Month: March 2018

Leadership Requires Character

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Reflections on 1 & 2 Samuel In the opening monologue of the Bible’s most cynical book, Solomon writes, What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new?” (Ecclesiastes. 1:9 – 10). It’s a withering take on the world but I don’t think I can argue with it. Even our trust in technology is as old as that time in Genesis when the people living on the plain in Shinar discovered a revolutionary new building material. … Read more…

I Will Build MY Church: (Jesus Already Built His)

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Reflections on the Book of Judges ~~~ Here’s one benefit to reading through the Bible that I’d forgotten about – rediscovering the stories you’d forgotten about. Everybody knows the Samson story. Long hair, big muscles, high libido and low morals. Bruce Springsteen even mentioned him in a song once. But do you remember Micah? His story follows Samson’s in Judges 17 & 18. But with just a smidge of cultural updating it could be the next installment on your favorite podcast. Micah stole his mother’s silver but returned it when he heard her utter a curse on the anonymous thief. … Read more…

The Rules of (Hebrew) Hair Care are Simple & Finite

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More reflections on the odd laws in the Old Testament ~~ Looking back, I can’t think of a single rule or regulation that my parents enforced within their household jurisdiction that seemed arbitrary, injudicious or unreasonable. Note well the first two words in that sentence – “looking back.” As a child living under the jackboot of their parental authority, those policies were stifling. Don’t play near the street. Make your bed. Eat your veggies. Don’t throw darts at your brother. Their do’s and don’ts were nothing less than the systemic suppression of my God-given freedoms. They were cruel tyrants, co-dictators … Read more…

Walk This Way

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If you are joining us in the effort to read through the Bible in 2018, we are coming up on the end of the first quarter. And for my money, it’s the toughest. Genesis was a joy to read. So, too, the first half of Exodus. (Unless you’re Egyptian). Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy? Not so much. There are fascinating stories here and there in the last three books of the Pentateuch (the technical name for the first five books of the Bible), but for the most part, they present a serious challenge to even the most serious readers. So this … Read more…