Month: January 2018
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Exegetical Exercise (James 2 14-26)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, February 4 is James 2:14-26. Here are my notes on the text: First Impressions: Right out of the box he asks “Can faith save you?” – isn’t that what Christians think?? But the example he uses is of someone “saving” another, say from being naked and hungry … so […]
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First Day of Class
Today is day one of “Introduction to Religion” taught by me. Usually I love to teach this class. Teaching takes a lot of time – at least for me, I don’t know about other people. Every term I say “I will keep up the blog anyway.” We’ll see whether anything changes this time around.
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion (Daniel 10 1-19)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, January 28 is Daniel 10:10-19. Here are some questions (actually, over Daniel 10:1-19, because we will probably want to look at vv 1-9, too) that we might (or might not) want to consider in class: Daniel has been in mourning, fasting, denying himself luxurious food and at least some […]
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Being Self-Aware
God is self-aware. [Surely, implied by Exodus 3:14. Still, never thought about it before. …]
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Pay Attention to the Relationship between Knowing and Power
Slowly making my way through Awake to the Moment, here are my summary notes and comments on the next couple of sections of “What Do We Know and How? Context and Questions”: Still looking at “what resources and ways of thinking we might bring to bear” on addressing the central questions of theological knowledge from […]
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So Temporary
In this morning’s reading, in Genesis 50:11 the Canaanites rename the place of the Egyptians’ mourning for Jacob “Abel-mitzraim,” “because it was a place of deep mourning for the Egyptians.” The mitzraim part refers to the Egyptians, so the Abel part has to be mourning, which got me thinking about Abel in Genesis 4 – […]
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Exegetical Exercise (Daniel 10 10-19)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, January 28 is Daniel 10:10-19, part of the introduction to Daniel’s final vision and the final apocalyptic prophesy in the book of Daniel. Daniel has been mourning and fasting since the vision in chapter 9, and at the beginning of chapter 10 has been approached by a celestial being […]
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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
We did finally talk some about Daniel 9, but mostly our class turned into an occasion for people to confess some of the stresses and concerns of the immediate political season. “We are at an anniversary, you all.” “I wonder whether things have changed so that they can’t go back …” “I don’t know what […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion (Daniel 9 1-19)
The Uniform Series text for Sunday, January 21 is Daniel 9:1-19, Daniel’s prayer on behalf of the exiles in Babylon. Here are some questions that we might (or might not) want to consider in class: Daniel’s prayer addresses God directly, as “great and awesome, … keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you […]
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“Make Room for Skepticism”
Here’s another tiny bite of theology – my summary notes and comments on the next few pages of Awake to the Moment, which include the first couple of sections of the chapter on epistemology, “What Do We Know and How? Context and Questions” (19-34): Summary Notes: The authors start out talking about the end of […]
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The “Read Me” Project
I thought I wouldn’t need to make any resolutions for 2018. I figured I could just keep working on the ones I make every year. There are some things I’m already actually good at, and every year, I think “I’m going to keep on doing that.” I’ll read the Bible every morning. I’ll take the […]