Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
This is the season for graduations. Speeches, diplomas, and congratulatory cards are showered on the graduates. And their potential—the promise open before them—is a common theme in these cards, speeches, and toasts. The grads are told they have the potential to touch lives for good—perhaps to start an amazing tech firm or a worldwide charity. …
Read More PotentialLet me start by telling a true story but with some particulars changed to honor privacy. Gary’s comment caught my attention at the funeral of his father, Ricky: “I’m glad he’s finally at peace and together again with Linda.” Linda, his mother, died of cancer six years earlier. As context, I knew Linda from church. …
Read More In Heaven?In the final chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks God’s words of both warning and invitation to his people: “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (66:2). God is setting out a sharp contrast between those who are religious—offering …
Read More What God WantsJohn twice alludes to Genesis 1:1—“In the beginning God”—to launch his own writing. In the fourth Gospel we find “In the beginning was the Word” and in 1 John 1 he starts with an almost identical reference “That which was from the beginning.” John, obviously, held this to be critical in orienting his readers to …
Read More In the BeginningAre you ever hungry for a good conversation? For a meal of rich ideas and strong values? If you answer yes I’m with you! And if you find yourself turning to books, crossword puzzles, or stacking pennies for lack of good dialog then you’ll catch the point of the question. But first let’s acknowledge the …
Read More A good conversationThis entry is shared with the Cor Deo website – please offer any responses there. Thanks! We believe God is one. One as in “the Father-Son-and-Spirit.” Not meaning three gods working together; or one God with three faces. He is, instead, one who exists in his subsistent relations: in an eternal and immaterial communion of …
Read More One with distinctionsThis entry repeats an entry already offered at the Cor Deo site – please offer any responses there: thanks! The Bible is an epic story: a true and transcendent portrayal of reality. It invites us to live in light of God’s purposes and in line with his truth. In this story God—the Father, Son, and …
Read More Living TruthThis entry has also been submitted to the Cor Deo site In ancient days a violent storm or a volcano eruption were readily explained: “The gods must be angry!” “The gods” seem to have been capricious beings who used the earth as a whipping post. So what about the true God’s anger and our experience …
Read More The gods must be angry!A lively conversation will often display a tension—either a disagreement or a misunderstanding. Maybe even a willful opposition. Yet if the speakers share mutual love, trust, and common values the exchange is likely to be productive. It may even be a pleasant process. But we’re less optimistic if the participants don’t like each other and …
Read More A Clear ConnectionRichard Sibbes’ reading of Augustine’s The Trinity supported some important themes in his preaching as in a believer’s union with Christ in “A Description of Christ.” The 17th century English Puritan knew and loved his 5th century African mentor. And he was probably reassured to find this theme restated in Luther’s Freedom of a Christian …
Read More The Mystery of Marriage