Back in Dickson

Well, my summer schedule is pretty light compared to what I am used to. I am really enjoying having lots of spare time. My summer school class only meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am until 11:00am. So I have four day weekends plus afternoons free. I know what you are thinking, "Boy! I wish I had a cream puff job like that." Well, the stress of fall and spring semesters make up for it. It's still not the perfect job. The perfect job is from 12:00 to 1:00 with an hour off for lunch:)


Last Wednesday I did go to the men's Bible study at my new church. I really enjoyed the group. They are real close and very friendly. The funny thing is I don't fit their profile. This class was started to reach disconnected men that normally wouldn't be in church. Some of these guys have been divorced before or were recently saved out of rough life styles. So why am I enjoying their company so much? I have been going to church since nine months before I was born. I have never drunk alcohol, smoked or done any drugs. I have never been divorced, killed or mutilated anybody (frogs and cats don't count do they?) I think I have nailed it on the head. These men are recent converts and are close because they have all been through rough trials and lean on each other and welcome anyone in who needs encouragement. This means they are not cliquish. It is very hard develop relationships with groups that do have cliquish tendencies. This is a demographic group I would like to help reach and disciple so I think I can learn a lot from them. I would encourage any Christian group to do a self evaluation to see if this is hindering growth. A sure sign is if new people usually do not return, they are not being made to feel welcome. You should also be active with lots of activities for people to enjoy. I look forward to meeting with them again tomorrow night and I would feel that way even if Tim did not promise to fry fish for us (OK, maybe that does put a little extra excitement into it). Trish has made some connections with the girls as well. They went to the zoo and have a play date tomorrow.


I have been killing some time this afternoon. I decided to come back to Dickson for the monthly men's Bible study. I just wanted to see some friends and say hey. I know they have missed me terribly and have deep longing pains for my company so it will be a big encouragement to them as well. To end on a serious note, I have enjoyed our move to our new location but have missed my Dickson friends. I mentioned that Trish and I know the education pastor at Thompson Station church because he used to be at Grand Avenue Baptist in Fort Smith. I had lunch with him (Louis Davis) yesterday. It was a good visit and I look forward to getting plugged in there. Louis and I had a good time bashing all the people at Grand Avenue we never liked (just kidding). Speaking of annoying people from Fort Smith, two of them are coming to visit this weekend. I have been instructed to stay out of the way and not hinder the girls' fun in any way. Seriously, we look forward to Jennifer and Melissa coming. Well, that about sums up my last week and future days also. Take care!

Day 21 Devotion – Table of Nations: Japhethites

Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations. Genesis 10:1-5

Picture: The descendants of Japheth are shown in the green ovals in the picture. Notice that they settled to the north of Israel in Europe and Asia.

Chapters 10 and 11 of Genesis are is reverse order. Chapter 11 records the Tower of Babel that led to the people groups scattering and Chapter 10 (the Table of Nations) tells where they scattered to. Today we will look at Noah’s son Japheth. Most of these names point toward the upper Middle East and Asia. Most scholars believe Tarshish was ancient Spain so they also settled in Europe. This means that Japheth is the Father of the lighter skinned races of Europe and Asia. At one time scholars thought that Magog referred to Russia and that Meshech referred to Moscow and that Tubal referred to the Russian city of Tobalsk. This gave rise to the end times interpretation from Ezekiel saying that Gog and Magog would descend on Israel that it was a picture of the Russians attacking. During the cold war this was an easily pictured scenario. Archaeology has turned up that these places were not referring to Russia at all but rather to the upper Middle East including Turkey and Iran. This means that much of what we have been taught about the end times is based on faulty information.
If Tarshish is Spain, then this sheds light on the story of Jonah. He was called to go to Nineveh but took a ship to Tarshish. This means he ran in 180 degrees the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go. Linguists recognized three families of languages. These people groups are grouped in what is called the Indo-European languages. English is a descendant of this group. Greek is also in this group as well as Phoenician, which gave rise to the alphabet.

Day 20 Devotion – Was the Flood Global?

So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. Genesis 7:23

One of the biggest controversies of the Bible is whether Noah’s Flood is real or myth. The fact that about 180 different cultures, including those in South America, have a flood tradition has convinced many that there was a flood so important that it divided history into before and after. The next question is “Was it global or just local”? This is not an easy question to answer and I personally take the “I don’t know” position but do lean toward the local flood explanation. Here are some arguments for each position.
Global Flood:
1. It makes the most sense from the way the story reads.
2. Noah wouldn’t have needed an ark if it was local; he and the animals could’ve just run to higher ground.
3. The Bible says everything was included.
Local Flood:
1. Geologists say there is no evidence for a flood that covered the whole earth.
2. There is evidence of large flood disasters in the Middle East.
3. Ancient Mesopotamian cultures considered their area to be the whole earth, it was the known world.
In my opinion, the scientific evidence is stronger for the local flood scenario. I do think that rather than fighting over how large it was, let’s focus on the evidence that it did in fact occur. Let’s refer back to the genetic studies I have mentioned in previous devotions. Geneticists say they have encountered something else in their studies of mitochondrial DNA. They have noticed evidence that after the human population began to grow that there was a massive die off and then the population recovered again. DNA evidence shows a population “bottle neck” just like the Bible pictures. So now we have geological, anthropological and genetic evidence confirming the flood did indeed take place and it divided history into before and after.

