Stories of Impact

Bible Scholar + Adventure Junkie

Biblical geography. Do those words intrigue you? Or make you shy away?

No matter your interest in what land has to do with Scripture, one man will pique your curiosity and make comprehension a little easier.

Dr. John A. Beck. Although he is seminary-trained with two master’s degrees and a PhD, he is more like a friend who will walk with you to ignite a passion for learning more about Scripture than you ever thought possible. And, he likes to be called Jack.

This friendliness and approachability makes Jack a unique fit to host Our Daily Bread Ministries’ video series The Holy Land: Connecting The Land With Its Stories

“If we are people of place, and place is very much a part of how we’re shaped and how we interact with one another, then there’s no way I can leave my understanding of place out of any literature, much less the Bible,” Jack said. 

He believes that the Bible’s stories are so greatly impacted by location and setting, that it’s vital for us to truly understand how God communicated to His people in Scripture and to us today. Engaging with Scripture is “always a spirit-led process. Reading the Bible is different than reading another book.” 

Jack Beck with plane

Jack’s background in language and literature informed one way for him to view Scripture. But in grad school, he met a Bible geographer who sparked his interest in how the biblical authors and poets used geographical content to shape the learning—or faith—experience. Since then, incorporating geography as a tool in his multi-faceted toolbelt has allowed Jack to bring a whole new level of understanding to others.

As an adjunct professor at Jerusalem University College, he regularly travels to the Holy Land to teach and lead tours. These tours often cover over 100 miles of hiking in 10 to 12 days so people can experience the rugged outdoors and “feel” what the people on the pages of the Bible felt.

Jack is a scholar who’s collaborated with Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM) to write numerous books, teach online classes, and film four seasons of The Holy Land. His first book with ODBM, Discovery House Bible Atlas, was published in 2015 and was well-received because it was more like a Bible commentary that married the land with the stories. 

Ten years later, this work is being re-published as the Our Daily Bread Bible Atlas. Even if you have the first atlas, the new version is a great addition to your library. “The clarity within the essays has gotten stronger,” Jack said. “The visuals have gotten a big touch-up. It really is a new piece, reflecting both maturity in my own thinking of the topic and the communication of that and the illustrations.”

The fourth season of The Holy Land is premiering next month so you can virtually travel with Jack to Samaria, the Southern Wilderness, and Jerusalem. His goal in every season of this series is “to take folks into the land and show them that there’s a connection between how things happened and where they happened.” He guides you to a region and tells the arc of stories that happened there, organizing the content by historical location rather than a chronological approach.

Jack Beck playing with kids

Although Jack treasures all his excursions on these production shoots, one of his most memorable times was in the Jezreel Valley at the spring where Gideon and his army drank (Judges 7). It happened to be a holiday, so many families with children were camping and enjoying themselves. When the kids invited Jack into the water, he immediately rolled up his pantlegs, took off his shoes, and joined them laughing and splashing in the cool water. 

Although the spontaneous moment led to the demise of the microphone he still wore, Jack heartily agreed, “I’m grateful for those moments that are unplanned, unscripted but absolutely spot on!”

Jack appreciates exploring in his personal life, too. He and his wife, Marmy, live in Germantown, WI but are often soaring around the country in the airplane they built themselves. “We’re always up for an adventure. We egg each other on and sometimes it takes us outside the bounds of what makes sense to do,” Jack chuckled.

Whether it’s snowshoeing in the Colorado Rockies with Marmy or leading an expedition of eager students in Israel, Jack loves being outdoors and bringing the stories of the Bible to life. “This is my passion . . . to turn the volume up on those things that maybe get less attention,” Jack said. “I hope you leave your time with me a more interested, informed, and engaged Bible reader.”

To find out more about Jack Beck:

Jack Beck with wife Marmy
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foggy road and trees

A Heartache

Dear Chris,

The last time we talked, you asked whether I thought those who end their own lives could go to heaven. Since we didn’t get a chance to finish that conversation, I hope you don’t mind if I use this letter to say some things that I wish I’d been able to say at the time.

I responded to your question by saying something like, “Yes, those who take their own lives can go to heaven. Our last choice in this life does not determine where we go after death.” But then I hesitated, and asked why you were wondering. When you looked away and said, “Not now,” I heard the emotion in your voice and sensed that you needed some space.

