The Zermatt Klettersteig

For old time's sake, I think I might do this climb again in August. You climb up and across a 3,000 foot vertical cliff. 

It was  hard and yet so much fun! 

Choosing a University

Oh, how I miss the taste of a Swiss Gipfeli and a hot cup of coffee overlooking the Rhine while waiting to sit at the feet of my fabulous teachers at the University of Basel! 

Basel was the only university I applied to for my doctoral studies because it was the only university I wanted to attend. I can say for certain that my Basel education was the key inspiration for everything I write today. It taught me some really vital skills that I don't think I'll ever forget. 

Young person, when it comes to higher education, choose your university well. It will shape you, for better or worse, for your entire life. 

Why Do We Study Greek?

I just posted the course syllabus for my Greek 1 class in the fall. Just in case anyone is interested, here are my stated course objectives. 

1. Understand the role of the biblical languages in New Testament studies.

2. Recognize a working vocabulary of the most frequently occurring words in the Greek New Testament.

3. Demonstrate a basic working knowledge of Greek grammar and syntax enabling you to translate and interpret passages from the Greek New Testament.

4. Identify the various exegetical and reference tools to further your ability to interpret the Greek New Testament.

5. Utilize Greek in biblical interpretation for life and ministry.

6. Appreciate the cross-shaped discipleship to which Jesus calls his followers and begin to appropriate to one's own life the model of servanthood and radical Calvary-love that the New Testament presents.

7. Enjoy a greater love for Jesus and a greater commitment to obeying his Great Commission.

8. Apply basic principles of textual criticism in places of textual variation in the Greek New Testament.

9. Understand and apply the  basic principles of New Testament exegesis, including our tenstep approach of moving from text to sermon.

I think my favorite is #7!

Have fantastic week! 

4 Weeks of Steps (263 Miles)

Here are the stats: 

They include the 7-mile run I completed early this morning before things heated up. 

I forgot to mention that I'm not merely a mediocre runner. I am awful. I am as slow as a glacier. I'm a slow runner, a slow cyclist, and a ridiculously slow swimmer. But I'm having more fun than I've ever had 😊

Hope your Lord's Day is going well! 

The Boys Are Berry Happy!

They picked blueberries this afternoon. 

Including the youngest.

Gotta love grandkids! 

Today's Run

Distance: 10 miles.

Steps: 21,924.

Calories burned: 1,964. 

Thanks for reading, friends! 

Since We're Talking about Weight Loss ...

Hello everyone. Just a brief PSA today in the form of a couple of disclaimers. (Should have done this years ago. But better late than never!)

1. First of all, I want to say that I'm obviously not a medical professional, so nothing in my blog posts should be taken as medical advice. This blog is just me sharing my own personal experience and some of the things I've gone through and some of the changes I wanted to make in my life. 

2. I also want to make it clear that I am not trying to body shame anyone or tell anyone what they should do. Everyone reading my blog has the right to eat whatever they want and make any health decision they want to make for themselves. Your life is your life -- personal to you. I want to share my personal story because there's an off chance that it could help someone else who's having a similar struggle with their weight. 

3. Weight loss is a consistent, never-ending refinement of yourself. The only question you need to ask yourself is, "How can I be just a little bit better today than I was yesterday?" It's really all about creating a healthy lifestyle. Real progress comes with consistency -- making the next best decision for yourself and not aiming for perfection. You can aim for perfection, but be okay with knowing that you're never going to achieve it. And that is fine. You need to be okay with that because it's just a part of life. You're always going to want more and you're always going to want to try and be perfect. Just don't get upset at yourself for not being able to achieve your "perfect" physique. Instead, focus on the progress the Lord is allowing you to make. For example, this was me yesterday.

It's not exactly where I would like to be but I'm so grateful for the 35 pounds I've been able to lose so far. There will be bad patches and good patches, but neither lasts forever. And all it takes to begin is a single step. 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! 

Thank God I'm a Country Boy!

This morning I was reading 1 Samuel while studying the life of Saul. In chapter 10, Saul is acclaimed as king (see v. 24). And in the very next chapter, he's out in the field with his oxen (11:5). I love that! Once a farm boy, always a farm boy I guess. 

It gets into your blood. Farming is a simple, enjoyable, and fulfilling life. No city chaos. Just peace and quiet. And lots of hard work. There are always yards to mow (as I did today). . 

Or fields to bush hog. 

The world feels light, and happiness comes from the littlest of things. You work regardless of whether it's 100 degrees outside or 30 degrees. You go with the rhythm of the day and of the year. Someone once wrote a book called Flat Broke with Two Goats. I get it! For me, living on a farm is healthier both physically and mentally. It's not always easy, but nothing of true value comes without effort. 

I imagine King Saul missed the quiet days of his upbringing on the farm. It's like going to your own private National Park. If I would ever have to leave the farm, I would miss it something awful. 

Thank God I'm a country boy yeah! 

Today's 9-Mile Run on the Trail

11 days until Hawaii.

43 days until the Alps. 

So my daily steps are not an option. Here are today's stats. 

6 months ago I was complaining about the cold. Today I'm complaining about the heat. Stop your whining, Dave. You get to do this. 

This picture says it all. 

Like you, I've been suffering through some sweltering days. I have tried to be really careful about hydration, but the heat still sucks the life out of you. I try to be finished by 12:00 noon at the latest, thus avoiding the heat of the day. (Duh.) Humidity makes it even worse. But just think: In 2 weeks I'll be enjoying a place where the average daytime temperature is 75 degrees, matching the average daily water temperature of 75 degrees. 

