Part I—The Bible Note: During my 32 years as a preacher, several times I did a series of sermons on “What I believe about….” Every time I did it, people responded positively. They appreciated the simple statements about what I believed about certain issues. This series of blogs continue that same concern. The books of […]
One is never sure how often to cite the opinions of others. At OVU we tend to point to how US News and World Report or Washington Monthly rank the university in a positive way Recently I also related in another blog what some others thought about the recent OVU lectureship. So I point […]
A few weeks ago Ohio Valley University hosted its 57th annual Bible Lectureship around the theme of Children Mean the World to God. Afterwards we collected these responses: Congratulations on a very successful lectureship week! Just wanted to say I thought the lectureship went very well. I always enjoy being there. From my viewpoint, it […]
The people of the Old Testament didn’t paint pictures on walls or carve images in stone like the ancient Egyptians or Babylonians, but they did leave snapshots in words. Many of these images are of their youngsters. Take a quick look at some of the pictures in their scrap book, with some possible captions. Isaiah […]
As Israel completed 40 years of living in the wilderness isolated from the world around them, Moses gave three lectures to prepare them for living in a culture that would be hostile to their faith. We call those lectures Deuteronomy. Part of their preparation included this passage: 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and […]
We recognize the difference between the core of some object and its outward appearances. We understand that the color of a car has little to do with its core qualities of providing safe and reliable transportation. Color has little to do with how well a car performs on the road. Whether my winter coat buttons […]
“As I look back over my life, I find that I got upset too much about things that don’t matter.” I heard that line twice last week. Two older men, in two different places, reflecting on life came to the same conclusion. Both Christians. Both filled with some regret. Both changing course. The first man […]
In Isaiah 28-33 the prophet address people who face a problem. He assures them of the reliability of God in the midst of their crisis. To do so, the prophet describes God’s reliability with two unusual metaphors. First, God is a bird that hovers over Jerusalem (Isa 31:5). He flies over the city protecting it […]
The large and influential book of Isaiah continues to speak with relevance. The strong images of God and his concerns emerge in all 66 chapters. Yet the book remains unexplored by many. A complete 26 part study of Isaiah is available for free at www.haroldshank.com. Each unit contains a lesson, a teacher”s guide and a student sheet. Go to the web […]
It’s an odd habit. I keep birthday cards in order to reread them four or so months later. I just went through the stack from my last birthday. I reviewed them all, including the one from my “friend” who sent a newspaper clipping on “getting older means getting better deals,” a step-by-step guide to all the […]