Author: Sandra Glahn
Located in: Dallas, TX
Submitted: May 17, 2006
Tell us a little about yourself. I'm a fifth-generation Oregonian transplanted for
the past couple of decades in Texas. I believe we
need to engage all five senses in our study of
God's word. I'm a wife of one husband, mother of
one child, and teacher of many students--mostly
writers and artsy types--at Dallas Theol.
Seminary (DTS).I'm working on a PhD in
Humanities - Aesthetics at the Univ of Texas at
Dallas after earning my master of theology degree
from DTS. I love Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky
and Handel's Messiah.
What was your motivation behind this project? Years ago I envisioned the kind of Bible study I
would like...one that allowed active study on
weekdays; passive devotionals (aimed at
application) on the weekends; small enough to go
in a diaper bag, that included the entire Bible
text I'd need so I would not have to carry a
heavy Bible to the doctor's office with me to
study during free minutes; one that lent itself
well to both individual and group study; one that
appealed to more than the visual-only
participant; not written like the writer had a
perfect Christian life; with a binding I could
file on my bookshelf but with a spiral on it so I
could use it on the treadmill or write in it
(workbook) without the book flipping open. Voila!
The Coffee Cup Bible Series.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? A life-changing encounter with the living God as
they meet Him in His Word.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Years ago I wondered why when the rich young
ruler asked Jesus about the terms for getting
into the kingdom, Jesus did not say, "Accept me
and you will be saved." So I began to explore
Jesus' teachings about the kingdom to try to
understand how Jesus and Paul's teaching in
Romans dovetailed. Later I wrote and taught a
women's Bible study on Sermon on the Mount for a
group of women at my church. They helped me
improve it. I also encountered D.A. Carson's
wonderful book on the subject. This study is the
result of about fifteen years' worth of wrestling
with the text.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: My web site at www.aspire2.com has additional
info, like art, that relates to each study.
There's a link to a fun painting at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art of an artist's
rendering of Jesus' speck/log (mote/beam)
analogy. I was at the Met looking for a painting
of Esther when the guard overheard me, pulled me
aside, and said I really needed to include the
pieces on the gospels across the room. That
log/speck rendering was one of those to which he
was referring. I'm also a Christian fiction
writer (Lethal Harvest, Deadly Cure, False
Positive). And I pontificate and rant regularly,
often with a touch of humor, on my blog:
aspire2.blogspot.com.