I wish you could read the dialogue that goes through my brain sometimes. It fluctuates between "This ain't so bad" to "I'll never do this again." I don't know what else to say. I wanted so much to be DONE. Hot dog I am proud of finishing!

With that said, it's time to have a huge lunch and get some rest for awhile -- right? 

A Prayer for Israel and Iran

I wrote this in my prayer journal today:

Dear heavenly Father, 

Ours is a world in chaos. That's not news to you. So step in, Lord, and bring hope, bring relief, to the land of Israel. Bring relief also to the hostages in Gaza who are trapped, unable to escape. Give hope to those who await their return. Please grant a new wave of freedom and prosperity to the people of Iran. Allow me, dear Lord, if possible, to return to Iran someday and share your love with the magnificent people of ancient Persia. 

In Jesus' name.

Amen.  

Feasting on the Word of God

Yesterday one of our seminary grads sent me this picture of him prepping for his Sunday message. 

I love it. His text message dripped with enthusiasm and passion for the word of God.

Jeremiah wrote, "Thy words were found and I did eat them. And thy words were unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."

His words were found. 

And we ate them.

Oh, that we might absorb the word of God!

That we might feast on it, digest it, study it, live it!

Thank You, Lord

Wow, what a day!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me 9.5 hours of wonderful sleep last night.

Thank you for allowing me to get out of bed this morning.

Thank you that I could get in an outdoor workout.

Thank you for a 9-mile run afterwards.

Thank you for the steps you enabled me to chock up today. 

Friend, God gives strength for today. He'll give what you need for tomorrow, tomorrow. You don't have tomorrow's strength yet. So thank him for what he's given you today.

Have a wonderful day! 

Just "Hanging" Around

Here I am, doing my best impression of a bat. 

Why in the world do we do this? Three main reasons:

1. Strengthens the upper body. This includes your back, arms, hands, and upper body in general. The older I get, the more this becomes necessary.

2. Develops grip strength. Think: Carrying suitcases -- or bales of hay. Or opening a jar of pickles. 

3. Promotes bigger and stronger forearms. The latter are vital when climbing the Alps.

WARNING: If you are a beginner, DO NOT jump up and grab the bar! Instead, use a platform to reach it. 

Today's Stats

17,512 steps.

1,699 calories burned. 

When you do steps, you realize just how long an hour can really be! 

Have a fantastic day! 

The Most Prescribed Medication?

"If exercise were a controlled medication, it would be the most heavily prescribed on record." -- Jeff Galloway, author of Running Until You're 100. 

Attending a Jeff Galloway seminar before running the Tobacco Road Marathon in Cary, NC. 

We Can Do Hard Things

Yesterday I was fellowshipping with one of my colleagues at the seminary who had recently run his first marathon. We both agreed that the marathon is perhaps the ultimate metaphor for any major undertaking in life. Does it hurt? Yep. Does it require time, effort, and commitment? In spades. But the payoff is out of this world. 

Friend, it doesn't matter what your goal is. Marathoner. Healthier eater. Patient mom. Writer. More diligent student. Divorce survivor. Whatever. You've got to push out of your self-imposed boundaries and never look back. You take a deep breath and go one step at a time. 

When you and I have to, we can do hard things in the power of His might. 

Today's Steps

A lovely 8-mile run 😋

My Dream: Surfing Diamond Head Again

As I lifted this morning, I thought back to my lifting journey to this point. I think the biggest gains I made this year are in my back. I owe a lot of that to pull ups. These light up your entire back. Your lats handle the shoulder extension. Your mid traps and rhomboids are activated during scapular retraction. Your lower back will be engaged for stabilization. And your biceps will take care of elbow flexion. There's also going to be some core activation since you aren't seated like in a lat pull down. 

Here's a simple technique suggestion. Think about getting your chest to the bar rather than just getting your chin over the bar. This will help you in getting control of the movement better. Also, think about pulling with your back rather than with your arms. This will activate your lats and prevent your biceps from taking over.

I'm working pretty hard on my arms and back because, Lord willing (it's always up to him!), in exactly two weeks from today I fly to Dallas and from there to Honolulu for 9 days of surfing. One spot I hope to surf again is Diamond Head. Though technically a part of Waikiki, Diamond Head is really a break of its own. Rather than being protected in the relatively calm waters of Waikiki (Mamala Bay), Diamond Head is located in more open (and deeper) waters. To surf this spot you first have to climb down cliffs to get to the shore, then paddle out until you hit the reef. This spot gets blown out from the tradewinds too. It always looks like a windy, soupy mess. 

But should the winds die down, you're looking at the some of the best waves on the South Shore. It'll be super fun and really hard to get waves because most spots on the South Shore are crowded all the time. Don't mind that at all. Might even get some epic barrels!

Take Responsibility

I believe that the next breakthrough in medicine won't be due to a surgeon devising a new method of surgery. It will be the individual patient -- you and I -- taking responsibility for our own health. That goes for the spiritual too. Not just what you hear from the pulpit on Sunday morning, but what you read each and every day from God's word, can produce astonishing new levels of spiritual health and fitness. 

A Simple Hack for Greek Students

Getting an A in Greek is a performance goal. But being able to use Greek once you've graduated is a learning goal. Both goals can fuel achievement, but only one leads to mastery. 

