We're Breaking, When Does Spring Arrive?


Today began my spring break from studies here at Bethlehem Seminary. While we're happy to see the six foot high snow banks melting down to the size of small shrubbery - when does spring arrive? I saw some red-headed sparrows outside my window this morning, but when does spring arrive? My wife is now wearing flip-flops on a daily basis, but when does spring arrive? My running shoes are feeling neglected, when does spring arrive?


I think it's like a lot of things in our walk with God, we wake up one morning and somethings we've been longing for are here. We struggle and fight and pray for more faith and one day face a trial where we notice - it's here, although still imperfect. We long and fight and pray for release from a besetting sin that almost seems to be part of our personality and one day we feel its grip released, though it remains crouching at the doorstep.


These are vague generalizations, proverbs if you will. But what's most important is that one day soon I'll wake up and cast off the mantle of winter because spring is here. Even so, come Lord Jesus, we await the eternal spring of your presence.


From the sublime to the... well, you can label them...

We got a little fussy, so the bottle became a prop.

My new favorite place to play, the couch!

Why is this monkey attached to my pants?

Dad builds with blocks and I eat them.

Mum, could you fetch the Rolls-Royce for me?

So it Begins!


Even though we've been offline lately, many of you have been keeping up with us and know about our new language learning venture.  About one month ago we began a basic curriculum in preparation for my studies in Israel this summer. (Rachel's doing the pre-course studies with me :-)  If you have time you can watch this video and see how we're learning biblical Hebrew.



It's a basic audio-lingual method that helps you connect the meaning straight to the target language without translation.  This helps get the language inside the learner instead of learning about the language as some sort of external entity.


Today I just sent in my registration for 6 weeks of study in Israel where this curriculum will be followed up by 8 hour days of immersion in Biblical Hebrew.  We'll target the books of Genesis and Jonah during those six weeks of class time, personal study, field trips, and other interaction with speakers of modern Hebrew in the community.  Lord willing this will be followed up by two years of teach Hebrew here at Bethlehem, a master's thesis, and beyond that as the Lord would see fit to use us... (feel free to contact us if you want more details :-)


Meanwhile, we're making plans for Rachel and Benaiah to be in Michigan over the summer with Rachel's family.  She'll be teaching swim lessons and enjoying summer-time in the country. (It can get pretty hot here in Minneapolis.)  So, please pray for us as we make this venture out of our comfort zones as we follow God step by step.  Pray for focus and endurance as we face this summer.  Pray for financial provision as we have some funds saved but not the full amount and will need to raise some support.  Pray for us to hear his voice more clearly over the summer as we seek his direction for our time beyond seminary.


And as for Benaiah, he just keeps on smiling and swimming.  Kick, buddy, kick!

Star Student!

The Little Monkey Fell Asleep

Trying to Play with Dad's Books

Daily Bible Reading & Middle-East Unrest

Here's a thought I had after reading God's word this morning and the news at noon:

Days of protest in a few cities have turned into weeks of unrest across the major cities of the Middle East.  Some are chanting slogans for economic, political, and domestic reform.  Others are chanting for the death of certain individuals they see as the cause of their hardships.  News commentators are all over the place in terms of predictions and implications of these events.  But when God spoke about the later times by the prophet Zechariah, we know his words are certain, "I will changed the speech of the people to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord" (Zech. 3:9 ESV).  For them to call upon the name of Jesus and begin living a life of service to the true King requires God to change their speech.  Join in praying today that these movements of unrest would serve as Kingdom movements of God changing the peoples of the Middle East to praise him with pure speech.

Home Again, Home Again


It felt like spring standing outside my Africa themed guest-room.  Clouds were rolling by from a recent rainstorm and I was watching the pond to see if our neighborhood alligator had been stirred up.  There were five of us from Bethlehem at this conference providing some wonderful community in which to process the sessions together.  The main point of these three days was to discuss how to meaningfully communicate the message of Jesus Christ to Muslims without going too far and thus compromising that message; missiologists call this "contextualization."  We are the recipients of someone else's work of contextualization (i.e.-we don't live and think like 1st Century Middle Eastern Jews) and we should be diligent and faithful laborers to help make the gospel meaningfully understood in all cultures.


