Category Archives: In-Sight

Evil never advances better than when it “gets religion.” When it claims to “have the blessing of God” upon it, evil can justify whatever it says and does. Evil is never more insidious and dangerous than when it operates through … Continue reading →

Last month I said we are living in a Micah moment, and using Micah 6:8, I explored the kind of life that God calls for in such a time.  But embedded in all this is the question,“What kind of person … Continue reading →

The Book of Micah has become one of my go-to resources for getting perspective about the time in which we are living. Micah looked at Israel and Judah and said in effect, “We are in deep trouble.” It is easy … Continue reading →

Honestly, this is a post I hoped I would not have to write. But we remain in the grip of a growing pandemic, one that now weaves together the threads of virus and violence—medicine and morality, disease and dis-ease. This … Continue reading →

In solidarity with the message of emancipation which Juneteenth communicates, I offer this link to John Wesley’s championing of freedom for black people in his day…. Interestingly, in the midst of renewed racial turmoil in our country, Michael J. Gerson … Continue reading →

One of the greatest dangers in life is to feel overwhelmed. Many of us have felt that way during the pandemic. But even before it, we found it easy to feel overwhelmed in a world of enormous challenges, and in … Continue reading →

The dystopian world envisioned by George Orwell is coming to pass right before our eyes. The pandemic did not create this, it only exposes it. The origins are as old as Cain’s murder of Abel and his denial of responsibility … Continue reading →

​I have postponed this month’s In-Sight post until today because it is Jeannie’s and my 50th Anniversary.  Coming on a Friday, it’s the same day we were married five decades ago. Most of all, I begin this post by saying, … Continue reading →

​Lent is the season in the Christian year when we take a prolonged look at ourselves in relation to Christ.  It is a time for remembering the radical nature of the Gospel, and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to it. … Continue reading →

​Paul’s visit to Athens (Acts 17:16-34) is insightful with respect to evangelism and missiology.  Today, I want to highlight only one insight—that we never get there first.  God is always ahead of us, present in people and places before we … Continue reading →

​Having recently celebrated Christmas, the Incarnation has been front-and-center in our faith.  In the birth of Jesus, the Word became flesh, and lived a while on the earth full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  The coming of the pre-incarnate, … Continue reading →

​Michael Card has been one of my favorite musicians for a long time, recognized by many as a musical theologian, not just a performer.  His composition, “Immanuel,” is the song Jeannie and I turn to every Advent. We are still … Continue reading →

Jeannie and I have just returned  from a great visit with our family in Kentucky.  The trip included several opportunities to experience the wonder and beauty of nature as fall settles in.  It really is a spectacular season. Seeing the … Continue reading →

​A writing project I am engaged in has taken me back into the books of E. Stanley Jones.  I have spent large amounts of time re-reading them. I have been reminded why he is the overall major influence in my faith … Continue reading →

​One of the marks of Pentecost was, “Your sons and daughters willl prophesy….upon my servants, men and women  I will pour my spirit” (Acts 2:17-18).  This same inclusive mark is evidenced whenever the Spirit is moving.  Women’s voices arise in … Continue reading →

I do not usually post something on both Fscebook and Oboedire.  This is an exception. _______________________________ “The Third Temptation” I cut my teeth as a new Christian on Evangelicalism.  I developed my faith within Evangelicalism.  I lived into my sixties … Continue reading →

[Note: “In-Sight” has been an ongoing , occasional series here on Oboedire for some time.  Previous posts are archived on the righthand sidebar of the Oboedire home page.  The series resumes today as a monthly (first Saturday) post that explores … Continue reading →

​God is the love (1 John 4:8).  God is creator (Genesis 1:1).  These are two fundamental affirmations of our faith.  Each is important in its own right, but when we weave them together, an even grander revelation emerges. Clearly, the … Continue reading →

With slightly less than a week behind us since we voted, we see the reality of a divided nation, and already we are feeling the renewed tensions which go along with our differences. It is a spiritual formation question to … Continue reading →

​Before you pass out after reading the title of today’s post and are unable to read the rest of it, let me hasten to say that I believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.  With that, I hope you … Continue reading →