"Nothing in Excess"

When I taught Classical Greek at Biola, one of the first Greek maxims my students learned was this one:

I might translate it as "Nothing in excess." Although it was used to curb physical appetites, its more common usage was as a reminder to avoid excessive emotion, especially grief. It's a call to avoid extremes and practice balance in all things. 

Like many of you, I've always been a pretty ambitious goal-setter. I thrive on accomplishing difficult tasks. But the ideal is moderation in all things. "Northing in excess" means adhering to a workout and exercise program that's the best possible one for you. And the appropriate regimen is something only you can figure out for yourself. As with Aesop's famous story about the tortoise and the hare, it's all about being "slow and steady." We ask ourselves, "Have I fallen prey to the overuse syndrome? Are there any structural weaknesses in my body that I've overlooked? How frequently should I exercise?" 

Exercise can guarantee fitness but it can't guarantee good health. We can stay healthy only if we take care of our body as we would the cars we drive.

Through the years I've discovered that I'm a risk taker, perhaps too much so. Yes, I need to be challenged, as you do. But I need to find out how much effort I can put out, what I can endure, and if I measure up. 

It's easier to grow older if we are neither bored nor boring. Exercise is vital to our mental, physical, and (I would argue) even our spiritual health. Life is, or should be, a struggle against complacency and apathy. Neither, however, should it be imbalanced. 

I hope to become better at this as the years go by. 

A Father's Day Devotional from 1 Thessalonians 4

Happy Father's Day everyone.

As we think of our fathers, including those who've gone on to heaven, I think especially of our heavenly Father. He is so, so good to us. I was impressed with that fact this morning while reading 1 Thessalonians 4. 

In this chapter Paul moves from doctrine to ethics, from knowledge to obedience. Please don't miss what he says in the first two verses (4:1-2). 

Paul tells us that we are not to think of Christian ethics primarily as law but as love. We are not to think of our duties as sons and daughters of God primarily as a lot of dreary rules and regulations. Instead, we are to think of obedience primarily as a relationship with God, whom we love and whom we want to please.

The point is that I am not to think of the Christian life as primarily obeying instructions. It's about pleasing a Person, the God who made me, loves me, redeemed me, adopted me into his family, put his Holy Spirit in me, and who is my loving Father. As believers, we want to please him. And the more we come to know him, the easier it is to know what pleases him.

If children love their parents, they will want to please them. So with God. As we come to know him as our loving heavenly Father, we develop a certain moral sensibility. When faced with a moral choice we ask, "Will it please him? Or will it displease him?" And note: We are to please him more and more. Can you love the Father better? Can I? I think so. There is to be continued growth in our love for the Father.

On this Father's Day, let our heart cry be, "Father, I want to please you more and more." Let's ask ourselves often this week, "Will it please God?" 

Today's Steps

Day 6:

20,153 steps. 

I took it easy today and only walked 9 miles 😌

Hope you all are having an amazing day today! 

Who Is Building into Your Life?

There are many people in my life who believed in me long before I did. I am grateful to them more than they will ever know. They include:

Pastor Rudy Ulrich of First Baptist Church Windward who led me to Christ in Hawaii at the age of 8.

Pastor Jim Cook of the International Baptist Church of Honolulu who took me (and other young men) under his wings as his "preacher boys."

Pastor Robert Hakes and his wife Doris of the College Church of La Mirada who mentored Becky and me.

Peggy Russell, dean of financial aid at Biola who took me under her wings and acquired for me a full tuition academic scholarship.

Biola teachers Harry Sturz, Nick Kurtanek, Curtis Mitchell, and Bill Bynum who taught me as a young theology student.

Bo Reicke and Markus of Basel University who modeled for me what a New Testament scholar looks like.

And so many more.

These are people for whom I am eternally grateful, and I stand on their shoulders. Joshua had his Moses. Timothy had his Paul. Elisha had his Elijah. I have these people, all of whom have passed on. But I have magnificent memories of them and pages and pages of notes. You have never heard of them but they are individuals who taught me how to love the Lord our God. I give him praise for the memory of every one of them. They loved Jesus like you can't believe. They poured themselves into my life.

Who is building into your life? Who is teaching you how to love the Lord? 

Give thanks for these people. 

You are their legacy. 

Carry it on. 

Model it. 

Speak of them to your children and grandchildren. 

They were precious gifts of God to you. 

Think It's Too Late?

Think it's too late to get into shape? Think again.

You can be fitter this year than you were 10 years ago.

Take it from someone who's faced 73 candles on his birthday cake.

By the time we're in our 50s, 60s, and 70s, most of us have lost a few steps, gained a few inches around our midsection, and found that we have to work hard to keep up with our kids and grandkids.

The proof of the passing of time comes in the form of jiggling bellies and double chins.

But the problem typically attributed to aging has less to do with age than the sedentary way we live.

Thanks to breakthroughs in health science and nutrition, evcen we 70-somethings have a chance to live stronger, longer, and leaner lives. We can become a sleeker and fitter version of our younger self.

All you need is a simple strategy to get you back into shape.

Whether you spend the next 20-30 years looking and feeling your best, or take a downhill slide, is now your choice.

Once you experience the satisfaction that exercise and eating right can bring to your body and mind, you will find plenty of reasons to keep at it for the rest of your life. 

We're all going to die with a long to-do list. "Start exercising" shouldn't be on that list.

