Okay…at this point I will allow any of you who consider the subject of proper biblical hermeneutics boring to stop reading this article… Still there? 🙂 Well, for those of you who are braving what could be a really dusty, boring dialogue…get a good shot of coffee and let’s dive in! Of course, you may…
Category: Bulletin Articles
The Patience of Sunny
The English language owes much to the Bible, especially the King James translation. Even the most non-religious often use expressions directly from its phrasings or stories—for instance, "the patience of Job." And Job did seem a pretty patient man. Even though he "was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil"1…
SDMF and Hell’s Angels
Although I can appreciate almost any style of music that includes a melody, I am especially drawn to tunes with heavy guitars. Over the years, Ozzy Osborne has had a knack for not only putting out songs with great guitars—he also attracts especially talented guitarists. (For those not familiar with Ozzy, he first became famous…
What About the Children?
My good friend Winslow reminded me that I had left another article hanging. At the end of "What If'ing the Lord Almighty," which included rather disturbing incidents in the Bible where God's judgment didn't work out so well for children, I wrote: So, how do I explain how a righteous God has children abandoned, swallowed…
1984 + ?
As Jeremy passed the deteriorating wood-tiled church on North Main Street, he tried to remember just how long ago its large doors had been locked for the last time. Was it ten years? Longer? Shorter? However far back it was, the doors were no longer white, having lost the battle with weather that any abandoned…
What If’ing the Lord Almighty
The Book of Ezra starts of with some great news: Cyrus (king of Persia) proclaimed that the exiled Jews can return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. Not only that, but he encouraged those around the Israelites to donate everything from gold to animals "for the house of God that is Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:4,…
My Close Personal Friend Penn Jillette
Okay, I'll be up front…I have never even met Penn Jillette…so the title of this article might be considered a wee bit of an exaggeration. 🙂 No, he isn't a close personal friend, but I have had a couple times where Penn has responded to me on Twitter…and considering he's got over 1.7 million followers,…
Compassion for I-580
As I type this I am listening to the greatest negative my apartment has—the constant, fairly loud sound of traffic (often very heavy traffic). I've basically gotten use to it, but I still notice it…especially at places in my abode that have reduced sound proofing (for example, the huge door to the outdoors just before…
Oaths Gone Bad
Have you ever promised something, only to regret it afterward? When you were a kid, did you ever assure someone with the words, "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye"? Do you ever swear by anything? ("I swear on my mother's grave that…") Between Bible studies and reading, I've been…
The Result of Double Faith
Between a couple trips through all 66 (and Bible studying) I've read every word in Scripture more than once, yet I still run into stuff I don't ever remember seeing before. Sure, it could just be that I've got an awful memory, but instead it seems to me that God's written word is like a…
Was it a Bad Bird?
In my last sermon I mentioned how social media options like Twitter and Facebook are great places to get topics for talks and articles, but there is one thing that definitely beats both hands-down… The utterances and actions of a 4 year-old. 🙂 A couple weeks back I had a bunch of stuff to bring…
You Prayed for What?!
Have you ever seen a football game where the guy gets the ball and promptly runs to the wrong end zone? Or a basketball game where a player gets disoriented and sinks one in the opposition's basket? Although in some ways it's funny (as long as it wasn't an athlete on your team that made…
“Whose Damsel is This?”
The first time I visited a Half Price Books was last year in Arlington, Texas. Like Radio Shack, it's the kind of store I like to stop in whenever I see one, but generally I don't buy anything. It's not because there is nothing I'm interested in, quite the opposite. Instead, if I were to…
The Gospel for Hair Bands
I'm not entirely sure, but the first time I heard Europe's "Wish I Could Believe" was while listening to the Internet radio station XERS earlier this year. Having an ear for songs that speak to spiritual topics, this portion of the chorus caught my attention: Cause I, wish I could believe in God So I…
“I’m Sorry if I Offended You”
Although there are myriad other reasons to be aggravated with politicians and government leaders, perhaps one of the most annoying is how they apologize. First, they are unlikely to actually admit they did anything wrong—for instance, they don't say, "I'm sorry I said something really stupid." Instead, they proffer an equivocation like, "I'm sorry if…