Preaching and the Book of Proverbs

This month's featured article is from AGC's Chaplain Jay Hanranft. Jay is a retired Army Chaplain who is doing work on ... you guessed it, Preaching and the Book of Proverbs.  In this article there are concepts  one should consider as to why Proverbs should be used in our preaching.  Definite food for thought for all of us who are called to preach the "Whole Counsel" of the Word of God.  This is especially true when Proverbs contain so many rich jewels on how we should live as believers.  Read and enjoy. 

The Case for Expository Preaching from the Book of Proverbs

by Jay Hartranft

Preaching is essential to the work of God.  G. Campbell Morgan expressed it this way, “The supreme work of the Christian minister is the work of preaching.”[1]  In his article listing Baylor University’s Preacher’s Hall of Fame, Woodard asserts, “For many Protestants - Baptists in particular - preaching isn’t everything: it’s the only thing.”[2]  But it was Matthew Simpson who put it most eloquently when he wrote of preaching and the preacher:

His throne is the pulpit; he stands in Christ’s stead; his message is the word of God; around him are immortal souls; the Savior, unseen, is beside him; the Holy Spirit broods over the congregation; angels gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the issue.  What associations, and what responsibility!”[3]  

           This focus on preaching is centered on a particular method of preaching -- namely, expository preaching.  The research and writing for this project has been undertaken after three years of intensive study under the tutelage of Dr. Haddon Robinson.  Robinson impressed upon his students exactly what he wrote in his textbook on expository preaching:

God speaks through the Bible.  It is the major tool of communication by which He addresses individuals today....Through the preaching of the Scriptures, God encounters men and women to bring them to salvation (II Timothy 3:15) and to richness and ripeness of Christian character (II Timothy 3:16-17).  Something awesome happens when God confronts an individual through preaching and seizes him by the soul.  The type of preaching that best carries the force of divine authority is expository preaching.[4]

           A commitment to expository preaching carries with it a love for people and a desire for them to be changed and conformed to the image of Christ.  G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The preacher should never address a crowd without remembering that his ultimate citadel is the citadel of the human will.”[5]  Andrew Blackwood amplifies further by writing, “People who sit under the right sort of expository preaching form the habit of living all week according to what they learn from the Bible.”[6]  Expository preaching and pastoral care for people are congruent when “preaching [is] seen as the primary pastoral activity, the one from which all other pastoral leadership flows.”[7] 

What is Expository Preaching?

An expositional sermon is an accurate explanation of the message of a biblical passage (passages) that includes a persuasive application for its listeners.[8]

Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through him to his hears.[9]

In relation to expository preaching and the book of Proverbs, some key terms are: Big Idea; Homiletical Idea; Context; Genre; Form; and Proverb.   

Big Idea This is a term coined by Haddon Robinson used to define the main idea or exegetical idea of a Biblical text.  Later in the sermon development process, this exegetical idea will be restated and become the homiletical idea.   Robinson stated that “a sermon, like any good speech, embodies a single, all-encompassing concept.”[10]  The concept, the main idea, is the “big idea”.  It should be stated in a complete, coherent sentence containing a “subject” and “complement”.  The “subject” is derived by the answer to the question, “What am I talking about?”  The “complement” is added by answering another question, “What am I saying about what I am talking about?”[11]

Homiletical Idea  “The statement of a biblical concept in such a way that it accurately reflects the Bible and meaningfully relates to the congregation.”[12]

Context  “The wider framework in which a passage occurs.  It can be as narrow as a paragraph or chapter, but it ultimately includes the argument of the book.[13]

Genre Genre is defined as “A group of written texts marked by distinctive recurring characteristics which constitute a recognizable and coherent type of writing.”[14]  Categories of genres are: Narrative, Prophecy, Wisdom, Psalm, Gospel, Epistle, Apocalypse.[15]

Form   “The concept of form has been applied since Gunkel to the small individual units representing the materials out of which the literary work is composed... Form...is a category for analyzing relatively small, individual units of literary material.”[16] Categories of forms are: Law, Dream, Lament, Parable, Miracle, Exhortation, Autobiography, Funeral dirge, Lawsuit, Pronouncement, Report, Royal accession, Passion.[17]

Proverb   Here two definitions are offered.