Developing an Every-Member Focus in Ministry

In any give race, be it a 5K or a marathon, about 5 percent of the runners are "elite" runners. The other 95 percent are not. Ironically, the people who get the most attention are the few favored runners who are doing only 5 percent of the work.

Likewise, in our churches it's easy to develop a leader-centric paradigm in which discipleship is staff-driven. 

The result all too often is a consumer culture where people think that their growth is ultimately dependent on Sunday morning sermons. 

How can pastors help? By enabling and equipping. Be celebrating "ordinary" Christians from their pulpits. By beating the drum for simple virtues like humility, prayer, faithfulness, and sacrifice. In the early church, everyone pulled their weight. (Just read 1 Corinthians 14.) Each person was on mission for Jesus. Of course, things will look less "professional" than if the pastors did all the work. But if everyone in the congregation would realize that they are necessary parts of the body, with their own special gifting, I think the whole church would begin to function in ways we can't even imagine. 

Yes, YOU Can Do It

When I started my weight loss journey 6 months ago I never imagined that I could actually have the success that I was able to have. I began taking progress pictures and these kept me so motivated when maybe I wasn't feeling it or the scale didn't reflect it. Just having progress pictures with me throughout my journey really did help me stick with it. 

For so long I just remember sitting there and thinking there's nothing I can do and I felt so hopeless. I felt there was no way out of this situation I was stuck in. I wanted to change. I wanted to feel good. I wanted to be the best version of myself that I could be before the Lord took me home. It took prioritizing my health, and not just my physical health but also my emotional and mental health. The latter are just as important as physical health. I've wanted to share my story and I've wanted to share what's worked for me. It always sounded so cliche and tacky but the fact is that if I can do it so can you. I really want to provide just anything I can to help other people in their journey. Just know that you can do it. It does take time and it does take consistency, but even I was able to lose 35 pounds in 6 months. You can do it quickly and healthily as well. It's hard work and it's not easy but you can do it. You just have to be realistic with your lifestyle and your work schedule. 

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you guys the next time. 

Day 5 of My Mini-Cut

12 miles. 

27,410 steps. 

I am running for my life. I am running because, for me, not running is unthinkable. I am running because I am a runner. It's just that simple. 

He Can Be Trusted!

Today's miles were done on the treadmill. It's day 4 of my 1-week aggressive minicut. 

Today I managed 27,170 steps. 

As we chase goals it's a reminder of the God we serve. We can do nothing in life without him. I'm far from perfect, but I fully understand where my strength comes from. If you're going through challenging times, just remember where your power comes from. Put your trust in him. We don't always understand his plan, but he can be trusted! 

Today's 12-Mile Run

Today's run was a 12-mile jog at the Tobacco Heritage Trail. It netted 27, 627 steps. I face the challenges of life -- growing older, ever-changing relationships, the good and bad of being alive -- in the same way that I face the challenge of running. You know there will good patches and bad ones, and that neither lasts forever. I am gradually learning, with my own two feet, the meaning of triumph and failure, and the fleeting nature of both.

Have a wonderful day! 

What Baslers Think of Their French Neighbors

Yesterday the Easy German Youtube channel posted an interview that was absolutely fascinating. It compared High German ("German German") with the dialect of Swiss German spoken by people living in Basel. 

When asked what stereotype existed among the Baslers about their French-speaking neighbors, the answer was: "They always insist on speaking French." I cannot tell tell you how often I experienced this attitude! Living in Basel, you live on both the French and German borders. On our frequent jaunts into France, Becky and I would rarely be able to speak English with the natives. Nor did they want us to speak German. It was French or nothing -- despite the fact that my spoken French was a disaster. The French, you see, are justifiable proud of their mother tongue, just as we Americans are of our dialect of English. Just goes to show that God messed things up really good at Babel, though I'm not complaining because I would have been without a job for the past 5 decades if students didn't have to learn Greek as a foreign language!

Today's 10-Mile Run ...

... on the lovely High Bridge Trail. 

It netted 22,633 steps and a weight I hadn't seen in decades. 

If I can do it, you can too. You will learn, as I have, that there are no secrets to weight loss. It's just you and the road you're on.

A Day in the Life

I haven't done one of these in a while. Or maybe never before. I don't really know. I've been blogging for so long now that I sometimes forget what I've blogged about. Anyway, I love it when other people do it, so here goes:

A day in the life of me -- Dave.

Got up at 6:00 and went to Bo's for a sausage biscuit and coffee while having my Bible and prayer time. It's always my favorite part of my day. 

Then, since I cannot get enough of the gym, I made my way to the Y to get in a workout. Since I've only got 3 weeks to get into my very best shape before surfing and climbing, today I decided to begin a 7-day aggressive mini-cut. It started with a workout that included my FAVORITE exercise. Any guesses as to what it is? 

Then it was off to a local park to do, not more pull ups, but chin ups (with a supinated grip). I've never seen anyone at this park save yours truly. It's like that everywhere in South Boston. Must be my lack of deodorant. Anyways, I got in a few wonderful sets of chin ups there.

Next, I wanted to get in my steps. For the next 7 days I plan on getting a minimum of 18,000 steps every single day. 

And ... wow. Today's 9-mile run netted me that and more.  

Finally, after I got back to the farm, I cooked my lunch/dinner. (I eat only two meals a day.) It tasted wonderful  -- jasmine rice, corn, tikka masala, and a fresh garden salad. 

I'll fast between 1:00 pm this afternoon and 7:00 am tomorrow morning. Not for everyone, but it works for me. 

