Dan at New Tribes

Here is some stuff I have been learning in Theology class :]

2009-02-03T13:50:00.001-08:00

Why should I personally obey God? I have thought about this question for some time and have come up with a simple yet all encompassing answer: Because He is GOD! His character, perfections, and attributes are many and are mostly all unfathomable. I made a small list of these that mean the most to me that I could answer this question with. Here's why I should obey God.

He is omniscient. God's knowledge extends to everything past, present, and future. He knows everyone's thoughts, intents, motives, decisions, possibilities, etc… at all times and has known them forever. He knows everything about us, nature, the world, the universe, heaven, hell, and even the materials your shoes are made of and where they came from. God knows EVERYTHING! 1 John 3:20b (NASB-U) says, "For God is greater than our heart and knows all things." Matthew 10:30 (NASB-U) says, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Romans 11:33 (NLT) says, "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!" Isaiah 40:14 (NIV) says, "Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?" God knows everything, has always known everything, and needed no one to tell Him any knowledge He did not already know.

He is omnipotent. God can do anything He wants to do. He has the power to create anything or destroy anything. His power is unlimited and unmatched. He has power and control over everything. His power though, has to be consistent with His nature. Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT) says, "O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you!"

He is omnipresent. God is everywhere all the time; and all the time, God is everywhere. He has no limit to where He can be at any given time and can be everywhere He wants all at the same time. Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NLT) says, "'Am I a God who is only in one place?' asks the Lord. 'Do they think I cannot see what they are doing? [24] Can anyone hide from me? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?' asks the Lord."

He is holy. God is distinctively different and set apart from anything else. No one is like Him and no one will ever be like Him. He is 100% pure and good. He is totally separate and free from any uncleanliness, evil, and defilement. Leviticus 11:44 (NLT) says, "After all, I, the Lord, am your God. You must be holy because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves by touching any of these animals that scurry along the ground." Isaiah 40:25 (NIV) says, "'To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?' says the Holy One."

He is sovereign. God has complete and ultimate control of everything in existence. He makes all things happen for His purpose. This does not mean that He controls us like puppets, micromanages everything, and doesn't let us choose or have freewill. He lets things happen that sometimes He wouldn't want to happen but is necessary to fulfill His purpose. Job 42:2 (NLT) says, "I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you." Daniel 4:35 (NIV) says, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'" Psalm 135:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths."

He is love. I cannot actually fully comprehend this one. God's love is way beyond my imagination or knowledge. I will try and attempt to say what I do know about His love though. 1 John 4:8-10 (NASB-U) says, "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. [10] In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." John 3:16 (NIV) says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Romans 5:8-9 (NIV) says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" Wow! Why God loves us this much is way beyond my understanding. This though is the greatest example of love that has ever been expressed. That is why God is love as John says. His love is not just limited though to His love He expressed by sacrificing His Son, but He also loves us by discipline, rebuke, and judgment. He knows exactly how to love us and what we need. That is true love. His perfect love is shown through His perfect grace, His perfect mercy, and His perfect goodness.

He created me. This is pretty simple but is essential to answering this question. Because God made me He owns me and it is my obligation to obey Him, it is only natural to obey Him, and He wants me to obey Him. He also showed me His perfect love even before I obeyed Him by sacrificing His Son to die for my sins; and because I accepted that free gift of salvation from judgment on my sins, I should obey Him even more. He bought me with the blood of His Son and gave me new life by Jesus rising from the dead.

He has proved Himself worthy to be obeyed. Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament God has shown love to His people and to the world even when He needed no proof to be obeyed but He did anyways. He gave everyone a chance to personally see, hear, or read what He has done to prove that He is worthy to be obeyed and praised. He has done this through His creation and through His written Word. No one is without excuse to obey Him because of creation but we can know Him better through His Word. And this is why I should personally obey God. Enough said.

Back at school!

2009-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be back here! WOOOOOOOOT!

Thank you so much for praying for me and supporting me to come back!

So I'm just starting to get back in the groove of things and definitely being challenged to step it up a notch, take responsibility for what God has given me, and stay sober-minded, focusing on the prize at the end of the race.

Please keep praying for me and feel free to contact me any time. I will be putting more posts up throughout this week to tell you a little more about whats going on.

2009-01-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This break has been awesome to spend time with my family and friends here in California and I am so thankful for the relationships He has provided.

Just to give you an update on school... I need help. I have been called by God and I am being equiped to go and tell the Gospel of Grace to tribal peoples who have never heard the good news and do not have the Bible written in their language. I am so thankful for what the Lord has taught me through this last semester at New Tribes Bible Institute and I am planning on going back this semester on the 13th of January. I do not have all the finances though for this semester. Please be praying about if you would start this life long journey of full time ministry with me. I can not do this alone. I need people behind me, supporting me with prayer and finances. And I would absolutely love joining you in your journey and praying for you. Please call me or e-mail me for more details.