 “The term for ‘Proverb’ is masal, which comes from a root idea meaning ‘parallel’ or ‘similar,’ and hence signifies ‘a description by ways of comparison.’  The term is then applied to figurative speech of an epigrammatic or prophetic character, such as the oracles of Balaam (Num. 23:7).”[18] 

A Biblical proverb “is a concise, memorable saying, usually in poetic form, expressing a generally accepted observation about life as filtered through Biblical revelation.”[19]

The Need of Effective Instruction in Homiletics

           We live in a culture where information and images come to us through professional communicators backed by highly sophisticated electronic media.  Men and women sitting in front of their television sets or listening to the radio expect to be entertained, excited, updated and informed - all at the same time.  On Sunday Mornings as preachers stand in pulpits and proclaim God’s truth from the Scriptures to this media-saturated audience they face overwhelming obstacles.  Stott observes, “Television makes if harder for people to listen attentively and responsively, and therefore for preachers to hold a congregations attention.”[20]

           R. Kent Hughes comments on the problem at more length:

Preaching is far more difficult today than in past decades.  There was a time across America when Sunday’s sermon was the most stimulating event of the week.  Then came the wireless and ABC and NBC in megadecibles.  With this came the advent of the notorious “short-ended attention span.”[21]

Today’s preachers have sturdy competition, but they have a superior product.

           There is a great difference between anchoring the news and preaching God’s Word.  A preacher called of God proclaims the Bible.  The purpose of the proclamation is not simply to impart information.  Instead, as Paul said to his young associate Timothy, it is said that the man or woman of God “may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work.”[22]  A preacher not only wants the audience to hear the word, but to understand and to act on it.

           Most professional Christian workers receive whatever training they have in public speaking during their Bible college or seminary years.  Many do an effective job of preaching by building on the principles they learned there.  Some are effective in their ministry because they have built on the principles they learned in school.  Some are natural public speakers. Yet many seminary and Bible college graduates feel unprepared for their role as preachers.[23]

           Pastors and preachers of this present generation do struggle to prepare and deliver sermons because of the difficulty in effectively communicating any message to an over-communicated society.  Sermons need to be sharp, clear, concise, and relevant in order to connect with a modern audience                   

The Case for Preaching Proverbs

           The question for many homileticians is, “Why preach Proverbs?”  Tom Long has well stated their view of the book of Proverbs as “a deserted stretch of highway between Psalms and Ecclesiastes.”[24]  He continues this outlook saying, “most preachers scramble for higher ground, saying in effect, ‘Leave the proverbs to Confucius; we’ll stick with the prophets and parables.’”[25]  David Gowen’s own view also expresses the attitude of these preachers:

Of what use can the Old Testament proverbs be to the preacher?  Their very nature suggests they ought not to be taken as texts to be expounded in a sermon.  What needs to be said, they have already said in the most effective way.  They are like the punch line of a joke; if they have to be explained, better not to bother with it in the first place...When one preaches on wisdom themes the best way to use the proverbs may be as the writers of those sermonettes did (i.e. Proverbs 1-9), to intersperse them along the way to drive home a point and to serve as memorable summaries of what has been developed.[26]

           Dave Bland rehearses further this position stating, “The book is often treated by preachers as the resident alien of Scripture.  Preachers, therefore, feel their hands are tied when it comes to developing sermons from Proverbs.”[27]  In his essay on preaching from the Hebrew Scriptures, Al Fasol maintains that “Proverbs perhaps could be effectively shared on Wednesdays nights during Bible Study.”[28]  Elizabeth Achtemeier confesses that “preaching from any portion of Proverbs 10-29...can seem to confront the homiletician with enormous problems.”[29]  She continues to elaborate on the problem of preaching Proverbs: 

What does a preacher do with a two or four line text that is unconnected with what precedes and follows it?  That is one of the difficulties with Proverbs 10-29; those chapters seem to have the most random order, simply listing maxims one after another.[30]   

           It is evident that these observations are by no means uncommon.  The sum of the problem is presented most effectively by Bland, “When it comes to preaching, the book of Proverbs has fallen on hard times.”[31] 

           Bob McCabe asks, “How often do we hear sermons from the book of Proverbs?  We probably have to think long and hard to answer this question.”[32]  Preaching from Proverbs just isn’t being done. 

