Jesus’ cry of dereliction, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Mark 15:34), has been the subject of much discussion. Some believe that these words are to be understood literally—that God separated Himself from Jesus as part of Him bearing our sins. I’m not aware of anything regarding Christ’s atoning work that necessitates GodContinue reading “The Cry From The Cross”
Category Archives: Coming to God
Rooted
The Christian faith has existed for 2,000 years. Nations, kingdoms, and empires have risen and fallen, but the kingdom of Jesus still stands. Not only does it stand, but it covers the earth—and this despite the fact that numerous attempts have been made down through the centuries to exterminate it. How is this so? IContinue reading “Rooted”
Food Insecurity
I heard a news report about food insecurity making the point that FI is not merely about having enough food, it is about having a sufficient amount of the right kind of food. Filling yourself up with high-calorie items might satisfy your hunger pangs, but it wouldn’t do much for your body’s nutritional needs. ChristContinue reading “Food Insecurity”
Too Big for the Birdhouse
Birdhouses for the eastern bluebird (indigenous to our area), have a circular entrance hole 1½” in diameter. Any smaller, and an adult bluebird cannot get in. Any larger, and things other than the bluebird will find their way in (not good). The story doesn’t end here. It seems some non-bluebird animals, despite their restrictive size,Continue reading “Too Big for the Birdhouse”
Out of this World!
The word inheritance is rich, deep, and expansive—like the word faith or family. It’s used in a legal sense to speak of what takes place when a person dies and their land and possessions are passed on to another (see Numbers 27:8-11). Although the specifics of Israel’s inheritance law might give us cause to pause (think of Israel’s levirate lawContinue reading “Out of this World!”
Lord of the Manger
While we were enjoying Christmas with our loved ones on December 25th of 2021, the James Webb telescope was being launched into space. It is effectively a second-generation space telescope (it was initially referred to as the Next Generation Telescope) and “replaces” the Hubble telescope which was launched in 1990. Unlike the Hubble which orbits theContinue reading “Lord of the Manger”
Thinking About The Atonement (1)
The challenge of communication is not simply knowing what someone said—it’s understanding what they meant by their words. That’s why we tend to listen more carefully or speak more precisely with people we don’t know well. We want to make sure we hear their words or they hear ours in the proper context. With those we know well,Continue reading “Thinking About The Atonement (1)”
Death and Taxes
I think I speak for most of us (tax accountants and H & R Block employees excluded), when I say that April 15th is not a date that we look forward to. It is more than just the day when our taxes are due, it is a day of reckoning. It is the adult versionContinue reading “Death and Taxes”
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 1)
Monk aired from 2001 to 2009. It achieved the requisite hundred episodes to enter into the afterlife of syndication, so you can find it today in the cable/satellite tv world as well as on some streaming services. Monk is a police procedural show, a dramedy, but mainly it is about Adrian Monk. He hadContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 1)”
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 2)
Anxiety seems to be everywhere. Every day we hear reports, stories, and statistics about it. It’s like the pandemic came along and took the lid off our anxiety jar and everything started spilling out. But that perception isn’t entirely accurate. According to research conducted by The American Psychiatric Association and The U.K. Council for PsychotherapyContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 2)”