Robert Lowery

Come to The Other Holy Land!

Well, actually, two lands. For the fourth time, I will be visiting Greece and Turkey. My last visit was in 2005, and I am looking forward to co-hosting a tour with my friend, colleague, and fellow dean, Dr. Paul Boatman. We will depart on Sunday, December 27, 2010 and return on January 8, 2011.

Many people travel to Israel for pilgrimage or study tour, but there is also much to see in Greece and Turkey. Our tour group will be retracing the steps of Paul and John. Excavations have continued since my last visit. In 2005 in the ruins of Ephesus a tent had been erected over a site near the library, and I am eagerly looking forward to what has been uncovered. I also anticipate re-visiting Laodicea because much archaeological work has been done in the past five years. It is possible to walk down the main street and see typical homes and businesses in a way that was not previously possible. And Pergamum is always a treat, along with Athens, Corinth, and Philippi.

There are an increasing number of books on the seven cities available. This year I plan on taking with me an academic work by Steven Friesen, Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John: Reading Revelation in the Ruins (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). Friesen is one of the leading authorities on the significance of the first century cult for our understanding of Revelation.

The best all around guide is A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey by C.E. Fant and M.G. Reddish (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003). I strongly encourage you to purchase this work if you go with us.

Please contact me at rlowery@lincolnchristian.edu, Paul Boatman (pboatman@lincolnchristian.edu) or our administrative assistant, Becky Boggs, at bboggs@lincolnchristian.edu for more information.  Full details including itinerary and cost can be found on this flyer (PDF).

Dear reader, I submit this essay with considerable uneasiness because I do not want to appear to be boasting. My thoughts reflect my response to God’s ever-surprising grace.

On February 22, Monday evening, I had the privilege of preaching the inaugural sermon for Ozark Christian College’s annual Preaching-Teaching Convention. The theme was Unveiled, and all of the sermons were based on the Book of Revelation. I was asked to preach a sermon based on Revelation 1. My goal was to use the first chapter as a way to introduce the major themes of the last book found in our New Testament. The title I gave to the message was “Dancing to the Lyrics of the Lamb,” and I wanted the folks to understand how John challenges us as disciples to remain faithful to the Lamb. I pray that it was a night in which God was honored by what I preached.

At the end of the service, Shane Wood, an alum of our seminary, former research assistant of mine, member of the staff at OCC, and a student currently working on a PhD in New Testament in Edinburg, Scotland, announced to the assembly that he was editing a book that would contain special studies on the Book of Revelation. What took my breath away was that the book was going to be published in my honor later this year. He then presented me with a plaque and a list of the contributors: Craig Blomberg, Paul Boatman, Oti Bunaciu, Craig Evans, Gary Hall, Fred Hansen, J.K. Jones, Paul Kissling, Brian Lowery, Yulia Lubenetz, I. Howard Marshall, Matt Proctor, Mark Scott, Jeff Snell, Carmen Trenton, Tony Twist, Neal Windham, and Shane Wood. Some names will be recognizable to you, some will not be. I know all of them. They are former teachers (either directly or through their writings), classmates, and students.

What unites them all is their love for Jesus, their commitment to the study of the Word, and their love for wedding serious study with service in the Lord’s Church. They hail from our country as well as from Austria, Canada, Romania, Scotland, and Ukraine. Some are presidents, others are professors, still others preachers and teachers. But all follow the Lamb. I have been blessed by their influence in my life over the years, and I pray that whatever they write will be a blessing to you and bring glory to the Lamb. And I thank them for their gift.

I remain stunned this Thursday morning as I write this piece. But before I finish, I must share with you something about the title of the volume. You certainly understand the references to the dragons and to John, but what is the meaning of “every grain of sand”? Bob Dylan wrote a song with that title many years ago, and it remains my favorite song of the hundreds he has written and of the hundreds I have heard him perform. Let me quote some lines from memory:

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need,
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed.
There’s a dyin’ vice within me, reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the dangers and in the morals of despair.
Don’t have any inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.
In the fury of the moment, I can see the Master’s hand,
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.
I gaze into the doorway of temptation’s angry flame,
And every time I pass that way, I always hear my name.
Then onward in my journey, I come to understand,
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

This is not the time to offer an analysis of the song, so let me offer this one observation: as we experience the failures and frailties of life may we always remember that God remains God, and our submission to his will is our way of expressing gratitude to him for his saving grace.

Dr. Lowery will be a featured speaker at Ozark Christian College’s 2010 Preaching-Teaching Convention during Feb. 22-24.  This year’s event is entitled “Unveiled: The Surprising Plan of God in Revelation.”  Dr. Lowery will be speaking at the opening session at 4:00 PM on Feb. 22 as well as at a morning seminar on Feb. 23.  More details and registration information are available at the link above.

Briefly, friends, two things:

• On Monday, Dr. Bob will kick off a five-part series entitled “Trying to Keep Your Balance: Preaching the Revelation.”  It is intended to give preachers, students, and readers of Revelation some guidelines for understanding and communicating the message of the book responsibly.  Lots of good ideas are forthcoming, to be sure.
• If you’re viewing rlowery.com on an iPhone or mobile device, we’ve activated a “theme” that enables you to read the blog more easily.  If you haven’t accessed rlowery.com on your iPhone, now’s a great time to try it.

