Things I Think…

1. I was scrolling through Facebook recently and started noting all the people I once had “fellowship” with that used to be , if not friends, fond acquaintances.

I lost some a few years back because of my views on border issues, some over theological differences, some over vaccines and a whole bunch over Trump. Out of dozens of these folk, only about five have ever had a conversation with me about the differences we have. Social media friends are easy to acquire and easier to dispose of and both actions bring about the same satisfaction…

2. Back when we all acted like adults, political differences didn’t matter as much…there were so many other things to share that such was easily avoided in respect for a whole person. We leaned on commonalities to create real community…but we have little use for either anymore and the cost of our error will be great…

3. Loneliness is becoming a plague deadlier than Covid…we are weeping in our silos as we find that being isolated from those who do not always agree with you often means isolating from those who may have cared for and loved you…

4. Our young ones are particularly miserable…not in small part because of the DEI and thought police where an offer to date can be construed as sexual misconduct…

5. It is grammatically impossible for me to use the new pronouns of sexual identity…I simply refuse to use the plural “they” to refer to a single individual and I don’t give a hoot in hell who that offends…you don’t get to change the general language to suit your personal wishes…

6. I’m dead tired of repeating this, but I don’t hate the church. I would have to hate myself and those I serve in order to do so. I do hate anything that threatens it’s purity and health…just as a parent desires to protect their children and a shepherd keeps watch over his flock for predators.

I would submit that those who tolerate false prophets, false teachers, false doctrines and the injection of cultural dogma into the faith once delivered are the ones who hate the bride of Christ as they subject here to all manner of rapacious thieves without coming to her defense. I am a deeply flawed and sinful man, but I’ve fought the fights and paid the price to protect what I love…you may not like how I did it,or how I do it…but at least I’m in the fight….

7. Anyway…my greatest concern today is that the lack of vital faith communities centered on Jesus and His people are contributing to the lack of community in general and the loss of community leads to the loss of the country we knew. You folks that are keeping the light on in small congregations and faithfully caring for people are the real people holding back the darkness…

8. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m really tired…

9. I wonder if we truly grasped how bad our situation really is if the old prayer meeting would make a comeback…

10. The world confuses and troubles me…often to the point where I don’t know what to say or write…my reaction to these times is to read more…”faith seeking understanding”…I’m reading some helpful stuff now…

Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community by Bonnie Kristian

“Which media outlets will help me be a responsible news consumer? How do I know what is true and whom I can trust? What can I do to combat all the misinformation and how it’s impacting people I love?
Many Americans are agonizing over questions such as these, feeling unsure and overwhelmed in today’s chaotic information environment.
American life and politics are suffering from a raging knowledge crisis, and the church is no exception. In Untrustworthy,Bonnie Kristian unpacks this crisis and explores ways to combat it in our own lives, families, and church communities.”

She has some excellent insights…one of those highly recommended books that I think is really important.

The Paradise King: The Tragic History and Spectacular Future of Everything According to Jesus of Nazareth by Blaine Eldredge

Matt B. Redmond positively exulted over this one…I’m beginning to understand why.

“The Bible is a piercing drama, a tale of prophets and wandering spirits, heroic mothers and flashing swords, cosmic mountains and dry, shadowy Sheol. It is a true story that defines the nature and purpose of reality, and its claims are astonishing.

But few modern readers experience the Bible that way.

In this groundbreaking book, celebrated storyteller Blaine Eldredge draws upon years of research to illuminate the story of the Bible through the lives of six kingly characters. From Adam to Jesus, Eldredge combines thrilling retellings of famous stories with cutting-edge scholarship and robust theology to explore topics such as the Bible’s picture of evil, its sophisticated supernatural worldview, and its complex picture of the human condition.

The result is a stunning portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, the king and God and sacrifice who conquered death and overthrew the spiritual powers of this world and whose offer remains open to all: Follow me, come home to reality, and heal your humanity.”

Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair by Christian Wiman

Sometimes only a poet and poetry can capture reality…and there is no one better in the church than Wiman.

“Zero at the Bone begins with Wiman’s preoccupation with despair, and through fifty brief pieces, he unravels its seductive appeal. The book is studded with the poetry and prose of writers who inhabit Wiman’s thoughts, and the voices of Wallace Stevens, Lucille Clifton, Emily Dickinson, and others join his own. At its heart and Wiman’s, however, are his family—his young children (who ask their own invaluable questions, like “Why are you a poet? I mean why?”), his wife, and those he grew up with in West Texas. Wiman is the rare thinker who takes on the mantle of our greatest mystics and does so with an honest, profound, and contemporary sensibility. Zero at the Bone is a revelation.”