Danger in the Shallows

I have often heard preachers take Ezekiel 47:1-12 as their text and deliver stirring messages about the need to plunge into the River of Life. Here is the living water, flowing from the temple of God, turning the desert into a paradise, giving life to everything it touches. This is an allegory for the grace … Continue reading Danger in the Shallows

Loving God

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This short passage is considered the central and most important statement of the Jewish faith and is commonly referred to as … Continue reading Loving God

Questions

Questions If I outsource my thinking to an algorithm - a robot - does my ability to think begin to atrophy? What about my conscience? If I let the algorithm decide right and wrong for me, does my conscience atrophy? Maybe even my humanity? What does it mean to be human?  Why do I have … Continue reading Questions

Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible

These old-fashioned words have disappeared from the English we speak today, so why shouldn’t they disappear from the Bible? Evidently modern translators of the Bible agree that they should go. Have we lost anything by that? I believe we have. But first we lost the ability to understand thee and thou, so we’re not aware … Continue reading Why thee and thou matter for understanding the Bible

Afraid to talk about Christian faith?

“Most people are not scholars. Most people are not academics and researchers who have dedicated their life to a single idea. Furthermore, most people’s objections to God are not intellectual; they are either emotional or volitional. It is not so much their mind that rejects God, but their heart.” From the book Relational Apologetics, by … Continue reading Afraid to talk about Christian faith?

Henny Penny as allegory

The following is a version of an ancient folk tale that I read in French on the internet several years ago. The main character is called Chicken Little in the USA and Petit Poulet in France. I have used the name that is more familiar in Canada and the UK. Henny Penny made her breakfast … Continue reading Henny Penny as allegory

What are you worth?

We are spiritual beings made alive by the breath of God. This spiritual nature enables us to be in communion with our Creator and is more important than our physical nature. The value of a human being is not based on the work he accomplishes, but upon the inherent spiritual essence of bearing the image … Continue reading What are you worth?

Grandpa’s musings

We got home last night from a visit to our granddaughter Tami and the congregation at Carrot River. This morning I got up at 7:30 and prepared to face the day, then sat down at my computer and almost made a serious error in bookkeeping for a client. The light dawned on me in time … Continue reading Grandpa’s musings

PIETY

The Greek word Eusebia “denotes that piety which, characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Eusebia is most often translated godliness in the AV/KJV translation and by piété in French translations and pietà in Italian. Piety is characterized by a living relationship with … Continue reading PIETY

The three most common errors concerning the Sabbath

1 The Sabbath is a day of rest and refreshment for the mind and body in preparation for work the following week. 2 The Sabbath commandment calls people to gather for worship. 3 Christians changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. EXPLANATION: 1 We may think that God instituted one day of rest per week, … Continue reading The three most common errors concerning the Sabbath