I am sitting here all choked up by the nice texts and emails I've gotten for my B-Day.  I read each one. One of the most important things to note is that life is never stagnant. It's always changing and evolving. We can't control a lot of things, including the reality of aging. You'll get a year older every year on your birthday. Period. But we also don't have to be victims of our circumstances. God has given us free will, and it is within our abilities to make decisions and choose how to face loss, aging, retirement, etc. I'm a believer in the work hard, play hard mentality. I am not obsessive about it, but I am disciplined. 

Awareness is key. There's nothing I eat in a day that I'm not completely conscious about how it is or is not contributing to my physical and emotional well-being. It's been a lifestyle shift and a commitment. I've never felt better in my own skin and I plan to never go back to what I was before. I haven't always been a healthy eater or a healthy person for that matter, that's for sure. But if I have learned one thing in the past few years it's this: Treat your body with the respect it deserves and fuel it accordingly. 

For me, I am happy with my weight. Yes, you read that right. Sure, I want to be in the best shape I can be in, and that would mean losing maybe another 5-10 pounds. But practicing gratitude for the things we already have is more important. Paul wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God." It's much easier to do this, of course, when everything is going swimmingly. It's much tougher when things aren't. But I think we can all agree that focusing on what we have rather than on what we don't have is one of the most profound ways to live life. My life is not perfect, but there are a gazillion things to be thankful for. On this, my birthday, I think of Becky and my kids and my grandkids and my career and a body that allows me to be active and most of all some pretty amazing friends. Find gratitude in every single moment, Dave, no matter how challenging. 

Sheesh! That was a rabbit trail!

To round out my day today, I'll be working outdoors and enjoying this exceptionally beautiful day the Lord has made. I have never before in my life had so much to cherish. 

People value what they notice. Lord, help me to notice things every day of my life and not just on my birthday. 

What I Won't Be Doing on My Birthday

Today I turn 73. I'm very, very grateful for every year God has given me. 

Don't everyone say "Aww" at the same time. 

Some bloggers run the number of miles that they turn on their birthday. No thank you. I'd like to be around for another 365 days. Instead I will drink a 73 ounce Pepsi, eat 73 KitKats, and burp 73 times. I also won't be feeling bad about turning 73. I love my age even though I'm getting older. Every new year is the dawn of new possibilities, as this dear lady reminds us. 

Make it a great day, my friend!

Today in History: The Battle of Brandy Station (June 9, 1863)

162 years ago this month, the Gettysburg Campaign got underway. 

It was the first time a Confederate army had attempted a full-scale invasion of the North. The result was a decisive Union victory at Gettysburg. Most historians agree that the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the American Civil War.

Lee's army began the movement northward on June 3, 1863. 

Before the Confederates crossed the Blue Ridge into the Shenandoah Valley, the largest cavalry battle of the war was fought at Brandy Station on this day (June 9) in 1863. For several hours, desperate fighting took place on the slopes of a prominent ridge called Fleetwood Hill. The battle ended up being a tactical draw, though an embarrassed Jeb Stuart claimed victory. The Battle of Brandy Station established the reputation of the Union cavalry as the peer of Stuart's mounted troopers.

Brandy Station is a little-known battlefield today. It is preserved by the American Battlefield Trust (proud member!) and owned by the Virginia State Parks (grateful user!). 

It's been said that there isn't any piece of land found anywhere in North America that witnessed more combat than Fleetwood Hill in Culpeper County, VA. It was the site where the Gettysburg Campaign played its opening scene. 

It's well worth a visit today. 

The Current State of Education

Hello everyone. Today I'd like to talk to you about a concern I have with regard to the present state of education, including my own field of New Testament studies. Let me explain.

How we think is crucial to life itself. In ancient Greece, an impasse occurred when the struggle to gain ultimate truth was not resolved. The debate between the monists and the pluralists ended in the rise of humanistic skepticism. The influence of such skepticism was seen in many arenas, including education. Abandoning the quest for ultimate, normative truth was the sorry result.

Ultimately a worldview of relativism developed. Personal opinion replaced objective reality, and truth was slain both in the ivory tower and in the streets. The supreme credo became homo mensura -- man is the measure of all things. The skeptic Gorgias could even declare, "All statements are false" -- a patently self-contradictory statement if ever there was one.

As I said, as an educator I am profoundly concerned with how my students think. I care deeply about the content and methodology of New Testament studies. Every subdiscipline of New Testament studies, including textual criticism, has an ultimate concern. We need to be radical if we are going to get to the root of the matter. If learning and education are ever again to inspire our youth, we must solve the current crisis. In the coming days, I'll offer some hope, but I suspect there will be a lot of grief along the way. Such is the nature of controversy.

There is much that, in my opinion, is wrong with our approaches to New Testament criticism. Others have offered their own diagnoses of the problem. I readily admit that not every problem in the current impasse can be resolved. But I do believe we will have a much better grasp of the major issues after we recognize what the most proffered remedies are. It will become clear that I believe the key to our educational crisis lies in the hands of evangelical inerrantists. But other hands also hold the same key. This is not a time for inerrantists to ignore this struggle.

I hope to examine with you the extent to which traditional religious values are under attack at every level of public and higher education. We who believe and teach that the Bible is the inerrant word of God need a clearer picture of what our educational system is doing to undermine those values. Hopefully, increased understanding of these matters will translate into concern and then into action.

