I have been the pastor of The First Baptist Church of Tolono for eight years in June.  When I first came to the church it was after a strong pull to return to Central Illinois and pastor my own church after serving as an associate pastor at Bara Baptist Church in Carbondale.  At the the time I had clear understanding that God has used me for a specific purpose in a specific location to both minister to a group of people and develop me as a minister of the Gospel, but that time had drawn to a close.  I was not absolutely sure where or what I was supposed to do but I started to investigate the call and soon found The First Baptist Church of Tolono.  Tolono was an entirely different ministry than I had previously known.  For example, Bara was a church plant and Tolono was a long established church.  I was also moving from being an associate pastor to being the senior, and only pastor, of a church which removed any safety net that I enjoyed in Carbondale.  My responsibility in Carbondale was to preach on Sunday Morning (rare for an associate pastor) and little else.  In Tolono I was faced with the wide range of responsibilities that a pastor of a small rural church faces as the only full time staff member.  Different ministries and God used them both to develop certain parts of me.

I now recognize that the time has come again for the next era of my ministry and that involves earning my Masters of Divinity and perhaps even my PhD in the area of theology and biblical studies.  What happens after that, I do not know yet, but I believe that it is clear to most people that know me well, that I have certain God given abilities that will only be improved by a time of focused and formal study of the Scriptures in a more academic setting.  My first priority has always been and will continue to be the local church and the application of theological truth to that context, but my 12 years of experience in the local church needs to be supplemented with more study than I can accomplish out here in the field on my own.  I need a greater knowledge of the original languages, I need access to a serious theological library, I need to be taught by men who far exceed my knowledge of the Scriptures and I need to be part of a community that is dedicated to addressing the issues facing the modern church in a Biblical manner.  Southern Seminary in Louisville provides all of this to me for the sake of the Kingdom and not for some personal need for validation through academic degrees. 

Even three years ago I was not ready to attend seminary.  I was not ready academically, I was not ready spiritually and for these reasons the way was not made for me.  Now, however, the time has come and the right combination of circumstances have busted a door wide open for me and I am stepping out on faith to go through that door.  I am not leaving Tolono for a bigger church, or for more money or more prestige, but instead I am selling most of my possessions, moving into an apartment that is smaller than my current parsonage, and currently have no job that I can count on for provision in Louisville.  I hope that this is an important object lesson for those who have benefited from my ministry and that they will, in like manner, learn to take drastic measures to follow God's will.  A consistent point that I have made the last eight years is that Christianity is not merely an addition that one makes to their current life, but rather a radical conversion that encompasses all parts of a man or women's life.  Jesus says in John 12:24, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."  Just as Jesus had to die for the atonement of sin, the follower of Jesus must die to self to bear fruit that will last.  Is there no fruit in your life?  Then perhaps there has not been a death.  What millstones of sin do you have around your neck that are dragging you down?  For me, my millstone was a fear of surrendering the relative comfort of a stable, if stagnant, ministry.  I have had my share of turmoil in Tolono, but at least it was a known turmoil that provided no real surprises. 

I could stay in Tolono for many years to by throwing myself into the task of administration and an inward focused visitation program that is based on meeting perceived needs, but I know that would be a betrayal of my gifts and calling as a preacher of the Gospel.  Paul says to Timothy,

"Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

There are many right sounding opinions of what a pastor should be, but there is only one opinion that has any authority, and it is the revelation of God through the Scriptures.  If I am to be a preacher of these Scriptures, they must be the only authority that regulates my preaching.  The clear emphasis of the Bible is that a preacher must, above all, preach and set about doing what is necessary to support that preaching.  The preacher must do this for the sake of himself and for the sake of those whom he has been given charge over.  It is a responsibility that must withstand the pressure to do otherwise by both church members and the secular world alike, regardless of the consequences.  The church does not need a manager, a coach, a hired friend, a pillar of the community, or a motivational speaker, it needs men who give themselves wholly over to the preaching and teaching of the scriptures and the application of those scriptures to every aspect of the church and her members.  That is the man that I want to be.  That is the man that I have to be.

