New Learning Course Update #1

I am currently taking a Master's course through the University of Illinois. This is an online course, and the requirements of the course involve me contributing to the "discussion" through typing my own updates and adding them to the course's page. There are seven updates that I need to compose, and I have decided to cross post those updates on this blog.

Here is the first update, in response to the instructor's update, titled Being an Educator in Interesting Times.

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Twelve Ordinary Men Study at Edgewood!

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I finally picked the book for the men's study at Edgewood!

Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur is a book that I have owned since it first came out.  I have had it in the back of my truck for almost 6 years.  I started reading it, but got bogged down with other books.  The former pastor of Edgewood even bought me the study guide a few years ago.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been trying to decide what study to do at the church.  A friend of mine had donated several weeks to coming to our church and teaching the adult Sunday School class, but his time is up and he really needs to return to serving at his own church.  Instead of looking for another teacher, my wife and I decided to split the group between the men and the women.  I would take the teen boys and the men and my wife would take the teen girls and the women.  This seemed like a reasonable solution, and my wife was able to pick a topic and a book fairly quickly, I on the other hand, was having trouble picking a book.  This morning it just popped in my head!

So, if you are in the Danville area and you have been looking for a church to attend, now would be a great time as we begin these two new studies.  If you don't live around here, but you are of the praying sort... consider adding Danville to your prayer list: we need it.

Today's Sermon Study Materials

1. ESV Study Bible
2. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
3. Adam Clarke's Commentary
4. Matthew Henry's Commentary
5. The Communicator's Bible Commentary
6. The Layman's Bible Commentary
7. William Barclay's Daily Bible Commentary
8. The New International Bible Commentary
9. www.studylight.org (several other commentaries plus the original greek words with definitions)
10. Big Mac value meal
11. Pandora playing Intrumental Folk Radio in the background

The Bible!

I've read through Ryrie's Basic Theology and most of Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology.  I have listened to the audio version of Doctrine by Mark Driscoll and reread through most of it.  I've enjoyed God Wrote a Book by James MacDonald and many other books about the Bible... But it doesn't matter how many times I study this amazing book that we call The Bible... I am always amazed.

I love how the Philadelphia Confession states it:

We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church of God to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.

Amen to that.