Summertime Small-GroupTopical Studies in the PsalmsNotes from Wednesday, June 17 There are 20 or so imprecatory Psalms in the biblical Psalter—Psalms that curse and call down judgments and calamities upon the enemies of God and his people. Contemporary Christians commonly ask if praying, singing, or chanting such curses is something we're supposed to be doing … Continue reading Cursing the Enemy in the Psalms

Here, I offer a rough sketch of the dense, multifaceted typology surrounding serpents and dragons in Scripture. If any of the associations in this sketch strike like a viper at the reader’s sensibilities, then simply crush its head and move on to the next. Terminology and Contextual Usage The Hebrew language is rich with terms … Continue reading Serpent and Dragon Typology

Everyone operating in this corporatist-consumerist market culture is about the business of identity curation or personal brand development. The only market choice not available is opting out. So, this culture full of options is an imposed obligation on us—as much so as the way of life in any other time and place. This is the … Continue reading LARPing Traditional Life

Summertime Small-GroupTopical Studies in the PsalmsNotes from Wednesday, June 10 The common default paradigm we have in contemporary Evangelicalism is that of a lost sinner experiencing a sharp or sudden conscious crisis and conversion as an adolescent or adult. We've modeled contemporary worship music around it, and many hymns that arose from the revivalism of … Continue reading Covenant Children in the Psalms

Summertime Small-GroupTopical Studies in the PsalmsNotes from Wednesday, June 3 Many Psalms call upon Yahweh as our Redeemer. And the underlying Hebrew word for redeemer is not the same in every occurrence in the Psalms. For one of these words, the English rendering “redeemer” generally fails to capture the breadth of the connotation present in … Continue reading Ransomer-Avenger in the Psalms

Summertime Small-GroupTopical Studies in the PsalmsNotes from Wednesday, May 27 In 2 Samuel 7:1-17, we have the record of God making his covenant with David in which he promises to take the son(s) of David (i.e. the royal lineage) and make him his own Son, to build the House of David, and through his Son … Continue reading Messianic Reign in the Psalms

One school of thought in contemporary psychology regarding human personality typing is the "Big Five" personality traits which are represented by the acronym O.C.E.A.N. and stand for the following: O: Openness to ExperienceC: ConscientiousnessE: ExtroversionA: AgreeablenessN: Neuroticism or Negative Emotionality A number of tests and services are available for assessing one's personality according to the … Continue reading My Big Five or OCEAN Percentiles

Summertime Small-GroupTopical Studies in the PsalmsNotes from Wednesday, May 20 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; … Continue reading Relevance of the Psalms

My wife and I chose the four faces of the cherubim as our wedding theme. We displayed these faces in silver on colored banners. The bridesmaids wore silvery dresses (made by my grandmother and my mother-in-law) with sashes around their waists in these colors. The groomsmen wore silvery tunics (made by my wife) with sashes … Continue reading The Four Faces

In my introduction to this series, I presented my thesis. The Jurassic Park movie series is about the sexual revolution in Western culture. De-extinction of dinosaurs is a symbol. It represents an unnatural, hubristic, and dangerous act perpetrated by man in rebellion. The motto "God creates dinosaurs" captures this conviction. This use of scientific power … Continue reading God Creates Dinosaurs V