In my experience, academicians have all too willingly opened wide the door to trendy and faddish methods, accompanied by a flood of meaningless jargon within their academic disciplines. In his book The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom noted, "There is one thing that a professor can be absolutely certain about: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative." The major virtue in our universities today -- perhaps the only virtue -- is a commitment to "openness." No longer is there a hope that great minds can discern the truth about life. The quest for absolute truth and certitude has largely been replaced by relativism. The Sophists of our age have severed the tie between reason and virtue.

Irreparably?

I hope not.

In the end, a Christian philosophy of education is based unapologetically upon a Christian view of life and the world. It recognizes that education is never neutral. What sets a truly Christian approach to New Testament studies is the Christian's acceptance of the biblical perspective as both normative and authoritative. This biblical perspective provides a basis on which we may evaluate the non-Christian presuppositions operating in the various sub-disciplines. There is no such thing as removing Christian truth claims from education. Any attempt to claim to be able to do this is merely a substitute of one set of ultimate commitments for another.

One final word for now. We dare not forget the most important players in all this -- the young men and young women in our classrooms who have the potential to become the thinkers of tomorrow. They are the church's most precious treasure. They must be equipped with tools that will enable them to read the original thoughts and writings of some of the greatest thinkers in history rather than what others have written about them.

The Best Form of Cardio

The exercise that integrates best with muscle growth is undoubtedly walking. It's insanely easy to do and distributes the workload throughout your entire body. Currently my total daily steps range between 10 - 20,000 steps. As you can see, I average 15,000 steps a day. 

As long as I get that, all the cardio I need is getting done. As long as I control my diet and lift 3 days a week, it's awesome. I can walk for hours -- and I do! Remember, you don't have to be huffing and puffing to get a cardio workout. On the other hand, just because your body is burning fat for energy when you walk, this doesn't mean you're going to get leaner if you're in a calorie surplus. 

In the final analysis, walking is a great stress reliever, helps digestion after a meal, helps you sleep better, and means you're probably getting more vitamin D from the sun. It helps you burn unwanted body fat and prevents it from being stored in the first place. Walking is amazing and we should all be doing more of it. It's the best way to get lean.

Thanks for attending my TED talk. 

Hawaii, Nostalgia, and Melancholy

When I was a teenage, I built two of my own surfboards. The results were at best mediocre. It takes real skill to be able to design, shape, and fiberglass a board. So when I was 15, I decided to hire one of Oahu's best surfboard shapers to build my next board. This was the board that allowed me to finally get good at surfing. 

I rode it almost daily between the ages of 15 and 19 in Hawaii. Even after I left Hawaii for California, it was my constant companion. True, Huntington Beach ain't no Pupukea or Haleiwa, but a wave is a wave. As you can see, Bill Stonebraker was responsible for this masterpiece. 

Interestingly, Bill went on to become a pastor in Honolulu. You can read his amazing testimony here. 

Lord willing, in 23 days I'll be back on Oahu for 9 days of surfing. I've begun to rough out a schedule. Currently it looks something like this:

If Kailua Beach seems a bit prominent in the list, it's because that's where I grew up. I'll be staying less than a block from the beach where I surfed every day during my teen years.

I don't know why I've become so nostalgic about Hawaii in my later years. I do know that nostalgia is often triggered by happy memories. I get a rush of nostalgia as soon as my plane lands in Honolulu. I use the term "nostalgia" instead of "sentimentality" because the latter term is often used in a negative sense. That said, I'll admit that I become sentimental about the island of my birth. I mean, how can I ever forget my honeymoon in Kailua with Becky in my home while my family was on the mainland? You simply can't. I think sometimes I also become melancholic. Melancholy is a feeling of sadness, ennui, depression, and the like. It's like the beauty of a fading flower or the color of autumn leaves. Melancholy's song is a sigh. And sighing I will do aplenty during the 9 days I'll be in Hawaii.

Do you know the origin of the words nostalgia and melancholy? Nostalgia comes from the Greek words for "return" and "pain." Melancholy comes from the Greek words for "black" and "gastric acid." According to Hippocrates, if you had more gastric acid than you should, you turned into a bitter person like your stomach. Melancholy sometimes means you're in a low-level state of sadness. But if it's sadness, it's a sweet sadness.

Nostalgia can be a safe place, as long as it doesn't make you live in the past. The most beautiful songs are often remakes. Even the biggest movies are remakes (Mission Impossible, anyone?). As I think back to my young adulthood, I realize that many if not most of the things in my life today are better than they were back then. I suppose my nostalgia is mostly for the carefree surfer culture that was such a big part of my life in those days, though I'm sure I'm reading the past with rose-colored glasses. 

I never think, "Man, I wish I could relive those days." But revisiting the past for about 9 days every year seems about right. It does something for my spirit that's, well, inexplicable.

Have a wonderful day! 

In Praise of the Cathedral

Every once in a while it's nice to pay a visit to those cathedrals that graced the countryside in the 12th century and following. The Cologne Cathedral in Germany is one such example. 

I had the great fortune to be able to visit this magnificent structure back in the 1970s. It is a building that inspires the theory of the mathematical sublime. We can see all the individual components in their entirety but the brain simply is unable to compute this incredible structure. It causes a feeling of heavenly pleasure unrivaled in any modern church structure. For some strange reason, this boy from a beach in Hawaii has always loved the old architecture and even the ancient music from cathedrals such as this. The stunning architectural work of art that they represent takes my breath away. I always cry when I hear some hymn of the faith played on its organ. 

