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Unhitch the Wagons

July 22, 2018

Titus 1:15

15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

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Proofing the Dough

July 1, 2018

Genesis 3:8-9

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

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Our Sunday Roundtable- Week 9

Do you remember climbing trees as a kid? The big maple in the backyard, the tall oak in the far corner of the corn field, the quiet pine standing as a second steeple next to the church; each offering a new world to explore. It could sometimes be a little scary, was often exciting, but always a lot of fun. As we scaled the trunk, hand over hand, foot in notch; we’d soon find ourselves having achieved a dangerous height.  Should we misstep or lose our grip now, our fall could be deadly. Nearer the top of the tree and at the end of our climb, we began testing the limb we thought of stepping out on. Before we put all our weight on a branch, we inspected it the best we could.

For those in the Christian faith, climbing the old, lovely tree planted by the water has us also ascending to some fearful heights. Not every branch we’re asked to believe in seems as sturdy as we’d like. One limb we’re particularly shy about putting all our weight on is the promise of God’s healing power meeting an immediate need in our lives. As we examine this belief, we discover that the limb comes off  the trunk and is rooted, is alive with foliage and fruit, and looks strong enough. But just how strong and full of life is it? Can it handle the load of the things burdening my life? We shouldn’t live out our faith bear-hugging the trunk; but we shouldn’t wager our peace by taking fliers on the unfounded either. To help us think through this struggle, Andrew Wilson has written a wonderful article for an old issue of Christianity Today. In God Always Heals we learn a helpful perspective from a theological Tarzan. It should offer us a good hand-up for this Sunday’s climb. See you then!

 

Click here to read this week’s article

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Zombies, Ciphers, and Sleepwalkers

June 24, 2018

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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Our Sunday Roundtable- Week 8

There’s great power in a pathway.  When out for a wandering walk, we’re more apt to follow a path than make our own.  Though field and forest, mountain and meadow be open before us; we usually default to what is mown, paved, salted, or blazed.  Those who first made these ways, whether deer,  trader, courier, or civic planner, exercised tremendous power in directing future footsteps.

What’s true for traffic on land is also true for traffic in thought and feeling.  Our hearts and minds tend to wander on the broad and banked pathways paved by those looking to speed all traffic past what might lead to heaven and onward to what most certainly will dead-end at the gates of hell.  Following Jesus requires that every disciple take the next exit off the highway for the slower, narrower, and more ponderous path.  As the wonderful summer months are now upon us, it would be good to consider how we might make the best use of opportunities to slow down and recreate a bit.  To that end, two readings for this week’s discussion.  First is an excerpt from Pirsig’s classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  The second is A Forest Hymn; a poem by famed American poet William Cullen Bryant.  Of the two, the poem is the more difficult read, but give it a shot.  There’s a lot of encouragement in these two readings for our project of knowing and living a more authentic faith.  I’m looking forward to the discussion!

 

Click here for Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”

 

Click here for Bryant’s “A Forest Hymn”

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