Tag Archives: future

Sep 4 2012

this went thru my mind

 

God & prayer: If God Knows The Future, Why Pray? by Derek Ouellette

“‘If God knows the future, why bother praying for something? Isn’t it already settled?’ It’s a good question, but it’s one that makes a philosophical assumption. The question assumes that God knows the future.”

Holocaust: Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on His Fear of Being the Last Holocaust Witness

“Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel … talks to Rob Verger about the fear of being the last one to bear witness to the crimes of the Nazis, and why the world still hasn’t learned the lessons of the past.”

Humility: 22 Ways to Humble Ourselves by Mark Altrogge

“Christians should be the most humble people on earth.”

Job & Satan: Tremper Longman on the Identity of “Satan” in Job and the ‘Patience of Job’

“It is much more likely that this figure [in Job 1] is one of God’s angelic associates, who takes the position of a devil’s advocate, so to speak, but not Satan himself. True, Satan gets his name from the fact that he is the ultimate accuser, the ultimate adversary, but that does not make all accusers Satan. Nor is all accusation evil. This accuser is about to challenge Job’s authenticity as a God-fearer, and at this point it is not yet clear whether he is making an accurate accusation. Thus the accuser is a member of the heavenly court, an agent of Yahweh, who is reporting on his patrolling through the earth. The human analogy would be a spy’s reporting to his commander what he has discovered during his latest mission.”

Mar 10 2012

this went thru my mind

 

apostles: The Apostles by Andrew Todhunter

“They were unlikely leaders. … Yet 2,000 years later, all over the world, the Apostles are still drawing people in.”

criticism: Knowing When to Criticize by Ron Edmonson

“When do you criticize and when do you let it go? That’s always a dilemma. We don’t want to be seen as critical, but not saying something may enable bad behavior.”

democracy: People Aren’t Smart Enough for Democracy to Flourish, Scientists Say

“… no amount of information or facts about political candidates can override the inherent inability of many voters to accurately evaluate them. On top of that, ‘very smart ideas are going to be hard for people to adopt, because most people don’t have the sophistication to recognize how good an idea is …’”

ecology: Pace of Ocean Acidification Has No Parallel in 300 Million Years

“While the present-day release of carbon dioxide is slow on a human time scale, it is essentially instantaneous on a geologic time scale.”

grace, judgment & works: Saved by Grace, Judged by Works? by J. Daniel Kirk

“Every time the New Testament indicates the basis of the final judgment, that basis is the works of the people who are being judged.”

parenting: The Messiness of Raising Children (Our Attempt) by Jim Martin

“… we did this imperfectly.”

politics: Lipscomb, Politics and the Sermon on the Mount by John Mark Hicks

“The antagonism between the principles laid down by Christ and those of civil government is so marked that in history, the statement, that they regulate their conduct by the sermon on the Mount, is equal to saying they take no part in civil affairs.”

vision: Airplanes Have No Rearview Mirrors by Paul Smith

“I love the history of the American Restoration Movement. I also love reformation history, medieval history, and both pre-and post Nicene history. But history can only be instructive, it can never be determinative! We must learn to cast our eyes upon the ultimate, upon the ‘last days,’ so that we can truly live as God’s people and Christ’s disciples in our own age. The ultimate gives meaning to the penultimate. Christ’s return teaches us how to live today.”

Nov 26 2011

this went thru my mind

 

Amazon: 9 Astonishing Facts About Amazon

American history: Lincoln and the Mormons by Ted Widmer

Church & the future: Snapshot: The Next 10 Years in the American Church by Mike Breen

Consumerism: Reflections on Black Friday by Roger E. Olson

Drinking: Making Choices About Alcohol by Michael Harbour

Evolution: Misconceptions About Evolution parts one and two.

Feedback: There’s No Such Thing as Constructive Criticism by Tony Schwartz

Gospel: * The Problem with Our Gospel #1: The Self-Centered Gospel by Marc Cortez and * The Problem With our Gospel # 2: The Individualistic Gospel by Marc Cortez

Homelessness: * Homeless children and youth. . .our response??? by Larry James and * On Shopping Carts, Thanksgiving, and Homelessness

Humor: The Ninja Nod-off by Jon Acuff

Insecurity: Kathy Escobar: Insecure Christians

Movie illustrations & reviews: * Wisdom, Stories, & “No Country for Old Men” by Tim Gombis * An Egalitarian Examination of “Courageous” the Movie

Phariseeism: As Perfect as I Supposed Myself (a quote from Alexander Campbell)

Thankfulness: Practicing the Attitude of Gratitude by Michael Hyatt

Nov 19 2011

you have seen what the Lord has accomplished

Look at how we honor those who have practiced endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job. And you have seen what the Lord has accomplished, for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11 CEB)

Question. How many centuries separate Job’s experiences and James’ audience?

Answer. Quite a few.

And yet, James says his audience has “seen what the Lord has accomplished” in Job’s life.

Yes, from James’ perspective, their “hearing of” Job, that is their hearing the testimony of ancient Scripture, is the same as “seeing” something today in terms of God’s purpose. We can see what God is like today by hearing what God did way back when. The past informs the present, indeed, it is the present, for all practical purposes.

Does that sound like a stretch? It shouldn’t. It’s the same lesson we teach our children in song today.

“Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”

The Bible may be a very old book, but it’s as fresh to us as if the ink was yet to dry. How is that? Because God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the race of enduring faith we’re running today? We don’t run alone, but rather, run in the midst of an audience of a great cloud of witnesses who train us and cheer us on.

Note how we pay tribute to practitioners of endurance. You’ve heard of Job’s endurance and you’ve seen God’s purpose in it all. And what were you to learn from it all? That the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11 DSV)

Eternal Father, how refreshing it is to see things from your perspective, standing in, and above, time! You bring the saints from the past to live with me and you call me to finish well in the future with you. This is your doing and it is good for my heart to hear and to see. Through Christ Jesus I thank you for giving me a glimpse beyond the constraints of time. Amen.