Truth Teacher

I was emailing a friend this morning updating him on my job search.  After I gave him an update, I wrote this line, “This is the perfect season for my faith to be tested by God.”  I stopped and pondered what I had just written and it shocked me a bit.  First, I asked myself, is it theologically correct?  Second, I was taken back that if I recognize that this is the perfect season, will I live up to the challenge? My Hebrew professor, John Sailhamer, has a fairly recent book out called, “The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation”.  I have just started it but his 600+ pages are built on the foundation of understanding the big idea of the Pentateuch, which he says is “the importance of living by faith” (p. 22).  A common theme (if not the over-arching theme) found throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  I have also been listening to lots of Piper and the theme has been joyous/happy/content/satisfied in God.  As Piper always says, "God is most gl

Today is Black Friday, yesterday was Thanksgiving (American) which means in one month we celebrate Christmas.  For North America and much of the world, this season represents joy, festivities, yuletide cheer.  (What is "yuletide" anyway?  The dictionary defines it as "the season of yule", that helps!)  For me, this season is a reality check, a slap in the face, a wake-up call.  Two months ago, I found out that even a pastor is not immune from being laid off.  I am without work, without prospects and I have 30 days and counting.  "30 days for what" you ask?  30 days for my severance pay to run out.  Merry Christmas, you're out of money, and a Happy New Year.  Here's where that "FAITH" thing kicks in.  Just yesterday, a friend who I haven't spoken with in 20 years phoned.  It was great reminiscing with him, catching up on family and friends, and laughing a bit about the past.  Almost immediately I found  myself sharing the story tha

My journey this week has led me to the book of Hebrews.  Quick, tell me a few key points about Hebrews?  Having trouble?  Maybe you said "faith", chapter 11 is famous for the Heroes of Faith and we get two very familiar verses, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  (Here it is in the Message: "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.")  The other is verse 6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."  Clearly, faith is a key point of Hebrews.   I think I can safely say that "faith" is the biggest part of my journey right now.  Not that I have mastered it, but that my journey demands it, whether I heed or not.  It is like God saying to Abraham,

Have you ever felt on top of the world, only to find yourself in the gutter just a few hours later? It's like enjoying a beautiful warm sunny afternoon, only to wake up the next morning to freezing rain, slippery sidewalks and a miserable long drive to work. It's like looking forward to fall, moving your clock back one hour for that precious extra hour of sleep, only to wake up at your normal time, unable to fall back to sleep...or worse yet, forgetting to move the clock back and showing up at church an hour early. It's like getting a cheque in the mail you didn't expect, only to find a bill that was bigger than the cheque. Mountaintop experiences; they are fantastic when you are on the mountain, but you always have to come down and sometimes, that hike down can be fraught with difficulties, pain and sorrow. I have read 1 Kings 19 hundreds of times but yesterday it took me by surprise. The prophet Elijah has just successfully shown that 1) The LORD, he is God (1 K