Spiritual Ponderings

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John , and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2) When they came back to the disciples , they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. (14) When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" (28) But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. (34) "For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another ." (49-50) As I look at these verses I have been studying for several days now about worms, fire and now salt, I am beginning to see more and more that it is vital to keep the context in mind if I am to understand these things properly. Some of the greatest errors in Christianity...

I want to lay out a few of the themes and threads that I am starting to see emerge in my study of these parallel passages from Mark 9 and Isaiah 66. First I want to give some of the context and highlight some of the linking phrases that I am seeing here. "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her, that you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts, that you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom." For thus says the LORD, "Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees . As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem." Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad , and your bones will flourish like the new grass; and the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants,...

I recently received a request to explore a subject that I have devoted a whole web site to but is still largely unfinished. This request came in a comment on a recent post from a good friend of mine that has a real heart to know God much better. That kind of spirit really warms my heart and challenges me to respond by taking a much closer look at the passages that he refers to in his comment. Following is part of his comment and then the letter that I have just sent in partial response to his questions. I invite anyone interested in this quest to join us in exploring vital themes that will challenge many assumptions that we have had about God that have darkened views of Him for centuries. Will you please explain your understanding of the verses that say things like "their fire never goes out and their worm never dies.", etc. These are the verses that are usually understood to talk of eternal suffering, etc. It would be good to examine them directly and in context. The...

Is my pursuit of meaning and fulfillment in life centered on uncovering just the right mix of religious and secular life? Do I find myself trying to learn enough answers to religious questions that I will finally figure out enough of them to pass some test and get into heaven? Am I combing inspired literature so that I can know what God expects of me, so that He will accept and bless me and give me His approbation? Am I trying to pressure those around me to conform to the routines of worship that I believe are the ones most appreciated by God? Is my life, my heart, primarily motivated by fear of offending God because I am not kneeling at the right time, using the right language or phrases, dressing the right way, eating – or not eating – the correct foods, performing the right ceremonies etcetera? If I find myself with those around me in tune with these kinds of questions and obsessions, then it is very likely that my fundamental belief is that life is all about getting just the ri...

Typical church life is like a football game. At least that is what I am suddenly discovering. I have been listening to an audio version of a recent book that I hear has been quite a sensation recently. Now that I am halfway through it I can certainly see why it has caused such interest. I highly recommend it to anyone who is really serious about knowing God more than just being satisfied with a routine of Christian appearances. The book is called, So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen. Amazingly, or more likely providentially, I find myself in extremely similar circumstances in my own church just at the time when I was introduced to this book. That to me is obviously a God kind of coincidence, not just an accident. This book is just what I need to hear when I find myself at the center of a vortex of intense emotions and flashpoints and controversy in my own church body that challenges me to know where I stand in my own relationship to God. I will not go int...

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name... (Philippians 2:5-9) I have been learning a great deal about humility over the past couple weeks. No, I am not saying that I have been humiliated greatly, shamed or put down. I believe that humility and humiliation are dramatically different things from my perspective. I am talking about the true kind of humility and the fact that it seems like hardly anyone has a clue as to the real meaning of what that word really involves. What I have been discovering is that true humility is not the absence of prid...

Every once in awhile I have what some call an epiphany, a moment breakthrough when some truth suddenly snaps into much greater clarity within me and I see it in a light that I had only heard was possible before that time. I believe there may be several factors involved in preparing a person for such a moment. There are many things that are simply too large, too expansive, too profound to be contained in the smallness of the immaturity of my brain which is why most concepts simply cannot fit into my comprehension until I have a number of other more basic beliefs in place. But in addition to that, it is vital to also understand that these kinds of profound truths can only really have a deep impact on my thinking if they are grasped far deeper at the heart level of my being rather than just as an intellectual appreciation. It is true that a person mostly focused on left brain intellectual pursuits can have exciting breakthroughs and can assemble a large mass of sensible information a...