In addition to attending the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary full time, I am also accepting a commission in the Illinois National Guard.  Doing so will allow me to continue my ministry while I am still in school and provide much needed ministry to young men and women in their time of greatest need.  It will also give me an opportunity to immerse myself in a pluralistic situation in which Christ is only one voice of many.  Again, those of you who know me well, understand my need to place myself in situations in which I am surrounded by those who do not know Christ as Savior.  I write these words from Merry Ann's Diner at 12:00 in the morning and I do so because it was a place just like this in which my pastor spent over a year talking to me about my need for Christ and giving me the very "words of life" from the scriptures.  An uneducated, scruffy looking local preacher took a personal interest in a clean cut, college student who was studying philosophy and that preacher was used by God to bring my salvation to fruition in "the fullness of time."  For this reason I unapologetically place myself in these unlikely places to preach, in the hope that God will use me in the same way that he used my pastor.  I will continue to do this as long as I have breath remaining. I will continue to do so as an example to all believers. 

I cannot express to you the kind of pain that a pastor goes through when he must make the decision to leave.  For many of you, both children and adults, I am the only pastor that you have ever known and the thought of calling someone else "pastor" might be strange to you, but we must remember that our faith is not based upon men but rather upon God and the grace given to us through Jesus Christ.  If any of you fall from faith on account of my leaving, then neither you or I have done what we were called to do; become disciples of Jesus Christ.  Both you and I must trust that God will care for his own and raise up a man to replace and, hopefully, even surpass me in your hearts and minds.  The task of calling a new pastor will be difficult and I intend to spend my remaining sermons giving you God's word concerning the role of pastors.  The calling of a new pastor will be entirely your responsibility, but while I am with you I am going to clarify that task with the scriptures and it will be your responsibility to accept or reject what I preach to you. Most congregations are tempted to take a poll of the membership to see what they want in a pastor.  This list is often compiled into a master list and the resulting job description is a description that rivals Jesus Himself.  This suspiciously resembles Paul's warning to Timothy, "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 

Tracy and I have never thought of this church as a stop on our way to something else.  We have built a life here and made the church the most important part of of it, but it is now time for us to go despite the pain that we will feel and the relationships that we have formed.  We are both excited about what lies ahead for us despite the uncertainties.  We also understand that the end of my ministry here is not the end of our relationships, they just change in nature.  It is my hope that whatever you managed to learn from me, you will take forward into the future and I will certainly take the lessons that I have learned from you into my endeavors.  I know that whoever comes to know Christ under your ministries will be accredited to my account and that those people that I minister to in the future will be accredited to yours.  In this way, no matter where we are, we will be still united in Christ and serving together.

Your Loving Pastor in Christ,

J Kent Kroencke

 It seems just like yesterday that I was making crowns out of old menus for the girl I called the Rat Princess and feeding her all the pickles that she could eat.  She would tag along at the Corner Diner and fill all of the sugar and sweetener packages while I filled the salts.  Sigh.  It seems unbelievable that she is just a year away from going off to college now.

As you can see from the photos she is an incredibly beautiful girl and I have often wonder why God did not bless me with some more homely daughters that only a Father could love.  She is out right now with her date to prom and I praying that she is safe and smart.  The school has an after prom that is sponsored and chaperoned, so I feel a little better about the whole thing.  They are also stringently timing their arrival and departure times and not allowing any wiggle room for shenanigans (That is the very first time that I have used that word in print!)

As irritated as I have been all week with shelling out dough to pay for various prom related accruements, when I saw her I got a little chocked up and made sure she had a little pocket money just in case of emergency and I hope that she has a really good time tonight.  just not too good...

J Out

I just emailed my last revisions of my last 20 poems to my professor which marks the very last of the school work that I need to do before I graduate.  Not finishing my Bachelors degree when I had the chance 10 years ago has been a giant weight sitting on me.  For me this degree is more than just a piece of paper, it is a validation that I have gotten past all of the issues that plagued me when I was in college the first time and for that matter the problems I had in school since the First Grade! Ever since I received my Iowa Test scores back in grade school, I have been marked as someone who is not "living up to their potential."   I hated those test and the pressure they put on me.  The same thing happened when I received a high score on the ACT and then I choose to go to SIU that only required something like a 17 to get admitted. 

The truth about intelligence and potential is that it does not mean much if it is not coupled with the right kind of drive and work ethic.  Without the latter, the former means little more than being able to beat just about anyone in Trivial Pursuit.  I have struggled mightily with all kinds of core issues that have kept me from doing what I was capable of doing and after many years of struggle I have started to emerge from those issues.  This is not psychological as much as is spiritual in nature.  What I have discovered in recent years is a spiritual discipline that I have not had before and I see it increasing in an ever increasing measure the more of these victories that I gain.  "So this is what having straight A's feels like!" I said after my first semester at EIU and for the first time in my life, this is important to me.  Again, not for the sake of the "A",  but for the satisfaction that comes from productive labor that has meaning and a purpose.  I am now getting the grades because I understand how it will enhance my ministry in a positive way.

