‘From my father’s Concord Bible to Degree in Divinity’ would be a suitable title that I had in my mind.
It’s been a long time now that I can no longer recall the edition or the exact year of publication. My late father’s Bible Concordance features good maps, topical references, and the context of the words used in the Bible.
For as long as I could recall, my father’s usage of this particular book, which he kept in his bedroom, sharpened his preaching skills on certain topics on a Sunday morning.
The memories of the Concord Bible brought back the short time, as I was made to juggle through times staying at our relatives’ place for reasons known to us, and I spent a little time at home.
My reading of the Concord Bible provoked my young mind to learn more about the words and stories of the Bible. At some point, I could vaguely remember, I enjoyed retelling the stories I had read to others.
We did not have a library facility in our small village surrounded by paddy fields and a river valley in the east and a wall of mountains where the sun set in the evening. My first library access was only when I transferred to a school in the nearest small town.
Reading the Concord Bible:
It was around here, in the valley of a small river, coiling along the foothills of the eastern mountain range from our home, that I spent my childhood days.
Not much of an athletic or energetic boy, I prefer to read anything within my reach. Yes, there were books I should not have read at a very young age that I realized later.
My late father’s Bible Concordance was big and heavy for me, the hard cover too rough, but attractive enough to at least have a glance at a few words that had been explained quite well for my young mind to grasp a bit of it. I would quietly slip myself into the pages, which became my first experience of spending time with the living God.
Reading two Bibles:
Since English is not my native language, it serves as a tool for me to learn the language, which lets me wonder at the richness of the language. The language introduced me to a larger world, which has its pros and cons in my thought process.
As I struggled to understand a few of the words, I used one Bible in my native tongue to look up the meaning. Yet many times I found it more complicated, thus leaving it at some point. The bible in my native language lets me feel Jesus Christ no longer a stranger to me.
Later on, I began to read through the English-Paite dictionary available at hand. Some of our learned family members from outside the state held their pride to help up to some extent, which I now find to be egregious of the learned men.
Easy-to-read Bible:
At some point in time, I thought that I had a knack for summarizing the points to be used for short sharing at the appropriate time. My father has given us, sometimes pushed us, to share our learnings.
This easy-to-read Bible with a concordance, glossary, and dictionary has given me a first grasp of the word of God. It was then followed by another edition of the Jesus comics book available in our native language.
The words from the Bible were required to understand the basic foundation of my faith – the what, why, and several what-ifs of the young mind. It needs to be nurtured well by mature people with patience.
Grasping the Bible:
With my grandfather being an evangelist and pastor of the area, I vividly remember him delving straight into the word of the scripture. His short sermons were mostly shaped by his relationship with the living God.
I have the privilege of accompanying him, out of respect, in some of his trips, walking barefoot, traversing the hills and valleys. By this time, I have developed a notion of grasping at least the topic of what he preached.
My registration and subsequent completion of several Online Courses offered by Dallas Theological Seminary, Denver Seminary, and the like were my way of building a windmill amid the storm rather than building a wall in the storm of life.
Grasping the word and living in the word were two different things in the journey of life. The latter is an arduous task and not free from temptation as one tries to dwell more contentedly in it.
Certificates to degree:
I have been through the ups and downs of life as well. I’m blessed to experience the joyous and tedious phases in the journey of life. Some decisions and overconfidence, which minimize rather than magnify the guidance of the Holy Spirit, were part of my life as well.
However, these experiences of my need for rerouting while holding onto the anchor of my life lead me to another side of life – trying to find balance before my time here is over.
After my brain surgery, I enrolled in several theological certificate courses in different seminaries, publishing a few books as I sat at home. This unexpectedly led me to an honorary Doctoral Degree this year.
I thank the Lord my God who, by the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ, in his grace, gave me hope in my darkest moments so that I cling to his faithfulness in times to come!
