Disturbing the World

Posts Tagged ‘Where Faith Meets’

In his descriptions of the first century AD German tribesmen, the Roman general Tacitus wrote that it was a disgrace to throw away one’s shield. He was referring to deserting soldiers, who dropped their heavy shields and ran away from the battlefield in fear.

His observation has meaningful application to the realm of faith as well. Read the rest of this entry »

My grandmother did not believe that a man could walk on the moon. Even as we sat around the television that momentous day, July 20, 1969, she kept repeating, “That’s not real. That’s not real.” Her worldview did not allow for the occurrence of such apparent impossibilities.

But many people have no trouble believing that men have actually walked on the moon. We believe that future travellers to the moon will find mementos of those visits such as footprints, flags, and abandoned equipment, including a used car or two. History, if we choose to Read the rest of this entry »

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…. My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” – Psalm 42:2-3 (NIV)

Have you ever felt like asking, “Where is my God?” Even those of us who have experienced great joy and delight in the presence of God will sometimes go through dark nights when God seems distant, or even absent altogether.

It sometimes feels like God disappears just when we need him the most, when we are at our weakest and most needy. How do we reconcile this with the concept of a loving, caring Father in heaven? Isn’t it bad enough that Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so the title is ambitious. I don’t really think that you and I are going to solve all of the mysteries of the universe in this article. Besides, if we know anything at all about the universe, we know she is very coy, and likes to reserve a few mysteries and keep some things to herself.

Personally, I think that there are mysteries that are unknowable this side of eternity. God doesn’t tell us everything. He wants to leave a few truths open to interpretation by faith. He has planned that we shouldn’t know everything at this stage of the great game. Read the rest of this entry »

My son-in-law Darren is a sailing enthusiast. The combination of the wildness of the wind and the discipline of navigation suits him, as he is both an outdoorsman and an engineer. He has learned to manoeuvre his craft under all sorts of conditions, including unfavourable ones. In its online course, the U.S. Sailing Association states the obvious: “The best tactic to deal with heavy weather is to avoid it.” But there are techniques for dealing with unexpected storms.

Choosing how to ride out a storm depends on what direction it comes from. If it comes at you head on, facing the waves is the only strategy. Read the rest of this entry »

While vacationing in Florida, a friend of mine decided to try his hand at deep-sea fishing. He rose early in the morning to board a boat that had been specially outfitted to give tourists the thrill of a lifetime – the challenge of landing a huge trophy fish from the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The passengers were giddy with anticipation as salt spray flew out of the sunrise into their eager faces. It wasn’t long, however, before quite different feelings were stirring within them.

As their craft moved steadily into deeper water, the waves also deepened. Unaccustomed to the rolling motion of the ship, the guests soon began Read the rest of this entry »