Not even 24 hours after posting the blog on how to treat crazy people, a fellow with a backpack and an obvious history of mental health problems wandered to my door.  He was on his way to Kentucky from Oregon and had to get off the highway because he was being hassled by the cops.  I made him some sandwiches, a cup of coffee and some granola bars for the road while we sat and visited for an hour or so.  The Bible calls this hospitality and it is a lost art among Christians.

Some day I will write a post about the foreign man (Greek, I think) who came to our house at Midnight looking for "sanctuary." "ummm, yeah, this is not 14th century France and churches really do not do that anymore.."  There is only so much I can do! Then there was the Korean kid that was getting chased by the "mob" who needed a ride to Mattoon to catch a bus, or the schizophrenic with AIDS that had  to go to the U of I astronomy building because he had seen it on the Internet and had walked here from Texas because he had developed a fixation on that building OR the 6'5" man with paranoid delusions that I had to talk down from wanting to kill a high school kid at the Diner who he thought was laughing at him.

I really need to start writing these down... wait...  I just did.

Over the past 15 years I have been a lightning rod for people who clinically crazy.  This is probably due in part that I have spent a considerable amount of time in late night diners and also in part that I have tried to treat these people with dignity and common decency.  As I hear the news reports about the young man at Virginia Tech,  there seems to be a lot of talk about ignored warning signs. I am sure that a 30 day national debate is about to erupt concerning how we should deal with the mentally ill and I am also sure that there is going to be a call to "lock these people up."

Locking up all the crazy people seems to be a good "common sense" solution to potentially dangerous people in our midst, but it is that word "potential" that is the sticking point.  Can we start locking up people for what they might do?  Over the years I have come across people who genuinely scared me with their psychosis, but the the overwhelming majority were not violent, just different.  The situation at Virginia Tech is no doubt tragic but can we realistically have the kind of foresight needed to keep it from happening?  I am afraid that any measures that would be truly effective would also be also be a gross violation against a whole population of people.

Here is a list of recommendations for dealing with crazy people in society who are benign.

1.  First, and most importantly, remember that Jesus died for crazy people too.

2.  Remember that these people have been abused in one form or another for much of their life.

3.  Let these folks have a cup of coffee in peace without trying to drive them off.  They don't have anywhere else to go.

4.  Talk to them like the people that they are and give them some slack for the goofy stuff they are going to say.  They can't help it.

5.  Don't be a hero.  Most of these folks do not want help and will not accept it so don't try heroic efforts to "save them from themselves."  Chances are you are just trying to clear your own conscience.  Buy them a cup of coffee, give them some friendship and help when you are asked.  You cannot imagine how much it means to someone like this to just be treated like a human being.

6.  Give them the gospel.  The Holy Spirit speaks to crazy people too.  They may not become the "bright and shiny" Christians that most church people want to associate with, so have realistic expectations.  Most mentally ill people that I talk to have a story about how some church has tried to "cast out their demons."  Most schizophrenics chain smoke as a method of self-medication, so if they come to church and have to leave half way trough a sermon to smoke, let them.  Lung cancer and addiction to nicotine is the least of these people's problem.  Most of all, treat them like a brother or sister in Christ.  How many churches will honestly roll out the red carpet for these crazy people who talk to themselves, spurt out obscenities, pace, get freaked out by loud noises and chain smoke?  Almost NONE.  SHAME to the church who rejects society's unlovely underbelly.  You don't have to give them nursery duties, just let them come to one place other than a mental institution where they feel like they belong.  WHO CARES what people are going to think.

All of these suggestions can be done by everyone.  You don't have to be a mental health advocate or have a special ministry.  I am not saying that the Virginia Tech murders could have been avoided if someone was kind to this kid who snapped, but crazy people are all around us all the time and you just might have an impact on one of them with a little human decency.  I just pray that society at large is not going to "crack down" on the mentally ill.  Last time I checked it was not against the law to be nuts and it is not a sin either.  For those of you who are Christians, remember that your Lord was "despised and afflicted" too. 

