Blame. As we saw in the previous post, we can be especially quick to blame God for difficulties in life, even when we face consequences of our own decisions. Or consider that when a loved one passes away, including passing away of old age, we can bitterly question, “God, how could you let this happen?”Continue reading “How to move from selfish blame to loving grief – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 5”
Tag Archives: church
Are You Gaslighting God? – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 4
Friends of mine have been struggling with a family member who is accusing my friends of not loving the family member. (I’m purposefully avoided gendered pronouns to preserve confidentiality.) What you need to know is that my friends’ family member committed adultery, thus damaging a relationship with another member of the family. That act ofContinue reading “Are You Gaslighting God? – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 4”
Hope in the middle of a nightmare – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 3
I am person who dreams almost every night during sleep. How about you? Over the years I’ve had some freakish nightmares. Sometimes they are recurring, going night after night. Others will be one-off dreams that never recur. I also have settings like the home we lived in years ago, or my church’s building, or theContinue reading “Hope in the middle of a nightmare – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 3”
A billionaire pastor’s replica of Solomon’s temple, and God’s unsettling tour of the original – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 2
Brazilian billionaire pastor, Edir Macedo, built a church designed to look like Solomon’s temple. See the picture above. You can read more about it here. It has a sanctuary for worship, a museum, and a helipad for Macedo’s convenience. I wonder what it would be like tour that building? How similar or different is itContinue reading “A billionaire pastor’s replica of Solomon’s temple, and God’s unsettling tour of the original – Ezekiel 8, 9 and 10, Part 2”
Eeyore, Virtual Reality, the Billionaire Space Race and the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Part 1
Do you have an Eeyore in your family? Maybe you are the Eeyore! You know the person who is sigher, moaner and groaner. Because life is sooooo hard! We say to that person, “Why are you grumpy? Cheer up!” or we try to cheer them up, giving them suggestions for how they can change. WeContinue reading “Eeyore, Virtual Reality, the Billionaire Space Race and the Holy Spirit – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Part 1”
Is this the strangest (and most interesting) verse in the Bible? – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Preview
I would like to introduce you to what I consider to be one of the strangest (and maybe most interesting!) verses in the Bible. Ezekiel 8:3, “He [the glowing metal fire creature] stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earthContinue reading “Is this the strangest (and most interesting) verse in the Bible? – Ezekiel 8, 9, & 10, Preview”
The surprising antidote to economic idolatry – Ezekiel 7, Part 4
What is the antidote to economic idolatry? Sometimes I think to myself, “I hate money.” What I mean is that it can seem like life is one long travail of trying earn money. Do you ever long for financial independence, so that you don’t have to think about whether or not you have enough money?Continue reading “The surprising antidote to economic idolatry – Ezekiel 7, Part 4”
When money is worthless – Ezekiel 7, Part 3
My wife, Michelle, and I recently celebrated our 25th anniversary by going out for dinner. As a bonus, we had a gift card! We made a reservation, arrived a few minutes early, and sat down in the lobby, waiting for the hostess to call us for our table. I pulled out my phone to checkContinue reading “When money is worthless – Ezekiel 7, Part 3”
Is God a frustrated lover? – Ezekiel 7, Part 2
Have you ever experienced the frustration of loving someone who isn’t loving you back? It is a common human relational reality. Spouses that are scorned or betrayed. Kids neglecting their parents, and parents neglecting their kids. Friends that don’t care when you are struggling. Have you ever considered that God might feel like that? InContinue reading “Is God a frustrated lover? – Ezekiel 7, Part 2”
Doge Coin, NFTs, GameStop and the end of the world! – Ezekiel 7, Part 1
Economists look back over the last year or so reporting that, in addition to Covid, it has been a unique financial year in other ways. For example, have you heard of Doge Coin? It is a cryptocurrency, a digital form of money, which I don’t have the time or knowledge to try to explain. ThereContinue reading “Doge Coin, NFTs, GameStop and the end of the world! – Ezekiel 7, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 