Hi James and Ellen,
Ecclesiastes is the recorded words that were spoken by an old guy in front of an assembly – as the meaning of Ecclesiastes is ‘the speaker to the assembly’. The old codger calling himself “Teacher the son of David” leaves your grandpaa believing that Solomon is Ecclesiastes’ author. Solomon the Teacher used the time to ruminate through a philosophical window on life experiences that had no purpose and meaning because of having let human wisdom be the driver for the decisions that he made and through a theological window on life experiences that had purpose and meaning because of having let God’s wisdom be the driver for the decisions that he made. Solomon’s cogitations suggest that he had come to the conclusion that life is full of enigmas and that the greatest enigma in life is himself. Using his own wisdom as the base line, Solomon deducted that even the most godly guy or gal is limited by his or her humanness. Solomon used this assemblage forum and a printed missive to explain to his compatriots what he ascertained regarding what the future holds – which is that no one can know or find out what God’s larger purposes are – which has led Solomon to determine that no one can know or find out what the ultimate reasons are for man’s existence on planet Earth. The morphing that Solomon went through from being a proactive life player to becoming a static life spectator led him to now question why he made as a young guy the life goals and objects that he made. There is a sense that when Solomon was a young guy – per what is recorded as a permanent record of his musings, that he aggressively pursued enterprises or ventures just as madly as every other guy as there appears to have been a consensus belief that anything and everything on planet Earth could be mastered, every secret on planet Earth could be bared, every fundamental structure of planet Earth could be changed, every boundary limiting living forever on planet Earth could be broken and mankind could master his own destiny on planet Earth. The message that your grandpaa thinks that Solomon wants to get across to his listeners and readers is that when a guy or gal is pursuing in his or her own strength his or her hopes and expectations that he or she is vainly chasing the wind.
Your grandpaa received today from Hector and Patty Pivaral – via an e-mail, their October 2011 prayer/news letter – which they also sent to their family, friends and churches that pray for and support them. Hector starts out the letter writing ‘With the blessing of our All Powerful Lord, the life of the Bible Education Program (PEB) began in 1997. In the town of Xalbal, Playa Grande, Gary and Nancy Lengkeek, my beloved Patty and I, alongside a group of 12 students and their wives, launched into the beginning of Bible courses that we designed for this community. At the end of two years and a half, the students graduated with much joy’ Hector than went on to write, ‘Since then, we have seen 10 different groups reach their graduation day. Giving glory to God, on the 8th of October 2011, the group of PEB students from San Pablo La Laguna, Sololá, received their diplomas.’ Hector went on in the letter to say that 11 men and 3 women graduated from this P.E.B. with a Bachelor’s degree in Bible and Ministry, that over 1,000 guys, gals and kids attended the graduation celebration ceremony and that ‘we perceived a fragrance of thankfulness and adoration filling all that took place.’
When your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Guatemala City, Guatemala in their 1996 Chevrolet Lumina in October of 1995 to join the OC International/Equipo SEPAL field missionary team, Hector and Patty were already host country missionaries on the Guatemala Equipo SEPAL field missionary team. The first things that Hector told your grandpaa when your grandpaa met Hector for the first time was that he had been praying for someone to help him enable rural guys to teach the Bible in their communities. Hector had already graduated with a civil engineer degree from Guatemala’s University that is in Guatemala City, he had worked for year as a civil engineer and he was finishing his undergraduate studies at SETECA – which is Dallas Theological Seminary’s sister seminary that is in Guatemala City. After Hector received a B.A. degree from SETECA, Hector was encouraged to pursue getting a graduate degree. After Hector completed the studies for an M.A. degree, Hector was given a scholarship to be one of the first students – if not the first student, in SETECA’s new doctorate program. Other than writing and arguing his dissertation, Hector has finished all class requirements for receiving a doctorate degree. Hector was born privileged. His father was a doctor. Instead of using his degrees, his upper class status, his intellect and his natural writing and speaking talents to put himself in the limelight, Hector’s real heart passion is to implement more P.E.B. programs which he explains why in this letter, ‘With all of our heart, we desire to push forward because we have seen that the work of the Lord really is worthwhile.’ Hector finishes his letter by writing, ‘Thank You, Lord, because you make us worthy to be your servants and allow us to enjoy what you do with so much love within our rural churches in our country.’ In his Ecclesiastes missive’s 12 chapters, Solomon could only give counsel as an old guy while Hector got it way earlier in his life – that internalizing carnal expectations that only edify himself will only vex himself and will not bring hope while fearing and following the leading of God’s voice will lead to heart joy and a life of blessings.
Ecclesiastes