Relationship
Something Worse Than Isolation
Isolation has a rich history as a theme often explored by authors, directors, and teachers. In elementary school I remember reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell about a young girl stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast. A few years later I read Robinson Crusoe, the classic work…
Read MoreInevitable Conflict?
The algorithms of social media encourage polarization. However, I do not mean this in some conspiratorial way. To the contrary, the programming that determines what we see on social media combines several metrics, including, but not limited to: (1) words and phrases that reflect high interest subject matter, (2) attention demonstrated by others regarding certain…
Read MoreHow to Overcome Strife
Division and strife dominate the news cycle once again. The ability of people and the media to pivot so quickly from division over candidates to division over pandemic policies of various kinds to division over ethnicity and injustice boggles the mind. It appears impossible for people in today’s world to engage in serious issues without…
Read MoreIt’s Not About You
It seems like so much today encourages self-absorption. The typical social media profile contains more self-portraits than previous generations would have amassed in a lifetime. We have opinions on everything and believe that it is everyone’s obligation to hear them. Advertisers insist that we deserve just about every material thing they can offer us. Selfishness…
Read MoreSweet Talk with a Bitter Aftertaste
The coronavirus pandemic has created a bizarre combination of reactions ranging from mocking irresponsibility to mass hysteria and panic. In the early days, ignorance spread far more quickly than knowledge, and people assumed a level of safety rooted in misinformation. This quickly transformed into modern society’s best impersonation of a zombie apocalypse as normal people…
Read MoreGuarding Your Heart
The oft-given advice to “Follow your heart” may rank among the worst popular concepts in history. It encourages selfishness, eliminates standards, and eschews guidance. It treats desire as a virtue and personal experience as truth. While Postmodernism has created an entire culture around this, its existence predates the modern era by millennia. In fact, Eve…
Read MoreShowing Respect
The patience of Job and the unwarranted attacks against him by his three friends dominate the majority of the book of Job; however, the thirty-second chapter introduces a man often overlooked. Elihu appears practically out of nowhere. Up to this point in the account, we tend to envision Job sitting on the ground with Eliphaz,…
Read MoreHow Can a Man Be Righteous Before God?
Job had made a powerful case, demonstrating that suffering comes upon all people regardless of the righteousness of their behavior. However, Bildad the Shuhite refused to acknowledge—at least directly—the strength of Job’s case. Instead, he turned his attention to the distance that lies between God and all men, emphasizing the exalted nature of God compared…
Read MoreThe LORD is Your Keeper
In modern America few people show concern over their safety when traveling. Oh, many still say a quick prayer before an airplane takes off, and some might express concern for the reckless drivers they encounter at an ever-increasing rate, but the nature of travel has changed so dramatically that people generally feel safe and secure […]
Read MoreSpiritual Motivation
The assembly should highlight the week of every faithful child of God. This period of worship, study, and devotion provides the much-needed focus and spiritual context for life that the world attacks as dull or meaningless. Every gathering offers yet another opportunity to remind ourselves of the extent of God’s interest, the depth of God’s […]
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