Please reread the portion of Scripture that held our primary attentions in session 5: Daniel 5:1-9. What part of it did God use to speak to you? “Satan revels in using holy vessels to toast unholy things.” Read 2 Timothy 2:20-21,26 and briefly describe the parallel. “We are holy vessels, but if we surrender toContinue reading “from Rachel: Unholy Use of Holy Vessels”
Tag Archives: purpose
Molding Fired Clay
Dearest Rachel – It’s axiomatic that, somewhere along the line, every analogy breaks down at some point; the trick is to try and figure out where that breakdown point is. And while I don’t know where that point is on this particular topic, it’s entirely possible I’ll be able to figure it out as IContinue reading “Molding Fired Clay”
from Rachel: Olive Shoots Around Your Table
Write Hosea 14:9 from day 2 as a great reminder as we prepare to put both feet on Psalm 128. “Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the Lord are right.” Read from day 2 Psalm 128: 1-4,6 in either version. How does it depictContinue reading “from Rachel: Olive Shoots Around Your Table”
Deadman’s Switch
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another letter that I’m compelled to write to you that I can’t publish. There are so many things that I want to tell you about that I don’t feel comfortable sharing with the world at large; not yet, and likely not ever. The fact of the matter remains that, whileContinue reading “Deadman’s Switch”
Fade Prevention
Dearest Rachel – I would have at least started this letter earlier, but for the last couple of hours, the ship’s internet connection has been out, for reasons unknown to me – and now that it is up and running, I guess there’s really no reason to pursue the matter any further. I did killContinue reading “Fade Prevention”
from Rachel: Taking Thoughts Captive
What is God’s goal for our thought life? “to think with the mind of Christ” In our previous lesson, we cited a possible reason why God usually does not simply remove temptation from us. What was it? “We would then still be just as vulnerable to all the similar attacks in the future.” Read PsalmContinue reading “from Rachel: Taking Thoughts Captive”
And There Will Be Joy!
Dearest Rachel – I know that it was one of our favorite films, but do you remember the last words of the King of Florin? It’s a fairly obscure line in the midst of a scene that memorable for other reasons, but let me see if I can’t refresh your memory (there’s a lot going onContinue reading “And There Will Be Joy!”
Not Doing It For Me
Dearest Rachel – Fall is certainly making itself felt, with cooler temperatures and shorter days; indeed, that was just brought home yesterday when we had to set our clocks back. But at the same time, it’s not gotten so cold yet that I find myself having to wear the really bulky clothes that conceal theContinue reading “Not Doing It For Me”
The Second Side of Solomon
Dearest Rachel – I wonder if, after my letter from just the other day touching on the subject, my change in attitude is likely to give you a touch of whiplash. At the same time, for all your own emotional stability in general, you were acquainted with the caprice of mood from time to time,Continue reading “The Second Side of Solomon”
The Irresponsibility of Responsibility
Dearest Rachel – You know how Dad has always been so enthusiastic about learning everything about our travels, while we (partly due to my experiences a year and a half ago in Basel) have tried to remain reasonably indifferent? Yeah, I think that’s catching up to me. It would seem that my unconscious mind isContinue reading “The Irresponsibility of Responsibility”
Tools and Toys
Dearest Rachel – There are days when I look back over the day at ‘work,’ and think to myself that I spent it doing anything but. It’s not that I regret the time spent just playing around with the computer, mind you, but when the folks ask about what I did, and if I accomplishedContinue reading “Tools and Toys”
The Fortress With Two Open Doors
Dearest Rachel – Evenings at the house, if they weren’t falling into something of a routine, and thereby likely to be considered to be ‘normal,’ are, I suspect, anything but that, when observed objectively. While it’s understandable that the boys would hang out together – and that I should stay out of their way, muchContinue reading “The Fortress With Two Open Doors”
Between Fashion and Utility
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know what prompted the images of last night’s dream – and they were mostly images, rather than any sort of coherent storyline – but I suppose that dreams, by their very nature, don’t require a logical explanation. My best guess, however, is that of various memelords and other Photoshop experts,Continue reading “Between Fashion and Utility”
The Lonely Cricket
Dearest Rachel – It seems that there is a cricket that lives inside the workers’ cabin. I say that because it’s too loud to be coming from outside when I’m sitting in the cabin, trying to stay out of everybody’s way. And while one might think that the chirping is too much to be comingContinue reading “The Lonely Cricket”
The Way of the Wayward Son
You know the rules. Driver picks the music; shotgun shuts his cakehole. Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) to his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki), as they begin their adventure, in Supernatural Dearest Rachel – I never got into the series; it was something you would watch as you were doing your chores or whatever it was youContinue reading “The Way of the Wayward Son”
Fifty-Two Weeks Ago (part one)
Dearest Rachel – I still remember our first visit to Camp Awana for family camp in the summer of 2019. I hadn’t been there since the fifth or sixth grade, I believe – or maybe it was the just the summer between them. We wandered the length and breadth of the place, discovering it wasContinue reading “Fifty-Two Weeks Ago (part one)”
Missing the Clicks
Dearest Rachel – I don’t mind telling you, now that I’m home relatively safe and sound, I find myself wondering what to write to you about such that I’ll get the kind of attention that I’ve had for the past week or two. I’m not going to make any secret of the fact that IContinue reading “Missing the Clicks”
Words, Words, Words
Lord Polonius: What do you read, my lord?Hamlet: Words, words, words. Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2 Words, words, words!I’m so sick of words!I get words all day throughFirst from him, now from youIs that all you blighters can do?! Eliza Doolittle, “Show Me.” from My Fair Lady, (1956) Dearest Rachel – As a matter ofContinue reading “Words, Words, Words”
At the Scene
Dearest Rachel – From the very first moment this trip was planned, where the team would run from church to camp, I had no idea whether I would be able to stand here. Once I was here, however, it seemed inappropriate for me not to come here. There’s no indication from the way things lookContinue reading “At the Scene”
from Rachel: What Matters Most
“I feel the need to disagree with the author to a certain extent. I agree that relationships are very important and should be a top priority. I agree that in every situation the best way to treat everyone is with love. However I am a very social creature already and do lots of things thatContinue reading “from Rachel: What Matters Most”
What Does This Say About Us?
A ·good [righteous] person can look forward to happiness,but ·an evil person can expect nothing [L the hope of an evil person will perish]. Proverbs 10:28, Expanded Bible Dearest Rachel – It wasn’t all that long ago that we were, in fact, looking forward to happiness together. So many of the things that cause most people to struggle inContinue reading “What Does This Say About Us?”
To What Purpose?
Dearest Rachel – It has been a while since I last identified myself as such, and probably even longer since someone else has, but the other day, I was told that I was “task-oriented.” Now, that’s not news to me; in my many struggles with my boss back in the day, I often brought upContinue reading “To What Purpose?”
On Pain, Pacemakers and Purpose
Dearest Rachel – I figured I should give you a follow-up on my previous post. Either it stopped raining while I was working on converting our convention and vacation footage, or it never really blew up into a real rain in the first place. By the time I emerged from the basement at about threeContinue reading “On Pain, Pacemakers and Purpose”
Daniel and the Dream
Dearest Rachel – It seems that, between various responsibilities, whether the camp or church or the dog, I’ve forgotten that I’m not the only one suffering your loss. Daniel has been dealing with it in his own way, but I’ve neglected to take into account his need for comfort and reassurance throughout these past coupleContinue reading “Daniel and the Dream”
Letters to Rachel 