If you read the prayer section above, you can see why getting this week’s letter mailed was delayed.

Today I have made another attempt at sending the iBulletin in a different way. It is not that I “need” to find a “new” way to do this. I just want there to be one line empty between the paragraphs. Some email applications interpret the settings in various ways and remove the space between paragraphs (there could be others, but this one is the most significant because it makes reading harder). I would be curious to know from a few of you 1) if you received more than one copy of the iBulletin this week; and 2) whether the paragraphs were separated by one blank line each.

Last Sunday Pastor Rigsby began a new sermon series that might prove to be quite an undertaking and spiritually rewarding. It is the book of Isaiah. Last week he covered the first two words of verse 1. At this rate, Pastor Rigsby will be 104 when he finishes the book.

Thursday and Friday of this week the Spanish congregation was visited by one of the missionaries they support in prayer and financially. Daniel Bustamante is an evangelist from Argentina. While he was here, Daniel preached those two evenings and Sunday morning, challenging and exhorting those present to remain faithful to Christ and His work. Dr. Bustamante sends a daily email devotional in Spanish to about 900 (and in English to a smaller group). Using Yahoo, MSN, and Google email accounts, the sending process would take about two hours each day. He has been doing this for several years. While he preached, I stopped work on the DVD to set up “group” accounts on Google that will allow Daniel to send to all of his email addresses as if he was sending to only one. Once all of the addresses are transferred the time to send the email devotionals will be reduced to a few minutes each day.

In our Bible reading we are ready to begin the books of Kings and Chronicles during May. The narrative starts well. Solomon’s reign as king lives up to his name, there is “shalom.” The glory days of Israel’s history culminates with the construction and dedication of the Temple, that magnificent symbol on earth of God’s presence. Then “something” goes horribly wrong with the story that covers the next 360 years. The nation splits in two. The north is dispersed never to be reunited and the south is taken away in captivity. The climax of the tragedy is the destruction of the Temple. Tragedies are depressing. Maybe that is why we don’t know this part of Israel’s history very well. But if we read and consider these books carefully, from the ruins of Israel’s “mistakes” we can “buy experience” for ourselves which just might keep us from being “doomed to repeat it.”

You may have received two copies of the iBulletin last week. You weren’t seeing double. I was experimenting with sending the email in a different way and it worked. It worked so well, you got one for each eye. If this was an inconvenience for you, I apologize. I have reverted to the standard method of delivery until another brilliantly flawed idea passes through my mind.

The chapel service at Talbot on Tuesday was well received. Getting there was an all night endeavor. It was nice to see several with whom we traveled in January. Now I can focus on completing the DVD. We can begin thinking about when to show the slides at a church service here. Thank you for praying.

The funeral services for Dr. Clyde Cook (President Emeritus of Biola University) and Mrs. Mildred Rosscup (wife of Dr. Jim Rosscup who taught at Talbot and Master’s Seminaries) were both held yesterday, Saturday. The Rigsbys attended the first and participated in the second. Biola will have an additional memorial service for the students tomorrow, Monday at 9:30 AM. The school plans to webcast this special chapel service. You can view it from your computer. From your web browser, go to www.biola.edu.

In our Bible reading, you might already be in I Samuel—and that is good! It was not long ago that we read Ruth as well. Pastor Rigsby made this book the basis of our study Wednesday evening. While the concept of the “kinsman-redeemer” is nowhere better illustrated than here, verse 16 in chapter 1 caught my attention in a way I had not thought about before. “And Ruth said, ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’”

Ruth was a Moabite. Because of her relationship to Naomi, Boaz was able (and willing) to “redeem” Ruth. Ruth became the grandmother of King David. Here is the connection that I had not made before. Among other important doctrines, this little book teaches that “gentiles” (everyone who is not a Jew) are not outside the possibility of being saved (as we might say it today). Long before Peter preached on the day of Pentecost or before he saw the Holy Spirit indwell Cornelius and the other “foreigners” in the same way He had the Jews, God had prepared to include us in His redemption.

We respond with the psalmist, “Praise the Lord! While I live, I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”