So far this week we have looked at the emotion of fear and the intellectual problem of uncertainty. Today we look at the spirit of doubt. This third of three elements can come upon a person suddenly, or can work its way insidiously and slowly into our lives.
The wizened elder picked a clover from the field for perhaps the hundredth time during his hard life and lifted it above his head for all to see. It was still moist with the morning dew and sparkled in the early sun. Dozens of students stood around him. He was a bishop now, though this was not always so during his time among these people.
Since this is Think-Biblically.com it’s important to point out at the start that the practice of celebrating Ash Wednesday is not found anywhere in the Bible. One should always be cautious of adopting spiritual practices not found in Scripture.
When the Bible becomes the basis for our lives and every day dilemmas we become motivated to pray. This prayer is rarely selfish (“Lord please help ME…”), trite (“God’s neat, let’s eat!”) or compromising (“Lord, whatever you think is best…”). This is true intercessory prayer that is filled with meaning and lets God know what we are hoping for.
A few years ago I was giving a Biblically-based tour of the Morrison Formation (known as Dinosaur Ridge) outside of Denver, Colorado. We examined trace fossils of plant and marine life, and dinosaur footprints and bones. It’s all outdoors and in the open so there are no admission fees and anyone can stop by and see the exhibits and read the placards. About half way through I was leading my group to the next stop when an older bystander approached and asked me forthrightly, “You don’t really believe the earth is only 6,000 years old, do you?”
Unlike most reviews this one doesn’t have to worry too much about “spoilers” as most Christians are already quite familiar with the story. However, if you are someone who likes to see a movie without hearing about how the story was handled then you probably ought to go and see it now then come back and finish reading.
Ad rem is a straightforward, biblically-based, analysis of our times.
Today’s analysis is of the recently released poll results of a survey conducted over the last seven years by the American Bible Society. Some of you may have read the January 22nd, 2014 article regarding the survey in Time Magazine, which faithfully represented the results without comment regarding their relevance.
Any engagement of culture is a corporate act. Sin came into the world through one man, and the salvation of the world comes through one man, but engaging culture is not the job of a single individual. In Luke 9.1-.6, Jesus sent the 12 disciples into various towns and villages to spread the gospel of hope. He could have sent each off on their own in 12 different directions, but He didn’t.
Fear is one of the most debilitating emotions one can experience – so much so that it may even cause physical paralysis! For some it may be easy to assume the cause of fear is the fall of man itself, but this would be a serious error. We know, for example, that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9.10).
This month sees the release of not one, but two biblically-based movies. Coming to theaters this weekend is Son of God (which I’ll review next week) and on March 28th, Noah. From Wikipedia we are informed that Noah is an “American biblical epic film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel.” In other words, this isn’t the account written by Moses. So what can we expect?
Journalist, radio personality and commentator for Fox News, Bill O’Reilly, together with writing partner Martin Dugard, took upon themselves the task of writing a historical account of the life of Jesus. The book is available from most book retailers of the digital and brick-and-mortar variety for under $20 hardback and under $10 for the e-book.
Culture is described in a myriad of fashions, from “American Culture” and “Cross-Culture” to “Corporate Culture” and “Class Culture” Books have been written about the difference between East coast and West coast cultures. It seems culture can be found almost anywhere. Indeed, culture is found wherever there are people!