HARMLESS THOUGHTS

  Luke 1:39–45 [39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (ESV)

  “It is the paradox of blessedness that it confers on a person at one and the same time the greatest joy in all the world and the greatest task in all the world.” ~William Barclay (Commentary on Luke)

Listen to this post:   If you want to spark a debate on Facebook, just mention Calvinism.  (At least in the circles that I operate in.) Actually, you don't even have to mention that word, just quote a passage of scripture that emphasizes God's sovereignty, or share a Pastor's quote that is emphasizing the doctrines of Grace... and soon to follow, the free-will police will arrive to point out all of the "whosoever's" in the Bible.  I get it. A God that is absolutely sovereign over the entire universe can be alarming to our American sensibilities. It is disconcerting for many, the first times they encounter these passages and contemplate, not their implications, but simply what the texts are actually saying. Of course, as I have embraced these passages, they have led me to some of the most humbling and deeply satisfying and peace saturating realizations in my life. But it isn't that way to everyone.  In this blog post, I would like to share with you two of t...

 Episode Number 14 - Sounding Political