Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
The king leaned forward, angry. “He deserves to die.” The prophet responded, fixing the king eye-to-eye: “And you are the man.” Many readers will immediately recognize this element as the dramatic peak of Nathan’s confrontation of King David after the king murdered Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. I start with it—a story of adultery, murder, …
Read More The Power of a Good StoryBobby Grow recently put me on to a book by John Webster called Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch, and I’m much obliged to him for the lead. The book has many virtues. One I very much appreciate is Webster’s view that a person’s moral alignment with the Bible message is critical to being able to …
Read More Humility and the BibleLet me offer a nice bit of theo-jargon here—“anthropopathism”—for anyone who doesn’t already know the term. I’ll then comment on it and invite any responses. An anthropopathism is the emotional and less-well-known cousin of anthropomorphism. The latter term refers to human descriptions of God that use bodily terms—as in the Father having arms or legs …
Read More A key bit of jargonJesus was a popular figure in his day, especially among the hungry, the lame, the blind, the unclean, and the despairing. Enough so that among the privileged classes it was both a jealousy for their own standing and a fear of the unruly crowds that led them to crucify Jesus. Yet at one point—as reported …
Read More A Proper Diet“Now,” the pastor implored us as he completed his sermon, “in light of what we’ve seen in 2 Timothy 3:16 this morning, I challenge each of you to equip yourselves for life and ministry! God commands us to be obedient and to glorify him through our obedience so I’m asking each of you to spend …
Read More Bible Reading AdviceSometimes we hear reports of what others say about us. That happened a few years ago when a friend passed along what a noted ministry leader said about me: “The trouble with Ron is that he always rides the same pony.” What was the pony? “He’s fixated on Bible reading.” My response? Wow! Please put …
Read More The WordI’m listening to God right now. He’s using the voice of a BBC newsman telling us that an Iceland volcano is still disrupting airline flights throughout Europe. The map on the television shows that Estonia, where I’ve been speaking, is right at the center of the ash cloud. So my scheduled flight to London today …
Read More Listening to GodThis weekend I felt like a prophet of gloom and doom as I led retreat participants in a study of Habakkuk. Why Habakkuk? Because this brief oracle and its attached prayer engages the question of God and human sin at an epic level that we all need to grasp. Habakkuk, we remember, was told of …
Read More Rejoicing With HabakkukIt is my pleasure to introduce Gretchen George as a guest contributor. A friend told me of Gretchen’s story almost two years ago. Through that indirect contact Gretchen very graciously sent me a summary of her Bible reading experience. Here is her story. May it encourage you as much as it encouraged me. Those of …
Read More Hearing God’s HeartI welcome Mark Nicklas back as a guest contributor for this Christmas entry. His reflection on God’s gift to us in Christ plays on some of the paradoxical realities of God’s gracious entry into our realm. I hope, on Christmas day itself, to offer my own voice of celebration and reflection in a separate entry …
Read More The Story of Christmas—God with us