The Blue Church

We usually measure time with clocks and calendars, but we can measure our life in other ways. We can number our friends, track the notches on our belts, and weigh our decisions on the scales of wisdom.

A pastor friend and I are working on a set of recordings for an upcoming online training session for pastors in Liberia, but we took a break to walk by the sea. Living in land-locked states all my life has meant that such opportunities are few and far between, but they always have been memorable.

When Paul begins outlining fallen man’s condition in Romans 1, and explaining why it will bring God’s wrath, he begins by pointing out their suppression of truth. Here, the “truth”

“Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.”
Proverbs 25:25

Once every fifty years, at the end of seven cycles of seven years, Israel was called upon to rest from their work and restore all property to the original owners.

What are we to make of the many sins, foibles, and family squabbles in the early descendants of God’s chosen people?

For example, in the book of Genesis alone we read about. . .

While Abraham made some mistakes in his life, actually, some very big mistakes, he is one of the Bible’s great examples of how faith works.

I talked this week to a young, homeless man, who explained that he was “not really into working,” and thought it might be time to move on. When I asked him where he would go, he said he didn’t know. When I asked him what would change if he went somewhere else, he replied,

When people ask me if it is wrong to buy a lottery ticket, I suggest that they ask a different question, namely, “Is it wise to buy a lottery ticket?”

I’m always intrigued with the Bible’s many stories, for their lessons never lose their edge or relevance. That’s one reason I like to work through the whole Bible each year. There are lots of really good stories.