Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Paul: An Evangelical Novel (1)... Ha!

I'm never going to get a Paul novel published, let's face it, especially if I do it my way--too complicated, too un-"evangelical." So, thinks me, instead of classroom snippets in the summer, how about "an evangelical novel" of Paul. The idea is that most week days I'll post about 20 minutes worth of story. Think F. F. Bruce with a Schencky twist...
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1 Return to Antioch
I looked up to see the familar coast of Seleucia ahead. We had been following the coast of Asia Minor toward Antioch for days now, and it was good to have the end of the journey in sight.

I was not particularly fond of the sea, although I wondered if God would use it from time to time to direct our mission. A storm had brought Barnabas and I to Asia Minor in the first place, and I had taken it as a sign from God. Satan may have tried to destroy us by the waves, but God used it for good.

Mark of course had not submitted to God's will at that time. He had no problem with a "vacation" to Cyprus, where he had many relatives. And his cousin Barnabas coddled him there. But as God began to speak to the Gentiles more and more powerfully through me, Mark became very suspicious. The mountains of Pamphyila were the final straw for him. Rather than see the wreck as God's direction--if we should even call it a wreck--he continued on his way alone back to Jerusalem.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"A Schencky twist..." Hah! In my neck of the woulds that might mean a PG-13 rating!!
-Cousin Jim

Keith Drury said...

Good riddance to Mark--we never should have brought him in the first place--he'll never amount to much.

(I'll be in those mountains in a month)

Scott D. Hendricks said...

Suggested correction: "A storm brought Barnabas and me . . ." supposing that 'me' is the accusative form of 'I,' which here is the second direct object of God's bringing.

Love,
Scott

Ken Schenck said...

good catch, Scott!