For His Glory,
Daniel Hoeppner
cell: 925-518-2448
dan_hoeppner@yahoo.com

2008-12-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

I’ve been learning so much here at New Tribes and I wanted to write down just few things that I have learned in God’s Word. Take your time reading these. I hope and pray they are a blessing to your life. There are many themes in these stories and I just wanted to point out a few.
Creation
This story you probably know so I won’t restate it, but there are some amazing things in the story of creation. So God created everything right? Well where did it come from? Where did the idea of everything that is in existence come from? Where did emotions come from? When God created, He made all things in existence from Himself. He thought up everything! The idea of the human body is His. The idea of the cell is His. The idea of the solar system is His. The idea of the platypus is His. God is amazingly knowledgeable and wise beyond our comprehension. “Be Skillful” by Warren W Wiersbe says, “The astronomer watching a comet through a telescope and the biologist peering at a cell through a microscope are both discovering God’s wisdom, for scientific study is but the act of thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” God is so amazing! And not only did He think of these things, He created them. And He created them by just speaking them into existence. Crazy! Some themes of God’s story of creation are God is the author of everything, it was his idea; God is all powerful, He can do anything He wants; God is eternal, he has no beginning or end; God is love, He defines love because He is love, He created man because he is love; and God is Holy (holy means set apart or unique), He is infinitely unique because He defines Holiness.
Abraham
A major theme in the story of Abraham is man must have faith in God to be saved. His faith was evident through his obedience to God of leaving his country and his family. He believed what God had promised him.
“And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
[3] And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
And because he believed what God promised, he obeyed and left everything behind for a land that God would show him. “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” By faith Abraham was saved. Versus in Hebrews 11 also sate his faith.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. [9] By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.”
Man’s responsibility is faith in God. Romans 4:5 says, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” So throughout the Bible, it is clearly stated that faith in God alone saves man from death.
Joseph
Joseph was son of Jacob, who was son of Isaac, who was son of Abraham. Jacob loved all his sons but loved Joseph more than all his sons and gave him a multi-colored tunic. Joseph had two dreams where one was his brothers sheaves bowing down to his sheaf, and the other was the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him. His brothers hated him and were jealous of him because he had these dreams that foretold future events and because his father loved him more. Therefore, his brothers wanted to kill Joseph and plotted to do so. Rueben, one of Joseph’s brothers and the first born to Jacob, did not want to kill him and convinced his brothers to only throw him into a pit so he could rescue him later. After he was thrown into the pit, Judah, another brother, convinced all the brothers to sell him as a slave to some Ishmaelites that were passing by to go down to Egypt. The brothers then tricked Jacob into thinking Joseph was devoured by a wild animal by dipping Joseph’s multi-colored tunic in blood.
In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of the bodyguard of Pharaoh. God was with Joseph and made him successful and prosperous in everything he did. Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph and put him in charge of his whole house. Potiphar’s wife, though, falsely accused Joseph of trying to sleep with her because Joseph refused to sleep with her, and Joseph was put in jail. The chief jailer saw also what Potiphar saw in Joseph and he put him in charge over supervising all the prisoners. The Pharaoh’s cupbearer and chef were prisoners in jail at this time and both had dreams that could not be interpreted. God gave Joseph the ability to interpret their dreams because he believed God and they came true. The cupbearer was put back in his position but the chef was killed. Pharaoh had a dream later and he called all interpreters of dreams in Egypt to interpret his dream but they could not interpret it. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about the dream Joseph interpreted for him, so Pharaoh called Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph gave all the glory to God for interpreting the cupbearer’s dream and humbled himself. God gives Joseph the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and explains that there will be seven years of abounding food and then seven years of famine. Pharaoh then makes Joseph ruler of Egypt, second to Pharaoh, to oversee that they gather food for the famine.
After the seven years of abundance, the famine came just as interpreted. Joseph’s brothers were sent to Egypt because there was no food in the land and Egypt was the only one with food. His brothers did not recognize him when they saw him. He tested them to see the intent of their heart if it was still evil but they were convicted about selling Joseph into slavery and changed their heart. Joseph reveals himself to them and sends to bring his father, Jacob, and his whole family to live in Goshen, prime time real estate in Egypt.
God is so awesome! I love this story because it just shouts God’s character. A very big theme in this story is the exaltation of God. In His stories, God very often exalts himself. This is seen in this story of Joseph explaining to Pharaoh that he himself cannot interpret dreams but that God is creator of everything including dreams and that He has the wisdom to interpret dreams. God wants to exalt himself so people can know Him. God also in this story exalts himself by simply staying true to His character. He fulfills all the dreams that he created in the first place showing that He is the author of everything, He knows everything, and is sovereign; He restores Joseph back to his family showing that again God is sovereign, He knows all things, and is loving; and ultimately God works this whole story for the good of Joseph, even with man sinning in the beginning of it, showing God’s sovereignty, knowledge, mercy, grace, and man’s depravity and sinful heart.
The 12 Spies
A little background to the story, the nation of Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. Moses led God’s people out of Egypt by His power, and the nation was promised the land of the Canaanites. God showed his amazing power through 10 plagues against the Egyptians and the parting of the Red Sea for Israel to escape Pharaoh. After the exodus, God had given Israel the Law so they could have a relationship with a Holy and Righteous God. God showed his Glory multiple times to the people through a cloud on Mount Sinai and through the cloud that guided them in the wilderness. While on the way to the land of the Canaanites, the people again and again forgot about where the Lord had brought them from and His miraculous signs He showed them, and they complained about food and water. God again and again supplied their needs though.
Then we come to the 12 spies. Once the nation of Israel was near the land, Moses sent in 12 spies to check the land and see what the people were like. After spying the land for 40 days, they came back and reported to Moses what they had seen. They told him that the land is flowing with milk and honey, and they bought back huge grapes, pomegranates, and figs. Although, they said that the cities are well fortified and the people are very strong. Everyone except Caleb and Joseph believed that God gave them the land and that they could take it because God was on their side. Because of the people’s unbelief, God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years to kill off the unbelieving generation but spared Caleb and Joseph for their faith.
I know from just looking in on your life from the outside that you can relate to this story, as well myself. Again and again I can see myself seeing God in so many ways in my life, through the good and the bad, and again and again I grumble and complain about my life and disobey God with my actions by just not believing His Word and who He is. I don’t recognize the truth that I am depraved, sinful, and helpless without God and that I need Him more than anything else in life. He is the one and only thing I should be living for in life because he bought me with a price of His Son’s life and my life doesn’t belong to me anymore because I accepted God’s free gift of salvation. God owns us.
Through this story, God is also seen as holy, loving, merciful, and gracious. Through all the circumstances that made Israel grumble and complain, God still provides for them and extends love, mercy, and grace. He also is seen as just though for Israel’s unbelief and punishes them for it.

