Jonah and Me

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah…” but help me not to land in the belly of a whale. This morning, Monday January 22, 2007, saw the beginning of our Week of Spiritual Emphasis here at the Northern Asia Pacific Division (NSD). Under the title Jonah and Me at NSD, Dr. Gerald Klingbeil began what promises to be a fruitful study of the book of Jonah.

Dr. Klingbeil is serving as Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) and is joined in the Philippines by his wife Chantal and their three beautiful daughters Hannah, Sarah and Jemima.

In a passionate presentation on the first chapter of Jonah Dr. Klingbeil made it clear that just like Jonah, nobody is immune to spiritual decline. He also emphasized that the choices we make determined the direction we take. “Anyone may take a wrong turn. They may forget the primary purpose as servants of the Lord, namely to follow the Lord wherever He leads and to truly serve His purpose and not our own”, he reminded us.

Dr. Klingbeil has been faced with a number of challenging decisions to follow the leading of God. It is thus that he has served in a variety of academic institutions all over the world. Born in Berlin, Germany he completed his schooling and two years of Theology at Bogenhofen in Austria. In 1990 he graduated from Helderberg College with a B.A. in Theology from Andrews University. South Africa is also where he met his lovely wife, Chantal. After completing his B.A. Honors, Masters and doctorate in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Stellenbosch in 1994, Chantal and Gerald received a call to Lima, Peru, where they spent six years and where their first two daughters were born. While at Peruvian Union University he served as associate professor of Old Testament Studies, as well as Director of the Research Institute at the School of Theology and Director of the Professional School of Theology. It was also during his ministry in 1998 in Peru that he was ordained to the gospel ministry as a SDA pastor. Following his service in Peru, the family accepted a call to Argentina at River Plate University where Dr. Klingbeil taught Old Testament Studies.

You may watch the daily videos. Click on the link below.
Monday - "When close is not close enough"
Tuesday - "When I call . . . . will you hear me?"
Wednesday - "When success is not all that counts"
Thursday - "When I have my own agenda"
Friday - "When my actions speak louder than my words"
Sabbath - "Digging Deep!"