At the Intersection of Theology, Nature, and the Arts
From 50 years ago comes a story about the power of light. Darrel Dore was working on an oil rig one day in the Gulf of Mexico when suddenly it began to wobble. Before too long it tipped to one side and crashed into the water. Darrel found himself trapped inside a room on the …
Isaiah 9:1a, 2, 6 and 7; Luke 2:11; Romans 15:4 Hope. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines hope as the wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment or the theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with the help of God. Emily …
Mark 1:1-8 His name was John. People knew him locally as the Baptist. Some would say of him that he was a religious eccentric. Others, less kind, would dismiss him as a flake. He wasn’t a "how to win friends and influence people" kinda guy. He seems something of an odd choice of one to …
Continue reading "Point to the Prince of Peace: Prepare the Way"
Gratitude. Thankfulness. Focusing on the positives in our lives, rather than—what we might think of as—the negatives. I have a couple of stories to share, but we begin first with Philippians, chapter 4, where we read: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to …
The first sermon I ever preached was based on the passage in this entry. Over the years, as I've grown in my understanding of this scripture, this core issue of the faith, this key to living a life of peace and hope, I’ve added to it. This is the most recent iteration. _____ Colossians 3:12-13: …
Continue reading "Unforgiveness: A Loose Cannon Below Decks Redux"
Psalm 42; Philippians 4 Max Lucado, in the Anxious for Nothing Bible Study, offers two words that served as the inspiration for the following message. "Contingent Contentment" is the kind of thinking that starts with the "I'll be happy when...," "I'll be happy if..." I'll be content when I marry. I'll be happy when I …
Continue reading "Contingent Contentment or Contentment in Christ?"
He withdrew... to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13). There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of …
Continue reading "The Rest is Part of the Making of the Music"
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” -- Proverbs 3:5-6 One afternoon, I participated in a “Zipline EcoSafari” at the Forever Florida Park in St. Cloud. To get us up where we needed to …
Today, when we think of eugenics, our thoughts most likely turn to mid-twentieth century Germany and Nazi efforts to create a “pure race” by eliminating those considered unworthy of contributing to the chain of heredity. What many may not know, however, is that the eugenics movement was well established in the United States before it …
Continue reading "Eugenics and Extropic Transhumanism: “Perfection” at What Cost?"
He withdrew… to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13). There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of …
Continue reading "The Rest is Part of the Making of the Music"
Review of Against Liberal Theology: Putting the Brakes on Progressive Christianity (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022) In the introduction to Against Liberal Theology, author Roger E. Olson states that his goal in writing the book was to provide “a warning aimed mainly at those who think of themselves as progressive Christians,” a warning about “not sliding into true liberal …
Continue reading "Against Liberal Theology: Putting the Brakes on Progressive Christianity"
I earned my Master of Divinity degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS); was ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA; pastored churches for nearly twenty years; served as a visiting professor of world religions and spiritual formation at GCTS and was an Assistant Professor of Evangelism and Renewal and Director of the D.Min. in the …
John 20:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Welcome Happy Morning, age to age shall say. Hell today is vanquished, Heaven is won today. Lo! The dead is living, God forevermore; Him, their true Creator, all His works adore. Come then, true and faithful, Now fulfill Thy Word! Tis Thine own third morning, Rise O Buried Lord! Show …
“But Christianity is not just a useful lifeboat for stranded intellectuals. If it isn’t literally true, it isn’t valuable. Whether Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead matters. It mattered to St Paul. ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.’ And it should matter to us…As …
Continue reading "Not Just a Lifeboat for Stranded Intellectuals"
Mark 11:1-11 and Matthew 27:45-61 Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is the day on which we recall Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem; it is also the day on which we recount the sufferings of our Lord Jesus in the week that followed. This Holy Week began with Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem where He was …
Like Muir, I'm a saunterer!!! Hiking—"I don't like the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains—not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the …
Luke 11:33-36 Richard Rolle (1290-1349) writes, in his The Fire of Love, about the spiritual flame that feeds the soul: “I cannot tell you how surprised I was the first time I felt my heart begin to warm. It was real warmth, too, not imaginary, and it felt as if it were actually on fire. …
“There is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven.” Time. From time to time. For the time-being. Time-honored, timeless, timely, time-sharing, time-worn. Time heals all wounds. Time wounds all heels. Time is always a circus packing up and moving away. Living is entirely too time-consuming. Time and tide wait for …
Continue reading "A Time for Everything and a Season for Every Purpose"
DFG Hailson 