Jericho
After the unbelieving generation had died in the wilderness, God put Joshua in charge of the nation and conquering the land that God had already given them. The first city that he conquers is Jericho. This city had huge walls and was well fortified. God instructed Joshua and Israel to march around the city once for six straight days and on the seventh day to march around seven times. After the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests were to blow their trumpets and the people to shout and God would make the city walls fall down flat. Joshua did as God had told him and they marched around the city for six days and seven times on the seventh day and blew the trumpets and shouted. The walls of the city fell down just as God had said. Israel went into the city and destroyed everyone and everything, except for Rahab who saved two of Israel’s spies who went in before they had marched around the city.
This stories main theme I believe is the exaltation of God. Who else could knock down city walls by people blowing trumpets and shouting? It’s crazy how God is so much more powerful and knowledgeable and gigantic than we think he really is. No, He hasn’t recently knocked down a city but He is alive and working in this world and in our lives. God is big! It’s hard to grasp even a hint of his power and greatness, like the story of creation. “’But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!’”
Gideon’s 300
In the time of the judges, God appointed individuals to judge and lead Israel because they again and again disobeyed God and turned to idolatry and evil ways. It was a cycle of Israel sinning against God, being taken captive and oppressed by another people, realization and confession of their sin, and God saving them from bondage with a judge that God chose. God chose Gideon to save Israel. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and assured that he would be victorious against the Midianites and Amalekites who were oppressing Israel. 32,000 of Israel’s warriors were called together to defeat their enemy but God had a different plan. “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ’My own power has delivered me.’’” 22,000 people left because they were afraid so they were down to 10,000. God still said there was too many and so he told Gideon to send home everyone who kneels to drink the water out of the river. Now there were only 300 men left. God spoke to Gideon and reassured him that he would be victorious because God had given their enemy into their hands.
God confused the enemy when Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and they killed themselves and retreated. Gideon called more of Israel in the land of Ephraim to pursue the enemy that retreated and they captured them and killed their two leaders.
This story is a beautiful example of God exalting Himself in His stories. He cut down Gideon’s army lower and lower only to exalt himself. All Gideon’s men did was blow their trumpets. God is the author of everything and he is all-powerful.

Samson
One of these judges was also Samson. God called Samson to be a Nazirite from the time he was conceived, which means he wasn’t able to drink wine, touch any dead body, or cut his hair, being dedicated and wholly devoted to God. Israel was in bondage to the Philistines for 40 years before God saved them through Samson. God blessed Samson as he grew up.
Samson was walking along when he saw a Philistine woman that he was interested in. He went back to his house and said to his parents, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” His parents did not want him marrying a Philistine because God did not want Israel associating with different nations. Israel was to be a holy nation, set apart. Samson did not listen to his parents and insisted that he knew better than they did and wanted his way saying, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” He expresses total disrespect towards his parents but they get her for him anyways. They get engaged and throw a party before their wedding. Samson tells a riddle to his buddies and they can’t figure it out. They ask Samson’s fiancé to ask Samson what the riddle means and after she nags him for 7 days he tells her. She then tells his buddies and they tell Samson they figured out the riddle. They had a bet that if they figured it out, he had to give them 30 outfits of clothing. I know, weird. Samson then kills 30 people from a different nation for the clothes he had to give to them.
Before Samson had gotten married to his Philistine fiancé, her father thought Samson hated her so he had given his daughter in marriage to one of Samson’s friends. Samson freaks out and catches 300 foxes, ties them by their tails to a torch, and lights the torches on fire to burn down a whole bunch of grain, vineyards, and groves. Now the Philistines are super ticked off at Samson and burn his supposed to be wife and her father. Then Samson gets super ticked off and kills a thousand Philistines with a fresh donkey jawbone. Crazy! After that he decides it was a good idea to sleep with a harlot.
He then falls in love with another woman named Delilah. The Philistine leaders came to her and said, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” After few tries, Delilah gets Samson to tell his secret. “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.” She cuts his hair while he was asleep and God departed from him so he could not use his strength when the Philistines captured him. It was God who had given him all his strength by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When they capture him, they gauge out his eyes and then praise and sacrifice to their pagan gods. Samson calls to God while the Philistines are partying and asks God to strengthen him one last time so he could make the house they were in collapse by pulling on the pillars that held up the house. God gives him the strength and he dies while killing thousands of Philistines.
The first theme of this story that I noticed was the truth that God owns us. Even before Samson was born, God told his parents that he would be dedicated to Him. God had total authority to do this because He created him in the first place, just as he has created you and me and can tell us what we are to do with the life He has given us. We have no right at all to argue or complain. It isn’t our life. Samson didn’t even have the opportunity to argue about being a Nazirite. It was just imposed on him.
The next truth I noticed about this story was that God is supreme and sovereign. Through Samson’s sin and the selfishness in his heart, God still works through him to fulfill His will. God uses Samson’s desire for a Philistine wife, his gambling, his ridiculous idea with the foxes, his slaughter of the Philistines with the donkey’s jawbone, and his weakness for Delilah all to bring judgment on the Philistines and for Samson to realize his need of God. God punished the Philistines because of their sin of not believing in Him and having pagan gods and messed up worship and sacrifice to those gods, which brings up another truth. God demands death as a penalty for sin.
You can see throughout this story that Samson was pretty messed up, but that was just his heart showing through his actions. Man is ultimately depraved and corrupt. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). “The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done’” (Genesis 8:21). “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). “’The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?’” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Amalek
Samuel was a prophet of God when Saul was king. Samuel spoke the words of God to Saul saying, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.’” God told him to destroy everything and everyone of Amalek. Saul did as God commanded him and killed man, woman, child, and animal. But Saul spared the best of their spoil and disobeyed God. He told Samuel that it was for sacrifices to God. Samuel’s reply was this: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king."
Harsh, but don’t we do the same thing? We obey God somewhat and think that He is okay with some of our life. But God wants our entire life. We are given clear instruction in God’s Word and how often do I find myself deceiving my own heart and directly disobeying God’s Word or the Holy Spirit’s conviction. God owns us. He deserves our life as a living sacrifice.
Another theme in this story is God’s faithfulness and justice. The Amalekites had years before attacked Israel but God is faithfully just and punished them for messing with His people.

