Reflections for the Winter Season
This year seems particularly fraught with global unrest and difficulties for many. We are eager to discover why everything seems to be in turmoil, so we scour the news and social media accounts and talk with friends and colleagues as if by doing so, we will somehow discover the answers we seek. And then maybe we won't feel so powerless in the face of such heaviness.
In the Advent, I am feeling very contemplative. This year, I am reflecting on the Psalms in the Advent liturgy in a series called Advent Psalm Reflection. Please follow along with me as I consider how we are to respond faithfully, mindfully, and peacefully in a troubled world.
Feel free to browse my blogs on various topics and consider the discussion whenever you are inspired. Please consider submitting your email address to receive occasional updates. Meanwhile, I wish you the best on your journey. Find a place of peace in this world.
Read my most recent blogs below:
Advent Psalm Reflection: Psalm 85, A Reflection on Justice and Truth
Advent Psalm reading for December 4, 5, & 6: Psalm 85 Advent Reflection on Psalm 85 Overview For the rest of this week, Psalm 85 is the psalm reflection. In this first post, I will outline the psalm’s context and comment on its place in the liturgy. In subsequent posts, I will consider the psalm…
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Advent Psalm Reflection: Psalm 79, A Negotiation with God (Pt. 3 of 3)
Advent Psalm reading for December 4, 5, & 6: Psalm 79 Reflecting on Psalm 79: A Journey Through Lament In Part 1 of this series, I looked at the context of the Psalm 79 lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. In Part 2, I read Psalm 79 alongside Micah 4 and 5 to find a path…
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Advent Psalm Reflection: Psalm 79, A Negotiation with God (Pt. 2 of 3)
Advent Psalm reading for December 4, 5, & 6: Psalm 79 Reflecting Back on Psalm 79: A Journey from Vengeance to Compassion In my last post (Part I), I reflected on the structure of Psalm 79 as a lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. Examining the psalm led me on a reflective journey to think…
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Advent Psalm Reflection: Psalm 79, A Negotiation with God (Pt. 1 of 3)
Advent Psalm reading for December 4, 5, & 6: Psalm 79 An Asaph Psalm of Lament In this psalm from the Asaph collection, we hear the despair of the psalmist as he laments over the destruction in his city. The Asaph Psalter is a collection of twelve psalms within the Hebrew Bible Psalter which are…
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Advent Psalm Reflection: Day One of Advent
Advent Reading No. 1: Psalm 80:1-7; 17-19 (Heb. 80:2-8; 18-20) A Misty Advent Morning: Contemplation Amidst Chaos I awoke to a misty, foggy first day of Advent this morning and turned on my Christmas tree lights. This is my favorite season for early rising. I am alone in a quiet house, enjoying my morning espresso…
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CREATION, COSMOGONY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Deciphering the Relationship between Humanity and the Earth in the Book of Genesis
Jump to the Video Presentation The book of Genesis has often been at the forefront of debates surrounding the environment and our role within it. How should we interpret humanity’s relationship with the Earth from a scriptural perspective? In a video presentation, I delved into the two creation narratives in Genesis and their implications for…
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Imago Barbie
While I didn’t intend to write a blog post reflecting on a lighthearted film about the American doll so many people love to hate, I am stirred by the polarizing responses of friends and their significant others. Spoiler Alert: I’m not holding back. Read ahead at your own risk. This blog post will reveal a…
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Genesis 1, Bereshit, and the Big Bang
Genesis 1 is perhaps one of the Bible’s most well-known and quotable opening lines. Many can recite the King James Version, “In the beginning …”. Theologians like to point out the priestly nature of the first chapter of Genesis, how it describes God’s supreme power in the universe and reflects temple imagery elsewhere in Scripture.…
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The O’s Have It Part I: God’s Omniscience in the Bible
One of the first things I learned in Seminary was that the gap between biblical and theological studies grew wider as scholars specialized. Even the vocabulary and basic assumptions about belief, faith, and the nature of God differed between the two camps. I was raised in a Christian tradition considered “full Gospel,” meaning any belief…
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The Bible as an Instructive Text
Read or listen to the Blogcast Many modern-day readers of the Bible tend to look for a system of rules. I suppose this is because we are raised to look for guideposts and follow the rules to stay in line. It starts in the home with chore charts and rules about bedtime and brushing our…
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