Remembering Glenn
On September 14th I attended my 50th high school reunion. I had missed the 40th reunion so had not seen the vast majority of my 175 former classmates for 20 years. It was a poignant gathering for many of us, as perhaps it will be our last . . .
Is Your God Too Small?
In the introduction of J.B. Phillips book, Your God Is Too Small, Phillips writes: “If it is true that there is Someone in charge of the whole mystery of life and death, we can hardly expect to escape a sense of futility and frustration until we begin to see what He is like and what His purposes are.” . . .
The Present Presence of God
All of us experience worry, anxiety, and fear in this life. Jesus confirmed this would be the case but assures us that we don’t need to be crippled by these worries. In fact the day before his death He said to his disciples (John 16:33), “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” . . .
All Creation Points To Him
In his letter to the Colossians Paul makes this astounding claim about Jesus Christ:
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him . . .
The Room in the Firehouse
Another moving essay by Brian Doyle about attending an AA meeting with a friend at a small town firehouse, one of thousands of rooms across America that host these meetings . . .
A Touch of Wonder
A few weeks ago after 14 days with Covid I finally tested negative. Although much like a flu I did experience a physical dullness that carried over to a spiritual lethargy. When I began to regain my sense of smell and taste, I rediscovered an old book published in 1974 titled “A Touch of Wonder” by Arthur Gordon . . .
Jesus and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
It is easy for us to fall victim to illusions. Part of the reason is that we live in two worlds: the material-social world around us, and the invisible, spiritual world operating within and through the visible . . .
Our Brilliant Moments
Consider times in your life where you were blessed with a clearer vision of the Lord, moments that British pastor John Henry Jowett (1865-1923) calls "Our Brilliant Moments". . .
The Significance of the Temple Veil Being Torn in Two When Jesus Died
One of the remarkable events recorded in the gospels was that when Jesus died the thick Temple veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was torn in two . . .
He That Planted the Ear, Shall He Not Hear?
Human beings are incomprehensibly complex creatures, composed of 30-40 trillion cells of 200 different types; each cell performing a unique function that collectively keep the human body running efficiently. Included in our bodies are a number of organs, one of which is the amazing ear . . .
Finding God’s Fingerprints
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “The Supernatural is not remote. It is a matter of daily and hourly experience, as intimate as breathing. Denial of it depends on a certain absent-mindedness.” . . .
God’s Miracle of Rain
Have you ever considered rain as one of “God’s great and unsearchable wonders” as declared in the book of Job? Back in 2012 when I was a deacon the 30 of us who worked in various church ministries met monthly to share our experiences. In each meeting we set aside time for one deacon to share a “faith moment” . . .
The Solar System to Scale
Gazing at the night sky has filled me with awe and wonder ever since I was a child. Being able to see planets in our solar system on dark nights was overwhelming. Yet the majority of the depictions of the solar system I saw in school, like the one above, were not properly scaled to size or to the distance from the sun. This blog is intended to introduce you to a properly scaled solar system and, if you are like me, it may leave you speechless and in awe of the creator and sustainer of all things.
Powers of Ten
When I was in college (1973 - 1978) two classes that profounded affected me were astronomy and cosmology. As a person of faith I have always believed that science ultimately reveals God’s amazing design in everything. It was during my college years that most cosmologists accepted the Big Bang, the theory that the universe had a beginning. This shift in the scientific understanding of the origins of universe mirrored the creation story in Genesis 1:1 . . .
How Then Shall We Live?
I’ve been thinking about a question asked by a friend in a men’s bible study. Although I can’t remember his specific words they were something to the effect of “How then shall we live?” . . .
Earthly vs. Heavenly Treasures
Scripture reveals that the treasures of the kingdom of heaven are inexhaustible and eternal. In contrast the riches of the world are finite, we tend to hoard them, and they are temporal. Yet we will go to great lengths in pursuit of worldly treasure but ignore the eternal treasures that Christ is willing to give us freely by trusting Him . . .
Faith on a Plane
The uplifting story of God’s grace in this post was shared on the Mockingbird website (mbird.com) on 1/28/19 . . .
What is Truth?
Each day of our lives we make decisions based on our understanding of what we believe to be true. How do we come to this understanding? How do we discern if what we hear is true or false? How do we determine whether a person can be trusted? How does this trust develop? . . .
The Romance of a Loaf of Bread
A wonderful article published in 1988 in the NY Times by Robert Capon, a freelance writer and Episcopal priest, which inspired me to learn how to create a sour dough starter and bake sour dough loaves . . .
The Holy Spirit
This post was triggered by a memory of a 99 year friend named Adeline, who I used to visit when I was a deacon. On one visit she asked me about the Holy Spirit. I told her I would investigate and share what I learned . . .