Wow - it’s been almost two years since I’ve posted anything here. Anyway - the day job has changed so I expect to start putting some fresh materials up. This is a meditation based on the Babel chapter in Chris Watkin’s excellent “Biblical Critical Theory”.
Grace
Forgiveness rooted in blessing
Jonah
in Arrogance, Community, Conversion, Culture, Death, Discipleship, Freedom, Father, Grace, Heaven, Hell, Idols, Jesus Christ, Joy, Judgement, Life, Love, Mercy, Narcissism, Preaching, Repentance, Redemption, Resurrection, Sin, Suffering, Wisdom
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.”
Jonah 2:8
Easter Sunday
in Life, Resurrection, Jesus Christ, Joy, Heaven, Cross, Grace
Death could not hold him., and now he holds us.
5 lies of identity
in Sin, Fulfilment, Grace, Repentance, Joy, Discipleship, Freedom, Life, Jesus Christ, Idols, Wisdom
Colossians 2:8-10
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Rest
in Grace, Life, Discipleship, Heaven, Law
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-28
Tsunami of Grief/countered by Eternal Growth
in Death, Faith, Grace, Life, Love, Suffering, Resurrection, Jesus Christ, Reconciliation, Eternity, Prayer, Revelation, Service, Joy
“This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. “ 1 Peter 1:4-6
Psalm 63
in Discipleship, Eternity, Death, Evil, Faith, Frustration, Grace, Holiness, Isolation, Jesus Christ, Joy, Judgement, Kings, Mercy, Love, Life, Persecution, Sin, Suffering, Wisdom
Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
The Messiah replaces sandy wells with powerful streams
in Sin, Life, Grace, Prayer, Joy, Covenant, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ
Wisely Responding to the Sexual Revolution
in Atheism, Bible, Commandments, Community, Consumerism, Conversion, Creation, Covenant, Culture, Faith, Father, Heaven, Grace, Idols, Isolation, Joy, Love, Life, Narcissism, Prayer, Redemption, Repentance, Revelation, Sin, Service, Slavery, Suffering, Teaching, Technology, Wisdom, Wedding
I attended a lecture by Glynn Harrison recently on this vital (and polarising) topic. He brought a lot of wisdom to bear on the matter of how to respond sensitively as a Christian to widespread changes in thinking on what is or isn't acceptable on the sexual morality front.
In particular his comments on posture (sorry-thankyou-please-never) and dissection of why soft power is so attractive were really helpful. As a Christian I found it particularly useful to listen to the 'better story' that - when properly understood¹ - is incredibly liberating.
My full sketch notes can be downloaded here (7megs).
¹ meaning: when not being used for power games or ideological land-grab antics.