1) Keep your eye on the prize. Focus on that ministry, or that terminal degree. You started out with a goal in mind, sometimes you just need a reminder of that goal.

2) Suck it up and be a man. This may sound harsh at first, but be honest, how many times have you just been lazy? How often do you just need to give yourself a good kick in the pants?

3) Trust God. If this is really the ministry preparation track that God has called you to, then He is the only one who can give you the grace you need. Part of that grace is the motivation. Remember who it is that you’re serving. If that doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.

Clothing:

1. Hiking Shoes – You’re not in Kansas anymore, or Florida either for that matter. Your work boots and flipflops are not going to hack it for days of walking, hiking, and trekking. I purchased a pair of Men’s Salomon hiking shoes.

I chose Exit Aero because of the sale price at MountainGear.com. Clink the image above to visit their site. The only downside to this shoe is that it is not waterproof. In other words, you cannot submerge it under water. These shoes are incredible. Recommended to me by a trusted friend, I found that they gripped well in all terrain types. From hiking the desert rocks at Masada to navigating the smooth, slick stones at Ein Gedi these shoes do the job.

2. Sandals – whether you go for the flip flop type or something a little more substantial, quick drying water shoes are essential. Some people kill two birds with one stone and purchase something like Chocos.

Personally, I preferred the versatility of hiking shoes and leather flip flops.

3. Shorts and T-Shirts – Lightweight clothing is a must. It’s going to get hot. Especially down in the Negev. Once you make it to Jerusalem, it won’t be quite so bad, but the majority of your trip will necessitate the “coolest” clothing possible. If you’re in the mood for collared shirts, you’ll seriously want to consider “fast dry” or “quick dry” clothing. You won’t be able to pack enough for the whole trip and you’ll end up doing laundry, of sorts. I’ll explain towards the end.

4. Knee length pants (and/or skirts) and shoulder covering tops – For certain religious (“holy”) sites, you will be required to dress in a particular way out of reverence for the site. Some girls found it easier to bring a wrap of some type for their lower half or to wear a shawl with a sun dress. Again, it will be hot, so think “light and airy.” For the guys, a pair or light khaki’s, including cargo pants and zip-offs. Remember, “light and airy.”

5. Unmentionables – Of course. ‘Nuff said?

6. Swimsuit – Israel has some of the most beautiful beaches, seas and lakes that I have ever seen. You will definitely want to enjoy them.

7. Tide-to-Go – Travel size detergent is an essential. Don’t expect to actually have a washing machine (see bathtub and sink) or dryer (see point 3 about fast dry clothing).

8. Small First-Aid Kit – Complete with Superglue! Seriously,for a laceration, especially one in an inconvenient place (such as the bottom of your foot, or on your hand) superglue does amazing things! This of course is in addition to the typical antiseptic wipes, gauze, tape, and antibiotic ointment.

9. Toiletries – Depending on where you stay, you may not have readily available access to a drug store. You will want to make sure all the essentials, soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo and the like are all in your checked luggage.

10. Sunscreen, Aloe, and Lotion – Some would assign this under toiletries, but I quite frankly forgot sunscreen! I borrowed some for our day on the Red Sea, but I still got very burned and quickly used up all of my travel-size aloe bottle. I supplemented it with some of the lotion provided at our first hotel by the Dead Sea (though no other hotel provided this, so don’t expect it).

11. Flashlight – This is nice for late night walks, but essential for Hezekiah’s tunnel. It will get pitch black in most places and it is required that you have a flashlight. Go with a small, lite, LED flashlight available at Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes or Home Depot. Something small, but powerful.

12. Camera – Of course, but this will be for a whole other post. Cameras range in quality and purpose, and I want to do them justice. I will say this now, the best camera is the one you have with you.

Well, that’s it for now! That should give you plenty of things to start gathering together. Look for these posts to soon be organized into a whole section of the website here. At that point I’ll update with anything I missed, as well as your input. If you have thoughts, suggestions, or questions about things that don’t seem clear enough, leave me a comment, and you may see your influence in the update! Till then, Shalom!

This post is specifically for people wondering:

what to pack for a trip to Israel

how to pack for a trip to Israel

what how to pack for an Israel trip

what to pack when traveling to Israel

I personally received multiple error messages, including one that says my harddrive is about to fail (hope THAT one’s wrong!).

After trying to run setup from an .iso, and then trying to boot from a flash drive, I finally bit the bullet and downloaded the full installable package. This was only after I actually used Acer’s recovery feature to reinstall XP and the factory image.

I’m getting the $29.99 pack from Microsoft Academic. You really can’t beat it for that price.

Hopefully Windows 7 will be streamlined enough so that I don’t see much of a slowdown. Worst case scenario, I can always go back to XP! (crosses fingers and hopes not)

The article discusses the modern science of Discourse Analysis. This science actually comes to us naturally in our native language. For example, just do a Google search on the Twilight series and you’ll find it’s not really about Bella, and vampires and werewolves, it’s really about the overarching need we all have to struggle against nature, or to better ourselves in the face of overwhelming opposition, or fill in the blank with your opinion here.