Jamie Angela Esmeyer

2008-11-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

I stole most of this from Jamie but she put in words what i struggled to put in words.

My heart races when I think, only 27 more days until I get to see the most amazing person I have been able to share my life with for over 10 months. It’s amazing when I think about our first 7 months to our last 3 months, and just how much she and I have been able to grow together. It’s been a struggle, it’s been painful, there has been many tears(mostly on her part cuz im not a crier) and lots of nights that I wish that I could just be hanging out with her… watching a movie, or driving around , or star gazing on a mountain where there is nothing in sight but the very millions of twinkling stars above our heads… but we haven’t been able to and that is where I think we have really learned how to love one another. Where we have really learned what love is. Where we have learned how to really love when there can be no physical aspect of even seeing her in person.
When I had first left, I felt that I was losing 4 months of amazing memories with her, that I was losing 4 months of the best conversations with her, and I felt that I had lost my best friend for the next 4 months. Through these 4 months though we have grown and learned differences, similarities, and key aspects that have made our relationship amazing.
I am so awe struck of how God has worked these past months and so thankful of God's care and love for us to challenge us in our maturity with eachother and Him. Here is an amazing quote from Jamie.
"It wasn’t until the end of the first month of him being gone that I fully realized the situation that was upon me. This is how I see the situation: me in the driver’s seat and God is in back being a ‘back seat’ driver. He continues to try to help me and I continue to ignore Him and ‘drive’ my own way… taking the shortcuts, speeding around the obstacles and trying to find the destination or the answer as quickly as possible. I soon hear the loud siren and the see the flashing lights and I realized that the whole time God was trying to help me, I should have listened. By following and listening to Him, I could have saved myself a ticket and tons of confusion and tears. I had realized that, if I would have embraced God the way He intended me too, I could have not been ‘pulled over’ and would have saved I’m sure a ton of pain. So, while Daniel has been gone, I have been pulled over a bunch of times, in the end noticing a clear history of not embracing God to comfort me, to answer me, and to love me… and my focus was not on Him.
"When I began to see me embracing and focusing on things that only pull me away from God, Daniel began to see it. And Daniel, being the most amazing boyfriend he could be would challenge me to “focus”. Sometimes it would drive me crazy, but in the end it only made me feel so much stronger… because God uses Daniel to teach me things. God constantly uses Daniel in my life to challenge me." And God totally uses Jamie to challenge me. "He challenges me on the way I think and on how I use my brain and my heart. Something that I really admire about Daniel is how he never gives me the answer. No matter how frustrated I am, no matter how tired I am, and no matter how frazzled and upset I am, he refuses to give me the answer. And when Daniel can tell that I am getting upset, he says, “Jamie, you know the answer. You’re just thinking too hard.” He encourages me and reassures me that I am wise, I just can’t think so surfacey. And when I finally realize what God is teaching me, I feel that Daniel and I have grown stronger and wiser together." I did not put that to brag about myself but to brag about God and His amazing and unfailing love because I have embraced it so much more these past months.
In the last 3 months, I feel as if Jamie and I have learned more about each other now than we ever did our first 7 months of being together. It’s such a crazy thought. Our conversations are real and meaningful and each one I treasure every second that she is on the phone or Skype. I appreciate every smiley face, every text, letter, message, phone call, package, and picture sent to me. I appreciate every word that comes out of her mouth, and I feel like I listen to her a lot more and listen more to what He is trying to say to me through her. I am learning more and more to take the focus off myself and to put the focus totally and fully on God. I am so grateful for every ‘I love you’ that comes out of her mouth and I value it every time I see it or hear it from her.

