Moments of Quiet Truth

    A lot of what I've been pursuing recently has had an apologetic purpose. In my current pursuit, however, I ran across a statement that pulled me up short. The statement was that the purpose of apologetics is to win the man, not the argument .       The reason this pulled me up short is that I love debate and have often seen it as a means of showing up the other party and winning the argument. I love acquiring new information to use in my arguments. I love the thought that my arguments are well-reasoned and I don't feel like I can make them such without a lot of research. (There are some, especially scholars, who will not respect what you have to say unless you can demonstrate to them that you have thought through your argument and have some answers to their questions.). This has driven me to constantly study and research and learn. What seems to happen as a result of this pursuit is that I lose focus on the person and, instead, focus on the facts. Facts are easier. They can

Psalm 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say the the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,  nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side,  ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes  and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place -- the Most High, who is my refuge -- no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you

      I began a journey of discovery a few months ago and it has changed my life. It has changed the way I look at the Bible and my natural curiosity/desire to learn has been heightened exponentially. I want to dig into my Bible in a greater way than I think I every have. Due to this journey of discovery, I've begun to learn how to look at the Bible through the worldview lens of those who wrote it. Things I either glanced over (due to ignorance) or might have briefly puzzled over now fit into a framework that makes sense.        A major aspect of this framework is my need to have categories for the supernatural beings and worldview presented in the Bible. A 're-emergence' of these categories in some Christian circles has led to some very strong opinions, both for and against their accuracy and/or necessity. Some are more willing to accept their presence in Scripture and others are vehemently opposed, often to the point of inconsistent interpretations of the text. My father

"For He wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal." Job 5:18 Meditating on pain in the lives of those I love. God Himself can be the agent afflicting the pain on the life of those I love. He takes responsibility for it and says it comes from Him. How do I respond to this revelation of God? I need to sit with this reality but not stop there. He is also the agent of healing. He also sits with those who are in deep pain. He doesn't rush their healing. He doesn't grow impatient with them as they seek to navigate life during the process of restoration. He puts the broken back together again and He does it in a way the is personally detailed. He binds up wounds to make the wounded look more like Jesus at the end of the process than they were at the beginning. Are we patient with the hurting? Are we compassionate? "Compassion" and "sympathy" both come from words that mean to suffer with. Do we step into the pain of others (even strangers) a

 I'm reading today in Philippains 4 and the realization struck me that I might have misinterpreted what Paul was driving at in verse 13. The thing that he is able "to do" [English translation of the Greek "to have power to be able to"] is face whatever circumstance God gives Him with contentment. So often, we take this verse out of its context and apply it to whatever we're facing. That is not to say that God does not give us the grace to do what He calls us to do (spoken of in other parts of Scripture), but the immediate context of this verse is trust and contentment. Do I know how to be content and trust God, am I content and do I trust God when: I'm brought low - brought to a place of need and disappointment/failure, I abound - when I'm successful and do things well, when I have everything I need or face the privation of my daily needs? (see Romans 8:35-36) How does one learn this lesson? Does the context give us a clue? I think it does.

      A basic question to ask when you come to a particular passage of Scripture, and one that will eliminate much misunderstanding, mishandling, and misapplication of said text, is, "What kind of literature am I reading?" When we have a basic grasp of the type of literature, we can eliminate, to a great degree, confusion concerning the purpose for which the text was written. The Bible is filled with various types or genres of literature and each has a specific purpose and message to communicate. There is historical narrative (think most of the Old Testament). There is prophetic literature (foretelling of future events), wisdom literature (think Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), and there are personal letters (think of much of Paul and Peter's letters to the churches in the New Testament). Each type of literature serves a specific purpose and should be read with that purpose in mind. We do this in daily life. We, for example, don't read a cookbook looking for the same