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Closing Thoughts (Isaiah)

Three things that struck me while reading this book: 1) The first 39 chapters, for the most part, are grueling to read. Judgment after judgment, with just the faintest glimmers of hope. 2) From chapter 40-66, the tone of the book is the opposite. Hope, restoration, and comfort come in waves. There are only aContinue reading “Closing Thoughts (Isaiah)”

Isaiah 63-66

The first six verses of chapter 63 are brutal. It reminds me again that the Bible is not full of child-friendly material; it is full of real life messiness. Think about it: even the most popular children stories are…well, disconcerting at best. –Joseph and the coat of many colors. As a boy, he’s thrown inContinue reading “Isaiah 63-66”

Fatherhood

Four years ago, I had no desire to be a father. Not until I was finished with school, which at the time, I planned to finish a PhD. Three years ago, I told my wife we could start trying. The Lord did quite a work on my heart. Two years ago, we had a littleContinue reading “Fatherhood”

Isaiah 60-62

One theme through all three chapters: Restoration. See Isaiah 62:12 for a summary statement.

Isaiah 57-59

Ponder verses 1-2. Take it to heart. It will change the way you live. The rest of 57 is like reading rated-R material. And people say the Bible is for all ages. I just don’t think so. That is a section I will not expound on for my daughters until they are teenagers, at least.Continue reading “Isaiah 57-59”

Isaiah 54-56

I vacationed for a couple weeks. Now it’s time to get back into this habit. Isaiah 54 starts off with an encouragement to make progress, to gain ground. Our pastor recently used this as a jumping-off point for a series of sermons, in which he laid out some initiatives for our church. Big plans, goodContinue reading “Isaiah 54-56”

Edging

When I drive by certain houses, I almost stop to admire their beauty. In our town, on the way to the grocery store, there are at least two of these houses. Good symmetry in the architecture, well manicured lawns, solid boundaries. … This morning (a Saturday) I awoke at 5:30am. After a bike ride, IContinue reading “Edging”