           There are some few preachers, however, who venture into the pulpit with a sermon from Proverbs.  But without homiletical instruction on the literary genre of Proverbs, an expositional sermon is dubious at best.  Normally the preacher orates a topical message on wisdom, the fool, the sluggard, the friend, or the family.  The words of Haddon Robinson are most certainly true, “In some ways, preaching from the Proverbs is a bit like playing the saxophone.  It is easy to do poorly.  Much harder to do well.”[33]  

           As mentioned above, seminary and Bible college graduates feel unprepared for their role as preachers.  However, when it comes to preaching Proverbs, seminary and Bible college graduates are not alone.  To explore the problem 153 surveys were sent to pastors of the largest churches in America.[34]  Another 22 surveys were delivered to nationally recognized[35] preachers, and teachers of preaching.[36]  Responses from forty preachers were received.  These responses represented pastors from nine denominations with an average preaching ministry extending 26 1/2 years.  When asked, “Have you ever used a verse or passage from Proverbs as your main text?”, an astonishing 30% answered “no.”  A further survey question asked the remaining 70%, “How many of your messages on Proverbs were expository messages?”[37]  The response was a total of 209, or an average of 5.2 messages per preacher.  More succinctly, those 70% of pastors of the largest churches in America with preaching ministries spanning 26 1/2 years, preach expository sermons form Proverbs once every five years.

           Why is there such a neglect of Proverbs by preachers?  What reason can be given for the absence of proverbial wisdom from the pulpit?  Dave Bland offers this:

The thicket of individual proverbs that are located in chapters 10-29 have been marginalized in homiletic circles for a number of reasons.  For one, the individual proverbs are perceived as having no context.  The sayings, according to customary scholarly consent, are all randomly collected.  For another, the proverb itself has no narrative plot.  There is no homiletical loop or reversal motif built into the saying.  If one were to diagram a narrative, it would be a line rising diagonally toward a climax.  In contrast the most fitting diagram of a proverb may simply be a period.  Once a proverb has been spoken, can anything else be said?[38]      

 

 

 

Proverbs Everywhere but the Pulpit

           Many preachers invest several hours on their sermon to develop the “big idea.”  They think hard on framing that concept into a short, concise, memorable phrase; a proverb if you will.  Yet it seldom enters the minds of these homileticans to search the book of Proverbs.  As most preachers continue to shun Biblical Proverbs from their studies and their pulpit, their congregations are living by proverbs out in the world.  Long says that, “...people today often base their decisions, arrange their affairs, and form their values on proverb-like advice.”[39] 

Imagine the congregation leaving Sunday’s service yet without a clear grasp of the preacher’s practical thought for living.  One gets into his car, turns on the radio and hears, “If it feels good do it, do it if its what you feel.”  Another departs with her child in tow wearing the smiling faced yellow T-shirt bearing the inscription, “Have a nice day.”  At home, during the breaks between the basketball game, the family hears the TV blurt out, “The more you know” or “Just do it.”  Another seven minutes of basketball go by before you hear the car commercial saying, “taking care of number one.”  Proverbs are everywhere but in the pulpit.

McKenzie writes:

Preoccupied with pondering the sermon for the week, we most often pass by proverbs with unseeing eyes and upturned noses.  We walk and drive by them on billboards, T-shirts, coffee mugs, cartoons, magazine adds, bumper stickers, and posters.  Busy reflecting on how we can put Biblical wisdom in conversation with contemporary wisdom, we hear them with unlistening ears, as the refrains of songs, in media commercials, and in conversations.  Proverbs!  Constantly used by the people, consistently ignored by many preachers.[40]        

           Haddon Robinson sent a picture of a flower with the inscribed words “Bloom where you’re planted.”  This thesis-project has come to fruition in part because of those “proverbial” words of encouragement.  It is a fact that Americans govern their lives by the popular proverbial wisdom of our society.  It is therefore essential that the theological, practical wisdom of Proverbs be proclaimed to the church.  As Thomas Long put it, “The question is not will people live by proverbs, but what kind of proverbs will they cherish?”[41]  Alyce McKenzie summarizes the matter saying, “The answer, in large part, depends on the contemporary preacher.”[42]