But how do you know? How do you know what Twilight was written to communicate? You ask the author of course. Of course, he or she has given you clues through his or her work that should lead the observant, thinking reader to the logical conclusion. Biblical literature is the same. Though we are distinctly removed from the languages of the Bible, creating an additional barrier, we can understand the authorial intent behind the genres of the Bible with study and practice. Here’s my review.

From a little-known 1968 paper on paragraph structure to a legitimate field complete with basic assumptions and categorical features, discourse criticism has become the new, plenary method of Bible interpretation. Robert D. Bergen has collected the assumptions and principles into his article, “Text As a Guide to Authorial Intention: An Introduction to Discourse Criticism.”

The basic assumptions of discourse criticism are simple. First, language is a code with “certain agreed-upon meanings.” Second, the majority of our communication occurs on a level best described as “subconscious.” Third, these “subliminal” cues are absolutely necessary to understand the author’s intention. Fourth, these cues are specific to the intended genre. Fifth, certain principles cross all language barriers.

These principles are “organizational units” which, at their most basic form, allow for the communication of meaning. The analogy of cells, to cell structure, to organs, to an entire human body is helpful when trying to understand the basic units of letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs. Bergen then states that “language is organized from the top down” indicating that an author has the intended genre in mind when he begins to structure his work. This leads to the third consideration, that some elements are more important than others within the structure. Furthermore, the language itself is sufficient to determine which of these elements are important.

Three grammatical features which aid in focusing attention to a particular topic are: order, quantity, and type. The English speaker will be most familiar with order and quantity, as they most easily carry over into common, ordinary speech. Though inflection often precludes word order, it still is utilized frequently. Also, by simply listening to how much someone talks about a particular topic is evidence enough of their level of interest. This principle applies to literature as well. Type-based highlighting is quite possibly the most removed from English, though it may be helpful to consider it as similar to theme or motif. In addition, type includes unusual vocabulary, atypical clause or verb structures and elevation of inanimate objects.

In my opinion, there is some question as to the categorization of certain genre-based criteria. If for example, I disagree with another exegete’s assertion that a particular book is of a certain genre, perhaps apocalypse, and rather hold that it is, syntactically speaking, a narrative account, how would I go about disagreeing? If the cues are specific to a certain genre, causing me to evaluate the cues based on the genre, but the genre is determined by the cues, then the argument of circular reasoning could legitimately be leveled at this form of criticism. Nevertheless, for the majority of biblical literature whose genre is beyond contestation, there is little question as to the validity and value in this “new” field.

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Red and Yellow Black and White
They are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

(Repeat, with the next two verses of “Jesus died for all the children” and “Jesus lives for all the children.”)

Sadly, there’s enough here to take it one chorus at a time. (Side note, this picture drives me up a wall as is.)

Choruses 1-3: Red and Yellow, Black and White.

First of all, I’m not even sure how to punctuate that. Usually substantive adjectives joined by an “and” point back to the same referent, but clearly,they do not here. All grammatical points aside, are we really teaching our children to distinguish among people groups by their “supposed” color?

I’m not a big one for political correctness, but at the same time, we’re teaching racism to our children. Centuries old references to people groups by their color is simply racist. There’s no way around that.

Exegetical Background: For those who are saved, there is no longer any importance placed on race. Paul writes in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Now quite obviously, there were still Jews and Gentiles in the congregation. The slaves (in many cases) did not stop being slaves. Men and women still retained their unique qualities. So what is Paul trying to say here? Most plainly, we are not to focus on our differences as these have been nullified in the Messiah.

Chorus 2: Jesus Died for All the Children

Exegetical Background: This theological point bears some room for disagreement. Did Jesus really die for all the children? I’d like to see a passage that states that explicitly. Does Jesus want all the children to be saved? Sure: 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9. Is Jesus the Savior of all men particularly the ones believing? Sure: 1 Timothy 4:10. The closest verse I find is 1 John 2:2. Still, I doubt that this is the way we use this terminology in our daily living.

Furthermore, what are the implications once I’m not a child? Are we encouraging our children toward one of two extremes? 1) Since Jesus died for me (as a child) I’ve done everything I need to do for the rest of my life; or 2) I’m no longer a child, did Jesus still die for me? Ludicrous propositions? I think in light of our present dilemma with Conservative Evangelical youth that nothing is too far out of consideration.

Chorus 3: Jesus Lives for All the Children

Exegetical Background: So we’re teaching children that Jesus didn’t just die, he rose again. Wonderful! 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. But to fit this truth to the song, we’ve created another proposition, one of less than accurate truth: That Jesus lives for all the children. Hebrews 7:25 states that Jesus lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God through Him. That’s not exactly saying, “lives for all the children.”

If you want to take a Colossians 1:17 approach, I’ll agree that all children are held together by Jesus. But I don’t hear anybody singing “Jesus lives for all the terrorists.” Though that would certainly fit if we follow this to its logical conclusion.

