Israel in Croatia

This weekend, the students from Teoloska Biblija Academija and I ministered to several churches around Croatia. I was able to see parts of the country where I had never been, learn about their histories, challenge the Christians who live there, and also receive a blessing from visiting with them. I was able to teach seminars on the historical geography of Israel at two churches in Croatia. This is the promo which the church used to advertise the seminar:


Saturday's lecture was given to the church in Cackovec. I challenged the believers to be careful students of their Bibles, to consider each part as given by God and important (even names of cities or regions or lands), and to consider the lives of the people contained therein.


I was encouraged by the turnout and response. We focused our attention on a general orientation with the major features of the land of Israel, then a geographical study of Joshua 1:1-8:29, and finally a geographical study of the last week of Jesus' life before crucifixion.


But you know, some may ask? Why would you teach a group of believers who will live and die on a farm in the same village they were born about Israel when there are so many other things to teach? Don't you think you should focus on more important things? Isn't that seminar more fit for a seminary?





I believe it was important (not just a theoretical question). Here are a few reasons for why believers should understand geographically the contents of their Bibles:

1.It reminds them that their Bibles are true. The Bible is not a big book of fables, nice stories to teach children. The Bible contains God given accounts of historical events. These events actually occurred.

2.It reminds them that the Bible talks about real people, many of whom lived very ordinary lives (they lived, they worked, ate and slept) and experienced trials (they had family members get sick or die, lossed children or couldn't have children); but some of these people lived with an amazing faith in a real God.

3.It reminds them that God works among them in time and place. He causes nations to rise and fall. He gives rulers authorities and takes it away whenever He wants. He gives jobs and keeps families from becoming ill.

4.It causes believers to read their Bibles more carefully. Do you read your Bible like an airplane passenger looks out of his window. A bunch of buildings, some cars, some little people...I wonder when they are going to bring the peanuts. Studying this geography causes one to ask questions: What are those places? Why are they important? Where are those people going? Why are they going there? Who are those people? What are their concerns today? Are they examples to follow? Or are they fools? And am I like them?

5.Because they came. This study interested many people who came for the simple purpose of knowing their Bibles better.

6.It challenges believers with whether they really know their Bibles. I have seen this study bring such insight and thoughtfulness to the Biblical account.

7.It brings believers to further realize the preciousness of the Bible in their hands. And on this point, there is an exclamation point when you are outside America. If you are reading this and you just came from a library where there are 20+ thousand volumes of books related to the Bible, and you think that is no big deal. You're wrong. It seems that many places of the world will never know a library such as that in a language available to common people. This study focuses believers more on the one book they have (which is really the most important book).

So I believe that this study was and is important for these believers (which I have come to see that many of whom are more engaged in the Christian life than some seminarians).

God's Grace to Me at 26

About a week ago, I celebrated my 26th birthday--the second time of my life in which I celebrated my birthday out of the states and away from my family (although both of these times, I was with very dear brothers and sisters). A few years ago, I began to be so impressed with the grace of God on these annual occasions. To think, "Why did God let me live another year?" To be filled with thanksgiving for His faithfulness, goodness, and testing throughout the year. And also to examine myself, asking, "What did I do with those 365 days?" Did I waste them or did I improve them in the most profitable way I possibly could?

It is an activity of polar opposites--to see the depths of my sinfulness and to see the heights of God's working in me. The examination brings seriousness to my ambitions, earnestness to my repentance, and a greater desire for personal sanctification on this earth. I believe that God used this year in my life most to make me anxious about pursuing His purposes for me. How is it that I can most bring Him glory? Brainerd and M`Cheyne each died at 29 and this makes me even more anxious. Don’t get me wrong. My perspective is balanced with the knowledge of the sovereignty of God and the knowledge of His eternal love for His children. My thinking, however, is that I just don’t want to be the servant who comes to His Lord with one mina, having just dug it up. Saying to myself, “29 is 3 years away” is profitable and so I believe that it will be a theme for this year (should God give me another year).

I had a great birthday here in Croatia, hearing the Bible taught by a faithful pastor from Jacksonville, Florida.

It's 1938 and Iran is Germany.

This is the statement Benjamin Netanyahu recently made at a conference in Los Angeles concerning the current threat in the Middle East. A video containing excerpts of the speech is available through this link to Jerusalemonline.com. He comments on some of the similarities between the rise of the Jewish Holocaust and the present. The video is about 10 minutes long and worth watching.

First Snow...

It's getting really cold here...really fast. The first snow of the autumn came last week. Next week will be very full. I will be teaching four days on New Testament Survey. On Thursday, we will reenact the events and discourses of the last supper during our meal in order to understand better Jesus' life and minstry.

I started painting the fence at the missionaries house as well. It turned out to be a larger project than expected. The paint that I am using is as thin as water and is taking about 8 coats to treat the wood.


Here is a picture of a cemetery decorated with candles for the all saints day holiday. The cemeteries here are immaculate. The people really believe in maintaining the gravesite for the sake of the dead.


Here is a picture of my study desk at Todd and Lynn Dick's house (the missionaries that I am staying with).

Wrap it up! Can you believe this. This is a display at the IKEA in Gratz, Austria.

Actually Posting...

So my access to internet is a little more difficult right now. I'm working on it so I think soon I'll be able to post more pictures and updates about how things are going out here. A friend told me about a website for getting a quick daily news report from Israel. It's presented in video format, usually about 2 minutes long, just the facts, and reports news about life in Israel as well as news about conflicts. The site is connected with Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper in English. The website is Jerusalemonline.com.