Lost in Translation

This week has been a time of spiritual renewal for me. We're having a spiritual emphasis week at the langague institute. Our speaker, Dr. Vern Steiner, www.miqra.net, has been teaching through the book of Ruth. I've gained numerous insights into the text, and God has been encouraging me to "listen" more to the text of His Word.

Here is one new thing I've learned. Did you know about the curse against the Moabite people (Deut. 23:3-6)? When read in light of that curse, the book of Ruth gains new depth. Fourteen times the author mentions that she was a Moabitess or from Moab. All the while, we're left wondering how God will deal with her in light of His curse. How will the people deal with her? Boaz' grace becomes all the more striking in light of how he could have treated her.

The other thing that Dr. Steiner does so well is point out the tension in the narrative. Sometimes we miss that because we're thinking about the outcome of the book. But if we would stop . . . and think about the unanswered questions the narrator is leaving us . . . we would really enter into the story and feel its power in a greater way.

I also really like the overarching theme that he's drawing from the book. That God often works in quiet, hidden ways through the faithful lives of His people. In Ruth we see "Calvinistic luck" as Dr. Steiner put it. God is in control of the seemingly chance encounters of life. He is working His plan. We need to be faithful.

Good question. This semester's class is shaping up to be excellent. I want to just briefly share what a week of class looks like.

We have two hours of conversation class per day. We spend one hour per week going through the Bible chronologically. This is very helpful, since almost all of the proper names are different in Spanish (e.g. Elijah is Elias, and Elisha is Eliseo).

Each week we read different newspaper articles, writing down all of the new words. Then in class we explain the article and the new words.

This week we're doing an hour-long Bible study. I chose a topic (justification) that will be very useful in my day-to-day ministry, since it's at the heart of the gospel.

We often have to watch a TV show and report on our findings (like the newspaper articles).

Our teacher also likes us to use the subjunctive mood (desires, influence, wishes, etc.) to share our opinions about these different topics.

All in all, the class is very enjoyable and helpful. Oh, I think I just heard the bell . . . gotta run.

I was just thinking about what a great support team we have. And I'm not just talking about money.

In the last week, we've recieved probably ten e-mails from people wondering how we're doing. We received phone calls from family members. We've received packages from family members and churches.

To be honest, it doesn't seem like we're living very far away from Iowa. Just wanted to give a thank you to each of you who upholds us in so many ways . . . and to give a thank you to the Lord for his provision.