God has given us these circumstances that have come with struggles to bring us both closer to Him, and I believe that we have become closer to our God. Are we finished? Never, there is always room to grow. But have we grown, more than ever. I couldn’t write in words or express to you how much I love Jamie. I have been blessed at such a young age to experience life with a woman who loves God and wants to live her life fulfilling His purpose to further the kingdom of God and to love me. She has such a beautiful heart that loves and cares for others.

Jamie, I love you with all that I am. I love you with as much as I humanly can. I thank you for the amount of love and patience you have for me. Thank you for supporting me and experiencing God’s love with me. Thank you for sharing an interest of serving God for the rest of our lives together. I appreciate your hard work- working, school, and making time for God and I. Thank you for being an amazing example of a woman who loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. And thank you for being an image of Christ’s love. Please continue to challenge me. I look forward to each time I talk to you, because I know you will challenge me. I encourage you to keep your focus on Christ. I love you moa.

These last couple nights of beautiful conversation and these last months apart have totally reassured that I want to spend the rest of my life serving to fulfill God's purposes together.

Emerging Church

2008-11-04T18:01:00.001-08:00

The Emerging Church Movement today is a hard thing to grasp because there are so many different levels and varieties of it in our postmodern world. When most people think or hear of the Emerging Church, we have a picture in our mind of something not good or unBiblical because of what other people have said about it. We must refocus or focus for the first time on really what it is though. We are scared of it but don’t know why because most of us really don’t know what it is. We think of Emergent as being a part of some cult. Let’s really learn the reality of what it is.
To learn what Emerging Church Movement is we must first redefine it. It is actually not a movement at all. It is a conversation that has been happening since the first church of the New Testament. We see the first sign of it when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9,
“[19] Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. [20] To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. [21] To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. [23] I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
The conversation is then how we become like others in our culture for the benefit of evangelizing to them. How can we contextualize or change the church’s cultural traditions but not give up Biblical doctrine and truth? How can we stray from syncretism or conforming our worldview to the postmodern world by questioning Biblical truth, salvation, heaven and hell, or reinterpreting the Bible to mean something it does not? We do not want to take all supposed truth and shish kabob it all together with Christianity to make it one big all-inclusive religion.
An example of syncretism would be believing that homosexuality is not a sin because it is accepted in our culture. Another example would be the exact opposite of believing that you can’t come to church if you are homosexual because more traditional culture did not accept it.
Contextualization would be changing into a postmodern church without changing biblical truth and doctrine. For example, contextualization into a postmodern culture could include changing music in a church to a more contemporary genre instead of old hymns. Or a church could contextualize Biblically by caring for injustices as the postmodern world is and being involved in ending child labor and sex slavery.
To simplify this conversation, we must see the reality that we live in a postmodern culture. Tradition isn’t what is important in the church. Truth is the only essential in the church. We can live in any culture and still live in Biblical truth. We can become all things or have all the same concerns and cares as non-believing Postmoderns to win them for Christ. We must be ministering with Postmoderns, not to them or as them. We must live out and practice our faith and Biblical truth. We can practice our faith in any cultural form. Be creative in how you express yourself to God. Do not be tolerant though of differing views other than Biblical truth but be respectful and tolerant of others culture.

Here's my heart Lord

2008-10-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

I feel lonely. I feel further away from You than I ever have while being here. Yet, I feel so close and so near to Your Word than ever before. I feel like giving up. I don't know why. I just feel like there's no point to all of it. I feel like it is all meaningless. I don't see an end in sight. The more I read Your Word the more sinful I see myself. Yet, I can't pinpoint those sins. I feel like i hide them from myself or believe that they're not there. Why do I feel so distant from You? Why do I feel like it is all meaningless? I feel like I am being so fake. I fight within myself the desire to do your good, pleasing, and perfect will.To live it out. But I know I can never fulfill all of it. So what’s the point? I’m no better than the Israelites who again and again don’t believe You. Who again and again turn away from You. I feel like there’s no depth, even though we are digging deep into Your Word. I feel like relationships here have no depth, even though we all came here for the same purpose. To do Your Will.

What’s the point? What’s the point of being here to study Your Word in depth if I won’t turn it back to myself and say “what can I get from this? What is God showing me to change about my life?” There is no point if I am not doing that. God wants change. There is no point if I am not daily becoming a living sacrifice, giving my whole being. It doesn’t belong to me. My life is not mine. God change me. Change the way I view You. Make me more and more into the image of Your Son. God help me to live wholly for You, with no part left out. Make my life something useful.

Lord, where do I find my identity? Who tells me my purpose and identity in life? Who do I believe? My identity is in You and only You. Let my life reflect that truth. God help me to only fear You. You are the one who created me. Not man. You are the only one that satisfies. Man will never satisfy. I am not accountable to man, only You. God help me to keep my focus on You and Your kingdom, Your will, and eternity with You. This life will pass away. You are eternal. If You are for me, who can be against me? I am not a slave of this world. I am not a slave to man. God bought me. May Your will be done through my life and may I be an instrument of Your love You first showed to me.

God my view of who You are is the basis of everything I believe, think, do, or say. How I respond to situations and circumstances is a direct result of how I view You. And if how I act reveals how I view You, then it doesn’t matter what I say I believe about You. If I don’t act accordingly to what I say I believe, then I really don’t believe it. To transform and renew my mind to how I should view You and act accordingly, I must see the need of daily being in Your Word and in prayer because I can not doing anything without You.

