were directed to the website Prezi.com, which is an online presentation maker.  But not simply like powerpoint and such.  Prezi presentations are not linear, they are fluid.  We had to play around with it.  Here is what I came up with.  Remember that this is my first attempt, and I made up all the content myself (albeit with 4 years of seminary training!).  I was hoping to get it aligned vertically at the end, but would need to seriously restructure it, but I have decided not to.  Just go with it.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

In my reading of this letter, I was struck by how encouraging and positive Paul is to the Thessalonian Christians.  Their faith seems to be a model for the faith of the churches around them.  In chapter 1:6-10, Paul speaks of the 'loud voice' of the Thessalonians' faith:

You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with they joy given by the Holy Spirit.  And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.  the Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere.  Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.  They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath.

What a glowing commendation.  If only my faith spoke with a voice so loud!

Very well said:

From the Pyromaniacs blog, in an open letter to Brian McLaren:

What Jesus would really do is take the list of sins found in the Old Testament and proclaim them all from a mountainside, making all people doubt that they have any hope at all of being seen as righteous before God, and then when he had their attention and their conviction under the law of Moses, he would tell them that God saves sinners who repent. And then he would get on a cross and die for the sake of the sins of world, and raise himself from the dead to prove he wasn't kidding.

Read the letter.  It is quite good.  Their tone may seem a bit abrasive at first, but considering the person to whom the letter is addressed, it fits.

A Confession....

So, if you hadn't noticed, I haven't kept up with my plan from the end of last year.  I started with good intentions, but found that reading the Bible in that way was not enjoyable to me.  I was just reading to get it done in time.  So I have come up with a new plan, one that I might actually stick with.  I wanted to get more depth in my reading, so I am going to study individual books to get depth and an over-view.

I have recently started with 1 Thessalonians (a letter I have not done much with in the past), and hope to blog about what I read and find.  Perhaps even soon.

A Comparison:

Genesis 4:26 "At that time, men began to call on the name of the LORD."

Matthew 4:19 "'Come follow me,' Jesus said."

Matthew 4:21 "Jesus called them."

I was struck by the opposite actions in these verses.  In Genesis, after the fall and after Cain has killed Abel, God is apparently no longer visiting among his people, and so men feel the need to call upon his name.  However, in Matthew, it is God who is doing the calling, God incarnate, come down to visit his people. 

In Genesis we recognize the problem, in Matthew God does something about it.

Readings for January 1: Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, Acts 1.

Today is a day of beginnings.  Not only beginning a new year, but also, for me, beginning a new Bible reading plan.  Today's readings mark this trend in a great way--they are all texts of beginnings:

• Gen 1: obviously, the text of beginnings: "In the beginning..."  God creates all things, begins all things.  All that lives, moves, and breathes owes its existence to him.  I owe my existence to him.  I pray that this year I may live up this auspicious beginning, and do all for the glory of my Creator.
• Matt 1: The text of new beginnings.  God sends his Son to redeem fallen creation, and we are still seeing how far this redemption extends.  Not only has God created me and set me on my course, he also keeps me on my course since I for myself continually go off-course.  Without this work of new beginning, I would be lost, and this too I pray to live out much better this year and in the years to come as I continue to grow in faith, love, and understanding.
• Ezra 1: A text of renewed beginnings, as Israelites are allowed to return home from exile under Cyrus the Persian.  A text of beautiful forgiveness as the sins that had forced the Israelites into exile in the first place are covered, and they are brought back, albeit humbled, to live in the Promised Land.  Not only does God create, and make new, he also renews so that I do not become crushed under the burden of my sin, for his burden is easy, and his yoke is light, and I wish to bear it under his strength.
• Acts 1: A text of wider beginnings, as the church spreads from Israel to the whole world.  Acts is the book of Christ's work through his church, and I am a beneficiary of this work--it is because God ordered his creation as he did, promising from the beginning that sin would be dealt with, that I am reading his Word, meditating on it, and using it to live my life as best as I can: based not on my wisdom, but on God's, for obviously as the Creator and the originator of all these beginnings, his vision is best.

Today is a day of beginnings, and I pray to continue from here in good faith, preserved in the love of God.

The Plan...

