Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

So, I arrived in Israel last night and as soon as I exited the airport, I caught a "Sherut" (Shared Taxi) to Jerusalem. My short stay here has me in East Talpiot, home to the Talpiot Tomb (which I hope to see today, at least its location anyway). It's a little after 5:15am. I slept about 6 hours and pretty much went right to bed once I arrived at my hosts' home. I will head out to see some of the old city today before attending an orientation in the evening for my class. I am glad that I have internet access, so, I will be able to blog and post some while I'm here. I don't have much so far but here are some pics I took of the Middle-Eastern sunset (click on the image to make it larger). Enjoy!

Before moving on to review Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Runge’s Discourse Grammar , I want to reiterate a thing or two.  First of all, if you have not read the previous parts of this review series, I would highly encourage you to.  In those reviews and the comment sections accompanying them, I explain the vantage point from which I am approaching Runge’s work, namely, more as a teacher in the church and less as a linguist!  As I have shown, the preface and subtitle of Runge’s book explicitly state that coming at this grammar from such a stance is not only fitting, but expected.  Indeed, the following video is another place that explicitly states that this is aimed at pastors, preachers and church teachers, not simply linguists.  Thus, I am asking questions that a normal pastor or preacher might ask! Another matter I would like to address, which Runge himself and Mike Aburey have drawn attention to is the fact that I may be conflating the t...

Runge opens the preface of his grammar, A Discourse Analysis of the Greek New Testament , by noting that among New Testament (NT) scholars, those interested in linguistic analyses of texts, have often created more problems with and in their analyses than existed before they undertook their own work; often scholars merely “reshape the problems using complex jargon” (xvii). Some, like Daniel Wallace, have found this to be the case with those who have attempted to use Discourse Analysis (DA) on the NT. Thus, Runge’s grammar seeks to “fill this lacuna” by minimalizing the use of technical jargon and providing practical grammatical solutions to grammatical problems. Runge is clear, however, that his work is not an attempt to simply reinvent the grammar wheel or to even “supplant previous work” (xvii) done in this field. Rather, A Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament seeks to help readers find their way through the maze of years and years worth of “contradictory claims” (xvii) ...

In the coming weeks I will begin a chapter-by-chapter review of Steve Runge's Discourse Grammar of the Greek New Testament: A Practical Introduction for Teaching and Exegesis .  I must say from the start, however, that I am coming at this mainly from an exegete and a "student" of Greek.  I have no degree in linguistics or linguistic theory and so, I am certainly limited in that capacity.  Having said that, my reasons for wanting to review this work (available from Logos and also by Hendrickson) are twofold:  1) To force myself to not just read it, but to consume it and to become very familiar with its contents, and 2) In having only read through chapters 1 and 2 so far, I can see that it is an incredibly different way of approaching Greek than I've ever been exposed to.  Traditional grammars almost always seem category-driven but Runge's work, thus far, has a very conversational feel, is full of examples, does not seem rushed and, while it is dense, it is no...

The 47th installation of my "Notes On Koine Greek" is now online! In this section of my "Notes", I focus on Pluperfect Active Indicative as well as the Intensive Pluperfect and "oida" (οιδα). There are some helpful tables and tips, so, if you get a chance, check it out!!! This has also been added to the GettingGreek website. To see the other "Notes" in this series, go to the GettingGreek site or to the bottom of this post and click the links. Enjoy! + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 1 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 3 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 5 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 7 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 9 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 11 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 13 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 15 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 17 " + Link: " Notes On Koi...

The 46th installation of my "Notes On Koine Greek" is now online! In this section of my "Notes", I focus on both the Perfect Tense and the Pluperfect Tense...I also look at 2nd Pluperfects. There are some helpful tables and tips, so, if you get a chance, check it out!!! This has also been added to the GettingGreek website. To see the other "Notes" in this series, go to the GettingGreek site or to the bottom of this post and click the links. Enjoy! + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 1 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 3 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 5 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 7 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 9 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 11 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 13 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 15 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 17 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt...

For all of you Koine Greek lovers out there, take a few minutes and test your "" skills! Check out this interactive hangman module I've worked up! Click the image-link below to play:

The 23rd round of my "Notes On Koine Greek" is up. This portion of my "Notes" focuses more on the Koine Greek Definite Article and offers a new, non-traditional table and some tips for memorizing the case-number suffix morphemes. To see the other "Notes" in this series, go to the bottom of this post and click the links. Enjoy! + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 1 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 2 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 3 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 4 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 5 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 6 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 7 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 8 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 9 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 10 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Greek, Pt. 11 " + Link: " Notes On Koine Gree...

**UPDATE** : Some people have asked me to post a PayPal button to this site so that they can help. So, with that request in mind, here's the button. If anyone's interested in helping with this, I'd be incredibly grateful. I've also been asked "why" I want to do this. Well, there are a few reasons: 1) It will give me the opportunity to stay connected to Ethiopia, where my adopted son is from; 2) It will give me the opportunity to experience Ethiopia in a different setting and context, that is, apart from a week where the adoption "process" is the focus; 3) It will be a good opportunity for me to get more teaching under my belt; 4) ETC is devoted to the Church! And because this is the case, EVERY student who attends there, must be "sent" on behalf of a church, whether it is one where they pastor or serve as a lay person. With this in mind, I realize that I am equipping students to teach and preach in churches in Ethiopia, whether it be in...