A mutual friend has since told me about your heartache. I’ve learned about the loss of your son, and your uncertainty about where he was in his spiritual journey.

Your inability to talk about your loss is something I haven’t been able to forget. As I’ve replayed the moment, I’ve realized that you weren’t the only one who wasn’t ready to talk. Now I’m glad that I didn’t say something I thought would make you feel better. That would have been a mistake. I’m quite sure you were not looking for false assurance any more than you were looking for someone to tell you how you should be feeling.

Chris, I’m not writing to tell you more than I know. You know as well as I do that God alone understands the state of mind of those who end their own lives. He alone understands their pain and their confusion. He alone knows how to give comfort and courage to those who remain.

So why am I writing? I’m writing because I don’t want you to be surprised if you find yourself wanting to avoid religious people, the church, the Bible, or even God Himself. Emotional pain can put distance between ourselves and others. And there is no way to sort through our feelings quickly, especially in the middle of a heartbreaking loss.

God doesn’t want us to ignore our grief. What is happening to you right now is not something you can afford to deny. Even though David of the Bible was a man after God’s own heart, he spent long days and nights with his losses, his fears, his regrets, and his anger.

I also believe that if it were possible for you to meet face to face with the most compassionate Person who ever lived, you would not hear religious answers that told you how to feel. He wouldn’t condemn you for the waves of anger you feel toward heaven, yourself, or even your son, for leaving you in such agony. My guess is that He would put His arm around your shoulder and cry with you.

I admit that I don’t know what this merciful and honest Person would say to you. He was always so unpredictable. Not in a bad way, but with wisdom and understanding. He had a way of saying what His friends and enemies didn’t expect Him to say. He knew more about pain and evil than anyone else around Him, yet He didn’t teach His followers to wave their fists against heaven and to curse the darkness.

Chris, I believe we can learn a lot by thinking about the cursing He didn’t do, the battles against heaven He didn’t fight, and the despair He overcame. Even though He loved so deeply, He didn’t go mad out of His concern for others.

No, we can’t live with the same spiritual awareness that He had. Neither can we expect each other to trust heaven as implicitly as He did. What we can do, though, is remind one another that even Jesus cried out at the lowest point in His life, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

When the Son of God left heaven to become the Son of Man, He voluntarily laid aside the boundless understanding that He shared with His Father. And when, in the dark corridors of human experience, He walked into a house of mourning, He cried. As He approached moments of separation from those He loved the most, He sweated and struggled in great agony before saying, “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done.” In all these ways He showed that trusting the unseen hand of God is not just an event but a learned process.

It is when our broken hearts drive us to the place where we wonder if we can continue that we have every reason to cling to the One who loves better than we do. He is the One who says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Chris, please forgive me if I have in any way added to your pain. I want so much for you to find the strength and comfort that can only be explained by God’s love for you.

Sincerely,

Mart

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Does God Play Favorites?

Does God Play Favorites?

Why would a parent do more for some of his children than for others? Why does our Father in heaven seem to repeat the mistake of a well-known biblical patriarch? Jacob provoked family rivalry among his twelve sons by spoiling young Joseph in the presence of his older brothers (Genesis 37:3).

So often our Father seems to do more for new believers than for those of us who have been around for a while. Recent converts often tell stories of dramatic answers to prayer, even as those of us who have been in the family for a long time struggle under the weight of problems our Father could have lifted from our backs long ago.

Why does a Father of unlimited resources seem tight-fisted with some of His children while being so open-handed with others? And why does a Father who is everywhere at all times seem to withdraw from some while walking so closely with others? Is God like a parent who creates havoc in the family by playing favorites?

An Infant Needs Direct Help to Survive

When the Father of Israel delivered His newborn nation from the bricks and whips of Egypt, He did so with great style. With the fireworks of a great storm exploding in the Egyptian sky, and with the persuasion of mounting plagues, God tightened His grip on the throat of the pharaoh until the self-proclaimed sovereign of Egypt choked and slumped, gasping in grief and angry defeat.

Just as God gave the infant children of Israel this impressive display of His power, He often welcomes newborn believers into His family with a clear and present sense of deliverance from their sin. He may give them real and vivid experiences to show He is a God who is everything His children need Him to be.

