The Gospel of John and Divine Sovereignty

My paper on Divine Sovereignty in the Gospel of John was recently published by the online international journal Testamentum Imperium. The link to the PDF version can be found here: http://www.preciousheart.net/ti/2009/21-041_Ritsema_Imagery_Sovereignty_in_John.pdf.

Iphone

I upgraded my broken phone to a refurbished iphone. I am writing this post from it.

The Ritsema Clan

Here is recent picture of the fam. Spencer is the youngest now (5 months) and Dawson the older (2 years).

Spencer (Left), Angela, Dawson, and David (me, on the right)

Small Group Ministry Can be Fun!

I teach a Pastor’s Small Group at the church and also attend our Young Adult Small Group. Here are some of the people in the group.

Was Mother Teresa Experiencing Depression?

The book entitled “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light – The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta” contains fascinating details about Mother Teresa’s state of mind during her tremendous ministry. During the latter years of her life, there appears to have been a real darkness that hung over her life. Since I am working on a sermon on Depression, it made me ask the question: Was Mother Teresa depressed?

Slave Songs in History — Were you there?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

This Sunday morning I am planning to preach a sermon for Easter called “Were you there?” I cannot remember a time when I did not know this song. I am not even sure where or how I learned it. It seems like I have always known the words. In reality the song summarizes the Gospel story telling about the crucifixion, the nails piercing his hands, the burial in the tomb, and the resurrection from the God by the hand of God.

I happened upon a story in Christian History magazine entitled “Slave Songs Transcend Sorrow.” The article explains how songs, like Were you there?, helped the slaves to look beyond the circumstances.

What they did is explained:
Singly or by twos the black slaves slipped into the torch-lit forest grove. What they were doing was illegal. They could be whipped for it. But they had to sing, had to sing without restraint, had to pour out to God their souls’ deepest prayers, longings and complaints, regardless of consequences. With bodies swaying and eyes half-closed, they sang, lifting to heaven their anguish and triumph.

To read the article go here:
http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps089.shtml

In Remembrance of Me

Last year on this day, I preached a message for our Maunday Thursday service. Tonight I will do the same. To hear last year’s message click here: Maunday Thursday Service

Did Jesus Ever Get Angry

Surprisingly there are few references to Jesus every being angry. Often cited is the temple cleansing, but it never stated that Jesus was angry. The New American Commentary offers some comment in Mark 10:14 where Jesus becomes “indignant” when children are prevented from coming to him.

10:14 Both Matt 19:14 and Luke 18:16 omit the statement that Jesus was indignant, no doubt to avoid any thought of Jesus being guilty of a sinful passion. This is sometimes said to be the only example in the Gospels of Jesus being angry, but see 3:5 and the comments on 1:41 and compare the accounts of the cleansing of the temple. The variant reading in 1:41, however, employs a different Greek verb from the one here; and the cleansing accounts do not explicitly state that Jesus was angry.
James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 159.

Gary Burge on Johannine Studies

Gary Burge has written an excellent review of Johannine Studies, charting his experiences, favorite books, and significant turning points in the field. It is well worth checking out: http://www.koinoniablog.net/2009/02/gary-burge.html.

My First Published Article

Over a year ago, I wrote a paper in a PhD class on the role of elderly people in the ancient world.  I surveyed the use of the term GERON in the Greco-Roman liteature and also throughout the NT.  I found many insightful and relevant principles which can aid in the research of geronotology.  With the popultion of the Western world living longer than ever before, the issue of aging is more important than it has ever been.  The baby boomer generation will have a transforming effect on the Western world, some have described it as a “pig thorugh a python.” As thousands of people get ready to retire in the US, the Social Secuirty program along with healthcare programs are try to get ready to deal with this extreme overload of cases.  The US budget deficit will grow to try to keep up with these needs.  Therefore it is a relevant social issue.  However, it is also a ministery issue.  How do churches and healthcare organizations address the social, emotional, and spiritual issues of aging.  I hope that my work on the subject will aid in researach on the topic, especially of spiritual development and formation in the latters years of life.

 

See the information about the article along with other information from the insitution I am seeking a doctorate, B. H. Carroll Theological Institute, click here Newsletter.pdf or go to http://bhcti.org