My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope …
Friends
In my wilderness, as in the Hebrew Exodus, manna appeared in the morning, a pillar of cloud rose up to shade me in the sweltering afternoon desert sun, and a pillar of fire warmed me and lighted my way through the darkness of night. Literally “manna” means, “What is this?” The first manna recipients wondered …
Encounter or Explanation?
Job’s book concludes with a surprise visit from God, but instead of comforting the sufferer, he interrogates him about his whereabouts while he (God) was busy creating. He doesn’t refer to Job’s suffering. He doesn’t answer any of Job’s questions or defend himself against any of Job’s accusations. He doesn’t explain why he was silent …
Faith: Paradox or Packaged?
I don’t like living with mystery and paradox any more than the next person. I prefer maps over mystery. I like to know where I am and where I’m going. But life is ambiguous. It unspools in cycles in no predictable order—and for people of faith, there are a lot of loose ends. It’s easy …
Splints for the Soul
I love the Bible and can’t imagine my life without it. Its truths are splints for my soul. God talks to me through it and I wouldn’t relish a life without hearing his voice. A rabbi told his students that if they studied the Torah it would put Scripture on their hearts. One of his …
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