Romans 8:28-39 This God is a strange person, unlike any human we’ve ever met. It’s not just that He’s God and the Maker of the Universe and Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omnitemporal, and Omniscient – those are scary and strange enough. It’s also that He’s so perfect and simple. All that He Is, is also what He does. He is Love, and so He loves. He is Holy, and so He does holy. I have been privileged above others in the degree... Read more
Romans 8:18-27 The saying goes that there are only two things certain in this life: death and taxes. If you’re a baseball fan it used to be certain that the Red Sox would not win another World Series. And if you’re a Cubs fan like I am, then it still seems pretty certain that the Cubs will not win another World Series. But there are at least 2 other inescapable facts of life that Paul addresses in the 8th chapter... Read more
I want to be like a little child whose father has been gone on a trip and has just returned. Read more
Romans 7:14-25 I used to want to be a psychologist, or at least a cognitive scientist. I’m interested in the bizarre diversity present within human beings, especially the more bizarre aspects of who we are. There was a time when I wanted to study dreams and how vivid various people’s were, and when I was in college I wanted to invent a machine that would record dreams and play them back. I suppose this is why God, in his sense... Read more
Romans 7:1-13 “Wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” “I do,” says the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. “Wilt thou have this Man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate... Read more
Romans 6 Changes of identity fascinate us human beings. It’s one of the reasons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and multiple personality disorders (Three Faces of Eve; Sybil) intrigue us. People like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and David Bowie are particularly notable examples of the chameleon-like nature of modern identity. You’re all familiar with the gender and identity confusion that our culture is slouching towards, and now we also hear of the hybridization of human identity and computers or animals. But... Read more
Romans 5 Ughh! I can’t believe I have to write a devotional on Romans 5. Actually, that should be: “Sweet! I get to write a devotional on Romans 5!” except for one eensy-weensy problem, and that it that there is just too much fruit to pick. Shall I stuff myself on the citrus variety, the lemons, limes, orange, and – or should I go exotic and delight in papayas, mangoes, and star fruit (or “carambola”)? Maybe later, I’ll digest Romans... Read more
Romans 4:13-25 I love history! I love history because it is His Story, the story of God’s dealing with us. But I also love history – and you should to. And don’t tell me about how much you don’t like or didn’t like history in school. You think you had a bad history teacher? You should have had one of my high school history teachers, who had the third worst pedagogical style known to the galaxy. Here was his technique:... Read more
Romans 4:1-12 I love words! They have such power to communicate ideas and mysteries and entire worlds that are created at their mere mention. I love the strange twists that word association games take when played with certain people (like me). Here’s one of my favorite games that ends with a word. There are 10 steps, so bear with me. 1) pick a number from 1-9 2) subtract 5 3) multiply by 3 4) square the number (multiply the number... Read more
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Wednesday of Trinity 11 – Romans 9
Romans 9 Theodicy is perhaps the number one intellectual reason given why people will not accept the One True God. Theodicy, which comes from Greek for “God” and “justice,” is a term coined by the philosopher Leibniz (who concluded that in spite of the evil in it, this is “the best of all possible worlds”) and is usually used to mean an attempt to justify the goodness of God in a world of evil, or the so-called problem of evil.... Read more