In the video, I want you to see a real-life Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. This is a pretty important tree to me as the only pine tree on my property. I love my property, and it would be great to have more pines, but this tree is kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. This lone pine tree is just an illustration to set us up for the next few weeks. i. This has been like a Charlie Brown year for us... Read more
The world is bustling. The economy is probably getting something like a shot of vitamin B today, since it is “Black Friday.” I hope you’re enjoying time with family and loved ones. This is the final post in a series on one of my first attempts at a Biblical view of persons. Although I haven’t stated it openly on each post, I have been in a series of writings. I developed them from a seminary paper entitled “Nine Biblical Factors of... Read more
This is a quick post about thanksgiving perspective. A lot of us have choices we have to make this week. Are we going to go back for a second or third helping of mashed potatoes? Do we go back for more cranberry sauce? Are we going to eat light meat or dark meat? There are a lot of choices to make, but there is a choice that we have to make that has to do with thanksgiving. It’s a choice... Read more
There are only a few central questions to classical personality theory. They are set in polarities or opposites. For this study, we’ll toy with one. Is man more a product of nature versus nurture? In other words, is our personality more innate or a product of external forces? Eventually the question seemed to become more scientific. Are we products of our environment or our genetics? Given the fact that we all probably know the original story, we may think there... Read more
This blog post and the previous one are word studies on the household and house in ancient Israel.[1] The family and home used to be the center of society, something we seem to have forgotten over the ages. Perhaps these posts will serve as a brief reminder of the family at the center of the good life. The Father’s House The houses in ancient Israel are distinct. In fact, architecture shows that they are unique among Israel’s neighboring nations. The house... Read more
Although the question of motive is a popular one, especially in all all of our crime syndicate shows, the question of motivation has always been a key to psychological musings as well. It’s the “why” behind our behavior, our “willingness” to do certain things. To isolate and study aspects of our interior life is very artificial. However, these are areas of study where questions overlap between Theologians and psychologists, or ministers and helping professionals.[1] Although we know that humans are... Read more
This blog and the next are brief word studies on the family in Ancient Israel.[1] The household is the center of society, something that may have been forgotten by all of us with time. Household in Israel The first thing we need to understand is that there are a couple of predominant themes when we talk about the role of the household in ancient Israel. These are core themes throughout the Hebrew Bible. Solomon says: Unless the LORD builds the... Read more
There are times when an event marks a significant change in the household of God, whether locally or regionally, nationally or worldwide. It’s always good to consider pausing for a moment to reflect, despite the trajectory one is on. In this case, the passing of Eugene Peterson, translator of The Message, seems to eclipse the present path of my series. I can’t really boast of any personal connection with Eugene Peterson. However, Eugene Peterson did influence family, friends, and acquaintances. ... Read more
Sometimes we find ourselves doing busywork in the Kingdom of God, active in our congregations, but carrying a nagging feeling of dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, we can become very busy doing the Lord’s work, but not doing God’s will. When we wake up to this insight, we often search frantically for answers. Honestly, most of Christendom is split over how to define God’s will and all the ways it plays out in our lives. I won’t be able to answer those questions... Read more
I always feel that it is too artificial to try to dissect the human person, as if the interior life is so easily divided.[1] Even if there are distinct inward parts of the psyche (body, soul, spirit, etc.), do we all really agree on what they are? On the other hand, there are Biblical terms that cannot be ignored. To gain a better understanding of humanity, it may be helpful to explore the use of these terms in isolation, even... Read more
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