Theology
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
The Wrong Promise I was bawling during my morning commute. On the way to school drop-off, we listen to The Daily Radio Bible podcast. This morning Hunter Barnes was reading from Judges 11, the story of Jephthah. Hunter in his smooth baritone helps us read the scriptures in the light of the good news of Jesus. Including the stories we would rather leave out.
Most people don’t know this story. Jephthah emerged from a bad family situation to become a sought-after military leader.
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Don’t read the story of David and Goliath from the perspective of David. Read it from the perspective of the people of Israel. Their armies are useless; their future now hangs on single combat.
If a champion can be found to go up against Goliath, they stand a chance: if Goliath can be killed, they all win. But if that champion fails, they all lose; they all go back into slavery.
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Thursday, November 21, 2024 →
What Jesus has done for the good of humanity is FAR more powerful, effective, and wide-reaching than any ill done by Adam. God’s redemption is greater than man’s corruption.
When you think of your sin, your perpetuation of what Adam began, as being beyond the reach of what Jesus did, you’re fooling yourself. Wake up! Think again! Can you really stand against God? This little game you’re playing? Grace won before you ever took your place on the field. Give up your unbelief. Lean in to the goodness of God.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Jesus in Cana turns the waters into wine. In the courts of Ozymandius he turned the waters into blood.
Jesus connects with us. When we rejoice he rejoices with us. When we suffer, he suffers with us, even to the shedding of his own blood.
We are easily overcome by despair, but Jesus' capacity for sitting with us and suffering with us is as endless as the Nile river, continually replenished from its eternal source.
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
May we
the children of God
who resent and fear and despise
the children of God
on the other side of
our town
the world
the border
the picket line
the political divide
their dinner table
come to know we are the children of God
and they are the children of God
and so receive the blessing of our Father
and so delight in the grin of God
Thursday, November 21, 2024 →
The New Testament does not say, “Do these things and you will have a better life.” No. Instead, “You already have a better life. Now live like it!”
Thursday, November 21, 2024 →
God created humanity for joyful togetherness, not to be fuel for the fire. The best way to understand God is as a very good Father, and the best way to know the Father is through Jesus, who is like his Father in every way. Jesus is God’s final word to humanity about what God is like, and about what we are created to be like. When the Father says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, who brings me great joy”, he’s saying that to you, too. Believe it or not!
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Ephesians 3:18
May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
Last night we were discussing the great Pauline prayer ending Ephesians 3. It’s really something. Oh, that we should make this our prayer too, and that we should pray it for those we love (or ought to love)!
I started to use an analogy of a measuring tape.
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Sunday, May 19, 2024
Pentecost is another step in God’s progressive intimacy with his people.
The one God who created the world became the covenant God of one people and visited his people as one man, Jesus, now lives not only with us but in every one of us as one Spirit.
In becoming more particular God also becomes more universal. By this one Spirit he is no longer limited to one people or one body but makes his home in us across all boundaries of race and language and nation and background.
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