Dearest Rachel – As with so many stories I try to relate to you about the happenings around me, I’d like to think this would amuse you. It’s always better to see the humor in the misadventures of life than to be annoyed (or angered) by them; if nothing else, the latter doesn’t solve anything,Continue reading “Strange Fire on the Candle”
Tag Archives: scripture
from Rachel: While I Was Still In Prayer
Read Daniel 9:20-23. How does the word ‘while’ emphasize timing?The angel Gabriel came to Daniel…verse 20: ‘while “I was speaking and praying”’verse 21: ‘while “I was still in prayer”’ Imagine you’re in the throes of desperate pleas to God, pouring out confessions and cries of intercession, when suddenly you’re interrupted by a celestial messenger whoContinue reading “from Rachel: While I Was Still In Prayer”
Return on Investment
Dearest Rachel – When I was in junior high, I attended a Lutheran school, having been withdrawn from the local public school after a third-grade teacher got sick and tired of me being the precocious “well, ackshully…” kid in her class and told my parents I needed to have my head examined. They actually didContinue reading “Return on Investment”
The Curse
Dearest Rachel – This may seem strange to bring up so many days later, but it’s not as if thoughts are necessarily time-sensitive – they occur to me when they occur to me – so I’m going to talk about this one now, if that’s okay with you. It’s not as if much happened lastContinue reading “The Curse”
from Rachel: A Planting of the Lord
Read the familiar words of Mark 12:28-30. What is God‘s absolute priority commandment for you and me, and according to 1 John 3:18, what form should a genuine love for God take? “We should love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength with actions and in truth.” Write the last sentence ofContinue reading “from Rachel: A Planting of the Lord”
The Point is in the Pulling
Dearest Rachel – I’m not about to claim to have had an illuminating vision like, say, Peter, who was basically told by God that “what God has made clean, do not call unclean.” If nothing else, I’m already a couple of millennia too late to come up with insights like that; other people have arrivedContinue reading “The Point is in the Pulling”
I’m With Stupid (Times Two)
Dearest Rachel – You know, one of the things that I really miss about your absence is the fact that I’m no longer able to just say whatever I want to. If something popped into my head, I could just lean over to you and say it, without too much fear of you judging meContinue reading “I’m With Stupid (Times Two)”
Return to Israel
Dearest Rachel – After visiting Bethlehem and the shepherd’s caves, we head back into Israel proper. While we never needed our passports (because isn’t it still Israel? I mean, there is no separate country of Palestine at the moment), it has all the feel of a border crossing otherwise. As we arrive at Nebe Samuel,Continue reading “Return to Israel”
Getting A Jump On Notes
Dearest Rachel – There are times when I think I may have been part of a rollout test… but only in retrospect, of course. When I was in second grade (and an almost obnoxiously precocious kid), I would see my Dad heading off to serve as a leader in the church’s Awana club, and insistContinue reading “Getting A Jump On Notes”
The Question of Elihu
Dearest Rachel – There are certain passages and characters in the Bible whose existence give me pause. I talked with you a few times when I was trying to put together scripts for a possible YouTube channel about the problems I always had with Manassah, who seemed to defy the wisdom of the Proverbs byContinue reading “The Question of Elihu”
The Imperative of ‘Be Still’
Dearest Rachel – For all the suggestions I made in my last letter about how to keep oneself sane and on an even keel throughout a situation such as mine, I mentioned reading and keeping up with the news, but I neglected to mention reading the most important thing of all. Maybe it’s so muchContinue reading “The Imperative of ‘Be Still’”
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?”
from Rachel: Psalm 19:13
Dearest Rachel – There are times when I really wish I knew the context behind some of the notes you left behind for me to find – although that is surely not what you intended. Honestly, you seem to have kept a lot of secrets about yourself – things written down for nobody’s eyes butContinue reading “from Rachel: Psalm 19:13”
from Rachel: Psalm 121
“(1) I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? (2) My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. “(3) He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. “(4) Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. “(5) The LordContinue reading “from Rachel: Psalm 121”
Letters to Rachel 