Here are just a few of my take-aways from the weekend:


1) God moves in mysterious and wonderful ways to draw people(s) to himself.  We should be ready to rejoice at testimonies of this amazing deeds like the angels in heaven.  We should also be careful not to assume that a miraculous work of God should then become our standard for outreach.


2) God's Word does not tell us what to do in every situation we'll face in life, that's why He also gave us prayer and the Holy Spirit.  But we must not be too quick to assume that God's word has nothing to say about most situations we'll face.  On the contrary, this is why we are to be diligent "Bereans" in God's word ourselves and why we set apart certain people in our congregations (i.e.- elders) to study even more deeply and help us connect the dots our own study may pass over.


3) Islam is a religion that has stipulations for everyday life, for politics, and for relating to other faiths.  Christianity is also a set of beliefs and practices build around the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, affirming and fulfilling the Old Testament writings as well.  But there is something about Islam that forces a certain conformity to a more rigid set of principles (e.g.-dietary laws, patterns of dress, even the precise form of prayer).  Jesus taught his disciples about the content of their prayer but never an exact form.  This is one of the major differences between these two worldviews.  One carries a uniform system around the world seeking outward conformity and the other carries a central message seeking to transform the world from the inside out.


4) Muslims need to know Jesus the Messiah and we must take the initiative to love, serve, and bless them.  If they encounter him in the transformed life of his followers and through his living and active word, they don't need to become "Christians" exactly like we express our faith.  I do believe it is not appropriate for them to continue in the Muslim faith but should certainly seek to retain aspects of their heart-culture.  And we can be confident that since they have taken on a new identity in Christ and having been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are now governed by the Bible - whether Arab, Afar, Uzbek, Pashtun, or Malay - their expression of faith in Jesus will help form one of the beautiful and distinct aspects of the great throng around the throne of the Lamb from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9, 7:9).


Pray that the leaven of God's Kingdom would truly spread among these communities, that God would call out his sheep from blind wandering, and that the Light of Christ would dispel the darkness, especially in these tumultuous days.

Geeky, I guess...


OK, I'll admit it.  I did just spend the last 45 minutes creating a tool on my computer bible program to be able to search and link to all the map files the came with my ESV atlas - my wife just laughed at me when I tried to show her how sweet it was.  Oh well!


We're all thanking the Lord for better health this week.  It's good to see Benaiah crawling all over the place and up to his daredevil explorations again.  He had an excellent swimming lesson this week and would peacefully float on his back, stare at the fish on the ceiling, and kick those chubby little legs.  Good job buddy!


Next week I'll be heading to a conference in Orlando as part of my internship.  Yep, Orlando - I've been getting grief over that for months now :-)  I guess I'll just have to enjoy being cooped up in air-conditioned buildings for all three of us.  The conference topic is quite controversial these days and should make for some very thought provoking discussion - "can a follow of Jesus who was once a Muslim consider himself a true Muslim and remain within Islam?"  This also makes for a very timely discussion as riots and uncertainty grip much of North Africa and parts of the Muslim world.  May the Peace of Jesus Christ come upon them all!


Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.  Rachel continues to work faithfully as a swim teacher and loves her days as a stay at home mom.  I'm so grateful to be studying the wealth of God's word - going deeper everyday.  And Benaiah enjoys the adventure of every moment...and so do we.

Cold, Colds, and Coldest


This was a week to slow down.  Minnesota winter biting at your skin.  Rachel and Benaiah coughing and fighting the bug.  And I'm just finishing two weeks of school realizing that I'm out of practice!


But I was encouraged greatly as I completed a study this past week through the "Word" portion of Psalm 19.  vv.10-11 end that portion like this:

"More to be desired [is your word] than gold, even much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

In keeping them there is great reward."

