Stopping to Think

This something of a procrastination post. I have far more important things to be doing. Yet here we are. I love gardening. That is not to say that I am a gifted, skilled, or even particularly competent gardener. I just enjoy it. As I took a walk around my neighborhood this evening with my pipe stuffed with some Old Shenandoah tobacco, and eventually wound up back in my yard, I had a few rambling thoughts about this activity, at least as it exists in my life. Gardening is far from cost effective. Every time I endeavor to start a garden, my rationale is that I will be saving my family all sorts of money in the long run. Sure, I have spent forty plus dollars in seed and at least that again in topsoil, compost, and potting soil, but surely there will be a payoff, right? Then I realize that I have planted the sorts of things we tend to eat...cabbage, spinach, lettuce, zucchini. Do you have idea how much produce of that nature you can buy for eighty dollars? A lot. But homegrown things...

I would like to briefly introduce you to a doctrine: the independence of God.  This characteristic of God falls under what theologians typically refer to as His attributes, or perfections. This is a beautiful truth, the eternal independence of God. In simplest terms it is this: God depends on no one to exist, because He and He alone has always been. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.- Genesis 1:1 (ESV) Here, in the very first line of the Bible, we behold something amazing: In the beginning, God was already there. In the beginning, He created. Which means, before the beginning, He existed. He exists outside of, apart from, independent of that which He has created. Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”   God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” - Exodus 3:13-14 If one is familiar with the Old Tes...

Misty Minaloosa morn’ fog settled in Elk bugle, silence torn The air, quite dense I think it fells Like pea soup, yes Green single-wide seems to blend Into greener countryside Walking down the road gravel crunching Silence re-bestowed So peaceful here beneath pine trees green Like stillness bequeathed A gift for granted taken too often, true Till life’s silence shaken Makes one long for Still a relaxation true The thought, heart thrills

Over the past year, I spent a large amount of time thinking over the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Part of this is due to the fact that I simply love this piece of Wisdom Literature. But I'm also making my second pass through teaching it, which forces me beyond simple mulling and pondering, into actual grappling with each passage as I go. Two verses that I find fascinating upon every return are verses 21 and 22 of the seventh chapter: Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. (ESV)  The first sentence seems like a very obvious bit of advice that one might pick up anywhere in the world, perhaps even on Pinterest or Facebook. Don't take everything to heart, or you'll hear your servant cursing you. Don't absorb all that's said, because sometimes people say things that aren't all that swell. However, our line of reasoning to follow that up ...

Roughly one third of the population of the earth would identify themselves as Christian. What each individual might mean by that varies greatly, but I want to simply take my definition from the Apos tle Paul. I believe what he " delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (ESV). Jesus Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Old Testament Scriptures which predicted this would happen. He was buried, and He rose to life on the third day (also in accordance with the Scriptures). He appeared to witnesses, more than five hundred of them. Through placing our faith in Jesus and the work that He did in dyi...

Three years ago I wrote this piece.  I thought about just re-posting it today. However, I wanted to mark five years with something different. This won't be long; and it's mostly for me. You left without much warning. Like a punch to the kidney, when life seemed so carefree So many things I learned from you; Showed me how to care about others. Dude, we were like brothers. Our friendship still puzzles me. Multitude of differences that might stall many friendships, made no difference at all. Five years changes a lot of things: it won't change this, nor will many more, that you're missed here, by people galore. By the way, know that I'll chuckle when your Blue Devils fall to the Zags. Sure, Duke's alright: But Few's got this in the bag.

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?  Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” Jesus, in Luke 17:7-10 My little girl and I have a bedtime ritual. We read from one of her storybook Bibles, then read the corresponding passage from the Bible itself, followed by a hymn and prayer before I put her in bed. However, occasionally the story which is portrayed in the kids Bible is only a few verses in length, and so I read some of the surrounding context. Such was the case the other night, and it brought us across Luke 17:7-10. This of course is not the first time I had read these...