My thoughts

The more I read and ponder the Scriptures, I am struck by this question. What are the implications of what I’m reading? Am I considering these passages in a way that is more than just cursory? Has my reading of the Scriptures fallen prey to the old saying; “Familiarity breeds contempt?” Probably the first verse that got me thinking in this vein was Isaiah 55:8, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.” To clarify, while I don’t think I have ever, literally, held the words of Scripture with contempt (“the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn.) I have definitely not given them the attention and…

“For all those who think that God doesn't exist, need deep prayers. How else can you explain life? He's exactly that, life. I know He's alive and well so there, morons” While perusing Facebook this morning I came upon a post from a page called, “Omg Teens ღ”. I have no idea what that symbol means, so if it turns out to be something offensive, you will forgive me. On this page was the implied question regarding the existence of God. As I read the “arguments” for and against, one stood out. That would be the quote above. My first inclination was to ridicule this clearly inarticulate youngster for his lack of couth. But, as is so often the case, when we…

  During a particularly difficult time in my life that found me quite desperate to understand the “why” of my situation, some Scriptures came to mind that changed me in significant ways. I began reading Job, something I hadn’t done for a very long time. Two things jumped out at me, one of which was significantly different than how I remembered the Job story. The other changed my thinking in profound ways. First of all, I had thought that Satan had initiated the situation with God and Job. As I read it again, I realized that God had been the initiator! What!? According to the story, Satan was standing before God (I have no idea why this was or what caused Satan…

“William F. O’Neill wrote the most detailed and scholarly critique of Objectivism called With Charity Toward None: An Analysis of Ayn Rand’s Philosophy. While his conclusions were negatively critical, he did grant that “whatever else Miss Rand may have achieved, she continues to serve as a useful intellectual catalyst in a society which frequently suffers from philosophical ‘tired blood.’”   John Piper I remember from a young age hearing this teaching regarding the Christian being salt and light. While I had a grasp of what that meant, I have to admit I never gave it a lot of thought until adulthood. And, more recently, it has cropped up again. I think one of the reasons for this was that our society in the…

If Scripture is not applicable for all generations and cultures, it really isn’t worth considering. But if Scripture is God breathed, we can be confident that it IS applicable for all generations and cultures. It is our responsibility to consider how to apply it. It is our responsibility to seek the Lord in prayer for the wisdom to do so. It is our responsibility to set aside our own desires and tendencies and allow God to show us His ways and thoughts. It is with this in mind that I have been considering the passage in I Corinthians 9. The first thing that caught my attention was in verse 12. “We endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to…

We all laughed at Dana Carvey on SNL and his portrayal of the Church Lady, at least I did. I have no delusion that he was trying to warn people of the ever-present threat from the enemy of God, rather it was meant to mock and make fun of a concept (Satan) that the Christian church holds to. That’s ok. We shouldn’t have such thin skin that we can’t laugh at ourselves and how some of our beliefs make for some pretty funny caricatures. That said, the subject of Satan is no laughing matter in reality. Yet, we hear nothing of him anymore. There was a time when “hell, fire, and brimstone” were the main characters in the Gospel message, at least…

A few years back, I came across a couple verses that were very familiar to me. I probably memorized them in Vacation Bible School or Sunday School when I was a kid. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Sometimes when we read the Bible, the verses are just verses. Familiar or not, we just continue reading and move on to the next. Then there are times, seemingly out of nowhere, the verses are like someone shining a bright light in our eyes. You say, “Whoa! What was that?” Then we…

When I think of sin, I think of what my pastor has been telling us for years now. Sin is rebellion. Rebellion against God, plain and simple. And, while I agree with that wholeheartedly, it would benefit us or at least it has benefitted me to look further at what sin is. We know that it’s disobedience. We know that sin is hurtful to everyone it touches, both directly and those on the periphery. We know that its consequences reach far beyond the time of the act(s). It can penetrate future generations. We know that sin always results in death, in one form or another, both in the short term and the long. Sin is the cause of every weed in your…

As is usually the case, what I am writing about here is the result of something I read or heard. I read an article this morning that was titled; “Racism definition: Merriam-Webster to make update after request.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52993306 My subject matter here has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the definitions of words. Francis Schaeffer, in his book ‘Escape from Reason’, said the following. “So, it is with the Christian church. Its responsibility is not only to hold to the basic, scriptural principles of the Christian faith, but to communicate these unchanging truths “into” the generation in which it is living. Every generation of Christians has this problem of learning how to speak meaningfully to its own age.”…

  I had a conversation with my daughter last night. Entering into a conversation with one of your kids should always be prefaced with a reminder to yourself that you will hear, at least once and possibly multiple times, and not necessarily in these words literally, but certainly it will be communicated, “You’re wrong, Dad" or "Ok Boomer". Fortunately, I have thick skin and I know that any criticism comes from love. Nevertheless… The word perspective came up several times. This is a word that I have referenced in many things I’ve written and on many subjects. It is very important at all times to keep this word and it’s meaning in mind if we are to have any chance of coming…