           Pastors need to learn to preach effectively.  A common way to refer to a minister is a “preacher.”  A preacher who cannot preach or will not preach, fails at the core of his calling.  As every pastor knows, the preparation and delivery of sermons takes a large portion of his time and thought.  The pastor knows that his ministry in the pulpit will enhance the ministry of the congregation.  As a church increases in size, the minister depends more and more on his ability to preach.  In order to influence his congregation he must be prepared to preach with skill.

           The church needs skilled preachers.  Those who take the Bible seriously, both in the pulpit and the pew, believe that the Scriptures are God’s truth.  It is a sin to bore people with the Bible or to give the impression to a congregation that the Scriptures are irrelevant to life.  Pastors who care about their congregations must know how to prepare sermons and deliver them. The book of Proverbs is an untapped goldmine, a generous resource of biblical data that can effectively be shared with congregations through expository preaching.

---

[1] G. Campbell Morgan, Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, reprinted, 1979), p. 11.

[2] Kenneth L. Woodard, “Heard Any Good Sermons Lately?” in Newsweek. March 4, 1996, p. 50.

[3] Matthew Simpson, Lectures on Preaching (New York: Phillips & Hunt, 1879), p.166.

[4] Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), pp. 18-19.

[5] G. Campbell Morgan, Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, reprinted, 1979), p. 13.

[6] Andrew W. Blackwood, Expository Preaching for Today: Case Studies of Biblical Passages (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1942), pp. 34-35.

[7] William H. Willimon, Preaching and Leading in Worship (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1984), p. 63.

[8] McCabe, p. 151.

[9] Robinson, Biblical Preaching, p. 20.

[10] Ibid., p. 34.

[11] For further analysis and instruction in using the “subject” and “compliment” questions to obtain the “big idea”, refer to chapter two in Robinson’s Biblical Preaching, pp. 31-45.

[12] Robinson, Biblical Preaching, p. 100.

[13] Ibid., p. 75.

[14] John J. Collins, “Introduction: Towards the Morphology of a Genre.” Semeia. 14 (1979), 1.

[15] Sidney Greidanus, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., reprint, 1989), p. 23.

[16] Arthur J. Baird, “Genre Analysis as a Method of Historical Criticism,” SBL Proceedings. Vol. 2 (1972), 386.

[17] Greidanus, p. 23.

[18] Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), p. 465.

[19] McCabe, p. 151.

[20] John R. W. Stott, “Preaching: God’s Word to the Church Today,” in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, ed. By John H. Armstrong (Chicago: Moody, 1996), p. 70.

[21] R. Kent Hughes, p. 92.  See also pp. 70-73 for a complete critique of the negative effects of television on other types of communication.

[22] 2 Timothy 3:17.  All Scripture references will be taken from THE NEW SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE, KING JAMES VERSION, unless otherwise noted, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967).

[23] In a 1994 survey conducted by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary student Randy Pelton, 173 of 300 pastors responded and yielded the following information: 43.4% pastors struggle with illustrations; 33.5% struggle with outlining the sermon texts; 38.7% struggle with relevance in their sermons; and, 24.9% struggle with identifying the big idea of the passage which is essential to preparing and preaching the sermon.

[24] Thomas G. Long, Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989) p. 53.

[25] Long, p. 54.

[26] Donald Gowan, Reclaiming the Old Testament for the Christian Pulpit, (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, reprint, 1994), p. 104.

[27] Dave Bland, “A new Proposal for Preaching Proverbs,” in Preaching, May/June 1997, p. 28.

[28] Al Fasol, “Preaching in the Present Tense: Coming Alive to the Old Testament,” in Reclaiming the Prophetic Mantle: Preaching the Old Testament Faithfully, ed. George L. Klein, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992) p.230.

[29] Elizabeth Achtemeier, Preaching from the Old Testament, (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989), p. 171

[30] Achtemeier, p. 171.

[31] Bland, p. 28.

