deeperthanyesterday

  Meeting my academic advisor in my Masteral studies for the first time, I learned that she had two published commentaries, "Habakkuk" and "Zephaniah". Her discipline is in the Old Testament and the Hebrew language. I asked during the process of making her work if she still consults or research from other commentaries. She responded that she still does. I asked her why because she is already an expert in the original language of the passages why would she need to consult others. She is not reading the English version but rather translating the Hebrew scriptures in real-time. Then, she answered, "Yes, because we learn best in a community." Our journey with Christ also happens best in a community. 1   Walking alone is unimaginable being a human. We are born to connect with each other, grow and learn with each other. When one decided to follow Christ as Lord and Saviour, he ought to be doing it and having a fellowship with other believers. It is unthinkable t...

    This entry is a tribute to Tito Dennis and Tita Beth. Psalm 100:5 is their Wedding Anniversary Verse. To grasp what the verse entails in relation to marriage, it is imperative to include the entire chapter. The commentary is supplied by the cited sources in the Bibliography. The marriage section is based on careful analysis and observation of the author. Psalm 100 1. Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth. 2. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3. Know that the Lord is God.     It is He who made us, and we are His;     we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4. Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Commentary      Verse 1, The first verse invites the congregation to "shout" for YHWH. It emphasizes the action that needs to be done ...

     Peace is a major theme in the Third Gospel. During the time of Jesus in Galilee, the fields are the place where violence and trouble occur. It is dangerous especially if one walks at night by the field. Imagine this, if you go to the far-flung provinces in a rural area, do you think it is safe to walk at night? Compared to walking in a busy street in an urban area like Jerusalem.       The gift of peace that the divine being offered to mankind is evident in the beginning and at the end of the Third Gospel. The shepherds' interaction with the angels resulted in the heavenly hosts giving glory to God, "and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests." 1  (Luke 2:14) Jesus after resurrection his first words to his appearance with the disciples "Peace be with you." 2  (24:36) Peace is what mankind needs as evident in this few examples: Simeon's response during his encounter with the newly born Jesus, "... you may now dismiss your servan...

     The lesson that stood out from our discussion last Sunday based on the sermon was the contrast between the world's definition of being a leader and the bible's definition. In society, the metric of leadership is the number of people who serves under you. 1 But in the bible, it is different. "The greatest among you will be your servant." 2 (Matthew 23:11) It is about the number of people whom you serve. Instead of top to bottom, it is a bottom-up approach. The disciples who had been significantly spending time with Jesus were not able to grasp the posture of being a servant. Unsurprisingly, the people were influenced heavily by the paganistic view of leadership in their culture.       At present time, I'm starting to think that the people who volunteer behind the scenes (e.g. Multimedia, Sounds, Crafts, and Creatives ministries) are in a better position to serve God with sincerity. Their acts are unseen. Serving without anyone noticing is not lim...

    Yesterday, I made a decision to swap the tires myself to save money. With that approach in life, one can save money but it is not necessarily convenient. There's an effort involved and the efficient use of time might be compromised. As I picked up the third wheel I noticed a nail stuck in the rubber. With limited knowledge regarding tires and wheels, I concluded that this was something major and it became my top priority within the day to fix it and bring it to Canadian Tire. I attempted to contact my father to hear his guidance but didn't get sufficient information to move my life forward.     As I carry the wheel to put it in the back seat I thought of bringing also the last one but didn’t bring it. Upon arriving at Canadian Tire and speaking with the mechanic, he removed the nail and told me that my car is still fine to drive. I asked him to clarify that having a nail in your wheel does not necessarily means repairing or changing your tires. It is on a case-to...