This is a reflection given at a men’s breakfast at Christ Church in Little Rock. Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever....
Worthiness and Marsmallows
Picture, if you will, a room furnished with a small desk and a chair. On the desk sits two marshmallows and a bell, and in the chair sits a four year old child. This is the setting for a now famous experiment conducted in the 60’s and 70’s by a Stanford psychologist. The experiment went something like this. The child was told by the researcher that they would be left alone in the room, and they were not to eat the marshmallows until the researcher returned....
Transitions and Transfigurations
To build up the body of Christ, God has gifted the saints with a great diversity of skills. “Some would be apostles, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,” to quote Ephesians. But in God’s great creative generosity, the gift giving did not end there. In addition to those gifts one might classify as vocational, it seems God has bestowed upon us many other, more subtle gifts that refine and color our personalities....
The Foolishness of Hope
I was rummaging through my pile of National Geographic magazines the other day (if you’ve ever been a subscriber, chances are you have a pile too) and an issue jumped out at me. Its was a 2016 issue commemorating the centennial year of the National Park Service. Each issue published that year featured articles and photography focused on the preservation of America’s “treasured wild places.” The iconic image that comes to mind for me, and for most, I would imagine, when you think of one of these wild places, is Yosemite Valley in California....
Grizzlies, Wolves, and Aliens
I hope you were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather earlier this week. I found myself with an open couple of days after the busyness of Christmas and the new year, and decided to put together an impromptu camping trip. Winter camping in Arkansas is just about the best kind there is. The cool temperature during the day makes for nice hiking, and the near-freezing nights can make for ideal sleeping conditions (if your sleeping bag is up to snuff, of course)....