Here was my conclusion after a week of prayerful study:

"Now, do I believe these things?  These aspects are not so much in need of theological development but practical application.  If the word is to be desired above the finest gold, then I am one of the most fortunate and wealthy men alive!  If the word is sweeter than virgin honey still dripping from its comb, then I am ought be one of the most delighted men alive!  If there are eternal warnings and rewards contained in this book that can keep my soul from its deserving, everlasting punishment, then I ought be one of the most humble and grateful men alive!"

It is a true privilege for us to be here going deeper in the study of God's word.  It is our hope that amid these years and as a result of them we will be a blessing to the people of God and the nations from the immeasurable wealth and incomparable sweetness of God's word.

Did you skip all the writing just to get to these?

(Don't worry, I don't blame you, I would too :-)

Sick Day with Snack the Giraffe

(do they make these swings for adults!?!)

A New Vision (pt.1)

Last week you saw a new look to the blog and heard about some of our new year events.  But this week we wanted to update everyone, at least in part, as to a new vision God is giving us for our time here seminary in Minnesota.  Part of my (Marcus) educational emphasis here has been the Biblical languages.  They are both an emphasis of my school and a personal priority while I'm here at Bethlehem Seminary.  But that little seed of study was  expanded seven-fold last semester.

While at a conference in Atlanta, a classmate and I learned about a study program in Israel that teaches the Biblical languages like living languages (e.g.-French, Russian, Arabic...).  For a number of reasons I'll tease out in the future both he and I got incredibly excited as we saw it as a clear next step to what God had been doing in each of our lives individually.  When we talked with our wives about it they were both extremely excited as well seeing this course of study as fitting for the God-given trajectory of our families.  So, the short story is, we're making plans for me to go to Israel this summer and study Biblical Hebrew via this method.  There are lots of details still to be worked out but we've been seeking counsel from many friends and advisors, all seem to say, "go for it!"

So, expect more updates on this in the coming months, and please do pray for us as this is a huge undertaking that is beyond our abilities.  But we serve a God who is not bound by our abilities!

AND...

How could we not add a few more pictures of Benaiah (בְּנָיָהוּ) -

Yes, he did stand up all by himself!!

A New Year, A New Look, A New Vision

It's been a month since we posted.  It's been even longer since we've posted much of substance (although how can you resist all those pictures!).  So it's time for a fresh look, some fresh pictures, and some fresh news about what God is doing in our lives.

Let's start with a recap of the past month and then next time we'll get to the news:

Christmas in Michigan -

New Years in Utah -

And the little peanut's first swim lesson - 

That's all for now, more news and updates next week!

~Pictures~

Life has been crazy around the Leman house this December but here are a few Pictures to update you on our life.

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Oh, for the day to come when all will truly stand and sing "Praise Yahweh!" (hallel-yah) and every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords!

Happy Holidays (pt.1): A Different Kind of Pilgrim

“Pilgrim” can be blandly defined as anyone who makes a journey for spiritual or religious purposes. In America we’re culturally conditioned to think of a group of English separatists who made a harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to escape religious persecution in their homeland. Or perhaps, if you’ve been a student of the history of Western Civilization, your mind goes to medieval Europe and the countless costly travels of wealthy Christians to get a glimpse of some saintly relic. In our present era the greatest annual pilgrimage is still about seeking freedom and the favor of God, but this pilgrimage is being made by men and women from every continent on earth to a sun-baked patch in the Arabian desert. Dressed in white robes they make corporate prayer, in rhythmic-like procession they retrace sacred pathways, in eager anticipation they wait to kiss the sacred stone...all in the hope that their sins would be forgiven.

On Nov. 14 the Hajj to Mecca will begin. Muslims who complete this once in a lifetime event will become known as a Hajji in their home community and be sought out for spiritual advice. Needless to say, this is a time of intense spiritual activity, both of darkness and of light!