Lord, let me not forget Your deliverance of me. Help me to not walk by sight and only see the obstacles and problems of life, but help me walk by faith and see You in Your glory and might and according to Your promises of my identity in Christ as righteous. Help me to be courageous, forgetting my natural strength or human reasoning because of who You are. Teach me how to fervently pray. Show me how to walk humbly

Just some verses I have been meditating on...

2008-10-28T06:07:00.001-07:00

1 Tim. 5:3-8 (NASB-U)
Honor widows who are widows indeed; [4] but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. [5] Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. [6] But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. [7] Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. [8] But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Col. 3:23 (NASB-U)
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

1 Thes. 4:11 (NASB-U)
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,

2 Thes. 3:10-12 (NASB-U)
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. [11] For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. [12] Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.

2 Tim. 2:6 (NASB-U)
The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

3 John 1:5-8 (NASB-U)
Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; [6] and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. [7] For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. [8] Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.

2 Tim. 4:5 (NASB-U)
But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

How Great is Our God

2008-10-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a video showed in our chapel today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1EAmfOu9lE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE5sF1rdxM4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuF629DW9kI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUCJ0HHMSbY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OoBEV10rjc&feature=related

contact me

2008-10-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

please feel free to shoot me an e-mail or send me a letter or call me. i dont bite.

dan_hoeppner@yahoo.com
1210 E. Michigan Ave. #114
Jackson, MI 49201
cell: 925-518-2448

The Simple Things

2008-10-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Lately i've noticed something new yet old. simple yet unfathomable. just the simple things. the foundational biblical truths. christian basics. these things taking a new place in my life, becoming more and more real to me.

At Riverview Church yesterday night it was another truth just poping out right in my face like i had never seen it before. Noel, the pastor, was speaking on Mathew 14:23-33. the story of Jesus walking on water. before this, Jesus fed the 5000 with the bread and fish, and after, his disciples went on a boat to cross the sea of galilee. great winds and waves picked up and they were in the midst of a storm. they see a man walking on the water and think its a ghost. Jesus tells them it is Him and Peter says Lord if it is you let me come to you. so Jesus says come. Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water. then it says that Peter looked at the wind and waves and he was afraid. he starts to sink.

so what changed? what was different when peter was fearless at first to come out and walk on the huge waves with Jesus. what he was doing at first was keeping his hope and his focus and his sight on Jesus. the moment he took his focus, sight, and hope off Jesus, he starts to sink.

So in the midst of the storm, in the midst of this economy, in the midst of thinking what will happen in the future, if we keep our focus on Jesus, we have nothing to fear. i know right. crazy! i know its so simple or maybe just skimmed or looked over but this truth can never be exhausted, like many biblical truths or attributes of God. The #1 hold on Christians today for not growing and trusting and giving everything they have to the One that gave them new life is FEAR.

"Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God, but faith puts God between us and our circumstances."

Don't hold back. its not your life anymore. God bought it with a price. a very expensive price. His one and only Son. He gave you new life. that new life belongs to Him, not you. become a servant, giving everything you have. and when you have given too much to where you have nothing left, dont fear. keep your focus on Jesus. God knows your needs and since your life doesnt belong to you anymore but God owns your life, those needs you have are Gods problem not yours. keeping your focus on Jesus though is not easy in the midst of this world. it is very difficult. it has to come by self-discipline. reading your bible. daily quite time. regular fellowship. accountability for these is key. dont try doing it by yourself. pray fervently.

This week was filled with this same message and God really drilled it into me. please be praying for me that these simple yet highly difficult truths will be evident in my life and that it would show outwardly through my life. thanks.

Abraham's Salvation

2008-10-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

I believe that Abraham was saved in Genesis 12. I believe this because Abraham's true faith showed through the actions he made and his obedience. His faith was evident through his obedience to God of leaving his country and his family. He believed what God had promised him.
“And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
[3] And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
And because he believed what God promised, he obeyed and left everything behind for a land that God would show him. “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.”
Although in Romans 4 it states, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [3] For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” Paul is speaking to the new believers in Rome and setting a foundation for their faith. He speaks of being in complete submission which Abraham did when he obeyed God in complete submission and left his family and home. James agrees with, “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ [19] You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. [20] But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? [21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? [22] You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. [24] You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James was speaking to believers who had an unreal faith because they did not show it through their actions. He taught that genuine faith produced good deeds and actions that show our faith to be real to us.
Galatians states, “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. [7] Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. [8] The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ [9] So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” Again this faith was showed by the obedience and action of Abraham and not by faith alone.
In Genesis 15 when it says, “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness,” it is speaking just of one instance where Abraham believed. In Hebrews 11, it states multiple times where Abraham believed and showed that he believed by his actions. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. [9] By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.” And so Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians agree that one is saved through faith. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live BY FAITH.” “Since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith.’”
In conclusion, since Abraham obeyed God in Genesis 12, he already believed God. His obedience was in response to his faith. This is relevant throughout the Bible that man shows his faith again and again by his actions. We do not gain salvation by these actions, but they are a direct result of our salvation which is though faith alone as Abraham showed.

M.O.A.O.

