I had the following article published in our local paper last month *** If 2022 were a movie, I’d call it 2020: Part 3. So far, it’s the even worse sequel to 2021, which was the bad sequel to 2020. We all know why: the pandemic, socio-political unrest, supply chain issues, and (ugh) masks. “Happy…
Tag: life
Weakness: Escape it or embrace it?
Two weeks ago, my friend, James Acree, preached at his church on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. This has been a precious passage to me the last 10 years or so. Among others, the Lord has used it to completely reorient my faith. (For my thoughts on these verses, click here and here). I really appreciated what…
Esther’s Gethsemane (Part 2)
Please read part one: https://thevoiceofone.org/2021/08/19/esthers-gethsemane-part-1/ See a video of this message starting at the 20 minute mark In part one, we saw that Esther has effectively given up her life to save her people, just as Jesus did. After three days of fasting and prayer, Esther goes to king Ahasuerus. She wins his approval, and…
The Resurrection of the Dead
The Resurrection of the Dead* Sown: thrown away into the worm-infested (you ain’t nuthin’ but) dirt Corruption: third-world police, a computer with a virus, a bike chain in the rain. Dishonor: a soldier discharged, a kamikaze who lived, an effigy smoldering. Weakness: addiction’s reason, indecision’s fancy, the thread we hang by. Raised: a flower bursting…
The Kenosis Conundrum
“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to hold onto. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men” (Php. 2:5-7). When Paul says Jesus emptied Himself, what does he mean? Debates about this center on the Greek…
Image
“Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). We see from this verse that, from the beginning, God’s purpose was for us to be in His image. God’s image was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the creation, and subdue it (Gen. 1:28). This purpose was frustrated and delayed at…
Can’t Keep Us Down
In many places, gatherings of any size have been restricted to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). On Sunday, our church live-streamed our worship service for the first time ever. Many other churches did this as well, and I checked out portions of the other services in our community. It was fun to be…
A Piece of the Continent, a Part of the Main
The following article appeared in our local paper last week. It is a revision of something I posted a few years ago. *** When I was new to faith, I attended a prayer meeting at church. As we prayed, the formation of the first man, Adam, came to mind: I imagined particles of dust swirling…
Embalmed
After Jacob dies, he is embalmed (Gen. 50:2-3). Embalming was an Egyptian practice and betrays something of the world’s mindset. Embalming was and is meant to preserve the dead person. There have been various methods throughout history but the basic idea is the same: the dead flesh is treated with substances that slow decay. Modern…
The Voice of One 