Posts by Tyler Dirks

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The Persian Government

by Tyler Dirks

Imagine if the Iranian government chose to lavishly finance the work of Christian orphanages. Imagine if Ali Hosseini Khamenei (علی حسینی خامنه‌ای) said, “Let all the expenses of Christian orphanages be paid from the royal treasury of Iran!” And imagine if Ali Hosseini Khamenei said, “Moreover, our military will aim all of their might at […]

The Bible Study in EoE Chapter 22

by Tyler Dirks

Lee said, “People are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule—a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting—only the deeply personal and familiar.” Samuel said, “Apply that to […]

Chapter 22, East of Eden

by Tyler Dirks

Read it. Or listen to it. Here’s a sample [Samuel Hamilton talking to his wife Liza as he prepares to confront Adam Trask]: In the midst of painting the blacking on his worn shoes he looked sideways up at her. “Could Itake the Bible along?” he asked. “There’s no place for getting a good name […]

“Boreas” by The Oh Hellos (from Boreas)

by Tyler Dirks

With my back on the floorCold linoleum icing my growing painsWatch the ceiling fan turn its shape againMy threads are coming looseYeah, I’m one spoon awayFrom setting the ends of my hair on fireIf I’m kindling for a little whileAt least I’d feel of use Maybe then my breath could embodyA wildfire startingI’d sweep up […]

“Rose” by The Oh Hellos (from Boreas)

by Tyler Dirks

Wars are raising for herCrusades to adore herThe light of your afterword Are you losing her true natureWhen you loosen nomenclatureWhen you gift another moniker? What’s true is like a sickleIt’ll cut you to the middleYour rose is without a thorn But no, my mouth don’t taste of metalFrom the pot here to the kettleI […]

The Confusing Life of King Asa

by Tyler Dirks

In my morning meeting with The Boss we talked about the life of King Asa. The Boss said, “Asa led the community into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and with all their soul. And whoever would not seek the Lord, Asa put them to death, whether young or old, man […]

Some Edifying Quotations

by Tyler Dirks

“The life of grace is not an effort on our part to achieve a goal we set ourselves. It is a continually renewed attempt simply to believe that someone else has done all the achieving that is needed and to live in relationship with that person, whether we achieve or not. If that doesn’t seem […]

Mercy

by Tyler Dirks

The prophet Habakkuk & the author Flannery ‘O Connor have a lot in common… They were both deeply distraught about the tartufferie of God’s people. Violently they cried out against the violence of the sanctimonious societies surrounding them. They pummeled God with questions. Questions like, “How long shall you make me see consumeristic corruption in […]

Matthew 23!?

by Tyler Dirks

Matthew 23… [PAUSE] how do you feel about the fact that Jesus is saying this about some of the most renowned and venerated PhD, conservative, theologians in the PCA? For example, think of some historic church (circa 18th century), with an iconic, picturesque, steeple, and a venerated – highly educated – PhD Pastor at the […]

Subversively Living With The Philistines

by Tyler Dirks

In my morning meeting with The Boss He said, “A bunch of stouthearted fellows came to help David when he was subversively living with the Philistines! These guys had faces of lions, and they were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. There were even 3,000 dudes from the tribe of Benjamin who defected from Saul’s […]