Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Billy Graham caught my attention early on. I remember hearing about him as a child living in Japan in the mid-fifties. My father was in the Air Force and we were stationed at the Tachikawa air base, near Tokyo. Billy came to Tokyo for an early outreach effort and my parents attended the rally because …
Read More Two ItemsLuca and Anca spent the day with me visiting the ruins of Pompeii near Naples. Then the next day Luca and I visited the Naples archealogical museum where most of the artifacts of Pompeii’s destruction from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius are on display. I was surprised by my response to the experience. Let me …
Read More Pompeii“A friend loves at all times…” (Proverbs 17:17). And, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…” (Proverbs 27:6). The constancy and honesty of true friendships is a treasure to all who have it—and without this steady love life grows very cold. Yet thinking about friendship raises questions: What is a friend? How many friends can …
Read More True FriendsThe apostle Paul hated counterfeits. He knew when he launched new churches opponents of the faith would soon pop up with false teachings. Some even followed him directly—as in his trip from Thessalonica to Berea—just to stir chaos (Acts 17:13). Jesus anticipated this sort of thing in his parable of the weeds (Matt. 13:24-43): “The …
Read More Point-CounterpointAs you read the Bible what are you expecting? Or what should you be expecting? It’s an important question with a host of possible answers. Let’s note three and then I’ll share part of what draws me—an avid Bible reader—into sustained and whole-Bible reading. First time readers may come to the Bible because it’s called …
Read More What to look for?Choices represent values. Do you chase adventure? Or is personal security and comfort more important? Do you like to be noticed, or do you prefer a low profile? Are you avid about food? Or is entertainment your scene? Or are you, perhaps, an omnivore—with many interests? And if you like to be entertained do you …
Read More What’s important?“Start making retirement investments as soon as you start earning!” This was a Law of the Medes and the Persians, inviolable and unchanging. That truth—and its corollary, that compounding interest is magical—was the stuff of high school economics in my day. With a lifetime of steady investments we would retire in style. And this was …
Read More InvestingWe all like to speculate. Some do it more than others. And some do it more constructively than others. Think, for instance, of the pioneering physicists of the last century. Albert Einstein, for one, unpacked quantum realities with huge leaps of insight. And he was just one of a clan of pioneers who at first …
Read More Embodied SoulsIt was thirty years ago today that my father went home. We often use the word “home” as a euphemism for dying. And that’s part of what I mean. Dad had a massive heart attack that day and was gone—all we had left was his body. The triune God had his soul. It’s the latter …
Read More Enjoying HomeIn my current Bible read-through I’m noticing the Biblical theme of repentance. It’s not that I’m looking for the thread. Instead it seems to be looking for me! So join me, please, in a very brief and unsystematic reflection on repentance in the Bible. As context let me say that themes like repentance start to …
Read More Repent!