An Old Testamant Resource full of Riches

In studying and teaching Exodus this year a resource that continually provides deep and insightful truth is Bruce Waltke's An Old Testament Theology.

My brother Sam and brother-in-law Chad, turned me on to him, for they sat under his teaching at Regent College.

A little taste from Mr. Waltke regarding God's gift to us from the Old Covenant:

At Mount Sinai Moses mediates God's word that seals God's covenant relationship with Israel and defines Israel as a nation set apart from the other nations. Israel's ratification of it empowers them to construct an earthly replica of heaven itself for the worship of their God. No other nation is defined by its holiness or by its obedience to a moral law. The United States repealed its only constitutional moral law, "Thou shalt not drink."

Veteran's Day Excursion

The Crummett boys spent Veteran's Day in San Francisco. First stop was the newly remodeled ($500 million worth) California Academy of Sciences. Jacob's favorite was the Philippine Coral Reef; Ryan's was the turtles.

Second stop was Rodeo Beach: Ryan flew his first kite, found a dead sea gull that he carried over to show me, Jake and I threw a football around and we all played chicken with the waves for hours.

Dr. John Piper is Real and so is God.

A Christmas gift from Dad and Mom addicted me to this author. From books, over the years, I got to know this man, but in September I met him face to face, shook his hand and told him thanks – John Piper is real.

A gift from God in the form of a burning bush addicted Moses to God. From personal conversations and interaction over the years Moses got to know God, but on Mt. Sinai he met him personally. God passed before him and showed himself to Moses – God is real.

We will not all have the privilege of meeting our favorite author; we all will meet God some day - face to face. It will be the climax of our lives or it will be the deepest disaster?

The Pumpkin Patch

Expelled DVD is Available

My degree names me as a scientist, and my job classifies me as one. I have been looking forward to watching Ben Stein's DVD "Expelled". I found some time and watched it with Susan. It focuses on the scientific educational system and its view toward intelligent design. If you are interested in this, or want to know what your children will be up against in higher education, give this DVD a couple hours of your time.

I gave one example in an earlier post. The following are a couple more examples from my own, so be it very limited, experience with the scientific elite:

1) One morning in Historical Geology class, as I was focusing on keeping my eyes open more than the content of what was being taught, the teacher called me by name and asked how I could just explain everything we observe using no science, but answer everything with "divine intervention". I assured the class this man knew nothing of what I believed. I looked at the professor and told him, "just because you try and shove something down my throat does not mean I have to swallow it. Do you desire for your students to think or just swallow?" He did not answer.

2) Another professor, on a field trip, asked me in front of the class about my belief in God. I asked if she believed in right and wrong. She answered, "no". I asked her if she condoned Hitler's action. She answered, something like, "we now know a reduction in the gene pool is not healthy for the overall species". I made sure I understood her answer and repeated back to her, "the only thing Hitler did wrong was reducing some genes that may have been passed on to the future species?" She answered "yes".

Just two examples, and overall I was not a very good apologist - nor a very good student. My concern was for my fellow students; a few did come to me with questions about life and God. Sadly, they literally came to me under the cover of darkness and I could feel the fear, for if their professors or other Darwin-bumper-stickered classmates found out, there would have been a price to pay. I pray for two fellow classmates in particular; I had some good conversations with them about who Jesus the Christ was and is. I pray their souls have evolved since then and their eyes have been opened to their creator.

Road Kill Kitty Cake

Of the five Crummett kids, Sam has the highest education; he is also the only one of us who could win the prize at his work’s Halloween Potluck for the “spookiest dish”.