I shall forever be grateful for the years I was privileged to live in Europe and was able to attend organ concerts in such amazing structures.

Get Your Sleep!

Everyone knows just how important getting enough sleep is, but not everyone knows how important it is for fitness fanatics. Insufficient sleep can dramatically reduce our quality of life and even our productivity in the gym. It can slow down weight loss, lead to weight gain, and reduce testosterone levels. Not good! Think of sleep hygiene like your diet. It's working either for or against you, whether you realize it or not. Here's how I looked and felt when I got to the gym today. I felt great. 

I was about to get in my 20,000 steps for the day. I feel like this every single day thanks in large degree to the sleep the Lord enables me to get at night. I'm in bed at 8:00 pm every night and I wake up without an alarm at either 6:00 or 6:30 am. That's 10-10.5 hours of good quality sleep every single night. I couldn't do what I do without it. It's just how my body is programmed to work. 

Please get enough sleep at night!

Are Those Square Brackets Really Necessary?

I usually don't make too big of a deal about it, but with the UBS6 and NA29 coming out soon, it might be a good idea to rethink the use of square brackets in the text. I can see how some people would prefer to have square brackets in their Greek New Testament. But they're just not for me. I guess I feel that if you consider that a word/phrase/verse or whaverer is not in the original written by the author, you don't need to put brackets around it. Place it in the apparatus where it belongs. However, if you see brackets and go "That's amazing!" then I'm happy for you.

Here's a place where brackets are probably unnecessary. 

The words "in Ephesus" (1:1) enjoy early and widespread attestation. They seem to be original despite the letter's absence of any personal greetings. 

Have a wonderful day! 

Gettysburg

Had a monster workout today, plus got in 21,000 steps. So if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna rewatch the movie Gettysburg. Yes, all 4 hours and 31 minutes of it 😊

Take It from Me

Excess body fat is a problem you can literally run from. 

Another Completely Boring Blog Report

Feel free to skip. 

Thank you, Lord.

Think Thin

Do you remember the opening scene in Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie North by Northwest? It's where the character played by Cary Grant tells his secretary to write down two words in his day planner:

"Think thin."

I used to laugh at that line. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. Here's something you might want to try. 

Write down your goal weight on a piece of paper. Then imagine yourself at that weight. Let your mind's eye create a picture of you at that weight. Be sure to write down a number. It doesn't even have to be a realistic number. The only thing that matters is that you want to become thin(er). Then let the power of imagination propel you forward to your goal. 

About 6 months ago I did just that. I weighed 240 pounds. Then I said, "Lord, if possible, I'd like to get down to 215 pounds. Or maybe 210 pounds. Or -- and I know I'm asking for the moon here -- 205 pounds." 

Today I weigh 208 pounds. 

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask or even imagine. That's his promise to us. 

Just wanted to share this thought. If it can help you -- that's great! 

P.S. Do you know how old Cary Grant was when he filmed North by Northwest? He was 55. Sure didn't look it. Biological age and physiological age are two completely different things. 

Hay, Hay, Whaddya Say?

We've begun getting up hay. So much fun!

Prayer AND Fasting? (Mark 9:29)

Dwayne Green has done it again with this excellent video.

I thought of it while going through Mark 9 in my Bible time this morning. 

The question is this: In Mark 9:29, did Jesus refer to prayer and fasting, or just prayer? The answer should be obvious at once. Even the most cursory examination of the textual apparatus will reveal that both the external and the internal evidence overwhelmingly support the inclusion of the words "and fasting." And yet some scholars insist that indecision is the best solution to the problem. (The ECM of Mark lists this variant as "splitlined." Unbelievable.) My friend Keith Elliott once referred to the "hypnotic effect of Aleph and B." Nowhere is this more clearly seen than here. And note: Once again, the Byzantine text gets it right. 

As I read Jesus' words, I recalled Bill Bright's famous dictum about fasting:

"I believe the power of fasting as it is related to prayer is the spiritual atomic bomb that our Lord Jesus has given us to destroy the stronghold of evil and usher in a great revival and spiritual harvest around the world."

Powerful indeed. I hope to practice it more. 

Sneak Peak at a Conference on the Bible

These words of A. W. Tozer ring true:

The world is waiting to hear an authentic voice, a voice from God -- not an echo of what others are doing and saying, but an authentic voice.

Today there are methods of biblical criticism that are undermining this essential distinction between the authentic word of God and man-made voices. When I am told that the goal of textual criticism is no longer the recovery of the original text, how can I know that what I am reading is the word of God? I am more convinced than ever that we when enter the field of New Testament textual criticism, we are entering a battleground. You cannot pick and choose from the Bible what you want to believe is inspired, original, and authoritative. If you do, you'll wander and follow every stray voice. Your whole life will be "recalculating." 

Some in the guild are, thankfully, waking up and realizing what is happening. They are awakening and reacting appropriately. This fall a conference on textual criticism will take place in North Carolina (details to come shortly). It will reaffirm our belief in the concept of "original text," and insist that our churches must believe the word, teach the word, and hold scholars accountable to the truths of the word. Otherwise, we're just playing religious games. 

Stay tuned ....

Hard Is a Good Teacher

I like hard. Hard is good for us. Since I started being active I have completely changed as a person. The change I'm speaking of is much more than physical. I have learned to think of myself as someone who doesn't give up. 

