The Power of Words and the Wonder of God

Susan and I fly home tomorrow morning from Minneapolis. We are grateful God worked it out and allowed us to attend John Piper's conference titled "The Power of Words and the Wonder of God".

I plan to make additional posts in the future as I meditate on the six speakers we heard; it may take six months to soak in the six messages.

All of the messages (print, audio and video) are here.

ESV Study Bible

I made the switch from the NASB to the ESV around three years ago and have never looked back, for it is a very well done word for word translation. A study Bible has been in the works for a while and I placed my order last spring. The delivery date is approaching:

The figures and notes look great and the essays contained in the back appear to be worth the price of the Bible. Two of the authors, J.I. Packer and John Hannah both have a small connection with my family, for Sam (brother) had a one-on-one semester study with Packer at Regent and I was blessed to sit under Hannah for a week of teaching at BSF Headquarters. I enjoyed sharing a dinner together with Dr. John Hannah one evening - a very gracious, humble, down-to-earth man who has been touched by the grace of God (he is also quirky, but brilliant).

Poetic Justice - Now and Then

Jacob and Ryan were instructed to get ready for bed. Jacob, as stealthy as a six year old can be, throws some objects into the doorway of his bedroom. Mom questions - no answer. Mom investigates - a couple of die cast miniature airplanes have been thrown on the carpet. Mom questions again, "so you will step on them", is the answer given in a bratty voice.

I assume this is an attempt at humor from a six-year-old. It is a good thing Dad did not hear, for there would have been a quick readjustment of his sense of humor. Mom, with motherly intuition, waits for him to finish brushing his teeth. He has a disagreement with his brother, forgets about the trap he has lain, walks down the hall in bare feet and steps on a plane with full force. Jacob immediately cries out in pain and the volume of his cries double when he observes his mom unsuccessfully attempting to suppress her laughter.

Poetic Justice.

The Pharaoh of Egypt has a plan to break the divine strength that has multiplied the Israelites from 70 to two million. He instructs the midwives to abort on the "birth stool" the innocent sons of the Hebrews. His plan fails. He commands his nation to throw the new born boys into the Nile - death by drowning. His plan is thwarted, for God has a greater plan.

God is not mocked: Within a generation, a cry arises from Egypt that would turn your spine cold as the Egyptians discover their own eldest sons have all been killed by God.

The final separation from Egypt occurs when a Pharaoh, surrounded by the might of his army, has the life leave his body after the water from the Red Sea fills his lungs; death by drowning.

Poetic Justice.

Stop and Listen.

A story from the Washington Post:

Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript—a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play.
For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro on January 12, 2007, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also might have noted the violin he played—a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post—"an experiment in context, perception, and priorities—as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?" Just three days earlier, Joshua Bell sold out Boston Symphony Hall, with ordinary seats going for $100. In the subway, Bell garnered about $32 from the 27 people who stopped long enough to give a donation.

How often we do this with God; if only we would stop and listen, for beauty would transform our soul.