Have you ever felt like someone knew more about you than you knew about yourself – like they could see deep into your heart and soul at the very things you’re afraid to admit you think or believe? I’ve often heard people tell me…
“To comfort me, you have to come close. Come sit beside me on my mourning bench.” – Nicholas Wolterstorff, Lament for a Son Grief often isolates us, even amongst those of us who grieve the loss of the very same person or thing. I…
My recent sermon from last Sunday at Midland Bible Church is up on the MBC iTunes podcast – click here to listen to it or download it. As the title suggests, it is about brokenness and grace, and comes from Mark 7:24-30 – the story…
I had the opportunity to preach at my home church (Midland Bible Church) for three weeks again last month, and two of my sermons are now up as a podcast on iTunes. Below are the first and third of a 3-week series on Idolatry…
I’ve had the opportunity to preach at my home church (Midland Bible Church) for three weeks, and my three sermons are now up on their website and iTunes. It’s a loose series on the Image of God. I’d appreciate any feedback you can give…
I have found a new way to redeem my commute around Dallas. Typically, I will listen to a sermon/lecture in the mornings while I drive to class/work, and then listen to music in the afternoon/evening when I get off. Recently, though, I have begun…
I am always excited when I discover artists who use their medium well for the glory of God. It’s so easy to do poor Christian art with a good (even biblical) message and assume it’s thus good art. I can’t tell you how many…
My sermon on Philippians 3:7-11 (“Your Greatest Treasure”) is up on the Midland Bible Church podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/midland-bible-church-podcast/id306156719?uo=4 or you can listen/download it at the MBC website: http://midlandbible.org/sermons/?preacher=6…
One of my fellow seminarians at DTS (Morgan Reed) posted a poem by the holy Ephrem Syrus that he translated from Syriac. Two of the verses struck me and seemed a fitting meditation on Resurrection Sunday – so I wanted to share them with…
Right after writing my post on Forgiveness as Death & Resurrection yesterday, I ran across and article by Tim Keller on the Resurgence website dealing with the very same topic. He does a great job of expounding on forgiveness from a biblical/theological viewpoint and then taking a practical…
![“I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.”
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- John Muir
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I love what Muir says about the mountains. This is probably my favourite mountain (Buachaille Etive Mòr) in my favourite place (Glencoe) in my favourite country (Scotland) - it is a holy place. I’ve made many pilgrimages to this mountain, and plan to make many more. I love the idea of sauntering in the mountains, really taking the time to enjoy the beauty and majesty and glory of them. The Scots call it “hill walking” instead of “hiking” - we don’t hike with God, we walk with God. The best part is that while I’m sauntering through the mountains, I can lift my eyes up to see beyond the circumstances around me and am able to fix my eyes on something so much bigger and more glorious than myself. I often think of my spirituality as a journey up a mountain, going “further up and further in” - sometimes having to backtrack and find a different trail, sometimes going off trail, sometimes meeting fellow walkers and saunterers. Jesus often went up atop a mountain to pray, could we not learn from him and perhaps even meet him there as well?
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Photo credit: @davidlobban .
#buachailleetivemor #glencoe #icouldlivehere #johnmuir #hillwalking](http://scontent-ort2-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/8fe0c9ee3dcf9530ccfe9f65c2f5c56d/5C51FBCD/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c180.0.720.720/s640x640/42579293_2291596581063363_6787878858025906168_n.jpg "“I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.”
.
- John Muir
.
——
.
I love what Muir says about the mountains. This is probably my favourite mountain (Buachaille Etive Mòr) in my favourite place (Glencoe) in my favourite country (Scotland) - it is a holy place. I’ve made many pilgrimages to this mountain, and plan to make many more. I love the idea of sauntering in the mountains, really taking the time to enjoy the beauty and majesty and glory of them. The Scots call it “hill walking” instead of “hiking” - we don’t hike with God, we walk with God. The best part is that while I’m sauntering through the mountains, I can lift my eyes up to see beyond the circumstances around me and am able to fix my eyes on something so much bigger and more glorious than myself. I often think of my spirituality as a journey up a mountain, going “further up and further in” - sometimes having to backtrack and find a different trail, sometimes going off trail, sometimes meeting fellow walkers and saunterers. Jesus often went up atop a mountain to pray, could we not learn from him and perhaps even meet him there as well?
.
Photo credit: @davidlobban .
#buachailleetivemor #glencoe #icouldlivehere #johnmuir #hillwalking")