Okay, after a long hiatus, I am going to be reviving this blog. But I am going to have a definite focus. As of January 1, I am going to be following the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan to read through the Bible in one year. So, as I am doing this reading, I hope to blog about some of the stuff that I read and do some research on (I've got to justify having Logos somehow!).

I probably won't blog every day (especially Sundays when my computer stays off), but sometimes I may, depending on how busy the rest of my life gets, but I do plan on blogging at least twice a week.

So. That's the plan. And I plan on sticking to it, especially the Bible-reading part of it--blogging it is simply a way of keeping myself accountable.

EDIT: I suppose I should point out my inspiration for this. Those familiar with D. A. Carson's devotionals, For the Love of God, may be interested to note that he has it in blog form, hopefully continuing through into the new year, hosted at the Gospel Coalition site. Here's the link: For the Love of God. He has a revision of the M'Cheyne plan, with some notes on some of the passages.

Summer Book Haul.

Thanks to a Westminster Bookstore, some helpful contacts in the US, and a friend from church (complicated, I know), I got some exciting new books, for 55% of what they would have cost otherwise. Here is the list:

Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: the Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos. Edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (a good theologian in his own right), this is a collection of some shorter works by Geerhardus Vos, whose Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments I read in seminary, and thoroughly enjoyed (inasmuch as you can 'enjoy' such books!).

Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Apologetics. This is a collection of essays in apologetics written by some solid Reformed thinkers from different disciplines.

Stories with Intent: a Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus. This one looks really good. It is a thorough study of parables in general and each individual parable of Jesus, written by Klyne Snodgrass. I think I may have to use it sometime to teach through the parables.

Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology. Written by K. Scott Oliphint, this book is larger than I expected. In it he attempts to place philosophy soundly within the Christian faith, showing how Christians can (and ought) to do philosophy, focusing on metaphysics and epistemology. I am looking forward to working through this one.

Foundations of Christian Education: Addresses to Christian Teachers. This is a collection of addresses and essays written by Louis Berkhof (a systematic theologian) and Cornelis Van Til (a Reformed Apologist). I am hoping to blog my way through this in the coming months, when school starts. There are 7 essays on Reformed doctrines (like and antithesis and covenant) and their impact on education.

ALSO, Callum and I were shopping last Friday, and we stopped at Big B Comics, and I picked up a couple of good graphic novels. Both were very interesting and enjoyable (and clean!). The one is a Batman comic (who is simply the coolest superhero) called The Long Halloween, and the other is a re-imagining of Superman (who is pretty cool too) as a Communist hero. I really enjoyed this last one (Superman: Red Son) as a philosophical thought-experiment--take the personality and character of Superman, and see what would have happened if he was raised differently (instead of on a farm in Smallville, on a commune in the Ukraine). Very interesting, very creative, and very enjoyable.

I will read these graphic novels again soon, and perhaps review them here, in between educational posts.

Blog-iday

Okay, it's been a long time since I updated, and it will probably be a little longer before I post anything of substance. I am on the tractor all day, and then hang out with Sherri, Callum and Asher in the evenings, so I don't have a lot of computer time.

I am mentally working on ideas of the will of God and the problem of evil while I drive my tractor, so I will have something to post when I have time to sit and write things out.

It might be a while, though, since Asher likes to be held, and eats every two hours all day--meaning evenings are pretty full with Asher. But we are watching season 1 of Quantum Leap (which I got out of the library). Good, good tv.

Reason for my Absence:

Okay, apart from having an almost 7-week old baby in the house and a toddler, I have been busy finishing up my school year.

Sherri and I celebrated (somewhat) the end of my first year this past Wednesday evening after my only exam. And then we laughed because this is either my fourth first year, or my second first year. The fourth first year since this is my fourth degree, or my second first year since it is the first year of my second decade of university. Some day it will be nice to be done school...

Anyways, here is what I have been working on for the last few weeks (although I started it quite some time ago). For one of my classes I had to design a curriculum unit ten lessons long. Early on I decided to try my hand at designing a unit teaching philosophy to grade eight students. I don't know how well I succeeded, but it was fun trying!

The unit I designed begins with mythology, goes to the Pre-Socratics, and then deals with issues (or disciplines) within philosophy based on a series of questions:

• Logic: How do I organize my thoughts?
• Epistemology: How do I know what I know?
• Metaphysics: What is really out there?
• Ethics (1): What is the good life?
• Ethics (2): How do I live with others?
• Political Philosophy: What would the perfect society look like?
• Aesthetics: What is beautiful?
• Worldview: So what does it all mean?