Day 19 Devotion – Did Giants Once Exist?

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:1-4

These are some of the strangest verses in the Bible. Who were the sons of God that interbred with daughters of men? Some scholars say that the Hebrew language is pointing to angels coming down and interbreeding with female humans. This event led to the production of a half-breed, grotesque race of giants called the Nephilim. We then see that this evil is why God chose to bring about the flood to destroy mankind. Ancient man definitely believed these giants existed and Josephus refers to them in the first century AD. While the KJV and NKJV translate the word as giants, it is interesting to note that other translations such as the NIV and NASB only give the Hebrew word Nephilim because they are unsure of how to translate it. If you look up the word in a Strong’s Concordance you will see that it can be translated as “giants” or as “fallen ones”.
My scientific mind is very skeptical and will not allow me to accept the giant translation because there is no fossil evidence that they existed. The fossil record actually shows us that man was once much shorter than today. I believe these people fell away from God and interbred with ungodly people groups giving rise to a race of people that reached large numbers and because of their lack of morals became very corrupt and violent. The giant reference could be referring to their numbers and power rather than their actual size. Notice it says they were present afterward. The Nephilim are mentioned when Joshua tries to conquer the promised land. How did the giants return if God destroyed them in the flood? More later.

Day 18 Devotion – Did Humans really live Hundreds of Years?

So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. Genesis 5:23-27


How can we believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God when it contains ridiculous information such as the Genesis chapter five genealogy? It claims people lived over 900 years with Methuselah living 969 years as the longest. Some scholars argue that these may be families or dynasties and that the family was dominant for that period of time before another took over. Others claim that Sumerian and Babylonian Kings lists also have inflated dates and this is just another mythological listing.

Recent findings in aging studies have revealed some interesting data. Aging of the human body and other mammals is largely a result of genetics (programmed cell death), exposure to chemicals such as free radicals and exposure to radiation. Experiments carried out in mice have shown that their lifespan can be extended by over 10% by blocking some of these factors. Researchers believe they are on the brink of extending by an additional 10% in the near future. On a recent news broadcast I watched, the reporter asked how long humans could theoretically live if these factors were successfully blocked? The researcher answered “several hundred years”. The life spans in the Bible are within scientifically confirmed limits.

I would also like to comment on Enoch. We are told that he walked with God and was taken or raptured. Jews believe that everyone must experience death, therefore, Enoch and Elijah must return to earth and experience death before the end of time. This is why many theologians believe they are the two witnesses who are killed and resurrected in the book of Revelation.

Day 17 Devotion – Where Did Cain get his Wife?

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. Genesis 4:16-17

Picture: Cain being cast out in the background as Adam and Eve mourn over Abel's body.

One of the oldest questions about the Bible is where did Cain get his wife? We are told about Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel but no other people are mentioned at this point. We must remember that we are told later that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters. We are not specifically told that Cain and Abel were the first ones born. We know from DNA evidence that all the people on earth descend from one man and one woman so there is no choice but to visualize that Cain’s wife was either a sister or possibly a niece. Cain was also worried after he killed Abel that others would want to harm him so they must have been reproducing pretty rapidly.
Cain was banished to the land of Nod. David Rohl discovered several places east of Lake Urmia called Noqdi. Again he found numerous links that this is where the Garden of Eden must have been located.


And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. Genesis 4:21-22


This area in northern Iran is also the birthplace of civilization. It is where man first domesticated animals and plants and figured out how to smelt copper and then alloy it with tin to make bronze. They have even found musical instruments in their digs there. Archaeologists have been amazed at how rapidly man developed these skills. They appear rather suddenly, which contrasts with our typical view of man spending many millennia as primitive cave men. Ancient man was very intelligent and built structures that today we cannot figure out.

Thompson Station Church

We have heard a lot of good things about Thompson Station Church so that was our first obvious place to visit with our move to the Spring Hill area. The senior pastor is the son of a former pastor at our church in Dickson and he is still attending their and teaches once in a while. The music minister also used to serve at First Baptists Dickson. The education minister used to be the youth pastor at Grand Avenue Baptist in Fort Smith. One of my colleagues goes to church there as well. We visited her Sunday school class two weeks ago. The church has two services and three Sunday School hours to choose from. The 8:00am class was a little early for my family and they are rushed to finish the lesson and get to church. This week we went to 9:15 church and then visited a 10:45 class. This class was large and friendly. The girls invited Trish and Jedidiah on a zoo trip this Wednesday. The men have a study on Wednesday nights that they invited me to. The men at this church are real men; they like to kill and eat things so I think I will fit in pretty well. The class was active with good discussion with almost everyone participating. The service is very contemporary, rockin' and downright loud. We like it. One of the members of Avalon sang this week. She is going solo now. If my eyes didn't deceive me I think the senior pastor actually moon walked. He is hilarious. We hope and pray this is where God wants us and look forward to making new friends.