My family has now become part of, or has entered, one of my deep places of solitude. From time to time, I share something quite personal. This is from an actual journal entry. I have always said my heart expanded when I got married. It did so as well with each child God gave us. I thought new thoughts, established new strengths and new depths of love… just like that. I was actually looking for an exact date in October,… Read more
There are consequences to our decisions, one way or another. Koheleth offers wise counsel, and ultimately his word is the Word of God, urging us to listen to the voice of wisdom in our everyday life. Reading from Ecclesiastes 11.1-6, NKJV CLICK HERE For more in this series, visit Archives / The Writings CLICK HERE How does one keep giving without expecting return? Koheleth turns our attention to foolish and wise ways to work, and to trust in God for… Read more
How do people in the arts speak to suffering? This is a topic found in the Bible and often spoken of by Christian scholars. However, there may be more on the topic in the arts than we expect. I’m sharing what I have from last week. I jot down a few things to share on social networks. Sometimes by the end of the week, I realize I’ve covered quite a bit of ground so I offer some of the thoughts… Read more
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left. Eccl 10.2, NKJV The “heart,” the inner man or soul, of the wise man or fool is revealed by which direction he turns. “The right side is portrayed as the good alternative, and the left side as the evil one. Thus Eccl 10:2 reads, ‘A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left’” (R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer,… Read more
Five out of six of our extended family households were able to gather this year on Thanksgiving day. The other household was represented at some of our family events as well. We haven’t seen each other for almost three years! Family Vacay beginning November 17, 2021 On Wednesday, November 17, 2021 we set out for Southwest Missouri, driving straight through at over fifteen hours. A beautiful sunrise and clear skies started us out. I made a few posts on social… Read more
“Increased wealth will only produce increased people to consume it. The owner of the wealth will derive no advantage other than looking at his big balance sheet.” James L. Kugel As we delve further into the wisdom of the sage, we see another way he weaves truth into the fabric of his teaching. He often shows the strength of an ideal by contradicting it with its opposite, as we see in this article with riches and poverty. Koheleth not only… Read more
About the title Crazy Theophanies… I truly mean no disrespect. This is a very interesting topic. It is an attention-getter for people who may not otherwise look. Perhaps in a way Theophanies are attention-getters which stand on their own for us as well in the Old Testament. video setup (9 min 25 sec) We’re talking about the book of Daniel. Specifically we’re talking about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who have the names King Nebuchadnezzar gives them in Babylon. Crazy Theophanies… Read more
Last week, I strayed from my series on Ecclesiastes to share a topic we do not often speak of much. It is the topic of what to do with ministers specifically, after a divorce. Certainly these questions are handled by presbyteries, of which I have had the honor to serve on. Nonetheless, I was grateful for Joel Triska’s public openness. I asked if I could share his article. Joel said he is honored to share on Patheos To read his… Read more
Joel Triska shares some of the story on his divorce, a highly trained seminarian and leading pastor in his organization. I am divorced. Thought I’d just rip the bandaid off. Most people know this by now, or at least have rightly assumed. But I still run into someone every now and again who doesn’t know. For you few people who were still in the dark, I deeply apologize that you’re finding out via social media. But be encouraged! It saves… Read more
You’ll notice African Americans, Caucasians, and Latinos worshiping with Cory on stage together. I may be making a big deal out of a multiethnic worship team, but I really don’t think so. Sunday morning service in general is still a highly segregated time of each week in America. In this article there is no great deductive question to chase. This whole article is an inductive approach, where I collect some information and allow you to draw some conclusions, maybe even make… Read more
