I’m not sure whether you’ve noticed, and it could possibly just be me, but a careful reading of and thoughtful meditation on Scripture is often uncomfortable. Sure, it’s all sunshine and roses here when I read about how closely the Israelites obeyed God and how well the kings listened to the prophets He sent (read:…
Category: Scripture
Reputations Based on Speech
One of the lesser known facts about our family dynamics is that of the two adults, I’m the bigger sports fan. That doesn’t mean that I’m a raging fanatic, only that if any kind of sporting event is playing in our house, it’s because I turned it on. Similar to my tastes in reading, where…
Through a Glass Darkly
My home sits at the top of a ridge running more or less in a north-south direction, with slopes both in front and back. The backyard slopes east toward woods, and all the bedrooms have at least one window that lets in the early morning sun, its rays filtered through the trees. The front of…
Rest
Rest. We as a culture can barely define it. We’ve mostly prioritized the opposite of rest, glorifying the overworked, overscheduled, overcommitted, hyper-busy to the point where anyone with down time is caricatured as a lazy, irresponsible slacker who has likely forgotten a significant number of responsibilities. Hyperbole? Hopefully, but I fear it’s all too accurate…
A Contrast in the Psalms
As has been fairly well established over the course of the last 2 years, my reading tastes – and listening too, throwing podcasts and audiobooks into the mix – might be described as eclectic, varied, and broad. In feeding those tastes recently, I’ve been listening to some retellings of the Greek myths, and one feature…
Created to Draw Near
The concept of priests and priesthood probably strikes most Protestants as a little…..different. For those with closer ties to Catholicism, it may smack of tradition and ritual, of unintelligible and unknown church teachings. For those more well-versed in the Old Testament, it might bring to mind the image of sacrifices, blood, and altars, of inspections…
Wise in Your Own Eyes
There’s nothing quite like Proverbs for pithy words to live by. Short, not usually sweet but very to the point, and although even children can understand them on some level, there’s always something deeper to mull over. It’s been my habit as part of my daily Bible reading, off and on for as long as…
Complaining
I hadn’t been at my new job very long, maybe a couple of weeks and certainly less than a month, when I noticed a disturbing and unhelpful pattern of behavior occurring in my office on an almost daily basis. It would start with a round of heavy sighs and a disgusted shaking of the head…
Self-Help Limitations
Self-help books aren’t really my preferred choice of reading material, but a colleague gave me a copy of Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People a few years ago. In an effort to actually read the books I own rather than letting them sit on my shelf, I took it to work with…
Moses’ Shining Face
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been reading through Exodus in my daily Bible reading for several weeks. I’ve been mulling over chapter 34 for several days, particularly the last several verses. If you’re not familiar, Exodus 34 covers the second time Moses was on Mount Sinai, and verses 29-35 deal with when…