A recap from my last post: Adam was created without sin, then plunged himself and all of his progeny into sin. But God, as the creator, has no obligation to accept us just as we are. We can point to human frailties with a sense of dismissal, but God looks…
Heidelberg Study: Part I: Misery: Chapter 1
In the parable of the soils, Jesus talks about the good news being cast far and wide, and in some circumstances it takes root and multiplies. But in other cases it is short lived. The soil is too rocky. The soil is too littered with competing weeds. Before you could…
Heidelberg Study: Introduction
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Not to be confused with Heidelberg Study: Intro. The Intro was just me setting up the project. The Introduction is the official project’s first entry. If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Or so they say. Let’s begin with the two questions that are in this section and…
Heidelberg Study: Intro
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Those who were followers of my blog two decades (!) ago didn’t need too much context. There was no social media then, blogs served that purpose. I shared my conversion, baptism, growth and more day by day. My son got a hamster and the readers knew about it. There were…
His law is love and His gospel is peace
I love this time of year. The anticipation is building toward the celebration of God becoming flesh. People are preparing celebrations, complete with special treats and gifts for one another. Houses are lit up in anticipation. The cold weather is just beginning and isn’t yet burdensome. Movies and songs are…
Tablets and Hearts of Stone
Do you recall the account of Moses placing the tablets of the Law into the Ark of the Covenant? The Law can seem so different from the society we have today, what with all the washings and sacrifices and ceremonies. But all of it points to Jesus, so all of…
On Justice, Mercy and Walking Humbly.
You know that verse that says to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God? I realized today that it never tells you to seek justice. It tells you to do justice and to act in a just manner. Look it up in your preferred translation! I’ll be…
Israel is a Fulcrum
Israel, or rather the idea of Israel, has become an idol to some and a fulcrum to many more. The hatred of any people group absent their collective actions is sinful. The blind veneration of any people group is equally sinful. Jesus made it extremely clear that He is the…
Losing My Literalism: I Am the Resurrection and the Life
John 11 is a chapter that really shows the heart of Jesus. Mary and Martha were close with Jesus and they had a brother named Lazarus. Lazarus was gravely ill and I find the statement starting at verse five to be extremely profound. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and…
Losing My Literalism: We are All Born Blind
In John Chapter nine, Jesus heals a man born blind. His disciples asked the question of why this man had been born deficient in the way they had been taught. It was an aspect of the fall. Ever since Adam fell, his progeny was predisposed to error and disease. A…