2008-10-08T15:44:00.001-07:00

In April of 2007, my family and I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for my dad’s job. We went to a church called Cornerstone Fellowship and that became our home church. I met a lot of new people and made some new friends through high school small groups that met in homes. I met the most beautiful and most outgoing girl I had ever met there, Jamie Esmeyer. I actually thought she was way too outgoing and had way too much energy when we first met. She showed an interest in me, so I starting hanging out with her more often to just get to know her and to see what she was all about. The more I hung out with her, the more attractive she became as a sister in Christ and the more I got to know the Jamie underneath all the crazy, outgoing, energetic personality. I started seeing her as God did through Christ, precious.
We started dating on January 12th of 2008 which began our commitment of getting to know each other better to better discern our compatibility. This also began God’s plan to show me truly what agape love is and how I fall way short of how He agape loves me. I am have been continually growing since to show this love that Christ first showed me. Jamie has and is a major part of God conforming me more and more to His image.
There was a time while I was here at NTBI that something changed in me. I noticed that I wasn’t spending as much time talking to Jamie or explaining all the cool stuff going on here at NTBI. Jamie recognized this also and confronted me about it. She wasn’t asking for a lot, just a bit of my time during the day. At first, I didn’t want to listen to her and thought she was being too controlling. This was just plain selfish of me though to not take into account Jamie’s wants and desires to spend time talking to me. I needed to put her needs first and serve her as Christ served me and give up my wants and desires as Christ did for me. “Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” This is an example of true agape love the Son showed toward the Father.
I am realizing more and more how sinful we both are and how we are no better than the other person. We will both hurt each other and let each other down. It’s not a matter of if but when. Because of who we are in Christ though, we have the obligation and privilege to honor, respect, and forgive each other in spite of those hurts and let downs. I am obligated to love her unconditionally. I have the opportunity to empty myself and my flesh for her, to lay aside my selfishness to serve her, to show her my adoring love for her. All this to love and suffer like God does for us.
It has definitely been a very difficult time here to show these, and it will be in the future too. I have learned to look to Jamie only for my female relational needs. I haven’t been able to see her face to face which has shown me to admire her inside beauty and not focus on the external. I am required to love her unconditionally, no matter what the circumstance or season in our relationship. I have realized that she is different than me, that we don’t think alike and that she is more emotionally driven, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just different. I realize that I am not emotionally driven but am gung ho and don’t attach many emotions to my actions. I use my reason and logic, which isn’t wrong. It’s just different. This is the way God has designed most males and females.
I am recently learning how to better respect and care for her emotions and jealousy about the time I should spend with other girls here at school. Through some circumstances, she expressed her concern and feelings about this situation. It took a lot for me to understand where she was coming from and I still can’t fully understand, but I do realize that I was not being above reproach. I have since made boundaries for myself on how much time I spend with other females, not spending any “one on ones” with any other females, and limiting my phone usage with any other females. These boundaries are helping to prevent even any type of accusations or presumptions of my loyalty to Jamie.
The greatest relational insights I have learned is that mutual agape love brings joy in any relationship and that our friendship is the most important in our relationship. The agape love that sacrifices, that suffers, that is patient, that is kind. “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” I am so grateful for Jamie in my life to help me grow personally to more reflect Christ.

Testimony

2008-10-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Daniel Hoeppner
I was born into a non-religious home, without the Bible or any type of faith. My parents were just trying to live the best life they knew how to in their own eyes. My dad was heavily in to cocaine and his business led him overseas where everything fell apart. While he was in Thailand, he slept around with women and my mom was fully aware of it. When my dad was on a business trip, my mom left him with my three brothers and I, and we headed from southern California to northern California where my grandparents lived.
I went to a public elementary school and lived life to have fun and get friends. Cursing was introduced to me and because I thought I was cool and I did it often. While in elementary school, this guy began coming around the house and started staying the night. Then one day…BAM, I had another brother. That’s when my mom’s boyfriend moved in. There were times when he was really cool and he would buy and give me stuff that I wanted. Then other times I really didn’t like him at all. I loved seeing my dad every time we got the chance to visit though. He was chill, never told me what to do, and taught me stuff like how to ride a motorcycle and drive a car. My dad had a girlfriend, and we hung around her family quite a bit. She had a son that was my age which was a bonus for me. But all their family did was argue, fight and yell. It was so hectic all the time. My dad continued to use cocaine and shared the habit with his girlfriend. At this point, I was really confused about life. I had no idea about the meaning of life or where you went after death. It was just taught to be the best person you can be and to be as successful as possible.
For junior high, my mom put my brothers and I in a private Christian school by our house because she was worried about the atmosphere of the public schools. It was just to protect us from bad influence. As a requirement at the school, I began to read and learn about the bible which I had never done before. I read verses in school like Romans 3:23 that says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” I soon learned that everyone is a sinner and that no one is perfect. The church my classmates went to on Sundays was a part of the school I went to. I began attending the same church. Almost every day, the Bible was either read to me or I read it for school. I knew that I did bad things but never thought I was a bad person. In Romans 6:23 it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I realized that the penalty for my sin is death. The first verse I memorized in school was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This was the first time I had ever known that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins and He took my place so I could have eternal life. One Sunday morning at church, the pastor asked anyone who wanted to put their trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to come to the front. With a few other kids, I boldly went up to the front and accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior through a prayer. It went something like this, “God I realize I am a sinner. I want forgiveness of all my sins in the past, in the present, and in the future. I believe that Jesus died on the cross in my place and rose from the dead. I want you to be in control of my life. I accept your free gift of salvation.” Although I knew I was forgiven and that I was going to Heaven, my life didn’t really change. I still hung around the same friends that were just like me and didn’t want to get serious about living for Christ. I still wanted some control.
As I was in this Christian private school, something really crazy yet amazing happened. My dad went to jail for a couple of days after he was pulled over for a tail light that was out and had a warrant out for his arrest for missing some court appearances. While searching his car, the police found cocaine in it. After he got out of jail, he had a court order to attend a recovery group. Through many circumstances and someone explaining the Gospel to him for the first time, he received Jesus Christ as his Savior and was sobered. Around the same time, my mom also received Jesus Christ as her Savior at a weekend service at our church. I started seeing God actually work in my life. I saw change in both of them which I had never seen before. My dad broke up with his girlfriend. My mom broke up with her boyfriend. My dad attended a winter retreat at the church he went to. The speaker was speaking on family and marriage. He called us after he got back saying that he was going to remarry my mom. That was the greatest and craziest thing I had ever heard in my life. But my mom thought my dad was crazy. Eventually, she came around and they remarried right before my freshman year of high school.
I knew my life wasn’t the way God wanted it and that I wasn’t surrendering my whole life to His plan. On the same day as my parents wedding, I was baptized and rededicated my life to Jesus Christ. I know I can never earn my way to Heaven or become perfect one day, but I surrender my plans and my life and realize my life is not mine anymore. I now have faith in knowing I have a purpose for living. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Jesus Christ in my life because he has made all the difference.
In this season of my life, God has opened opportunities to lead me to New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, MI. I am learning and growing in God’s Word everyday and am solidifying my foundation and worldview in His Word. I will be attending NTBI for three more semesters, and I am planning on going to further missions training with New Tribes after.
Each semester here at NTBI costs $4150 without including books and supplies. Through prayer and many generous contributions, I made it into the first semester on their deposit / monthly installment program. The monthly payments are $450.00. They are due on the 1st of each month. I am looking for prayer and financial partners to help me through this education. Please consider what you can contribute.