Conclusion: The intended theology for this song comes from Matthew 19:14 where Jesus says, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (I would include one parting shot and say that “such as these would indicate something other than all the children, but I’ll leave you to your own discernment.) I think this is an incredibly important verse. I think this is an incredibly important emphasis that we at times have forgotten. But I must ask myself this. Am I, by teaching and singing this song actually helping children come to Jesus? Or could I, in fact, be doing the exact thing Jesus prohibits: hindering them from coming to Him. Let us pray that we are not doing the latter. The consequences are severe: Matthew 18:6.

A new way to do Missional in surburbia.

Read the whole thing here.

Today’s feature is Dropbox! The coolest file backup/sync program ever.

Have you ever gotten to class and realized that the worksheet you put so much time into last night isn’t on your laptop? Maybe it’s on your desktop at home, or you were working on a school computer and forgot to move it from your thumbdrive. Do you have a work computer and a personal computer? Ever tried to keep your documents synced on the two?

Or what’s worse, your harddrive dies and you have NOTHING backed up! Sure, if we were smart, we should be backing these things up every week or so, but honestly, who does that?

The answer is simple, online cloud storage with a physical redundancy! With Dropbox you can upload new documents through their web server which automatically syncs with all your computers.

Click on the link provided here: My Dropbox Referral and download the software. Once installed you can setup your account with user name and password.

Technical Details: You get 2 GB of free space, just for signing up. For signing up using the link I provide, you get an additional 250 MB of space. For completing a quick series of tasks (i.e. watch a quick how-to video, etc.) you’ll get an additional 250 MB of space. Quickly, your totally free storage space begins to add up!

I personally find that I have plenty of space for my extensive collection of reference articles as well as other projects that come my way.

Even better, for all you techie people out there, Dropbox has applications for iPhone and Android with Blackberry coming soon. I know that personally, it’s been amazing to be able to pull up a quick reference document while away from my computer. Need to e-mail that paper to a professor last minute? Send him a link from your phone. It all works like a dream!

So, why not just give it a try? If you don’t like it, you can easily uninstall the program with no hassle. The only files that go into it are the ones you move, so there’s nothing to worry about. Go ahead, try it!

1. Eat Healthy

2. Exercise

3. Get some Fresh Air

4. Go Hang out with Friends

5. Go to a Concert

6. Host a dinner party with other seminary people.

7. Do something kind for someone else.

Let’s look at those again.

1. Maintaining a healthy diet is an absolute necessity for a seminary student. If you neglect this part of your life, you will definitely suffer in other areas. Some practical tips: stay away from fast food, rich and/or fatty foods, and keep your carb intake under control.

2. Not only does exercise allow you to maintain a healthy weight (as part of a healthy diet) but it give you energy by releasing endorphins. Plus, it never hurts to stay in shape for that special someone.

3. If you’re like me, it’s possible to spend most of your waking hours (and most of your sleeping ones too) in the same room. I frequently eat, sleep and study in my bedroom apartment, venturing out only to go to class. Rather, take a page from Psalm 19 and go admire the beauty and majesty of God’s creation. Find a local park, go for a walk, sit outside and read for a change. The fresh air will do amazing things for your study.

4. Piggybacking on number 3, you may just need to take a break sometimes. Go bowling, grab a pizza, watch a football game, play some ultimate frisbee; the possibilities are endless. Just grab a few good friends, seminary buddies, or church group members and enjoy some time off.

5. Music communicates what words alone cannot. Hopefully you enjoy a wide range of musical styles and can easily find a concert, broadway musical or similar performance in your area. Many of these concerts are free to the public or available for a nominal fee. College and University choral groups often have both spring and fall performances that are free to the general public and allow you not only to savor good music, but to interact with your community.

6. Eating alone: boring. Eating with friends: never boring. Find a night that works for a group of friends and have them over to your house. The food doesn’t have to be fancy, just filling. If necessary, employ some of your friends who are more adept at cooking to help your cause. Or, make it potluck, where everybody brings a course. I guarantee an enjoyable evening.

7. There are certain times when your self-focus becomes the problem. Drowning in a vat of self-pity is a terrible way to go down. The simplest answer? Take your focus off of yourself. Go help an elderly widow with her yardwork. Send a note to an old friend or a shut-in. Call up your parents and tell them how much you love them. Sometimes the best way to take care of yourself is to take care of others.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill attended a reception during a speaking tour in Canada, and found himself seated next to a stiff-necked Methodist bishop. It was still early in the day, but the host knew Churchill liked his whiskey, so a young waitress appeared with a tray of glasses. She offered one to Churchill, which he of course took, the other guests also graciously accepted, but then she came to the Methodist bishop. The bishop pulled himself up to his full height, and with a very spiritual sounding voice said: “Young lady, I’d rather commit adultery than drink whiskey.”

Churchill immediately called the girl back. “Come back, young lady; I didn’t know we had a choice.”

For a Monday morning, this made me laugh. Still, I think this article by Phil Cooke, “Having ‘Good Intentions’ Doesn’t Mean We’re Engaging the Culture Well” has some drastic implications for today’s Christian.

To be quite frank, I have found myself in many situations where, like Churchill, I didn’t know we had a choice.

HT: Phil Cooke