New believers at this stage often give encouragement to the whole family of God as they describe with fresh awareness and enthusiasm what God has done for them. In telling of their experiences, however, they are not yet aware that ahead of them are mountains to scale, swamps to wade, and seasons to endure.

A Young Child Needs to Learn Boundaries

As the children of Israel walked out of Egypt they breathed free air for the first time in centuries. There were no whips cracking at their backs. No fences to confine them. No crops to plant. Their food was delivered daily. Water gushed out of rocks. The sky was big over their heads. The ground was wide under their feet. The possibilities of the future seemed unlimited.

Then came a change. At the foot of Mount Sinai, God gave His children rules. In time someone would count these rules. There were 613 in all: 365 negative commands like “don’t ignore the plight of an overloaded animal”; 248 positive commands like “return lost property to its owner.”

The school of Sinai represents the line upon line of education that is needed by all children. The God who miraculously rescued His children from bondage then teaches us the principles of freedom. With the benefits of relationship come the boundaries of family rules.

At first the rules seem overwhelming. Do this. Don’t do that. No. You’re going to get hurt. Ouch! That’s why Mom and Dad warned you! Slowly the period of God’s supernatural intervention is eclipsed by a new period of learning. As God provides for us, He wants us to learn that trust is not just a passive experience. Trusting Him on His terms means being willing to do what He tells us to do. The struggle begins.

An Adolescent Needs to Learn Self-Control

Forty years later, the children of Israel stood at the threshold of the Promised Land. They had learned some important lessons, but now they had to trust God in a new way. They were no longer just spectators of His miracles but were required to actively engage in battle and obedience.

As we grow in our spiritual journey, God’s expectations of us increase. He calls us to a higher level of responsibility and trust. It’s no longer just about receiving from Him, but about walking in obedience and exercising faith even when we don’t see immediate results.

An Adult Child Needs to Learn the Independent Side of Dependence

In the centuries that followed, God remained present with His people. On occasion, He would give them dramatic miracles of provision. As a rule, however, the wonder of His presence and provisions were clothed in the natural cause-and-effect relationships of life. He still provided daily for His people, but He did so in increasingly subtle ways.

Sometimes we become confused by the apparent absence of God in our lives. But honest reflection will show us that God is absent only in the sense that He is not giving us everything we want when we want it. He still provides for us constantly or we would not survive the need for another breath. But like a seasoned coach, a loving parent, and a wise teacher, He has gradually given us the impression that we are on our own. Does He do this so we will have to provide for ourselves? No. He does it so our trust in Him will grow, not diminish.

The Galaxy

The Galaxy

Scientists tell us that our galaxy is home not only to our own sun and its family of planets, but to billions of other stars. They tell us that our disk-shaped galaxy is about one hundred thousand light-years wide and about two thousand light-years thick. Yet, astronomers tell us that this “cosmic disk” (itself made up of billions of stars) is only one of billions of galaxies known to exist in the universe.

It seems that thinking about such a creation should cause me to praise its Creator. But I have other emotions. I find little comfort in a God whose creation can be measured only in light-years and in billions of galaxies, each made up of billions of stars.

Don’t get me wrong. I know that if God were not greater than that which He has created we might all succumb to a creation that is out of control. But what some see through a telescope doesn’t awaken my heart in praise until I also think about what others have seen through a microscope. Through a microscope we see the infinite attention to detail that the God of the universe has given to the “little things of life.”

The inexpressible systems and details of microscopic life allow me to find great comfort and credibility in the One who reassures us that the hairs of our head are all numbered (Matthew 10:29-31), that a sparrow doesn’t fall to the ground unnoticed, and that we are of much more value to Him than many sparrows.

Yet, once again, as I think about the God of little things, the praise slips back into my throat. In His attention to detail, there is danger. Jesus said that we will have to give account for every careless word we have spoken (Matthew 12:36). King David said God not only knows when we stand up and when we sit down, but also what we are thinking (Psalm 139). Solomon said that on a final day of judgment God will examine the secret motives of our heart (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Once again my heart grows cold, until I think of the cross. It is at the cross that my heart finally seems to find wholehearted praise. At Calvary, I can think about the greatness of the God of the galaxies, the One who counts the hairs of my head and the steps of my feet. At Calvary, I can remember the price that it took for Him to pay for the least and worst of my sins, to buy my salvation, and to call me into His undeserved kindness. At Calvary, the God who formed the galaxies becomes the God who loves me, as much as I need to be loved. And for that, I want to praise Him. Now, and forever . . .