Join with Christians around the world as we thank God for all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, out Light, and intercede for our Muslim neighbors in darkness; pray particularly for our Global Partners serving in Muslim Lands. Also, take this opportunity to talk to your Muslim neighbor about “Hajj” and the greatest pilgrimage of all when the Word became flesh...

Encore!!

Video Mania

Ok, so we know our son is cute. But we didn't know that the videos would be so popular. Here's a few more to satisfy the Benaiah craving... :-)

We Call Him Snack...

The giraffe, that is. Mommy used to be pretty snacky towards the end of pregnancy so the giraffe got his name that way. Now it's taken on a whole new meaning.

A Whirlwind Fall

It's been three weeks already, where did they go? Oh yeah, I know - guests in our home two weeks straight and then began the annual Global Focus at our church. Whew! Here are a few snapshots of our lovely guests though...

Benaiah the Alarm-Clock

Ok, here's a better shot...

Rock-a-bye!

Too cute!

A Breath of History and Fresh Air

We made a visit to Historic Fort Snelling, but it was closed. So we went for a great walk, enjoy the pics...

Photo Shoot

(and 2 tons of Cuteness)

No commentary necessary, just the fruit of a rainy day:

Of Vacations and Watermelons...

So, we were at the doctor the other day and she said my little buddy weighs more than a watermelon. OK, she actually said that he's 15.8 lbs. but the grocery store flyer said their watermelons were only 15 lbs. Here's some pics from our recent vacation in Michigan...

A Night of Power

As the season of Ramadan comes towards a close, my prayers only intensify. The 27th night of this Muslim holy month is a special time of prayer and spiritual fervor. It is believed that a prayer offered on this occasion is worth many times its individual merit. This is the anniversary of the initial revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an. Thus, a special night of power!

Yet in prayer and in witness we are not without power. Jesus the Messiah said that he was going away in order to send the Blessed Holy Spirit. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth!" (Acts 1:8) Power...no wonder we're commanded "be filled with the Holy Spirit." (Eph. 5:18)

Pray that this power would come over all the Church afresh these days - power for a ministry of fervent intercession, power for a ministry of loving witness, power for a ministry of grace-filled deeds of kindness. Oh, Holy Spirit of God, fall afresh on us!

Grace & Truth

From “30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” - “In settings of friendship and trust, [engage] the truth claims made within the Qur’an itself and for the Qur’am by Muslims. Blithely nodding or smiling when Muslims make truth claims that go against the clear message of the Gospel shows neither respect nor love. Love goes the distance with our friends in taking a firm stand and making our best case for the saving truth.” (http://www.30-days.net/)

I was struck by this sentence today. How indifferent have we become to all kinds of people in our society and around the world using the Lord’s name in vain, making degrading statements about His Holy Word, and rejecting the beautiful news of the Gospel. “Blithely” is a good description - “showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous.” Have I grown callous to the rejection of God’s Word? Have I become casually indifferent to disbelief in God? It should hit me like a thunderbolt every-time!! What did I just read this morning, “I am Yahweh, and there is no other, besides me there is no God...I am Yahweh, and there is no other...I am Yahweh, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7; for Yahweh try inserting “he who causes to be”, one possible translation of the Holy Name)

But more than shock and awe it should cause passion for the truth to rise in my heart and compassion for the speaker to temper my response. Do we serve the risen King or not? Does he truly rule this world or not? Will he come again one day and vindicate this insolence and indifference towards his holiness or not? What do we believe! And yet, did not our Lord bear such shameful reproach on the cross, our shameful reproach? Has he not called us, former enemies, sons and daughters of God? Oh, there must be love and respect in our speech and conduct but always rooted in the truth, and a passion that this truth be known and rejoiced in just as we do day by day. Father, draw many Muslims to a right understanding of your Son, Isa al-Masih, in these their holy days by the powerful wind of your Spirit and unchanging truth of your Word. Through His name we ask it, AMEN.