Some time ago, there was a cartoon in The New Yorker that had a CEO ending his board meeting with the following remark: “And so, while the end-of-the-world scenario will be rife with unimaginable horrors, we believe that the pre-end period will be filled with unprecedented opportunities for profit.” You know, this cartoon really hits the nail on the head. Two of the fastest growing beliefs in Western Christianity have to do with end-times and money. I want to suggest here that when both of these tenets are accepted by one person, let alone a group of persons, the atmosphere is ripe for hedonism! How so? Well, think about it this way: If you're an end-times, rapture-believeing type of person, chances are, you already have it ingrained in you that you couldn't care less about this planet. The thought is: "Why should I care, it's all going to burn up and end in disaster anyway. I'm going to get raptured and spared, so, it's not my problem to worry about it."...

The latest episode of Exege TV is up. It discusses having a healthy image of the Bible. It has also been added to the Exege TV page / tab above. Check it out.

Watch the whole video! HT: Drew T.

If so, I am your man. My prices are beyond fair and the quality is great. If you need examples of a blog, look no further than this one. If you need examples of interactive programs, check out some of the resources on my "Free Bible Resources" page. If you need examples of logos, email me and I'll send some to you. If you need any of these, contact me at: halc dot 40dp at mailcity dot com and we'll start working together. Blessings.

So, I raved a couple of days ago about a few books I bought in Kalamazoo at the library's bookstore. Well, I went back in yesterday, after they had stocked some new things over the course of a week and once again, I was not let down. After I spent a whopping $4, I went a couple blocks over to the city's annual Ribfest and had some good barbecue (or as we southerner's like to spell it "bbq"). Here's what I picked up at the store (again, for only $4!!!): * Daily Life in the Time of Homer (Mireaux) $1.00 * Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) $1.00 * Cicero: S elected Works (Penguin Pub.) - $.50 * Biblical Semantic Logic (Gibson) - $1.00 * The Counselling of Jesus (Buchanan) - $.50 And, here's me eating some ribs: A decent day, if you ask me!

Last year, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly paired up in the redneck racing flick, Talladega Nights. Honestly, I didn't see that movie because the previews pretty much gave the script away. Just as well, I was burned out on Will Ferrell (he's pretty much the same character in every movie!). Well, I decided to try my fortune with him in his latest film, another with Reilly, Step Brothers. I don't want to give a thorough synopsis of the movie here but I do want to say a few things. Firstly, if I had to describe this film in one word, it would be "raunchy". Seriously, this is straight-up one of the raunchiest films I've ever seen. At the beginning of the show, there are a few jokes about penises and vaginas. 45 minutes later, more of the same. 45 minutes after that, more of the same. Combine all of the genitalia jokes with the tremendous amount of cursing, forced restroom and underwear humor and anyone with a shred of decency feels like they need absolution via wa...

In the previous two posts of this series ( HERE and HERE ), I began laying a base for a theology of prayer. I started by defining prayer as: Attending to the presence of God both around us and in us. I repeatedly emphasized that this definition of prayer, which is God-focused and God-centered, is markedly different from traditional definitions of prayer that are human-centered. It is imperative when constructing a theology of prayer that our definition be sound and healthy. Such a definition, I contend, located God at the center and makes prayer about Him, not about us. After offering a definition, I argued that it is important to also have a healthy image of prayer. I listed a number of very flawed images that persons have (and hold to) that ultimately result in an unhealthy view/understanding of God and prayer. For me, a healthy image is one of two persons making vows (as at a wedding ceremony). At that moment, the two people are attempting to be in each other’s presence as “fully” ...

Here's a prank phone call that a friend and I made back in college. We called a video store asking for some pseudo film titles but as time went on, the call turned into something else entirely. Give the whole thing a listen; I think it's funny anyway (may take a few seconds to load). Prank Phone Call: "Movie Rentals"

Here's a video of me about 6 years ago perfoming a song I wrote titled "Wings of Angels"; this was during a Church gathering on a Sunday morning. Fun stuff.

The new Pisteuomen logo (to the right) was created in recognition of Earth Day. Not only is it a day to celebrate and thank God for His creation but in my view, it is also a day to remember that as God's people, we are to have a global mentality. Indeed, God's plan from the beginning was to unite all people in Christ. Enjoy Earth Day and if you have a few moments, why not design your own logo to raise awareness.

As I mentioned Sunday evening, the wife and I finished the mandatory 24 hours of coursework for our home study. That was a huge accomplishment. Well, last night, we made another giant stride by completing the mandatory 8 hours of coursework by the National Council For Adoption. We will recieve our certificates in 2 to 4 weeks. After finishing our home study, soon, we will have the green light to contact CIS (Immigration Services) for approval to bring the child home, then we will begin working on our dossier which, in-turn, results in getting the child referral. I am amazed at the huge strides we have been able to make in such a short amount of time. What generally takes couples months has only taken us a handful of weeks. So far, so good. Please pray for our family, our child-to-be and the process. Thanks.