I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I am sick to death of coffeehouses right now.  I am just about to start in on my LAST paper for the semester, I have slept only 8 hours in the last 48 and Im going to have to go to coffee rehab to dry out.

Nothing clever today, just grinding it out

Acts 26:24b

"Your great learning is driving you insane."

I have taken a few weeks off from the church to finish up my EIU requirements and do some spring cleaning.  I am painfully close to finishing up all of my school work for EIU and hope to be finished in the next 48 hours.  For this last big push I have gone to Mattoon to find some anonymity which is often in short supply in the Champaign-Urbana area. The only problem is that Mattoon is not hardcore studier friendly.  The coffeehouse, which has nice atmosphere but weak coffee, closed at 11:00 PM and I had to relocate to Steak and Shake.  Steak and Shake at 12:00 am in Mattoon is filled with local night life people and the waitress did not know what to make of a person writing poetry.  I knew my welcome would be limited so I worked quickly and found a good litmus test for my departure:  I knew that I should probably leave before the guy with the clenched trench coat and vacant stare who was chain smoking cigarettes that look like they were traded for his extra blankets at the facility...

I took along the video camera to K's Practice like I promised.  Not only will the friends and family be able to see how she is doing, it will also be a valuable training tool for Abe and K.  K was a little hard to get focused yesterday, as she often is on Friday, but after 30 minutes Abe was able to get her in a groove.  She ran 4 50m sprints to work on some form issues and then Abe had her run 3 100m.  All three 100m were in the mid 17's with her best being 17.58 (a personal record).  2 Weeks ago she ran a 19 and a bunch of 18's and Monday she ran 3 18's and a few 17's.  She is definitely showing quick improvement. 

The video is of 3 different runs.  The first was a slower start with choppy steps and a major slow up  toward the end.  The second start was after Abe did some coaching and K responded well as can be seen in the difference in form.  The third section is the K's record setting 100m with some encouragement from Abe and I.  She did really well and love to go to training.  I have been working on her mental state training before and after practice.  I told her that being K Elizabeth-like is fantastic for 99% of the time, but in that 90 minute training session twice a week she needs to develop some focus and willingness to listen carefully to her coaches instruction.   Tracy and I have noticed a change in her behavior all of the rest of the time as well.  I am trying to walk that fine line between taking something seriously, but not so seriously that she starts to hate running. 

The Drake relays are coming up in April and the Junior Olympics in July.  If K can get her 100m down to the 14 second range, she will be very competitive.   I asked K if she is ready to run a race against other girls her age and she said in classic K form, "Yes, I am ready for my FAME."  'Nuff said...

Here is a cliche that one hears from both Christians and Non-Christians in equal amounts.  This cliche is  closely related to the less used phrase, "Can we ever really know what the scriptures mean?"  The short answer to this is, yes, we can have a reasonable understanding of the scriptures. These phrases  are often deployed upon a person hearing a well reasoned argument from the scriptures that runs contrary to a closely held opinion.  You may have noticed that I qualified my response with the term reasonable understanding since I do admit that a perfect knowledge of God while in the flesh is not possible, but I would say that we can have enough understanding to act in accordance to the Word.

Here is an important passage from 2 Timothy 3 concerning the sufficiency of scripture:

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

First,  we read that the Scriptures are "able to make you wise for Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."  Everything that person needs to know about salvation through Jesus is revealed in the Scriptures and this saving knowledge comes through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  I will address this issue of the Holy Spirit toward the end of the post, but for now remember that we are not alone in our interpretation of the Scriptures.

Second, you will notice that the Scriptures are useful for "teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  Clearly, we can have enough understanding to not only be saved, but also to live a Christian life."  God's intention is to reveal himself to his creation so that we may know Him.   You will notice that Timothy had become "convinced" which implies a rational process by which he appropriated the Scriptures as part of his knowledge and is confident enough to act upon this knowledge. 

The book of Revelation is often the target of these cliches, which is ironic due to the fact that the book is focused on revealing Jesus Christ not obscuring him.  Last year I taught through the entire book of Revelation and did so with the assumption that we can understand what it contains to a reasonable degree.  This approach was fruitful and caused me to dig deeper into the Word when before I might have thrown up my hands in defeat when faced with a difficult passage. 

