The Voice of One

Life out of Death

Joseph embodies the key reality of spirituality: life out of death. God is a God of life out of death. This is His way. Everything He does or creates expresses it. If we would truly know the Lord, our experience will be marked by life out of death. Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit…

Not My Own

I have been meditating lately on verses that say I am not my own; I belong to Jesus, body and soul. One example is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20–“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price.” This particular verse addresses sexuality. Christians do not have the right use their bodies in any way…

More than a Friend

I have had the song “More than a Friend” by Jeremy Riddle on my heart. It is a vulnerable song that undoes me. Enjoy just being with Jesus! *** In the quiet of my soulIn the stillness I hear Your voice callAnd I am overwhelmedAnd I am lost for wordsTo describe you Jesus You’re more…

The Consummation of All Things

The following is from my booklet, “The Consummation of All Things in Christ” *** Cosmic Christ In the opening chapter of Ephesians, Paul presents Christ in a rather cosmic aspect. We are dealing, in these verses, with One who existed before creation, who encompasses every spiritual blessing, in whom God brought all times, places, and realms to their ultimate consummation. Is such a view of Christ relevant?…

Too Strong for Me

He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me” (Psalm 18:16-17). I have been meditating on Psalm 18, especially the verses above. There are a couple levels…

Turning Tricks (Part 2)

When Tamar posed as a prostitute in order to get Judah to sleep with her, he promised to pay her a goat. Tamar wanted some assurance. She didn’t care about the payment; if she got pregnant she would need to show that her pregnancy fell under the duty Judah’s family had to carry on the…

Turning Tricks (Part 1)

Genesis 38 shows that God doesn’t function by the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord put Judah’s son, Er, to death because he was evil. This left his wife, Tamar, alone without a child or heir. Er’s brother, Onan, should’ve fathered a child with Tamar but didn’t. The Lord also put Onan to death….

Giving up Infinity

The story of my conversion appeared in our local paper this past weekend. It was adapted from a previous post. Merry Christmas! *** At Christmastime we celebrate the incarnation, when God became human in the person of Jesus. I cannot think of the incarnation without remembering the day I met Jesus. My freshman year at…

Riu Riu Chiu

Riu Riu Chiu is a 16th century Spanish Christmas carol I have enjoyed over the years. Its syncopated, dance-feel gets hands and feet tapping! Recently, I was reading the lyrics, and was struck afresh by their power. Protestant readers will have to overlook the Marian theology in the first two verses, but I think any…

Communion and the Concubine

What follows is adapted from my booklet, “Communion and the Concubine.” If you’ve found the story in Judges 19 and 20 disturbing (and most have), I hope you will check out the booklet and find the story redeemed by how Christ is revealed in it. *** Judges 19 contains one of the most horrific stories…