Missionary Care and Backpacking (Part 2)
A group of us were recently on our 31st annual backpacking trip, this time in the drought-stricken Sequoia National Park in California. The ranger station informed us there may not be enough water at our hoped for campsite, but they were unsure. We met a hiker just 20 minutes from where we planned to camp,…
Missionary Care and Backpacking – (Part 1)
Backpacking is one of the best ways to completely unplug from our modern, fast-paced, digital and “always connected” world. A few days in the wilderness forces the adventurer to un-plug and to re-engage the base elements of who we truly are from God’s perspective so that He can speak to our inner core. A few weeks…
I got lost in the woods…
The Eastern Sierra mountains in California is a great place to spend a few days getting reconnected with my Creator. I feel closer to God when I am surrounded by what He has made, and it appears that the Lord is just ‘showing off’ His glory all around the Palisades glacier. It takes a couple…
Calling: Hearing God’s Voice
This year marks my 20th anniversary of answering God’s call to ministry, so as an exercise of ‘recalling’ that experience, I have been studying and meditating on the many ways God’s people have heard God’s voice over the years. Both in scripture as well as in modern times, people have answered The Lord’s calling to…
WARNING: Contains Nuts!
Last week when I was shopping at Costco, I picked up a pack of almonds. Healthy people say that we should buy raw and unsalted almonds, so I picked up the biggest bag of nuts I could find. There was something interesting on the nutrition label; this bag of nuts had a note of caution:…
JOB: Conclusion “Blessed be the Name”
Conclusion Job 40-42 Do you really think about what you are singing in church on Sunday morning? Matt Redman has a song called “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord”. Here is a sample: Blessed be your name, when the sun’s shining down on me When the world’s all as it should be, blessed be…
JOB: God – The Judge Enters His Court
God – The Judge Enters His Court Job 37-39 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2) As God enters the courtroom, we realize that He has been listening to all of these speeches from somewhere behind the scenes and knows all of the participants in this drama. His full attention…
JOB: Transcendent Faith – An Emerging Character
Transcendent Faith – An Emerging Character Job 34-36 In an earlier blog posting, I introduced a character to this courtroom drama called Traditional Faith. In many ways, faith is on trial and is seen as the defendant. Job and his three friends wrestle with their faith through their understanding of wisdom and their subscription to…
JOB: Elihu the Seminarian
Elihu – The Seminarian Job 31-33 Elihu is the fourth friend of Job who appears on stage toward the end of the drama. Many scholars see the speeches of Elihu as added late in the evolution of the book of Job. In this section of the text, notice that Job does not engage Elihu…
JOB: Job’s Wife – A Witness to Pain and Suffering
Job’s Wife – A Witness to Pain and Suffering Job 28-30 Job’s wife has a very brief appearance on the stage of this drama. She has two lines of script that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In the midst of seeing her beloved husband in pain and agony, she says, “Do you…
JOB: Children – the Innocent Victims
Job’s Children, The Victims Job 25-27 Chapters 24 – 27 of the book of Job are often referred to as ‘scrambled’ poetic texts due primarily to the disconnected speeches of Job and his friends. This is the section that leads up to a dramatic interlude in chapter 28 and a poem about finding wisdom. For…
JOB: Suffering, A Witness to the Crime
Suffering, A Witness to the Crime Job 22-24 The problem of suffering in the world is not the purpose of the book of Job! In our reading today, we are fully immersed in the cycle of speeches being made by Job and his friends. There are clearly two sides of the issue being discussed with…