The lesson on Logic is one of my favourites, although it is a little long.

Interestingly, there are more resources out there than I thought to help people teach philosophy to young children. I ordered one of the books I used for ideas: Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy Through Children's Literature by Thomas Wartenberg. I had originally intended to use books and stories to introduce each lesson, but decided against it for a more informative approach. I think it worked out well.

You can judge for yourself: I will try to attach the lesson to this post in PDF format. --Okay, I can't do it. But if you want to see the result of my work, just let me know and I can send it to you...

Debate on the Trinity:

Over at the blog Parchment and Pen, there is a debate going on about the Trinity. It is an organized debate, and the first two posts are up. On the one side is a Christadelphian who does not believe that the Bible teaches that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit are God--only the Father is God. I had always wondered what the Christadelphians believed, now I know a little more.

If you're interested, here's the blog: Parchment and Pen.

Here is more information regarding Christadelphians: Christadelphian website.

When I have a chance to read these posts, I will try to post about them myself.

What I'm Up to...

With Asher in our lives, Callum home and the end of term upon me, I have not had much time to update my blog. Here is what I am doing:

• Working on a learning centre with two other students that we will be presenting in class on Monday afternoon. The learning centre is designed to teach grade 5 students about chess. It's been a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well.
• I am designing a 10 lesson unit teaching grade 8 students about philosophy. It too has been a lot of work but a lot of fun at the same time. Hopefully I can get it done by Friday.
• Reading in some spare time a book about the Christian themes in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Makes me want to read the books again, and provides a really good perspective on the world around the events of the book.

I do have some thoughts running through my mind, but not enough time to work them out sufficiently for this venue. When I have more time, I will work them out more.

So far, that's it. Makes me rethink even having a blog at all, sometimes.

Good post on CCEF Blog by Ed Welch

Ed Welch, over on the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation has a good post on how to relate with those who are suffering, specifically what not to say (this may one in a series of posts, I'm not sure). But apparently it is not useful to say 'If you need anything, give me a call.' I am guilty of using this line--perhaps I will think of something better to say. Even though the sentiment is good, the line is not helpful because either people don't know what they need, or will not call. Ed Welch suggests that it is almost a put-off.

Here is the link for his post: More of what not to say to those who are suffering.

EDIT: for those left wanting more, here is the previous article Ed Welch wrote: What not to say to those who are suffering.

Non-posting.

Click the following link to see what's been keeping me busy these days: his name is Asher James.

Another New Book (and a few more).

Thanks to the Redeemer Bookstore sale, I came home earlier this week with a few new books. Two of which are the first and second volumes of a series of short stories based on issues of life and faith. I am reading the first volume now. The series is called Not Safe, But Good: Short Stories Where Faith And Life Collide and is edited by Bret Lott.

I have read the first two stories, and I am very impressed. They are indeed stories of faith, but not the inspirational, shmarmy kind. In these two stories I have read of a 12 year old boy struggling to find his identity while living in the shadow of a very popular and gregarious father who runs a Christian summer camp, and of a semi-retired father who was not the greatest husband and father, but who seeks to become better. We are shown his thoughts as he drives to take his daughter and her children back home as her marriage is dissolving (but there are many complications). So far this latter has been my favourite.

The people in these stories are definitely not heroes of faith, nor do they experience dramatic conversions. They are quite simply real people attempting to live out their faith in whatever situations they find themselves in.

So far, I highly recommend this volume. I will post more as I continue reading...

I also got, for the sake of completeness, Dorothy Sayers' The Mind of the Maker, and a book about the Christian vision in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and a book of English usage of words and phrases. All-in-all a good day.

EDIT: Sherri told me I should tell from where the title of these books comes. It is a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe specifically. Lucy is talking to Mr. Tumnus (I think) about Aslan, and he says, "He is not safe, but he is good." (or something like that.) I find it to be a good view of God and our relationship with him: not safe, but good.

New Book...

I have just started reading David Adams Richard's new book God Is. I am very impressed. I have never read any of his books before, but this one seemed very interesting.

