A Little Hodgepodge on Monday

On Monday, we do book reviews, and there is one later in this post, but I wanted to share a few bits of news that aren’t really worthy of a full post on our blog.

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First, I had a wonderful time at the FHU lectures. I wish I could express how much these weeks mean to me and my family. We are excited about going to Polishing the Pulpit for the first time in the Fall, and I’m honored that I’ll be speaking on the youth minister’s track there. If you have never taken the time to attend even a day of a lectureship like these, make it a priority. It can seem overwhelming, but it is a spiritual feast you won’t soon forget!

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Next, there will be two changes on our blog in the near future (probably later today). On the right-hand side, you may have noticed a “featured video.” My goal is to change that video about every two weeks. Usually, it will be something funny or entertaining, but, at times, it may be something we’ve found extremely informative and helpful. Be watching for it to change.

Also, there will be a new “page” on our website that will feature our upcoming speaking and song-leading engagements. We hope you will look at this and find out when we’ll be in your area!

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I  need some blogging help.  In the past, I have uploaded my PowerPoints to our blog using Slideshare, but I was unhappy that it changed many of the fonts I use, often making the slides poor in appearance. If you know of a way to “fix” that, or of another (free!) site that does the same basic thing, please let me know. I’d like to add the PowerPoints every so often to our site as an added feature.

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Finally, the book review. Each year, I read a commentary on the book (or books) to be covered in the FHU lectures. This year, in preparation, I read James Coffman’s commentary on First and Second Corinthians. If you are familiar with Coffman’s commentaries, this volume fits his “style” perfectly.

I found many of his “extra” sections (where he gives a few more thoughts on a theme, rather than a passage) to be the highlight of the volume. Some of these will be preached in the future! I also found his treatment of the section on miraculous gifts to be helpful, because he pointed me to some other good sources.

However, I was not overly impressed with his treatment of some of the more difficult passages. For example, I wish brother Coffman had spent more time dealing with the texts which speak of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I know his commentaries were not written with a scholarly audience in mind, but I think there were some (not all) “difficult” texts that were not covered as deeply as the rest of the commentary was. In other words, I found the volume to be uneven.

That being said, I like Coffman’s commentaries, and I use them often. If you have never used them in preparation for a Bible study or class, they are a good resource. If you don’t have any of them, check your church library. They are a good set of volumes to have.