Kari reflects on the power of words, in words of encouragement. My wonderful wife concludes:
"Please hear this: What you say to others can change the course of history. Speak life! Speak encouragement. And if we are in a position of authority, don’t be threatened by those underneath! It is our responsibility as leaders, parents, teachers, mentors, to raise up the younger generation. Our goal is that they would be better, smarter, and more influential than we are. If our goal is simply to protect our status, to guard our carefully constructed identity, we will miss out on raising up the next generation of leaders who will change our world for Christ. As a youngster, who has just received one of the most encouraging talks of my life, I can attest to the fact that being believed in is one of the most powerful things in the world. I pray that we would look for ways to encourage, build up, and call out the valuable gifts we see in others. You never know how God might use your words, and who He might raise up in the process. And don’t forget to thank those along the way who have believed in you."
Starting tonight I have the privilege and joy of teaching our 3-week crash course in practical hermeneutics, starting tonight, at Foothills Community Church: Enjoying the Bible for All Its Worth
(6:30pm at our building ; let me know if you want to come join us!)
I designed the course to be helpful for any and all Bible readers (even for those who don’t yet read it!) It should be beneficial for those who have plunged the depths of its truth for years as well as those still looking for that dusty Book on their bookshelf. All will benefit, and as Kari and my pastor remind me, I will attempt to "put the cookies on the bottom shelf."
My hope is that the five dozen people attending think and feel with God. And that I talk less and less as the first, second and third weeks come. At the start I will be talking more, and then we will move to all of us doing Bible interpretation and application to our lives.
My prayer is that it will be God speaking, and not me.
Here’s the (albeit a bit aggressive) general table of contents we’ll be tracking with starting tonight. Not all will be covered (e.g., the appendices), and more to follow in the next couple of weeks.
Enjoyment is Not Optional
Enjoying God
Enjoying the Bible
How Much is the Bible Worth?
What is the Bible About?
The Story—Understanding the Story Line of the Bible
OT: Promises Made
NT: Promises Kept
What Challenges do we face when Reading Our Bibles?
Bible Reading as a Lifestyle
I-O-U-S
Hermeneutics 101
The Importance Of Hermeneutics
Context
The Time Challenge of Interpreting the Bible
Allowing the Author + Text to Speak
Meaning Flows from the Top Down
Levels for understanding
6 Steps for Understanding the Bible
A Method Of Hermeneutics
1. Identify the genre of the biblical passage
2. Read the Bible book for the big picture
3. Determine the structure (or outline) of the Bible book
4. Make observations about the book or passage
5. Meditate on the book or passage and upon your observations, and interpret the meaning of the passage
6. Apply the passage to your own life (seeing how it relates to other people especially)
Bible Genres
Appendix (definitions, notes on a Bible reading plan, and some short articles for further reading)
Lots of illustrations/diagrams in the notebooks, and plenty of room to take notes. We’ll be getting into some texts ourselves to see how to both understand (think) and enjoy (feel) God’s thoughts after Him.
We’ll also be diving into a few texts, one of them being James 1:2-4 .
Open Bibles, open minds and hearts. God, help us to read Your Word well and see the worth, work and ways of Jesus through every page.
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11 )
"There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."
- John Calvin
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." ( Philippians 4:4 )
"Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10 )
"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places."
(Habakkuk 3:17-19 )
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." (Matthew 13:44 )
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:23 )
"And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 13:52 )
"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith." (2 Corinthians 1:24 )
"… for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part." (2 Corinthians 8:2 )
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. …
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:16, 22-25 )
Five years ago today Kari Zyp and I exchanged vows, and then I got to kiss the love of my life for the very first time. What an amazing time it has been, my Sauce. We’ve had our adventures: moving 7 times, living in two states, both following the call to seminary as students, raising Dutch, continuing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and being able to know, love and enjoy Him oh so much more because of one another.
Sauce, I love you! I told you back then that I want to plunge the depths of who you are, and that passion has not and will not fade. You are cherished and loved!
Because 5 is not enough to convey how much my Sauce is worth (well, nor is 55!) …
She loves Jesus
She loves me
She was created to be a wonderful Mommy and is more than our boy Dutch (and baby #2 on the way) could ask for
She thinks
When someone asks if I can share my wisdom with them, I respond, "No, I’m not sharing my wife."
She is my best wisdom
She searches and swims in the deep things of God
She realizes that our pursuit of joy and God’s passion for His glory are not at odds — He is our Joy!
Her identity is not wrapped up in what she does
She is "in Christ" and walking in the Spirit in all of life
She loathes the separation of the Sacred and the Secular
She’s not afraid to say "No" to many good things
Her words drip with wisdom and grace
She waited for me, and gave me a second chance, even when I broke her heart 6.5 years ago
She does something once, right, and then moves on
She enjoys reading as the greatest form of entertainment
She doesn’t waste words
She is a woman of exceptional character
She is so consistent and faithful that I often say I feel rebuked yet encouraged trying to catch up
She has many young women "caught up in her wake"
She loves to solve issues quickly with grace-filled resolutions
She is God-centered in all her ways
She is a far better djembe player than she will admit
She is graceful and dancing, and patient with her clumsy husband
She perseveres always
She loves when I lead spiritually (yet is so strong in Christ that it seems like she doesn’t require my initiative)
She’s willing to think and feel with God in the fullness of her being, all the appropriate emotions (as found in the Psalms)
She’s quick to forgive
She’s coached me through a few somewhat humiliating yet totally humorous public situations
She likes it when I call her good nicknames and returns the favor (my Sauce!)
She is a devoted friend
She recycles
She’s is an ever-grateful daughter to her parents
She’s willing to do crazy thinks like live with them for over a year (this past year)
She puts up with me, and the quirks I’ve managed to pass down to the Dutcher
A better wife none could ever find
She makes each day of marriage better than the previous
She still has the joy and perspective of a newly marred bride, mingled with the wisdom of a mature woman beyond her years
People of all ages listen to her (and ought to)
She is a giver not a taker
She makes me want to eat vegetables
She is the greatest chef I’ve ever met (sorry Mom, you set the bar high!)
She can turn nothing into something absolutely delicious
She holds her finger below her nose in just a certain way while deep in thought
“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling him. This growth in happiness will go on eternally, increasing unimaginably (1 Corinthians 2:7-10 ).”
- Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 219.
"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal of every condition."
- Jeremiah Burroughs , The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (listen to a discussion of the book here , highly recommended)
"…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
- The Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:11-13
This hits home to the details of everyday life. Who doesn’t need to learn better how to be content?
Contentment is a heart issue. And it is a hard reality to cultivate. Our affections must be illuminated to see past our circumstances and surroundings to see the transcendent God who brings beauty, joy and contentment to any and all things.
Labor to be content in God. We are working through frustrations and disappointments to see Christ Himself as the sum of our joy and contentment in this life, as He is the source of life and the reason for our existence.
The two Greek words de ("but") and Theos ("God") are the first two words of Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy..."
Because of God's great love and grace extending to us in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed and able to know, love + enjoy God more fully, ever-increasing and forever.
This site contains the thoughts and conclusions and journeys of the Patterson family -- Jeff, Kari and Dutch -- who have experienced the front-end of God's amazing grace, and continue to delight in His unfailing love.
Read more about us, and what we hold most precious.
Starting tonight I have the privilege and joy of teaching our 3-week crash course in practical hermeneutics, starting tonight, at Foothills Community Church: Enjoying the Bible for All Its Worth 
This hits home to the details of everyday life. Who doesn’t need to learn better how to be content?