You can read Sam Martin's review of it (from which I heard about this book to begin with) at the Comment website: Review of God Is.

Sam Martin is himself a writer in his own right. You can find his web page (with updates about his forthcoming book) here: Sam Martin's page.

Self-Determination Theory.

I am working on a paper and presentation for my Educational Psychology class on the larger topic of motivation. How can/does a teacher motivate his or her students to learn? During my preliminary research, I came across a reference to Self-determination theory, which focuses on motivation. It seems to be an interesting theory, based on the research I have done so far.

The basic premise is that there are three basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled for a person to be deeply intrinsically motivated to do something: the need for autonomy, the need for competence, and the need for relatedness. I have not done enough research yet to explain how this all works together, but I am very interested in seeing how it has been applied or can be applied at a teacher-student level.

For more information, you can go to the Self-determination theory website: Self-Determination Theory. There you can find articles about it, and even the questionnaires they use in their field studies.

When I know more about this theory, I hope to do some thinking of whether or how it could fit in with a Christian worldview, but this is not part of my assignment for school--just for my own interest!

A Book Review.

I have submitted this to Clarion, but for those who want it earlier, here is a book review:

Bruce A. Ware, Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2009.

Urged by his two daughters, to whom this book is dedicated, Professor Bruce Ware (of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has put into book form the theology lessons he taught his daughters when they were young. Each lesson is 2 or 3 pages long, includes a couple of questions for discussion and consideration and a relevant Biblical passage for memorization.

The book is separated into ten chapters, each chapter focusing on a doctrine, with each chapter divided into smaller lessons which teach the details of the doctrine. For example, the first chapter is “God’s Word and God’s Own Life as God,” and is separated into six lessons: ‘God has made himself known,’ ‘God talks—the Bible is God’s true and lasting word,’ ‘God is God apart from us,’ God is God with us,’ ‘Some truths about God’s richness that make him God,’ and ‘Some truths about God’s kindness that make him God.’

While this is a book aimed at children (I would say mid elementary school and older), I found it useful myself as well. The lessons are explained clearly and in simple language using relevant imagery or examples that are readily understood. This is the beauty (and difficulty) in writing for children, the simplicity of language. This also benefits older readers, since many theological works use terms and language accessible to those who have studied at least a little. In my reading some issues became clearer in my mind for being explained in such simple language and clear terms.

One of the great benefits of this book is that though its audience is young hearts, Ware does not gloss over or skip the difficult issues. The problem of evil is given two lessons in this book (‘God controls all the bad things in the world’ and ‘Pain and suffering in the world God controls’), and their perspective is biblical, thorough and useful. He even enters into the discussion of whether or not it was possible for Christ to have sinned in the face of his temptations. Using plenty of Biblical references (each of which are given some lines of explanation—not just listed), Ware grounds his lesson in Scripture, and so provides a clear Biblical clarification of these issues.

There are a couple of lessons in this book which may not be so useful to a Reformed audience. One area, although debated among Reformed scholars, is the status of the modern Israelites, the Jews. Ware sees the Old Testament promises of God to the nation of Israel as still in effect. In the lesson ‘The promise-keeping God and the salvation of Israel,’ Ware teaches that the people of Israel will one day be saved, but whether this is through Jesus Christ or based on the OT promises is not made clear.

One area in which there is little or no debate among Reformed Christians is that of baptism. Ware, as a Baptist Christian, argues for credobaptism (believer’s baptism) in the lesson ‘Baptism: picturing Jesus’ death and resurrection.’ Based on the New Testament texts which describe baptism, Ware argues that baptism comes after belief and is a sign of that person partaking in the death and resurrection of Christ. Thus for Ware baptism is a sign of faith, and not a sign and seal of the covenant. He acknowledges, however, that there is another understanding of baptism (paedobaptism), and asks that as Christians we be gracious to one another in our differences, for there is much, even in the doctrine of baptism, on which we agree.

Altogether, I would highly recommend this book for families seeking to learn together or for students seeking to study these things themselves, even as evening devotions or a family activity on a long road trip. Even for those of us who have studied these things this book can be put to good use, so that we may more effectively communicate the theological doctrines. The language Ware uses is clear and simple, the lessons are deep and thorough, and the final result is commendable—even if some further clarification may have to be made on some issues.