This idea of a reasonable amount of knowledge can be seen in all of Man's actions.  I have an above average understanding of physics, but this is not necessary for me to have the confidence to walk down the street without the fear of hurtling into space or being thrown to the ground.  I am sure that there are some circumstances in which this might happen (quantum physics allows for a small possibility of lots of strange things happening!), but I have enough knowledge to act in accordance with the laws of physics without having a perfect understanding.

In the end, a person should never run for the shelter of these cliches.  Instead we must remember the words of John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." and accept that we are often wrong about the interpretation of the Scriptures, but that we can eventually be right.  If you disagree with a brother or sister in Christ, respectfully tell them so, then allow yourself the option of being convinced by a well reasoned argument from the scriptures and then provide a well reasoned argument of your own.

We see through a glass darkly, but we can indeed, SEE...

Eleanor is closing in on 1 year in May and she has been an easy baby to this point, but Tracy and I are starting to notice particular traits that are much like K Elizabeth. K is a ... special child. Tracy and I have long abandoned the idea that we were ever going to control K and have decided on a policy of containment instead. Her track training has been good for her though and I have not ever seen anything provide a real challenge until she started to run. K's coach, Abe, is an fantastic coach and pushes K to her limits. Abe has also resigned himself to the fact that K is not just concerned about speed, she also has to look good doing it. Abe, the racing professional, did not quite know what to think about the excitement K had about matching from head to foot in her new track outfit.

I will soon be posting some video of K at the track. I was amazed last night at her form and the improvments that she has made in just a few months. At the end of the month we are going to Iowa for a track meet and I am excited to see how K does against girls her own age. There is also a elementary school track meet at the end of the school year that is going to be a hoot to watch. K won 2 out of the 3 running events (got second in the third because she did not run through the finish line!) and that was before she started to train. One of K's little friends at school does not believe K when she says she is training for the Junior Olympics (and I don't blame her, K is known for an "active imagination"). This girl was the one who beat her in the 200m last year so I think that she is in for a surprise this year.

 
Video: Racetrack baby

One of the many benefits of the poetry class that I have taken is the self-examination of the ways that I communicate. As a pastor, my calling is to communicate truth through speech and writing, so this self-examination is critical to any improvements I can make. Looking critically at ones own communication is difficult, but the reward is worth any angst that might be caused. One deficiency that I have identified about myself is the use of cliches.

A cliche is a phrase that has been used so often that it has entered into the public consciousness and is generally accepted as truth. A cliche, because of its familiarity, often escapes critique of its truthfulness and is offered as a premise that leads to a conclusion. When one uses a faulty premise, a faulty conclusion is bound to result. For the Christian, any wisdom that comes from the minds of men must be questioned if we are to ever grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Another problem with cliches is that they cause miscommunication. People use cliches as a sort of short hand when speaking and writing. Instead of forming their thoughts into their own voice they deploy these phrases that are already filled with meaning and by doing so people commit an act of mental and spiritual laziness. Cliches take no reflection; they come ready to use in times of doubt. The problem lies in that the meaning of these cultural signifiers are often different from person to person so that when a cliche is used, the intended message might not be truly communicated. Both communicator and receiver nod to accept the premise offered by the cliche but they are no closer to agreement than they were before.

Preachers of the Word are especially guilty of this spiritual and mental laziness that I mentioned above. I have heard sermons that are nothing more than a series of cliches strung together. These cliches come from church culture and may or may not be grounded in the the truth of the scriptures. The preacher might be able to provoke many "amens" from the congregation, but this is no way to gauge to the success of a sermon. I believe that cliches are also a sign of unfaithfulness on the part of a preacher. Instead of depending on the Holy Spirit in faith to make the truth known to our listeners, we push emotional buttons in our hearers so that instead of working to preach truth, we settle for the acceptance that comes from familiarity.

As my headline infers, I am going to take a series of cliches and exam them closer through lens of the scriptures. I have several in mind, but would ask that you the reader give me some input through email and comments on this posting. What cliches would you like busted? I will start the list of some of my "favorites" and this might help you to remember.

1. "too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good"

2. "He has book smarts but not common sense"

3. "Judge not lest ye be judged" and the secular equivalent "People in glass houses..."

(scripture can be cliche if it is used incorrectly and out of context, like the above quote)

4. "You need to invite Jesus into your heart"

5. "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life"

6. "Nixon wasn't a crook, he just got caught"

Please give me your favorite cliches to bust. They may be political, religious or otherwise.