[32] Robert V. McCabe, “Preaching from Proverbs” (paper presented at the Mid-America Conference on Preaching, Inter-City Baptist Church, Allen Park, Michigan, October 24-25, 1996).

[33] Letter from Dr. Haddon Robinson, Professor of Homiletics at Gordon-Conwell University, September 6, 1996.

[34] John N. Vaughn, Mega Churches and American Cities (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993)  Vaughn lists the 100 largest churches in America and the 100 fastest growing churches in America.  The two lists together produced the 153 churches whose pastors were surveyed.

[35] Woodard, pp. 50-52.  This article produced twelve preachers for the survey

[36] Robinson, Biblical Sermons, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989), pp. 5-6. The book produced ten preachers for the survey.

[37] The definition of “expository sermons” was left up to the surveyed pastors.

[38] Bland, p. 28.

[39] Long, p. 54.

[40] Alyce M. McKenzie, Preaching Proverbs: Wisdom form the Pulpit (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), p. xiii.

[41] Long, p. 55.

[42] McKenzie, p. xiv.

BOOK REPORTS- Tools for ministry.

Editor's Note:  Every two weeks (or so) this blog will alternate between articles dealing with Chaplain issues in the military and book reports.  The purpose for both is for a tool to encourage and provoke one another to love and good works (Heb 10:24).  This particular blog for the AGC Shofar Journal features reviews on two books. Actually the first one is an audio book.   The  book "Radical" is one of the latest "trends" out there affecting Young Christians and how they see American culture in a Christian context.  The second book review concerns the thoughts and heart of Evelyn Husband who lost her astronaut husband when the shuttle "Columbia" blew apart.  Enjoy! 

Book One:

Book Review/Audio :

“Radical: Taking Back your faith from the American Dream” written by David Platt.  Published by Christianaudio 2010.  Reviewed by Bob Freiberg.

  Every generation has a contemporary consciousness about what is going on around them  in society.  In “Radical,” David Platt has questioned America’s quest for materialism.  This book is very popular in young Christian circles because in very practical terms, Platt gives personal examples of how a Christian can better serve the Lord.  As a pastor of a large mega church, the author makes a clarion call for all to give up what is comfortable and make a difference in this world for the Gospel of Christ.

  Focusing on foreign missions, Platt takes to task how most Christians view America.  That is, how our love of God somehow has falsely transferred to crass commercialism and materialism and how we should gain our love once again for the sharing of our wealth and of the Gospel to the hungry of the world.  Using personal stories of mission trips, this brother has indeed demonstrated the truth of how one can use the principles of sharing the Gospel and evangelizing those around the globe. 

  In review, I would like to make some positive and  negative observations of hearing this audio book:

  Positive:

1.      He speaks volumes of how  easy it is for one to be in a church and get comfortable with our “version” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2.     He has a heart and vision for the veracity of Scripture and its practical application.

3.     The modern Evangelical movement has often lost its first love.

Negative:

1.      Platt gives one the impression, whether intentional or unintentional, his experiences and personal choices should the standard for spirituality and evangelism.  Like so many of his generation, the materialism that he so often despises and writes against are a reflection of his own lifestyle.  I do not think the intent of his illustrations was to bring attention to himself, but one is reminded of the Pharisee who stood at the temple treasury to show everyone how he gave and sacrificed for God.  Granted, the point of his missive was to show how we are as American Christians fat with prosperity and how we can live on less in order to give more. 

2.     Although he had a small caveat to the contrary, the listener or reader cannot help but think that the author is for using communalism by sharing wealth  and physical necessities to spread the Gospel to the poor.   Whether poor or rich is not the issue.  People either accept or reject the Gospel as the spirit of God works in their lives.  We are merely the agency or tool in the hand of God. 

Impression:

           This book is a good reminder of why we are on this earth.  Is 43:7 declares the reason we exist is to give God glory.  We are to be wise stewards of what God has given us-whether time, money or resources these are tools to be used for the Master’s glory.  Each person as they seek the will of God must decide how they are to be used by God.  Daniel’s talents were used to further the agenda of a godless government while Jeremiah was used to testify against that same government.  One person’s calling is different from another’s.  Platt disagrees and seems to think that everyone should follow his lead and if they did things would be much better for the Kingdom of God.  The biggest take away from this work though is unmistakeable:  we in the Church do need to remember our evangelistic and mission mindedness.  Go out into all the world is not a wish, it is a command by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Amen!

