On my day off, I often encounter confrontation. With whom? Myself. To "sabbath," means to cease, to stop, to rest from one's labors. When I stop, I am confronted with me. When I stop... I am confronted with my weakness. A lot of times you don't know how tired you are until you stop. It doesn't hurt until you stop. So when I at last stop, it is then that I often … [Read more...] about Sabbath Day Confrontations
Articles
Love, Pain, and God’s Will
What does it feel like to be in the center of God's will? Sometimes it feels like the pains of childbirth. In Galatians 4:19, Paul makes this striking aside: "[M]y little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!" A few observations… He compares his anguish to the anguish of childbirth. Ouch! That is a lot of … [Read more...] about Love, Pain, and God’s Will
Church in a Chevy
Can you go to church in a Chevy? There is a delightful song by Jordan Davis called "Church in a Chevy." Davis describes in this song a wonderful moment many of us have likely felt. It is a spiritual moment where something inside us clicks or dawns. We feel peace. Our perspective shifts. The song describes the moment like this: I went to church in a Chevy on a … [Read more...] about Church in a Chevy
Reading the Law
Reading through the Old Testament Law can be a hair-raising, brow-furrowing experience. In it we encounter strange sights and smells, embarrassingly graphic details and prescriptions, and seemingly unbendable strictness that can be scary. What should we make of this ancient code? How do we navigate it? In this article I won't pretend to give the definitive, exhaustive … [Read more...] about Reading the Law
In Any Case
"In any case…in any case…in any case." I heard a professor say this transitional statement over and over throughout one of his lectures on the Book of Acts. Why? Because, in each instance, he was discussing some question of geography or history or whatever else that had no bearing on the meaning of the text. He would say something like, "This word may be rooted in … [Read more...] about In Any Case