Kind of like shoveling snow every other day. Here in Denver, they have regulations that require us to have our sidewalks and driveways cleared within 24 hours of the snow stopping. In February, Denver’s wettest month this year, it seemed like the satisfaction of just clearing the driveway was always immediately met with fresh powder falling from the sky. Throw in a few elderly neighbor driveways, and we stayed pretty busy trying to keep up for a few weeks. Fortunately, we all chipped in to help! Many of the students, along with Alexis, Scottie and Samantha loved the novelty of shoveling snow into big piles in our yards. (We’ll see how long that lasts!)
The challenge of trying to keep up with all the snow may not have been as demanding as finishing up our first semester at Bear Valley Bible Institute, and it is not nearly as rewarding. On Friday, I finished two exams with a feeling of accomplishment as I closed the semester. Alexis also finished her two classes last week with exams and projects.
Here are a few of the highlights / accomplishments of the month…
I prepared 1 Bible class and 4 sermons, and each were expository. That means the lessons were based on and focusing on one passage from the Bible. This might sound easy. For me, it was challenging. The reason is because I’m used to preparing topical lessons, where I can jump around the Bible and use a lot of different passages to support my points. At Bear Valley, the instructors really want to train us the discipline of teaching from one passage. This should encourage us to stay in context and expose the depth and richness of one section at a time.
I taught a class to my peers and received constructive feedback. In this class, which I taught from Mark 14:32 – 42, I was excited to discover I could teach from one passage! I also practiced soliciting participation from the class so that they could teach themselves. I received an A, and everyone had very encouraging feedback. I also learned that I should ask more open-ended questions to receive even better participation.
Alexis is getting to know the area & making new friends!
Scottie and Samantha made good grades in their first quarter! Garrison learned to sit up on his own and is rolling everywhere!
1 Corinthians and waiting for one another
One of my favorite classes last semester was 1 Corinthians, taught by Dan Owen. Dan is a great Bible teacher and Greek scholar. He does a great job of teaching from the Greek text, and as much as possible, he uses 1 Corinthians alone to teach what the epistle is saying. The best interpretation can be found by staying in the context!
For example, in 1 Cor. 11:27 – 34, a lot of times those presiding over the Lord’s Supper will emphasize examining ourselves in relation to our own worthiness in consideration of the body (being the Lord himself). However, that is not all that is being emphasized by the context. Dan argues that we should be considering the body (v. 29), the church, those in the assembly! This is based on how the passage begins (v. 18 – “when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.”) and how the passage ends (v. 33 “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.”) What a fascinating perspective to the practice we have sometimes of “clearing our minds of anything except the Lord and His sacrifice”.
Please pray for those in China
Meet Liu (and Joshua). Liu and his wife Ting are from Wuhan, China and are students at Bear Valley. Liu told me that before he heard the gospel, he was an atheist, like nearly a billion others in China who have no access to the Truth. He told me, that when he first heard that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life in a small house congregation, he was finally sold!
Please remember those in China who would respond likewise if only they could hear the Truth. Please pray, that the suffering and worry brought by Coronavirus would be a way to bring more glory and recognition to our Lord in the Far East.
Liu and Ting did a great work in consolidating thousands of dollars in medical supplies to be shipped over to China. Thank you to all of our supporters who sent us medical masks and other protective supplies. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support.
Love,
-The Ihle Crew
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