I post papers I have written, some during my graduate and post-graduate studies, some in response to other papers, and some written for other purposes like Sunday school classes or Bible studies. I also post observations on whatever comes to my mind and videos from teaching sessions.
A few days ago, Susan and I watched a podcast again in which we told the story of our marriage. At the time of the interview, we had been married for seven years. Now we have enjoyed a blessed marriage for almost thirteen years.
As we watched the retelling of how God miraculously brought us together, we were reminded of His mercies, His provisions, and how He can intervene in the lives of people who trust Him with all details.
We hope you enjoy our story as we share how God brought us from grief to joy!
Before you view the video, we encourage you to read the statement below.
WE ARE UNABLE TO TRIM THIS VIDEO, AND WE CANNOT CONTROL WHAT YOU MAY SEE IF YOU CLICK ON “MORE VIDEOS,” SO WE SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT CLICK ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE PLAY ICON.
To all who came to tonight’s book signing for my twenty-third book, the second volume of Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places, thank you!
It was a joy to visit with long-time friends, to make new friends, and to chat with former students who are doing amazing things in the Kingdom of God.
Thanks also to Everett Gossard, book editor for Pentecostal Resources, who edited the book and arranged the signing. I appreciate his excellent work.
May the blessings of our Lord rest upon all of you!
Today I discovered that my newest book, The Messiah in the Psalms, volume 2, is available both in paperback ($18.99) and eBook ($9.99) formats at pentecostalpublishing.com.
I appreciate all who are interested in this, my twenty-third book, and I look forward to meeting those who come to my booksigning next Thursday at 9:15 p.m. at the 80th anniversary of the United Pentecostal Church International in St. Louis, Missouri.
I was pleased this morning to see my new book listed among “Newest Releases” at pentecostalpublishing.com. This 256-page work includes 384 endnotes (see below) and explores in depth the witness to Jesus Christ in Psalms 73-106. I have agreed to be available for book signings at the upcoming eightieth general conference of the United Pentecostal Church International. Next Thursday, September 25, at 9:15 p.m. I plan to be at the Pentecostal Publishing House display to meet and sign books for “all who yearn to discover how the Scriptures testify of Jesus.”
Who wants to read footnotes?
Some readers have no interest in wading through footnotes. When they appear at the bottom of a page, they see this as a sign that the book is not for them! Others love the notes and head to them first, figuring that’s where the vital information is found.
Recognizing the aversion some people have to notes, many publishers place them in the back of the book as endnotes. This way, the information is preserved for those who want it, but others who fear getting bogged down can nevertheless enjoy and profit from the book’s major content.
My book follows this approach. If you’re not interested in notes, you’ll never see them. But if you love them, as I do, head to page 225, and you can savor thirty-one more pages of insight.
For instance, at the end of eleven pages that examine Psalm 81, the final paragraph reads: It would be impossible to describe the miraculous mystery of the Incarnation more fittingly than in Paul’s words in I Timothy 3:16: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory” (NKJV). In knowing Jesus, we know the Creator Himself. This wondrous truth is rooted in the very first verse of the Bible.
But wait. This paragraph points to two endnotes offering more information on I Timothy 3:16. Here they are: Footnote 151: “Instead of ‘God,’ some English translations read ‘He,’ ‘He Who,’ ‘Who,’ or ‘which.’ This is because these translations follow a Greek variant that appears only in a few manuscripts. One translation even reads ‘Christ’ instead of God. No Greek manuscript includes ‘Christ’ in I Timothy 3:16. The great majority of Greek copies have ‘God,’ which is seen in the KJV, NKJV, and other translations.”
And finally, Footnote 152: “The Greek text of I Timothy 3:16 could be legitimately read as follows: ‘God was manifested in the flesh, [God was] justified in the Spirit, [God was] seen by angels, [God was preached (i.e., proclaimed)] among the Gentiles, [God was] believed on in the world, [God was] received up in glory.” This is because each of these verbs (i.e., manifested, justified, seen, preached, believed on, and received up) is in the aorist passive indicative form. ‘God’ is the noun subject to which each of these verbs refers.
So what do you think? Is it worth it to look a bit further?
Since July 1, 2018, I’ve been working on the second volume of my commentary on the Book of Psalms. The first volume, titled The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places, was released in 2007. It covered Psalms 1-72, which comprise Books One and Two of the Psalter.
What took me so long to finish the second volume? Well, I put my work on Psalms on the back burner for a while to write another book titled The Holy Spirit: A Commentary, which in 314 pages explores nearly every reference to the Holy Spirit from Genesis 1:2 through Revelation 22:17. This book was published in 2020.
I contributed a chapter to Oneness Pentecostalism: Race, Gender, and Culture, a book published by The Pennsylvania State University Press in 2023. This book was edited by Lloyd D. Barba, Andrea Shan Johnson, and Daniel Ramirez. My chapter is titled “Andrew D. Urshan: An Eastern Voice in Early Oneness Pentecostalism.”
I also wrote a chapter titled “James and First Century Jewish Christology,” which is scheduled to be published in an early high Christology project together with research by other contributors. Jeffrey Brickle, Ph.D., is the editor of this pending volume.
I’m not immediately certain how many articles I have written since July 1, 2018, for the Pentecostal Herald and Pentecostal Life, along with lesson material for God’s Word for Life. In quite another dimension of ministry, I taught a professional development session for interested members of the general board of the United Pentecostal Church International at the request of Dr. Brent Coltharp, president of Urshan University and Urshan Graduate School of Theology.
There was also the course I taught to students of the French Bible Institute at the invitation of missionary John Nowacki. This required a flight to Paris together with my wife, Susan. An event that occurred during this trip inspired me to write the book The Holy Spirit. I have explained that in another post.
So I have probably provided a sufficient explanation of why volume two of The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places has taken so long to arrive. I would like to make some comments about the new book.
The second volume of my work on Psalms covers the section of the Psalms known as Books Three and Four. Book 3 comprises Psalms 73 through 89, and Book 4 comprises Psalms 90 through 106. There are at least eighteen references to these psalms by those who wrote the New Testament. Numbers of these references are understood by the New Testament to be specifically about the Messiah.
Significantly, the Aramaic word Memra (i.e., “Word”) appears fifty times in these psalms. In at least fifteen cases, the Targums use Memra as a surrogate for the Hebrew Yahweh, which is usually rendered LORD in English translations. This is given considerable examination in view of the use of Logos (i.e., Word) in John 1:1.
I am scheduled to be available for a book signing on Thursday night of the upcoming eightieth general conference of the UPCI in the Pentecostal Publishing House booth at 9:15 p.m.
I look forward to meeting many of you there!
By the way, I have already begun work on volume three, which will explore the messianic significance of Psalms 107 through 150.
Today I emailed all of my finishing touches for the second volume of The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places to Everett Gossard, the book editor for Pentecostal Resources Group.
I have worked on this project for approximately seven years, and my efforts have resulted in a book of over 250 pages, covering Psalms 73-106, with nearly 400 footnotes.
The editor plans to meet with the marketing team later this week to make some final decisions about graphics. I am optimistic about the possibility that the book will be published and available at the 2025 general conference of the United Pentecostal Church International that will meet in St. Louis, Missouri on September 23-26. If so, I plan to be there to meet those who are interested in this, my twenty-second book, and to sign copies for those who wish me to do so.
By the way, in case you’re wondering, I have already started on volume three of my commentary on the Psalter, which will cover Psalms 107 through the end of the book. I don’t want this to be another seven year project, but it may take at least a couple of years!