Thanks for being a part of this work.  Feel free to leave a comment or question at any time.

In the thirty-four years I have served at the seminary in Lincoln, Illinois I have had what I describe as two and a half sabbaticals. The half-sabbatical was taken from May, 1982 through August, 1983 when I worked on my Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was a whirlwind of a sabbatical because I tried to squeeze in as much study as possible. The second was granted to me from June, 2005 through the end of that year and the result was my first book, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb. I believe it was my first true sabbatical where I had time to recharge and write without feeling under pressure to produce. The third began in June of 2009 and ended on December 31.

What I did on my second full sabbatical can be answered in three short sentences: I prayed. I played. I planned. Read more…

Volume 1 of Dr. Lowery’s commentary on Revelation, Revelation’s Rhapsody, is now available in paperback format.  You can still purchase copies of the hardcover at “collector’s prices” on Amazon.  As of today, one new hardcover is available for $193.54. Plus $3.99 shipping.  Or you can order the paperback directly from College Press or by calling Mr. Books, the LCU campus bookstore, at 217-732-3168 ext. 2224.  The paperback is significantly less expensive than $193.54 and it makes a great Christmas gift.

I had my fourth meeting with the oncologist on Thursday, December 10. After talking it over with Marilyn, she thought we needed to update you on my health issues. We have appreciated your concern, and we hope that the information I share below is appropriate and will guide you as you pray for us.

Dr. Bretscher informed me that there are four stages in the spreading of carcinoid tumors. Because the tumors are now in my liver, I am at stage four, the final one. Evidently by the expression on my face, she could tell I was a bit surprised! She encouraged me to keep in perspective that the cancer is very slow growing and that it is unique with regard to how fast it spreads in an individual. Since there is no way to say how rapid the tumors will spread, this means stage four can last for a considerable period of time, and in fact, it usually does. She would not, however, provide a calendar of any kind because of the nature of the disease and because of its unique impact on each individual. She reminded me that it took nearly three years for the cancer to move from the mesentery to the liver, and therefore it may take a considerable period of time before it spreads to other organs.

Read more…

A faithful reader has recently let us know about some problems with a few links on the site, notably on the Writings page and some of the audio files.  These links led to content on the LCU servers which were updated and/or moved off-campus this fall.  I’ll take time the next few weeks to get those fixed.  In the meantime, remember to wear your hard hat, safety glasses, and steel-toed boots.

On Friday, September 25, Marilyn and I met with Dr. Mary Bretscher. We found her to be a very articulate, clear, and compassionate doctor. She asked us what we knew about what I was facing and she confirmed what we told her:

• I have carcinoid tumors that are, at present, incurable
• Only the symptoms can be treated
• The cancer spreads very slowly and will move to other organs or parts of the body beyond where it is located now, namely in the mesentery and in the liver
• There is the need to find suitable treatment to manage the current symptoms
• There is the need to monitor closely how I feel in the days ahead.

What especially impressed us is her desire to view my situation from a personal treatment perspective rather than group me in with others who show the same symptoms or make me a statistic. Accordingly, I will be meeting with her on a monthly basis. At those meetings she will be analyzing the effectiveness of the monthly injections (the first month was not all that effective after all, so the dosage will have to be increased) as well as making a decision on how to treat the severe spasms I experience on a fairly regular basis. The spasms are caused by the movement of the tumor that is located at the base of the mystentery and remains inoperable. She is very concerned about the level of pain, so options will have to be explored, all the way from trying different medications to possible surgery to create a by-pass of blood vessles near the mysentery so that blood can regularly flow to other parts of the body.

How can you shape your prayers? Pray first of all that we will continue to trust in the Lord and that he will be honored in all that is done. Pray for our children and ask God to bless them with strength and patience. Pray that the cancer will indeed be slow-growing. Pray that the injections will contain just the right amount of dosage so that some nasty symptoms can be dealt with. And pray that the spasms will be brought under control. Those are the most troubling at this point. (Even as I type this note to you, the spasms are present, so I am on medication daily to alleviate the pain and the pressure.) If you can think of anything we have missed with regard to bringing the matter before God, please share it with us.

We are blessed to have you on this journey. Your friendship, concern, and prayers are deeply appreciated.

Bob and Marilyn

On the basis of blood tests and a liver biopsy, the doctors have concluded that I have several carcinoid tumors that are a very slow-growing form of cancer. Several are located on the liver and one in the mesentery. There may be others yet to be discovered. Although Marilyn and I would have preferred to hear that there was no cancer whatsoever, this is certainly the better of possible cancers to have. As we shared in an earlier note, there is no cure for carcinoid tumors, but the symptoms can usually be treated. Either this week or next week Marilyn and I will be meeting with an oncologist who specializes in this area of cancer to discuss treatments that are available so that I can regain strength.

We are grateful for your words of comfort and your prayers. Please continue praying for my family and for the doctors as treatment begins. We do not mind you sharing this matter with others. Of course, we are praying that God will be praised in the days ahead, and that our faith will remain strong. My wife, children and their spouses, and grandchildren have provided much strength to me these last few days. Please pray that God will strengthen them.

Since we now know more, I am looking forward to refocusing my efforts on writing while I am on sabbatical and I look forward to returning to the classroom in January, 2010, Lord willing.