There are two kinds of people in the world: those who live according to the dictates of their own desires and those who constrain those desires out of respect for a higher authority; those who live according to how the world is and those who live according to how they wish the world to be.
Read MoreJust as before, entire groups of people are lumped into categories and judged according to the errant ideology of those who insist they are doing the right thing for society and mankind. And, just as before, the supposed complicity of everyone in the group coupled with the severity of the offenses justifies the use of objectionable means to reach a desired end. When it comes to identity politics, it is never the gifts that change, only the wrapping.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered about the Pharisees? About what it must have been like for men so educated and pious to have their authority threatened by a blue collar nobody who eviscerated them every time there was an argument? To watch as the people whom you have dedicated your life to teaching and guiding cease paying attention to you and begin to focus instead on someone without even a hint of your pedigree, expertise or credentials? It doesn’t take much imagination to understand just how maddening it must have been. After all, what was all the training, study and discipline worth if any old carpenter from the backside of nowhere could just waltz in and turn everything upside down? Who did they think this fool must have thought He was?
But, here’s the thing: the Pharisees were wrong.
Read MoreMen, the world would have us passive, dependent, lazy and satisfied with our own mediocrity. God would have us courageous, active and in pursuit of strength, wisdom and capability. I lived in Colorado for the majority of my life. Ascending mountains doesn’t require great feats of incredible athleticism, but small, regular, intentional steps: one after the other, set toward the direction of the goal and dedicated to reaching it. As Tolkien wrote, “Little by little, one travels far.”
Read MoreThe pain and trauma we will experience in this life is real and hurtful. We will not understand it all. But we must decide whether or not the goodness of God is an absolute of our existence or a judgment to be made based on our own personal experiences.
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