Harold Shank

Preachers often ask the question, “What should I preach on this Sunday?”  At the Inman Lectures at Ohio Valley University, I proposed that we might find help from a biblical preacher. What if we looked at the 51 “sermons” Isaiah preached in chapter 40-55.

Go to audio sermons to down load these three items:

1. Excel spread sheet that identifies the 51 sermons, their titles, themes, genre and primary marks.

2. Power point on the background of Isa 40-55 with a look at the themes that Isaiah takes up

3. Power point on the primary marks of Isaiah’s sermons and how they connect with our world.

The following piece was written by one of our students at OVU:

This Treasure Called Education

by Stephanie Corbelli

It was only the second day of our trip and I found myself tearing up, but these were happy tears. A few inches away from me separated only by a pane of glass was Handel’s “Messiah” in a display case at the British Library. Throughout my high school years, I had been privileged to sing some of Handel’s music, which I loved. Now, here I was, staring at some of Handel’s original work in his own handwriting. It just one of many important works on display at the British Library. The Magna Carta, pieces of the Psalms, Shakespeare’s writings, and notes from Jane Austen are only a few of the other documents I viewed at the library.

I walked in a daze throughout the display room. The room was radiating with history, and yet, it was only pieces of paper. If I could not read, nothing in the room would mean anything to me. Only the knowledge of what these works meant gave me an appreciation for them. As I continued to look around and process everything, I suddenly realized how privileged I am to receive an education. Although I knew I was fortunate to be able to go to school, I believe at that moment, in the British Library, I came to a very pure and deep realization in how blessed I am to have been given the opportunity to learn.

While I was very excited to be in Europe and to be touring many historic sites, that day at the British Library gave me a deeper appreciation for the rest of the trip. The trip consisted of traveling to places in England, France and Italy while taking college credit classes. As I surveyed the many other historic sites on the trip, I was able to evaluate everything knowing its significance and able to appreciate my own knowledge.

Near the end of the trip, I had another experience similar to the one I had in the British Library. This time, I was in a part of the catacombs in Rome. Christians were buried in the catacombs; some of them had been martyred for their faith. They died because they shared their faith, and often I am too afraid to talk with others about my own beliefs. I admit that I was emotional in the catacombs as I pondered the incredible commitment of these Christians. Being in a room where ancient Christians had stood, I was struck with their existence and sacrifice.

We tend to complain about classes and homework, but we forget how privileged we are to have knowledge. Without my knowledge, I would not have been able to fully appreciate or understand everything I saw on my trip. If I had

disregarded what I had learned about history in school, I would not have enjoyed the trip nearly as much. As you continue with your life after high school, do not forget how privileged you are to have been given an education, especially if you are planning on going to college.

I never imagined that I would be able to go to Europe, but my school made that possible and it is not too early, even as a high school student evaluating colleges, to inquire about foreign study opportunities in general and with regard to your specific field of study. Traveling and learning are both great experiences, and I recommend you give both of them a chance. Your life will be so much fuller because of it, I know mine is!

I’m often asked,”What advantages come from a Christian education?” Good question. The short answer is: holistic.

A line from the Bible gives the foundation for what that

means. Colossians 1:20 says that Christ “reconciles to himself all things.” The rest of that short book makes it clear that “all things” includes everything that has been created, all wisdom and knowledge, and all philosophies and human traditions. In Christ we have a holistic view of life.

Christian education builds on that thought. Public education requires that all matters of faith be separated from academics. No prayer in schools. No faith assumptions in the classroom. A secular education excludes the Bible from discussion.

Christian education says that holistic instruction means that all academic issues be integrated with faith. It says that because Christ first reconciled all things to himself, we can build on that reconciliation to have a holistic worldview.

Why choose Christian education? In short, only Christian education includes “all things.” Like Colossians says, nothing is left out.

During my 20 years of preaching at Highland, I wrote over 1000 sermons.  For a period of that time Ron Wade transcribed the sermons

into written manuscript form so that the internationals at the congregation could read along with a paper copy as the sermon was preached verbally.

Many of those transcribed sermons are now available on my website: www.haroldshank.com.  viagra buy Choose “Manuscript Sermons” and a list of titles, dates and texts will come up.  Click on the title to enable the download of a Word document.

The large and influential book of Isaiah continues to speak with relevance.  The strong images of God and his concerns emerge in all 66 chapters.  Yet the book remains

unexplored by many.

A complete 26 part study of Isaiah is available for free at www.haroldshank.com.  Each unit contains a lesson, a teacher’s guide and a student sheet.   Go to the buy cheap cialis online web site and choose “Bible studies.”  Other Isaiah materials are available under “Audio Sermons.”