Tag Archives: the book of exodus

In Exodus the Wilderness is Chaos

Posted on July 4, 2017 by

Egypt is dominated by water motifs. The desert is where there is no life. There isn’t cultivated food. There isn’t civilization. God is found there in the burning bush.

Posted in Understanding the Bible | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What Backyard Tigers and Chuck-e-Cheese Bears Reveal About Our Hunger for God and the Ironic Way in which God Turns it Around

Posted on August 1, 2014 by

Why we Hunger and Fear Glory Why are there more tigers in American back yards than in the wild? The practice of keeping exotic and dangerous animals is highly controversial. An illuminating question might be “why do we want them … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Religion Doesn’t Work and Why God Is So Hidden

Posted on July 24, 2014 by

Why Doesn’t Religion Work? I was a seminary student when this young man came to my church in Grand Rapids. He was in my small group and my elder district. He told me that he was unhappy but when he … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sculpting our Tents in the Age of Decay for the Hope of Imperishable Glory

Posted on July 10, 2014 by

Body Image Isn’t Just for Women Anymore Men’s Journal recently did a piece on what Hollywood leading men need to go through to make the cut. Brando never did crunches. Al Pacino didn’t slurp protein shakes. Cary Grant had never … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Why Should The Cosmic Creator Invite Us to Dinner?

Posted on July 3, 2014 by

Invitation to Dinner I’ve never received an invitation from the President of the United States for dinner. Who receives such invitations? People who the president has important business with People who the president wishes to honor People from whom the … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How in Jesus Slaves Become Siblings

Posted on June 27, 2014 by

If the Bible is Inspired, Why Didn’t God Outlaw Slavery? The question of the Bible and slavery illustrates for many people in the Western world today a foundational reason why the Bible can’t be anything but just another human creation … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why God’s Invasion of History Comes in the Shape of the Cross

Posted on June 20, 2014 by

From Ocean Liner to Cruise Ship Skye Jethani in a blog post this week compared the modern mega-church to churches in the middle of the 20th century. Why am I talking about the history of the shipping industry? Well, I think … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From Sinai to Pentecost: Do you require to be compelled or would you like to be wooed?

Posted on June 6, 2014 by

Insufficient Evidence It is not uncommon to hear skeptics claim that believing is God is not justified. God isn’t an old man in the sky that we can point to. You cannot find on some mountain in the Middle East … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Should You Put Buddha in the Bathroom?

Posted on January 31, 2014 by

Religious Decor You can find this picture together with a discussion on whether or not it is disrespectful to put a statue of Buddha in a bathroom as a decorative piece. Comments range from 1. It is offensive to Buddhists. … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When Moses, Jethro, Phil Robertson and the Pope go into a Tent Together

Posted on December 27, 2013 by

Tribes We are all born into tribes. We are born into families, into countries, into ethnic groups, into religions (or non-religions), and into allegiances. Some of these tribes we pick up as we go, some were passed on by our … Continue reading →

Posted in On the way to Sunday's sermon | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment