important announcement
Important Announcement from Rick Smith on Vimeo.
spring reading list – 2009
Well the spring semester at DTS as arrived, and it has brought with it a new set of books that must be read, digested, critiqued, discussed, and interacted with. I have many great friends involved in ministry, and are who not in seminary whom often ask what books I’m currently reading in my graduate studies in theology. In light of that; I thought it would be helpful to list my current semester’s assigned readings. Perhaps some of these books may be of interest to you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me; I’d love to chat more about any of these topics with you!
{There are also MANY class notes that are assigned for all of these class which aren’t publicly available– sorry! You’ll have to enroll in seminary if you want access to those!)
-Rick
2009 Spring Semester Reading List – Dallas Theological Seminary
The Bible! 
BE 105 – The Gospels
“Exploring the New Testament, Volume 1” – Wenham/Walton
NT 114 – New Testament Introduction
“Jesus & the Rise of Early Christ” – Barnett
“Studing the Historical Jesus” – Bock
“Introduction to the New Testement, 2nd Ed.” – Carson/Moo
“Lost Letters of Pergamum” – Longenecker
“New Perspective on Paul” – Thompson
SF 102 – Spiritual Formation II
“Foundations of Spiritual Formation” – Pettit
ST 102 – Trinitarianism
“On the Incarnation” – Athanasius
“Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective” – Sanders
“The Shack” – Young
ST 106 – Eschatology
“Three Views on the Rapture” – Archer
“Three Views on the Millennium” – Bock
“Four Views on Revelation” – Pate
“Understanding Christian Theology” – Swindoll/Zuck
“The End Times” – Walvoord
BE 446 – Upper Room Discourse
“Our Lord Prays for His Own: Thoughts on John 17” – Rainsford
I hope these book suggestions can be of some help for you as you strive to “Teach truth. {and} Love well.”
-Rick
{by the way – big ups to you if you are old enough to remember the retro “book it” club logo!}
twitter kidnapped me
So twitter kidnapped me! Yelp, that’s right – kidnapped me away {sort of} form my own website! You may have noticed that I haven’t really updated this site in several weeks. (actually almost a month!) Why? Well, I have been “blogging” on twitter! Yelp – that’s right. Blogging on my twitter page. When I blog I blog about random things – faith, my life, random funny things, and to be honest I have found it to be much easier to do this via twitter.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ll still come here and post random blogs, put up videos, pictures, etc. – however my twitter “friend” list has grown in a big way over the last month, or so, and I find it easier to connect with folks on there. If you don’t have a twitter account, you really should. Trust me – just try it for a week! (I know it sounds weird at first, but it actually is a great tool!) If you don’t know what twitter is, here is a quick video that will help explain it to you!
If you don’t have a twitter account – set one up – and follow me! I’d love to connect with you. If you do have a twitter account; send me a message – I’d love to connect with you!
(by the way – I will still be posting on this blog from time to time – I have just found twitter to be a much more productive tool for me to interact with people on the web! So if (for some reason) you want more frequent updates on my life – please visit my twitter page!)
-Rick
small
small (adjective) -
1.a : having comparatively little size or slight dimensions
2. a: minor in influence, power, or rank b : operating on a limited scale
3. lacking in strength (a small voice)
4. limited in degree
5. reduced to a humiliating position
I pulled these definitions of the word “small” from the Webster’s Dictionary. Reread the definitions again – slowly.
small. little. puny. nothing. helpless. shattered. broken. you. me. us. we. We are little.
It seems as if I have been reminded often as of lately just how small we are. I have friends who are out of work. Friends who can’t find jobs. Family members who aren’t walking with Jesus. Middle school students who don’t know Jesus. Seminary students who are just mean. Every day another company is going out of business. Kids getting sick. Kids dying. People dying. People hurting. People I know who are Christians getting divorced. My inability to change people. The stock market. The economy. How hard it is for me to learn Greek. Broken relationships. People who have walked away from the faith. And the list goes on, and on.
I have been reminded over, and over again of just how small we are. Of just how incapable we are of doing “it” on our own. There are some days, some weeks, even some months where I just want to rise my hands up and say “ENOUGH ALREADY, I GIVE UP!” And those are the days I get it right. I have to give up. You have to give up. We can’t do “it.” Whatever “it” is. I’ve tried and I don’t do a very good job of “it.” I have to, you have to, we have to, let God do “it” for us. It’s hard, huh? We want to do “it”, we think we are the only ones who can do “it”, in fact if we don’t do “it” for ourselves; no one else will, right? Wrong.
Tonight I was reminded once again of Romans 5:6 – “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” The verses following are amazing, but just verse 6 brings tears to my eyes. Christ died for me. For you. For us. Not only did He die – but He died at the right time! Praise God. I am so thankful that His timing is right. He can die on time, and He can come back from death on TIME! He really does ‘it” and He does “it” well. And He did “it” for me, well. Jesus knows what it’s like to be small. Look at that donkey at the top of this post. That was his “car.” A donkey. Talk about small. This is the Son of God, the one who sits at the right hand of the Father, and here He is riding into town on a donkey! He became small.
So here on this Earth, you and I will be small. We will experience all the things I wrote above – even worse. But as believers we know how the story ends. One day it will all be over with. Everything broke will be fixed. Everything damaged will be repaired, restored. One day I’ll get to sit with this King, the One who died for me. The one who is my personal , friend here on Earth. My Savior. I’ll get to meet Him face to face one day– and that makes it all worth it. His timing is right. It’s Perfect. In fact He really does “it”, and like I said; He does “it” well!
So if your going through something today, if you feel small, it’s ok. Our God became small for a short time. It will come to pass. (maybe not this side of Heaven, but one day for sure.) Our God is a big, BIG God. He is in control, and best of all – His timing is PERFECT. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time, it is PERFECT. You can believe me when I say that!
“Thank you Father for being perfect, for being big. Thank you for knowing me. Even when I feel so small, so unable– I can know that you are able. You are on the throne, and nothing surprises you. Thank you for sending your Son here, to Earth. He knows what it’s like to be one of “us” , He can relate to us. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit here, and that He lives in me. I can’t wait to be with you, worshiping you forever. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, whom you sent. Amen!”