It has been a long time since I was so moved by a sermon. God in his sovereignty has done several for me and to me in the past few weeks. I have been tested by God through my circumstances, but he has, according to his word has provided me with what I need to make the most of this testing. Tracy and I took a "spiritual vacation" to Louisville, KY and attended the Seminary chapel service on Tuesday, April Fourth. This was an amazing service in which I was confronted with the desires that I have had to leave ministry and forsake the call that has been given to me. This sermon was delivered by James Macdonald from Harvest Bible church in Chicago, Illinois, which in many ways is irrelevant since I clearly recognize that he, like preachers should be, is an instrument of God's sovereignty. I don't know much about this man's ministry, but I know that he and I were put into that place at that time and I heard from God in a way that I have not for a long time. The sermon reduced me to tears through most of the sermon for two important reasons. The first is that I was given confirmation that I am not the only preacher who rejects endless stories and illustrations as part of sermons and understands that it is not the pastor who draws men unto Christ, but rather Jesus himself who draws all men unto himself. It is the preaching of The Word that God moves upon and only The Word. Secondly, I was confronted with my lack of faithfulness in the face of opposition which laid me low in spirit. The sermon was predicated on the idea of ministers need to finish well and the very next week my friend Andy Rice bought a book for me that was a case study of 6 Christian leaders of different ages who, and this was part of the title, finished well. I pray that I do not ever become so hardened that I cannot recognize when God is telling me something.

Brokenness. Don't get in the pulpit without it....

When I was at SIU in the philosophy department, I took Ancient Greek for 2 semesters and it proved to be the most challenging class that I have ever taken. What I appreciated the most was the teachers style and approach to the language. First of all, he was a raging Atheist, but an honest academic. He stated clearly that the modern translations of the Holy Scriptures were, in fact, very accurate and reliable, but he did not believe a word of it. This is a position that I can deal with as a Christian for I know that belief comes not through human efforts, but is the gift of God through faith and a regenerated spirit. Too often I have to deal with the anecdotal position that the scriptures have been translated "so many times" from "so many languages." The general perception is that there are dozens of intermediary languages that are involved in making a modern translation when in fact the translations are made from first and second century text directly into the modern English. I have met with this response even within my own church (usually in reaction to something that I have taught that runs contrary to their previous beliefs.) I would like the proverbial dime for every time someone has run for the shelter of "unknowablity." You have to watch out for those closet Gnostics amongst us!

The second item that I appreciated was the method in which he taught language. Instead of a modern method of a being a supportive facilitator of language acquisition, my professor was a cruel task master that would make us go to the board on "chalk day" and do our translations. If we were incorrect he would mock us and encourage our peers to do the same. It was that sort of environment that ensured that I was prepared for classroom demonstrations of skill. I remember many late night sessions with fellow students at the Corner Diner in which we were both partners in learning and rivals fighting for the approval of our professor. Another exercise that we did was translating English sentences into the Greek.  This might be questionable as far as usefulness, but it he would limit the sentences to period appropriate phrases such as, "Touch that sword and you will die where you sit."  Old school baby...

I am now taking up the Greek again so that I can improve my exposition of the scriptures. I have purchased a variety of Greek primers and language tools to try and teach myself while down in the trenches of ministry. As with any language, it comes down to slogging through the self-discipline issues until a proper base of knowledge is created and once the curve is climbed you can begin mining the finer points of the language. I have purchased flash cards, audio vocabulary exercises, computer programs, text books and will wear a toga if it will help me get over that hump. You cannot call yourself an expositor of the scriptures without being able to read Koine Greek!

Andy Rice has become the de facto facilitator of the Mattoon High School Class of 1989 and he has arranged several lunches at villa pizza for alumni that are still in the area. Although I had hoped to see Steve Ball there, there was still a good turn out and I hope that we can get one more lunch in before Andy goes off to California to re-join the Marines.

A grand time was had by all today, mostly at the expense of Gary Otto, the eternal straight man. There was one particular moment that I would love to document on Fear and Trembling, but I am sure that it would lose something in the medium of cyberspace and I have not figured out a way to use the kind of veiled language necessary for a pastor's blog. But it got a huge laugh out of me and Andy Rice laughed until his nose bled.

I am going to post the pictures, one is below, and the rest are in my Gallery for anyone who wants to download them.

The new waiter was just coming onto duty to handle the after bar type people and upon examining his new customers says in a voice of exasperation,

"Man...Do I have to start out with the transvestite? I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet..."