Acts 1-8 in Ten Hours

Thursday, August 3rd, I covered Acts 7:58-8:40 and wrapped up the tenth lesson this summer covering the Book of Acts. 

This was my sixth summer at Emerald Heights.  It was once again a huge amount of work.  Nancy was my chauffeur each Thursday, and Annie managed to join us for most sessions.  Each week I am anxious to do a good job, and each week I am surprised with what I've learned and the quality of the final product.  It's a labor of love, but also the best study I do each year.

Here are a few paragraphs from the last lesson.

Jewish law required a prompt burial —and in the case of a capital crime such as blasphemy, lamentations over the deceased were forbidden. Even so, we learn that, "Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him." Apparently, Stephen’s boldness was shared by others — or his death had inspired it in them.

And Saul, who we meet next on the road to Damascus, in the next chapter, led the persecution of the church he would one day cherish. His religious zealotry was not unlike what we see today from religious extremists who believe they are honoring their God by attacking those who understand Him differently.

In a spiritual vacuum, people are easily misled.  And this Simon the Magician was running a successful counterfeit as literally, “the power of God that is called Great.”  Whether his apparent power had a Satanic origin or was more like what you can pay to see any day of the week in Las Vegas ― we are not told.

You might recall that Moses had a run in with Pharaoh’s court magicians. It’s one thing to make a staff appear like a snake ― but it’s quite another when one of those staff/snakes swallows up the others. Human tricks pale in the light of divine power.

In my own life, I was baptized as a teenager and had a rudimentary faith ― but it was another ten years before God turned the pieces of the gospel puzzle all face up and interconnected in my mind. That was surely the work and evidence of the Holy Spirit. I did not hear a rushing wind or speak in tongues ― but spiritual myopia suddenly became spiritual sight. With the saints who sing John Newton’s famous song, I too could attest that once I was blind but then I could see. I became giddy to boast that I understood and knew God. 

And this “Candace, queen of the Ethiopians”? There was no such person. That’s because the word translated as Candace is not a woman’s name as it has since become, but was the title for the Queen or the King’s mother. Just like Pharaoh is not the name of any particular person, but is synonymous with the King of Egypt, Candace is synonymous with the Queen of Nubia.

There is enough information in the Old Testament to lead someone to Christ. Recall that many thousands of Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles were ushered into the church long before the New Testament was written. But what is needed is someone to connect the dots as it were — to do what Jesus did on the road to Emmaus on Easter morning, and what Philip did here on the road to Gaza.

These last two verses may be the most incredible of all.  We hear that Philip was transported by the Holy Spirit to the coastal town north of Gaza named Azotus — better known as Ashdod.  I guess that’s where we get the phrase, “he was spirited away.”

Changes in SBGE

Alas, 3 of my 4 summer students failed their Excel exam and are now practicing in earnest to prepare for the retake.

Huda (pictured here) like "Brian", "Fiona", and Elmari, are all non-native English speakers and English difficulties added to their Excel struggles.

Dr. Jackie Miller took these pictures with one of my cameras.  She has my old job running the business school graduate programs. 

I marvel at my office arrangement.  While it is occasionally awkward when the study/seminar room outside my office is reserved for rare meetings or seminars, it is usually empty or has a handful of students studying.  I just refer to this 15'x31' "Collaboration Lab" as my outer office.  The photo above left shows the door to my office, 123A McKenna.

Allison Screen moved on from her position as Budget Manager at the end of June, so in July I took on yet another job as the temporary Budget Manager, processing all of the undergraduate summer teaching contracts she had neglected, and dealing with the July reclass forms.  This added one more skill to my collection.  We hired Kris McGaw, five years my junior, as the new Budget Manager, a half-time position.  She is a UC Berkeley MBA, but is returning to work after raising her three boys.

The biggest surprise was the announcement that 10-year employee, Elizabeth (Gordon) Jorgenson, our undergraduate coordinator, will be moving with her husband Josh to Austin, Texas.  Josh graduated from SPU this June, so her departure was not a surprise to me.  As her spouse, Josh got the tuition discount my kids got.  She says she was surprised I did not retire when Jeannie Beth graduated.  I would have felt that was being ungrateful to my employer.  Plus, I love my job!