For my final post of the year on this final day of the year, I’ll begin by providing some of my plans for the upcoming year (although this year has shown us exactly how much the grandest devices of men are worth!) and then I will present a “round-up” of some of my favorite posts …
I typically compile some snapshot background information at the beginning of whichever book I am studying, not the end. Yet between a prologue sermon and another spent entirely on the first two verses, I never made such a post for Paul's letter to the Ephesians, until now (better late than never, right?). Much of this …
There is something inherently intriguing about an epic story. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books (and films) are grand and sweeping narratives of which we simply cannot have enough. The highly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe is a collection of individual stories that connect and interplay over different periods, locations, and even mediums. …
Continue reading Remembering Our Place in God’s Cosmic Epic | Notebook Scribbles (iv)
The Affair of the Sausage was the effective start of the Reformation in Switzerland. The setting was the season of Lent in the year 1522. Huldrych Zwingli was already drawn into the Reformation that Martin Luther began via his 95 Theses in 1517, but this meat-eating event proved to be the watershed moment of the …
For a while, my daughter only wanted to listen to Ruth and Jonah in the car. Both books are short and using a dramatized audio Bible (this one) made them into immersive experiences. Jonah is obviously captivating for the frightening storm and unexpected fish, and while not as action-packed, Ruth contains a large amount of …
Nearly one week after the 2020 United States election, we still do not know for certain whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be President for the next four years. The media, of course, has called Biden the winner, yet with Trump’s assertion of potential voter fraud, an actual end to the contest likely remains …
2020 has been significantly more homebound than previous years due to COVID-19, which included for many churches the cancellation of planned mission work. Our church was among that number, so for November (which we designate as Missions Month), we are focusing on the topic of Missions at Home. To coincide with this theme, I gave …
Continue reading How to Support Missions & Be Missional at Home
The Olivet Discourse (found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) is Jesus’ apocalyptic teaching to His disciples, and, as with all things pertaining to the end times, it typically draws out of us a strange mixture of curiosity, confusion, and perhaps some fear. Yet of all the questions that could be asked perhaps …
Continue reading Is This the End? (Or, What Is the Olivet Discourse Describing?)
Unlike my previous posts of notebook writings, this is one larger thought rather than smaller bullet-pointed ones. Life is hard. Discipline is harder. While striving to live a life of strength, value, and honor, I can certainly understand the sway of Stoicism and Taoism. They both teach the necessity of a disciplined life. After all, …
Continue reading The Appeal of Stoicism | Notebook Scribbles (iii)
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” I believe this passage of dialogue from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe remains one of the most frequently …