2 Cor. 9:13-15 (NIV)
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

The Lord willing, I will complete 2 years of Bible studies and then do further missions training and be well prepared to reach the unreached for Jesus Christ. I have committed my time and effort for this purpose in my life.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Acts 1:7-8 (NIV)
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Please write or call if you have any questions or concerns for me or NTBI.

Email- dan_hoeppner@yahoo.com
Cell- 925-518-2448
Danatnewtribes.blogspot.com
1210 E. Michigan Ave.
Jackson, MI 49201

For His Glory,
Daniel Hoeppner

God' Word is awesome!

2008-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

So God's Word really is awesome! I have been digging deeper and deeper and wanting more and more and you know the funny thing about God's Word... it gives back what you put in!

In Hermeneutics class, which is simply how to interpret and apply the Word of God, we are in Jude. And it's so cool to learn the tools to study the Bible to its fullest. So first in Jude we dug into the historical background of the text and brought out the answers to the questions of who wrote it? who is the audience? what is the audiences culture? what would they have known about what Jude is writing? when was it written? why was it written? etc.
This brought the text of God's Word to the most real and living way I have ever experienced. Getting into the mindset of their culture brought to life how they thought, how they would have reacted, why they would listen, etc.
The next step we are in right now is the literary context: sentence structure, nouns, pronouns, verbs, conjunctions, and the like. And at first i really didn't get the point of this, probably because I never had liked English class since I started kindergarten. But then a story was shared about "The Student, The Fish, and Agassiz". It was the students first day at school and he met a professor and told the professor he wanted to study zoology. So the professor gave him his first lesson and gave him a dead fish to study. And just when the student thought there was nothing more to observe about the fish, the professor would say to look, look, and look again. And the student found more and more to observe about the fish.
So the point is that studying literary context of God's Word is never ending. You can keep pulling more and more and more out of it. This brought me humbly to the realization of how little I really know. It also brought me to the realization of how much more I yearn for God's Word because there is so much to learn. And that this is just the beginning!

In Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Old Testament, we are in Genesis. Right now we are in the life of Abraham and when God promised him a son in his old age and Lot and his rescue.

In Evangelism, we are writing our testimony of our salvation. I'll put that up for everyone to see.

So ya in conclusion, God's Word is awesome and is living and is 100% true.

The Lord Provides!

2008-09-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

This next months payment is payed! Woohoo!
Praise God for He is good!
Thanks to everyone at Cornerstone and especially the Missions Department for their love and contribution to keep me here at New Tribes.

I'm still looking for jobs and there seems to be a couple possible opportunities. One at the YMCA and another at a coffee shop. Please pray for God's love and peace to flow through me as I pursue these.

For His Glory,
Daniel Hoeppner

Prayer

2008-09-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

Also, I am short on this next months payment and am trying to find a job, quick.
Please pray for a job to come up and that God would provide so we can praise Him together.
Thanks

Hey everybody!

2008-09-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

I decided to actually communicate with the outside world! Woohoo!
I will be posting pics, videos, and just stuff about what I'm learning here at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, MI. Please be praying for me as I am studying God's Word and being challenged by it.
Thank you so much for all your support and ESPECIALLY for your financial aid to get me here. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

For His Glory,
Daniel Hoeppner
1210 E. Michigan Ave. #114
Jackson, MI 49201
925-518-2448(cell)
dan_hoeppner@yahoo.com