Book Two:

High Calling: The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Commander Rick Husband, by Evelyn Husband, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003).  233 pages. Reviewed by Ken Lawson.

           On February 1, 2003 the U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia was scheduled to land after a 16 day scientific mission in space. On that day the Columbia crashed, killing all seven astronauts on board. The vessel broke up over Texas, leaving debris over hundreds of miles. Rick Husband was the Commander of the Space Shuttle. His widow Evelyn wrote this book several months after his death.

           Rick and Evelyn Husband were a military family, he a career Air Force officer. Both were religious growing up, but were not committed Christians until after they were married. She grew up Presbyterian and he Methodist, but Christianity became real to them in their early to mid-twenties. Evelyn said of their first years together, “We still didn’t know what it meant to have a deep, personal relationship with God,” p. 33.

           As a career military aviator, Rick learned to fly over 40 types of aircraft. It was a dream since his childhood to become an astronaut, a dream that eluded him for several years. While newly married and unable to have children, Evelyn began to study the Bible with the assistance of an Air Force chaplain. She stated, “I was hurting so much that I searched the Scriptures for comfort. We attended chapel on base, and the chaplain taught the Bible in a simple yet personal and meaningful way. For the first time in my life I really wanted the kind of relationship with God that the chaplain told us about – a relationship that was close, dynamic, and real,” p. 37.

           Evelyn was the first in their marriage to get serious with God. Her inability to conceive a child drew her to a deeper faith, and she invited her husband to join her in a deeper faith experience. Rick was initially reluctant but then became excited in his recommitted faith. Depending on their Air Force assignments, Rick and Evelyn attended military chapels or civilian churches. They were eventually blessed with two healthy children, a daughter and then a son. They were interested in strengthening their faith together, and joined a couple’s Bible study. In addition to the Bible, the book that changed Rick Husband’s life was titled Point Man, by Steven Farrar.

           Rick became serious about his Christian responsibilities as a husband and as a father. Not that he was bad in these areas previously, but now he placed God as the head of his life and Christ as the desire of his heart. His wife and children thrived under his newfound commitment. Rick Husband became known as a man of faith and prayer, attentive to his spiritual life and devoted to his wife and children. Evelyn wrote, “Rick was enjoying his newfound freedom in Christ, learning more and more about God’s grace and forgiveness. He was also taking on the role of spiritual leader in our home for the first time,” p. 49.

           The military career of the committed Christian Rick Husband steadily advanced. He completed fighter pilot training and was selected for a prestigious exchange program with the British Air Force. His aviation skills were excellent, but he still dreamed of becoming an astronaut. After a series of rejections by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), Rick was finally accepted as an astronaut candidate. At this point in his life a friend and fellow pilot said of Rick, “I can’t emphasize enough how easy he was to get along with. He showed a rare balance of leadership and grace. Some people are good leaders but are difficult to be around. There was a natural humility to his leadership. He wasn’t there to prove anything,” pp. 67-68.

           Astronaut candidate training was grueling. Nevertheless, Rick found quality time to spend with his wife and small children. He was able to separate work from home and did not bring issues from work to disrupt his family time. Rick attended church regularly with his family, sang in the choir, and participated in small group Bible studies. As his wife wrote, “Rick was not demonstrative with his faith; he never pushed it on anybody, but he also never denied it,” p. 148.  

           In May, 1999, Rick Husband was a member of the space shuttle Discovery. For over two weeks the Discovery crew soared in outer space, conducting a series of experiments. Rick’s dream of becoming an astronaut was complete. The space shuttle successfully landed on June 6, 1999, much to the elation of Evelyn and the other spouses. People began to question Rick related to his views on creation verses evolution, whether or not he believed that God created the universe or if all life evolved over billions or trillions of years. Rick never hesitated to state that he believed that God created the heavens and the earth, and that God created the physics and math and science that allowed humans to explore the handiwork of God in outer space, pp. 97-98.