When we do hard things we know that when life goes south we can do hard things again because we did hard things in the past. Doing hard things has made me tougher. I need that toughness not only in my life in general but, yes, in getting older. When I'm in the middle of something that I think is way over my head, I realize when it's over that accomplishing those challenges is what life is all about. 

In my training today I tried to do something hard. I arrived at the gym dead set to perform a pull up with a pause at the top of every rep. 

Talk about hard. Some call this an isometric exercise. It's suppose to improve not only your strength but also your stamina -- and I'll need both in spades when I try to climb the Riffelhorn this August.  

You can see that my arms are literally shaking trying to hold myself up at the top. This was so hard I almost peed my pants. But I'm not giving up. I've got a long ways to go but that's half the fun. When we do hard things we gain a hard-won confidence. We know we can do hard things again. Not just physically demanding things, but things like heartache, betrayal, loss, even overcoming trauma. 

I want so badly for my grandkids to learn that lesson. 

I think we are well on the way. 

Yes, Inerrancy Still Matters

Today I was interviewed for the Bible and Theology Matters podcast at Dallas Theological Seminary. Paul Weaver, the podcast's host and a professor of Bible exposition at DTS, wanted to know why I wrote my book Why Four Gospels? The Historical Origins of the Gospels -- which espouses Matthean priority. (It's a position Dr. Weaver also espouses, by the way.) During our conversation (which should be online in about a month), we rejoiced that we are both part of faculties and institutions that love strong, biblical exhortation and practical application. But we quickly added that the so-called "battle for the Bible" isn't over. It never will be. 

Thankfully, our schools aren't alone in the struggle against the tide. In addition, many evangelical churches have awakened to the threat. You may be surprised to know that the main reason I wrote my book on the gospels was not to defend Matthean priority (although it does attempt to do that). Rather, my main goal was to defend the historicity, apostolicity, trustworthiness, veracity, inerrancy, and dependability of the four Gospels. Without constant, ceaseless effort to defend these truths, erosion will takes its toll on our churches and seminaries. We can't for a single moment take our hands off the wheel or our eyes off the road. 

God bless Dallas Theological Seminary (and others schools like it) for its courage and faithfulness to teaching and preaching the word. The apostle Paul was consistently faithful to teach the word with accuracy and integrity, and as a result the message of the gospel spread as congregations grew both deeper and larger. Ultimately, all of Satan's attacks against the church are assaults against God's word. Erosion will happen if churches fail to heed the warning. But (I repeat), where Satan is active, God is equally active. Christ is building his church, and he will honor and bless any plan that upholds truth and promotes his word! 

WARNING!

If you want to start exercising for fun, fitness, weight loss, or for any other reason, you are to be commended. But be warned:

Exercise may become addictive. Participation in exercise may cause feelings of improved self-confidence, an increased sense of personal accomplishment, and overall good health. Prolonged exposure to exercise may even cause endorphin highs to course through your veins and make you feel generally better about your life.

Still, I hope you'll give it a try! 

It's True

By refusing to spend a few hours each week on health and fitness, you're basically saying, "I don't care about the temple of the Holy Spirit." 

Family and Farm

There is joy in small things. Like a Chinese buffet after church.

And a baby saying "water."

And trying to look at your own hair without a mirror. 

And a cozy house to come home to. 

Once again, I am thankful for family. And for the farm. Not just geographically, but the feeling of the place. Family and farm in all of their simplicity make me feel alive and help restore me. 

I hope you had a great Sunday! 

Martin Luther the Bodybuilder?

In commenting on Gal. 6:2, Martin Luther wrote, "Christians must have strong shoulders and mighty bones." 

Luther the bodybuilder?

No. He's obviously referring to the fact that one of the ways Christ bears our burdens is through other human beings. By such "mutual burden-bearing" we fulfill the law of Christ -- that new commandment he gave us to "love one another" (Gal. 5:14). 

Luther's analogy is a reminder that the strengths we possess (be they physical or spiritual) are intended to be put to use in encouraging and helping others. When we see an elderly person carrying a heavy object, we offer to carry it for them. Likewise, when we see someone with, say, an emotional or financial burden, we must be prepared to share their burden. We can't help everyone, but we can help someone. And to do this requires "strong shoulders," shoulders that are sturdy enough to carry heavy loads.

So this is one way God lightens our burdens -- through the companionship and encouragement of a friend or a loved one. Thus Paul could write, "But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus" (2 Cor. 7:6). I love that expression "by the arrival of Titus." 

It refers not only to his arrival but also to his presence. Titus was there for Paul, and so should we be to others who could use a word or deed of encouragement.

I can't thank you enough for your words of encouragement as I faced the loss of my spouse or when I went through my health crisis in 2020. It means more than you know. I especially need to thank my friends and family who provided so much support to me during those tough times. Sometimes when you're in the thick of a difficult experience, you can't see your way out of it, but the people around you can. They help you know that there will be bright days again. Because there will be.

By the way, we must be humble enough to let others share our burdens. It's okay to be vulnerable. Have the courage to not be perfect and show the weak side of your life to others. One of the things that makes us human and so relatable to others is that we're not afraid to share our struggles and challenges. This doesn't mean you'll have a pity party or play the victimhood card. It means that when life gets hard we let others in. We're not afraid to say that we're discouraged. Don't be unwilling to say you're afraid of poor health or getting older or failing to achieve a goal. Connecting with others is the way God builds us up and gives us permission to be a bit easier on ourselves.

Have a wonderful day!