Does God Play Favorites?

Does God Play Favorites?

Why would a parent do more for some of his children than for others? Why does our Father in heaven seem to repeat the mistake of a well-known biblical patriarch? Jacob provoked family rivalry among his twelve sons by spoiling young Joseph in the presence of his older brothers (Genesis 37:3).

So often our Father seems to do more for new believers than for those of us who have been around for a while. Recent converts often tell stories of dramatic answers to prayer, even as those of us who have been in the family for a long time struggle under the weight of problems our Father could have lifted from our backs long ago.

Why does a Father of unlimited resources seem tight-fisted with some of His children while being so open-handed with others? And why does a Father who is everywhere at all times seem to withdraw from some while walking so closely with others? Is God like a parent who creates havoc in the family by playing favorites?

An Infant Needs Direct Help to Survive

When the Father of Israel delivered His newborn nation from the bricks and whips of Egypt, He did so with great style. With the fireworks of a great storm exploding in the Egyptian sky, and with the persuasion of mounting plagues, God tightened His grip on the throat of the pharaoh until the self-proclaimed sovereign of Egypt choked and slumped, gasping in grief and angry defeat.

Just as God gave the infant children of Israel this impressive display of His power, He often welcomes newborn believers into His family with a clear and present sense of deliverance from their sin. He may give them real and vivid experiences to show He is a God who is everything His children need Him to be.

New believers at this stage often give encouragement to the whole family of God as they describe with fresh awareness and enthusiasm what God has done for them. In telling of their experiences, however, they are not yet aware that ahead of them are mountains to scale, swamps to wade, and seasons to endure.

A Young Child Needs to Learn Boundaries

As the children of Israel walked out of Egypt they breathed free air for the first time in centuries. There were no whips cracking at their backs. No fences to confine them. No crops to plant. Their food was delivered daily. Water gushed out of rocks. The sky was big over their heads. The ground was wide under their feet. The possibilities of the future seemed unlimited.

Then came a change. At the foot of Mount Sinai, God gave His children rules. In time someone would count these rules. There were 613 in all: 365 negative commands like “don’t ignore the plight of an overloaded animal”; 248 positive commands like “return lost property to its owner.”

The school of Sinai represents the line upon line of education that is needed by all children. The God who miraculously rescued His children from bondage then teaches us the principles of freedom. With the benefits of relationship come the boundaries of family rules.

At first the rules seem overwhelming. Do this. Don’t do that. No. You’re going to get hurt. Ouch! That’s why Mom and Dad warned you! Slowly the period of God’s supernatural intervention is eclipsed by a new period of learning. As God provides for us, He wants us to learn that trust is not just a passive experience. Trusting Him on His terms means being willing to do what He tells us to do. The struggle begins.

An Adolescent Needs to Learn Self-Control

Forty years later, the children of Israel stood at the threshold of the Promised Land. They had learned some important lessons, but now they had to trust God in a new way. They were no longer just spectators of His miracles but were required to actively engage in battle and obedience.

As we grow in our spiritual journey, God’s expectations of us increase. He calls us to a higher level of responsibility and trust. It’s no longer just about receiving from Him, but about walking in obedience and exercising faith even when we don’t see immediate results.

An Adult Child Needs to Learn the Independent Side of Dependence

In the centuries that followed, God remained present with His people. On occasion, He would give them dramatic miracles of provision. As a rule, however, the wonder of His presence and provisions were clothed in the natural cause-and-effect relationships of life. He still provided daily for His people, but He did so in increasingly subtle ways.

Sometimes we become confused by the apparent absence of God in our lives. But honest reflection will show us that God is absent only in the sense that He is not giving us everything we want when we want it. He still provides for us constantly or we would not survive the need for another breath. But like a seasoned coach, a loving parent, and a wise teacher, He has gradually given us the impression that we are on our own. Does He do this so we will have to provide for ourselves? No. He does it so our trust in Him will grow, not diminish.