           After the successful summer of 1999 space mission, the astronauts were placed on routine technical assignments to keep their mental skills fresh but to also allow them to emotionally recover from their mission in space. They also flew various aircraft to maintain their proficiencies, but were typically home every night. Evelyn wrote, “Rick used the time between shuttle missions to memorize scripture and continue his steady walk with the Lord. He got up each morning and studied the Bible and spent time in prayer before leaving for work,” p. 102.

           In September, 2000, the crew for the next space shuttle was selected, with Rick Husband as Commander. This time they would fly the Columbia. It was unusual that Rick, as a junior astronaut, was selected to be Commander of this mission, but his competencies, personality and aviation skills allowed him to be selected. Because of various administrative and political delays, the mission did not begin until 2003. This proposed mission was the 113^th for the space shuttle program, a sixteen day mission of research and experiments. This was the twenty-eighth mission for the Columbia.

           On January 16, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia launched successfully into space. Evelyn and the children were able to occasionally keep in touch with Rick while he was in outer space through various advanced communication equipment set up for the space shuttle families. In preparation for being away, Rick recorded daily Bible readings that his children were to listen to while he was gone. Evelyn writes warmly about those sixteen days in space, as the love of her life was achieving his dreams as a Commander on an astronaut mission. On February 1, Evelyn and the children woke up early in anticipation of watching the space shuttle Columbia land and having Rick return home safely. Such was not to be.

           Evelyn and the children were awaiting the landing of the space shuttle when she realized something was wrong. The shuttle did not land on time. She quickly saw a television report that showed the Columbia breaking up over Texas and finally exploding. In this moment she watched her husband die before her eyes. She wrote that this was the worst moment of her life; that she broke down in tears and was in shock, pp. 168-169. Her husband, her leader, the father of her children, the love of her life was taken from her. In full anticipation of his homecoming and joyful reunion, she was shattered as she watched on television the bright light in the sky and the explosion which meant her husband had been killed. The Columbia broke up over Texas at about 200,000 feet, scattering fragments of the shuttle over hundreds of Texas miles.

Amazingly, the remains of all seven astronauts were recovered throughout Texas. Air Force chaplains were present as the remains were gathered, insuring a reverent and respectful process. Over Rick Husband’s remains the chaplain prayed and read scripture, from Joshua 1:6-9, which was remarkably the same text Rick quoted to Evelyn the night before the launch.

Rick Husband was a man of many attributes. His wife called him “brilliant but humble,” and “disciplined in his spiritual walk and in his speech,” p. 83. At a memorial service it was stated, “He lived his faith. He did not hesitate to put in a good word for Jesus. His life was his sermon. By his life and his love and his faith, in life and in his death, he has witnessed to the whole world,” p. 211. This unassuming man, who asked Jesus to be his savior while a college freshman, left a legacy of faith and hope to his grieving wife and children.

High Calling is a book about life and love and heartache and healing. It is about a man who achieved his dreams and then was suddenly taken from those whom he loved. In this book we read of a woman very much in love with her famous and admirable husband, only to witness her world collapse before her eyes at his tragic death. Evelyn struggled to understand why her husband of twenty years was taken from her and why she was a widow at age 44 with two young children at home. As the new widow Evelyn Husband wrote,

People have asked me if I blame God for what happened, and I always tell them no. God has a plan for each person’s life; I may not understand that plan, and it may grieve me, but I am not bitter toward God. He has been too good to me, to Rick, and to our families. I have a long history with God, and I cannot turn my back on that history of God’s faithfulness, provision, and grace. He has always loved me when I was unlovable and continues to love me today through the greatest sadness of my life. He has carried me through dark times and continues to carry me through the darkest of days without Rick, pp. 231-232.

I used this book in a lunchtime Bible study in which we discussed military Christian heroes. The text was well received. This book can be a good counseling tool for chaplains looking for examples of faith overcoming grief. The pace of the book is balanced, with simple examples of faith and prayer as a foundation for the traumatic event that shook the life of the author. Evelyn Husband has done us all a service by recording her personal experiences and feelings in this book. I highly recommend it.