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Jeff Randleman

Jeff Randleman is a husband of one, a father of six, a minister and a writer. He spends most of his days working with the church or spending time with his family.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:11-13

In the previous verses, Paul listed three people, two in a positive light, but one that is not so positive. In this week’s passage, Paul lists a few more people, and requests that Timothy bring him a couple of items.

Look at his remarks in 2 Timothy 4:11-13:

2 Timothy 4:11-13

In the previous verses, Paul listed Titus and Crescens as helpful colleagues in his work. Each of these had gone on to other places, serving and ministering, leaving Paul feeling quite alone. However, he isn’t completely on his own. He still has at least one person with him, and the expectation of more to come.

Paul senses that his time serving Christ on earth is coming to a close. But this does not stop him from continuing his ministry. This is notable. Even though his death is near, he still sees opportunity to serve his Lord, and does so. Much of this takes the form of passing on vital instructions to those who will continue to carry the torch. But I’m sure, knowing what we know of Paul from his writings, he still preached and shared the message of the gospel to all those around him, including his captors.

After all, “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). Death would usher him into the presence of God, but until then, there was work to be done.

Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.

Saint Teresa of Avila
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Book Review – 1 Samuel For You by Tim Chester

1 Samuel For You by Tim ChesterI have been extremely impressed with the God’s Word For You series from The Good Book Company. Not necessarily categorized as commentaries, these books still do a pretty good job of taking the reader through a book of the Bible, passage by passage, and examining it in detail.

The added benefit of this series is that there are some excellent personal application aspects, in the form of challenges as well as a few questions at the end of each chapter. This makes these books extremely practical.

So far, I’ve read several books in this series, including the ones covering Judges, Romans 1-7, Galatians and Titus. The newest installment is 1 Samuel. Each of these are practical and helpful, and are incredible resources for personal growth or for teaching. 1 Samuel For You is no different.

Much of the time, we tend to read the Old Testament as history, with little thought of the future it points toward. Much of the time, we read books like 1 Samuel, seeing only the events of the time, of Samuel’s life, of the nation of Israel from that period, and we leave it at that.

But Tim Chester does a great job of drawing out not only the historicity of the book, but he helps us see Christ in these events. And once he directs us toward Christ, he helps us draw current and relevant applications for our own lives in the twenty-first century.

In the past, I’ve read the chapters of 1 Samuel and have studied the events contained in them. But Chester takes things a bit further than I’ve ever thought to. He views most of the rest of the book through the lens of Samuel’s birth and Hannah’s song, found in the first couple of chapters. From these, especially Hannah’s prayer, he sees a shadow and and outline of the rest of the book, and even of Israel’s immediate future.

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Coffee Break – 08.11.2014

Coffee Break Banner

7 Taboos From A 17th Century Coffeehouse – I found this amusing. I frequent many fine coffee establishments in the area (this doesn’t include a certain mermaid-logo-bearing coffee giant. Friends don’t let friends drink there…). Most of them wouldn’t exist if the items in this list were taboo today, because there is much of this in each of those places. It seems like there are more Bible studies in some of these places than in churches.

You’re Doing Twitter Wrong – These two guys have a series of humorous videos that poke fun at our normal, everyday lives. In this one, they look at how people do Twitter, right or wrong. Pretty funny.

70 Years Long Traffic Jam Discovered In Belgian Forest – There may be some discrepancy on the length of time these cars have been here. Many of them may be newer than the title claims them to be. Regardless, the eerie, abandoned gridlock conveys a sense of time, loneliness and creativity. I’d love to see this in person.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:9-10

After finishing his statements about his impending death, Paul begins to wrap up his letter with some concluding remarks. However, everything he has written to Timothy up to this point provides the foundation for these final paragraphs.

He begins by listing three different people in 2 Timothy 4:9-10:

2 Timothy 4:9-10

Paul’s letter to Timothy follows the usual structure of most of his letters, and is typical of letters from this time period in general. He moves into some concluding and personal remarks to Timothy.

Paul is probably sending this letter to Timothy through Tychicus, who is headed to Ephesus (verse 12). This man will most likely replace Timothy so that he may join Paul for his final time on earth (see 2 Timothy 1:4). In fact, he desires Timothy to come quickly. He doesn’t know how long he has left, and wants to spend that time with his son in the faith, passing on to Timothy as much as possible.

Even though it will take some time from the sending of Paul’s letter to Timothy’s arrival in Rome, Paul knows that the political system takes time to function as well. There is time, but if Timothy tarries, that time may run out.

In this passage, Paul lists three names, one of whom apparently gave up the faith and abandoned Paul. The other two, Crescens and Titus, seem to have been dispatched upon legitimate missions. With Tychicus traveling to Ephesus, this leaves only Luke (verse 11).

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Book Review – A Deadly Business by Lis Wiehl

A Deadly Business by Lis WiehlLegal thrillers are one of my favorite genres of fiction. I love such authors as John Grisham and Randy Singer. Last summer, I was introduced to a new author in this genre, Lis Wiehl. But Wiehl takes a different spin, at least in the two books I’ve read so far.

Wiehl has introduced Mia Quinn, a prosecuting attorney who struggles with several major life issues. She balances her legal career as a prosecutor, with a second job teaching at a night school, grieves over her dead husband, and tries to raise her children on her own. Trying to do all of this under her own power is difficult to say the least, but she refuses to allow God a foothold into her life… At least not yet.

In this second novel featuring Mia Quinn, A Deadly Business, Wiehl weaves a thick plot that includes Quinn struggling with ethical considerations in one of her cases, seeking the truth behind her husband’s death, and how compassion plays out in her own personal life.

Just like A Matter Of Trust, the first Mia Quinn novel, A Deadly Business brings the reader right in to the middle of the action, as well as into the minds of the characters. As you read, you can almost feel the weight of the struggles that Quinn faces, and you begin to empathize with her as she seeks to do what is right in spite of pressures from work and home.