Young people! This is for you! (Older people can learn from it as well!) In our study of the ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes, we come to a poetic section in which the Teacher, the author of Ecclesiastes, gives us practical advice. Here is Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, as translated by my Old Testament seminary professor, David Dorsey.Continue reading “Attention young people! – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 4”
Monthly Archives: December 2020
How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3
Years ago, one of the home-bound members of my church family, who has since passed away, described for the me the process of her ever-decreasing eyesight. She said that it was only during the bright sunlight of the day that she could see around her room. As the months and years went by, the darknessContinue reading “How the aging process can help us evaluate the past year – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 3”
How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2
How do we evaluate 2020? As I mentioned in the previous post, it could be very easy to just say it was so bad that there is nothing to learn. Instead, we should have the posture of learners, no matter the situation, and the next passage in Ecclesiastes is a wonderful guide to help usContinue reading “How do we evaluate the dumpster fire that was 2020? – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 2”
Not so fast 2021…why we needed 2020 – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 1
A new year is upon us! Are you excited? On one hand, the switch from December 31, 2020 to January 1, 2021 this coming Thursday night is the same as any old Thursday night. It is one day, then the next day. Sure, we get a long holiday weekend, which is nice, but New Year’sContinue reading “Not so fast 2021…why we needed 2020 – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8, Part 1”
What people need to know about Christmas – Honest Advent Bonus Post
For Christmas Eve, Faith Church included as part of our worship service, the excellent depiction of the Christmas Story as told by the TV show The Chosen. Before continuing with this post, I urge you to watch the episode below: As I watched the first part of the video, the introduction felt very familiar. RememberContinue reading “What people need to know about Christmas – Honest Advent Bonus Post”
How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5
What should we do to use our bodies to express our faith? In the previous post, I mentioned church attendance. But an embodied faith must go well beyond church worship service attendance. So look to Jesus. Jesus had a human body, and he showed us how to live. Jesus invites to do what he did.Continue reading “How to practice our faith like Jesus – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 5”
The most important spiritual habit? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 4
I once had a class in seminary where we were talking about how we are embodied souls, which is our topic on the blog this week, and the professor asked the class what we would consider to be the most important spiritual habit we should practice. Of course there are the common answers of prayerContinue reading “The most important spiritual habit? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 4”
Does your body have a soul? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 3
Does the body have a soul? Let’s talk about that. As we continue learning about embodiment during this fourth week of Advent, while we’re focusing on our physical or material side, what about the spiritual or immaterial side of humanity? Religion tends to emphasize the spiritual side. What we’ve been learning, though, is that ChristiansContinue reading “Does your body have a soul? – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 3”
Christmas and the abortion debate – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 2
Yesterday I mentioned that Christmas has a significant connection to the abortion debate. How so? Consider what we read in Psalm 139:13-16a, where the Old Testament King and Poet, David, writes: “13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully andContinue reading “Christmas and the abortion debate – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 2”
Christianity is not a purely spiritual faith – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 1
Our is an embodied faith. The opposite of this is the view that says ours is a purely spiritual faith. But Christianity is not a purely spiritual faith. Does that sound odd or wrong? Let me say it again. Christianity is not a purely spiritual faith. Upon hearing that some might think, “What are youContinue reading “Christianity is not a purely spiritual faith – Honest Advent Week 4, Part 1”
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