The New And The Old

Getting prepared for Sunday Bible Class. Our lesson is in Matthew 13:51-52. In verse 52, this is what Jesus had to say:

52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Every scribe, teacher, student who is well trained will bring out of his storehouse new treasures as well as old. The one constant I have observed over the past 40 years or so of ministry is that in order to be relevant you have to articulate thoughts and teaching that register with the hearer. I think that which is "old" are those doctrines that we all are familiar with and rehearse on a regular basis. The storehouse of the teacher is his body of knowledge. If there is something "old" in there, it is because of past years of study. Conversely, in order to bring something "new", there must be a constant refreshing of your body of knowledge. The only way to do that is to study, read, and stay abreast of current events--in other words, keep something refreshing to bring from your "storehouse".

If I say, "Mimeograph", "Dictaphone", "IBM Selectric", I doubt that few young adults under 30 would have a clue of what those are. I remember the AB Dick mimeograph, the messy stencils, first a hand crank, and then an electric. I remember the Dictaphone, with the wire recorder and the IBM Selectric Typewriter and the Royal Manual Typewriter. I remember the unique invention of correcting tape. All those old technological devices are in my storehouse.

But in the early 1980's, Bill Gates and Paul Allen developed "Windows" computer software and brought the PC into prominence in the end of the 20th century.

One reason I have attempted to be literate with 21st century technology, is to be able to present an intelligent message that will capture the attention of those you teach. It is changing so quickly that, even though I think I am up-to-date, I realize that there is so much available that really I am a novice--but I won't quit trying! This blog is a recent adventure in that direction.

One might conjecture, that at my age of 68 years, "why bother". And then, I remember that a sweet little lady in her 90's, recently finished a book on her life, composed on her computer by herself. She has self-taught herself and became computer literate in her 80's. GO VELMA!

Just a few thoughts on Saturday night.

Don Howard
Auburn, WA