LEARN - “...the good hand of God was on him for Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of Yahweh, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:9-10) The core of all we’re studying here at BCS is God’s Word. Whether that’s through reading Jonathan Edwards or learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek, our labor is in going deeper into the word of God. The biblical languages are forming a foundation for every class we take with the hope that when we graduate we’ll possess such a humble proficiency in them that they’ll serve as a foundation in whatever ministry to which God calls us.

SERVE - In John 13, before Jesus instituted the supper of the New Covenant and then went to the cross to accomplish it, he took up a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. One friend in my cohort pray regularly before class, especially our language classes, which can seem “impractical” at times, “Lord, make this study of Hebrew/Greek a labor of love for the people we'll serve someday.” For now we view our studies through this lens of service, for ultimately these are not to gain knowledge that puffs up, but skills and training that will allow us to then serve God’s people around the world.

TREASURE - “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord...” (Psalm 1:1-2) Whoever might be credited with organizing the Psalter put this psalm first and this though is to govern our reading of the whole book. Delight in God’s Word, it’s not enough to simply learn and even live out unless there is a heartfelt affection for the things contained in God’s word. Chiefly is this, “rejoice in the Lord always!” (Phil. 4:4) We delight in the gift of God’s Word for in it we encounter His glory and His gospel.

OMNIA IN CHRISTO CONSTANT - “...in Christ all things hold together...” (Col. 1:17) The latin translation from this hymn in Colossians is a fitting banner to fly over our school. In the end it is not education we seek, nor practical skills, nor financial stability and security, nor ministerial prestige and power, nor a reputation and writings that last through the ages...we seek Christ! As has been said, he is the blazing center, like a sun in a solar system. “For from him, and to him, and through him are all things! To him be glory forever, AMEN.” (Rom. 11:36)

Allahu Akbar! (God is Great!) Jesus is Lord!

Around the world this morning billions of people are beginning a grueling 30-day spiritual exercise: abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. The aim of such a fast is to display one’s devotion to God, perhaps earning merit in his sight, and to proclaim to one’s-self that indeed you are a Muslim (one submitted to God).

During these intense days of spiritual activity may our walk with Christ be all more rich. Lest we forget, we pray not 5 times a day but without ceasing in constant communion. Lest we forget, we pray not towards a location on earth but to our Father in heaven who is so merciful to hear us. Lest we forget, we seek not our own merit in prayer but rest upon the perfect merit of Christ that comes through his death and resurrection. Lest we forget, we fast not to be seen by others but to because the Bridegroom has gone and we await his return - this is not our home!

And yet, we have the very Holy Spirit of God in our hearts and in our midst. May He be pleased to fill us afresh these days with a spirit of intercession, with a gladness in the greatness of Jesus Christ, and with a hope that cannot be broken...come pain, hardship, persecution, even death. Our God is Greater, Jesus is Lord!

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ... (Nothing can) separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Rom. 8:21-32,39)

The Baby Mirror

Six weeks today Benaiah was born, and it's been quite a ride! A lot's happened in that little window of time. We had wonderful host of visitors coming in and out of our home - the support and love has been an overwhelming picture of God's grace. During those weeks I also began and am about to finish my summer intensive in Hebrew grammar. Rachel went back to work last week and began getting things in order. Much to her dismay, the new owners of her hotel finally told her that they had hired someone else to do her job...so now we're job hunting. (Rachel has managed to pick up a 30 hour teaching load at the swim school for the fall, praise God!)

But more than all those events, we've been learning...a lot! We've been learning some of what it takes to be parents. We've been learning about babies. We've been learning the most about ourselves, though.

Babies, when you're not just borrowing them for an hour or two, can show you a lot about yourself, kind of like a mirror. But like a mirror, they show you everything, good and bad! I've seen my own impatience come out, my desire to be in control, my frustration over set-backs. I've seen us begin to establish a rhythm for our lives, my ability to change my priorities in an instant, my Father's patience and kindness toward me. In all of this I've seen more clearly my need for God's grace at every moment of the day.

"As a Father shows compassion to his children, so Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear him." - Ps. 103:13