I was recently asked to create something (anything) ex nihilo (out of nothing). I couldn’t do it. In order to create anything, I require pre-existing matter and materials (even I myself require Someone else to create me!). There is only one person in the world who can create ex nihilo …the Holy Spirit. He is […]
Let’s talk about Mary. Mary the earthly mother of Jesus? No doubt she’s a fascinating lady, and I would love to chat about her at some point in the future (e.g. What did she especially remember about her encounter with Gabriel? What was the biggest fight she and Joseph ever got in? What are 3 […]
Imagine you receive a letter. You are upset by this letter. There are numerous things in this letter that concern and offend you. The composer of this letter is someone you’ve had your share of squabbles with, and you’re reluctant to yield to their authority. The letter says stuff like, “On the first day of […]
Today I was wondering, “Why do the people in Nineveh involve the beasts, herds, and flocks in their fasting and donning sackcloth?” I discovered that it is because non-human creation is the exemplar of worship. Humanity stubbornly resists glorifying God, but all non-human creation intuitive and insatiably renders all glory to God (e.g. sun, moon, […]
Boaz was taken Ruth brought home the bacon The optics were bad Naomi was sad From such scandal God did David maken
So you’ve got all these sensible friends who think you’re crazy. You don’t really talk about it openly, but everyone’s aware of the fact that you have an invisible Friend. And what’s more, this invisible Friend isn’t just-a-friend, He’s also you’re Master. It makes you seem crazy (e.g. Acts 26:24). So what can you do? […]
We want things to “make sense.” We attempt to force people, decisions, and incidents into simplistic categories of “black” and “white”; “appropriate” and “inappropriate”; “abuse” and “care.” But then we read the most authoritative and active account of history and we find that people, decisions, and incidents are complicated, messy, and mysterious. For instance, once […]
Perhaps the most famous chapters in Scripture. Matthew 28 and Luke 24. The Marys visit the tomb of Jesus and find it empty! There’s an earthquake, an angel, and Jesus Himself – all converging to commission Christ’s followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Trinity, and […]
To obtain maximum appreciation of this analogy you will need to partake of Wes Anderson’s 2018 film Isle of Dogs. If you haven’t already seen this film, it is heartily suggested that you (a) postpone your reading of this correspondence, cancel your plans for the next 1h 41m, watch the film, and then resume reading; […]
If you press into the details of Balaam’s story, and if you operate with stouthearted integrity; then you will find yourself imaginatively inhabiting the complicated and highly nuanced realities of the world in Balaam’s day. And you will invariably be immersed in the tension of: a healthy distrust of fallible humans, and a holy delight […]