The Subordination of Understanding
We’ve been trying to get a bible study group going for 2025. We’d been at it for months. We thought it would be a great way to reach out to our neighbors; my wife had even started some early recruiting of those whom I never thought would be interested. Then two couples, one from our neighborhood and the other from our previous small group, expressed interest. We got together to outline a plan. We agreed to pray about it for the month of December. And then all hell broke loose.
Healing
On my mind lately has been the subject of healing. Not in the sense I might have pursued in my medical-scientist days, but in the context of the healing only God can bring; I think that is much more important! But, can miracles be done? Are miracles seen today in the twenty-first century? Let me share with you some insights from the first three fourths of this year (2024). They may surprise you!
The Bible in a Year
Have you ever wanted to read the Bible? In its entirety? Perhaps you wanted to, but just never got around to it. Perhaps it seems like it would take too much time. Maybe you just didn’t know how to tackle the daunting task. But then again, you’re curious; you’re convinced you should read it; you’re wondering why it is important. If these questions or ideas resonate with you, then here is a plan to help you accomplish reading the entire Bible in a year!
The One
For an apostate culture, it is interesting to me that many of our popular movies are about heroes that rise to the occasion, suffer in the process, and ultimately save the day. You may remember a recent trilogy, The Matrix, in which Neo, The One, was long awaited and destined to save the remnant of unplugged humanity from extermination by The Machines. I wonder if the denizens of Hollywood knew that the plot was stolen right out of the pages of the Bible. Could that be?
Multiply
This is the longest essay I’ve written so far, almost 4,000 words. I wish I could have been more concise, but I failed. If you want, you can read it in four sections: Introduction, Diversion, Back on Track, and Conclusion. If you are feeling studious and have had your coffee, you obviously can push on through. Of course you can always read it again in sections 😉😇 We were studying the book Multiply by Francis Chan and Mark Beuving, which is about disciples making disciples…
Doubt
I have a confession to make. I have deep doubts, I am profoundly skeptical, about most ideas and beliefs. Whenever I have found that I have been taken in, I am disgusted with my naiveté. Chucklehead is the least pejorative of the names I have for myself when I discover I have been duped. I wish I could say it doesn’t happen often.
After Frailty
For reasons I don’t fully understand, after reading Frailty my best friend called me full of concern to ask if I was suicidal. I thought that response, while sweet, was quite illuminating. Grappling with reality often elicits depression. Anger. Fear. Denial. Addiction. Let’s face it, we are really good at avoiding reality and invent myriad ways of ducking confrontation with the inevitable; and therein lies a problem.
Frailty
As a man, I am proud to be able to make my way in the world. But it was not always so. I, like all of us, started as a helpless infant, completely unable to care for myself and without my mother’s care, I would not have survived. We are born in a terrifying instant, ejected into a strange and cold world where we know fear, and cold, and hunger until we are put to our mother’s breast. Hearing her heartbeat, feeling her arms around us, warming us, we are once again at peace.
Scars
I have a beautiful wood carving in my living room. It is an exquisite nude lady 😲, Bohemia is her name. Carved by artist Crystal Lockwood, lithe and lovely in form and color, she is resplendent with flaws that cover the entire surface of her body. It is these flaws, scars if you will, which attracted me to her and partially inspired this essay. The second inspiration is the worship song, The Only Scars in Heaven by Casting Crowns. As I thought about the linkage between sculpture and song, I am reminded of several recent discussions with friends and family.
Convergence
I have been thinking about coincidence and significance. Scientists are trained and expected to be able to tell the difference. Also I have been reading Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Martyn Lloyd-Jones and at the same time, Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger. If that name is familiar it is because he is Pope Benedict XVI who resigned from his office a few years ago. Today, both converged as Ratzinger began to consider the Sermon on the Mount. Truths converge, even if they derive from Roman Catholic or Protestant Church traditions.
Glory
In the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks of salt and light (Mat 5:13-14). As I was meditating this morning on these metaphors, a few thoughts came to me. Martyn Lloyd Jones writes that the order in which these qualities of the Christian are presented is important. Salt and light. These are brought to the fore within the context of what it means to walk with the Lord, what we are to be in front of the world.
To Whom Much is Given
I have a confession to make. I am the son of a starving artist. I knew when there was food in the refrigerator my mom had sold a painting. Or, she had a new boyfriend. Friends would sometimes bring us groceries. In exchange for paintings, Mom would pander to friends and family for money to pay the rent. Somewhere south of ten years old, I was ashamed of our poverty.
Death
Modern culture teaches that death is the final step, the end of life, lights out. The fact is we don’t really know. That which happens, or doesn’t happen, after we die is a mystery. Our measurements stop, whether they are breathing, electrical activity, energy consumption, we don’t have the ability to see past “death” even with the most sophisticated of instruments. As for death, not knowing drives us crazy…
Hope
My previous four essays were, more than anything, statements of who I was, am, and hope to be. It is fitting then, that this essay addresses hope, something it seems is in short supply these days. Here in the US, hope is somewhat easier, although that too is changing. When confronted with the existence and extent of the universe, and perhaps more importantly the mystery and significance of our being, we come up against some difficult questions…
The Tragedy of the Reformation
The tragedy of the Reformation started in the late 15th, early 16th century as the church lost sight of its mission in the world. Protestants, protesters, objected to a number of doctrinal practices, the most famous of which is perhaps Martin Luther dramatically decrying the practice of papal indulgences. He was not the only protester…
A Long Obedience
With all this discussion of grace, we get to a sort of “So what?” If we have been saved, we have the major issue solved. Right? We can now get on with living like hell! The Apostle Paul replied…
Forgiveness
If I have not walked through the valley of despair, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I would not understand grace, I would not fully understand forgiveness. I may not yet, even now…
