Bible, theology, culture, etc.
When I lived in Kentucky, our next door neighbor was a woman in her eighties who had raised her children, raised her grandchildren, and was now in the process of raising her great-grandchildren, two scrappy boys; eight and ten-years-old. Their faces were often covered with Cheetos dust; her’s were lined with decades of care and … Continue reading Are You a Victim or Villain?
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to love, and a time to hate. - Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8 When I sat down to speak with a young, confused teenage girl about following Christ, she opened up a veritable fountain of questions, statements, and beliefs that all veered … Continue reading Holy Hatred
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate … Continue reading An Unusual Response to the Problem of Evil
A traveller walking through the desert suddenly finds himself encountering a raging beast. In a panic, the traveller leaps into a nearby dried-up well to hide. He hangs onto a small bush that grows out of the crevice till the coast is clear. He is safe, for now. But, to his horror, the man hears … Continue reading Leo Tolstoy: A Modern Ecclesiastes
https://youtu.be/GBOxwPexwrA Sometimes experience is the best teacher. How many times did our parents tell us, “If you do X life will be so hard for you.” And yet, when X presents itself, our parents’ words no longer hold any weight. So, good parents--when your child is young—discipline them with consequences to teach them, to give them a little taste … Continue reading Self-Destruction (1 Cor 10:1-14)
Note: This article is not intended to provide the kind of counsel needed for those contemplating suicide. This is intended to consider the issue theologically and biblically. If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, please seek out a trusted friend, counselor, or pastor to speak to. When Rome was sacked by the Goths … Continue reading Can Christians Commit Suicide?
https://youtu.be/DBDTj76dRBw In Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, the professor of psychology and MacArthur Fellow argues that hard work and doggedness, in contrast with raw talent, plays a vastly more important role in being successful in life. We tend to assume that successful people are born with innate abilities that average people lack—which … Continue reading A Servant to All (1 Cor 9:19-27)
https://youtu.be/wJn6TLY0n14 True maturity is revealed in the presence of immaturity. If dad sees his child beginning to throw a temper tantrum because she is losing the board game, he condescends to her level, explains how the board game works, reminds her of what good sportsmanship looks like, and encourages her. He probably will hold himself … Continue reading A Model of Maturity (1 Cor 9:1-23)
https://youtu.be/ZO5gJKpMmCE 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, … Continue reading Love Builds Up (1 Cor 8:1-13)
David Brooks' most recent book, How to Know a Person, is a kind of manual for how to connect with others. The book feels so needed because we live in a time of disconnect, distrust, and ever-increasing loneliness. And there are real consequences to this in our society, particularly in how it manifests itself in our … Continue reading Lonely, Angry Politics
Marc Sims 