​A meditation written in the aftermath of a week in which degrading words and deeds were leveled against transgender persons and other LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, refugees, and others–with additional hatefulness expressed through pipe bombs sent to selected political leaders…and…through the … Continue reading →

​Previously (September 10, 2018), I wrote a blog entitled, “Contemplation: Essence and Vision.” My purpose was to liberate contemplation from a limited definition of its being a spiritual practice, releasing it into the broader notion of it being an overarching … Continue reading →

Today, I am writing a “note to self.”  You are welcome to read it.  And as they say, ” If the shoe fits…..  _______________________________ Christianity was barely off the ground when soul-drain began to take its effect.  Paul called it … Continue reading →

The future of life as we believe God intends it to be hinges on the extent to which we live into the truth of the two great commandments, loving God and loving others.  But often, we do not take into … Continue reading →

Looking toward events this week on Capital Hill, we will see the unfolding of more than a judicial confirmation hearing.  We will see the contest between light and darkness when it comes to the age-old subjugation of women by men. … Continue reading →

Sadly, we are living in a time when some Christians appear to believe you can be shady and still be holy.  It is an odd combination which almost always occurs when religion and politics are conjoned in situations where “winning” … Continue reading →

Years ago, I read the books Thomas Merton wrote about contemplation. [1]  I came away disappointed.  I was at a stage in my life where I knew I needed to become more contemplative, and I was hoping Merton would help … Continue reading →

In 1972, Henri Nouwen wrote, ‘The Wounded Healer.’ [1]  I read it with benefit that same year, and even used it for a time in my course, “The Spiritual Life of the Minister.”  But back then, I read it from … Continue reading →

[Note: with this blog, I am reviving the “In-Sight” category, one designed to look at the spiritual life in a broad sense and through a variety of lenses.  Spirituality is reality, and spiritual formation influences every area of our lives.] … Continue reading →

Peter’s experience on the rooftop in Joppa (Acts 10:9-23) illustrates that original meanings of the Law can change, and that we can be instruments through whom God can work to effect the change.  Two insights from Peter’s experience can assist … Continue reading →

One of my abiding memories of Jeannie’s and my trip to the Holy Land is the time we spent in and around the garden tomb.  The way things worked out, we had a longer period of waiting than was usually … Continue reading →

One of my abiding memories of Jeannie’s and my trip to the Holy Land is the time we spent in around the garden tomb.  The way things worked out, we had a longer period of waiting than was usually the … Continue reading →

This coming Sunday, we celebrate the First Sunday in Advent, the beginning of another new year in the Christian telling of time.  In preparation for this holy season, I have been thinking about The Story in its summary essence, remembering … Continue reading →

I am not usually a cliché Christian–you know, the kind of words that fit on a bumper sticker.  But truth be told, the phrase “the attitude of gratitude” is difficult to improve.  We must not allow the brevity and cutesy … Continue reading →

The sign read, “Traffic Calming Ahead.”  I had never seen a sign like that, so I wondered what was awaiting us around the corner as we neared the KOA campground we were going to stay in for the next few … Continue reading →

A third dimension of transformation is the move from darkness to light.  At first glance, this move seems so obvious that everyone would want to make it as soon as possible.  But it’s not so.  Jesus said that we prefer … Continue reading →

A second conversion is the move from strength to weakness.  We might call this the transformation of paradox.  St. Paul put it this way, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). At first glance this strikes us … Continue reading →

In Christianity, we speak often of transformation.  We believe in conversion.  Conversion is essentially a 180° turn from something toward a new something.  In broad terms, it is the turning from sin to salvation. Within this overarching concept, there are … Continue reading →

There is nothing more difficult to accept than the idea of radical love.  Whether we are on the receiving end or the giving end, radical love is an elusive butterfly. On the receiving end, most of us convince ourselves that … Continue reading →

Every good school has opportunities to “learn by doing.”  Chemistry classes include laboratories.  Home Economics classes include kitchens.  Language classes make field trips to places where students can speak what they have learned. And so, Schools of Love practice love.  … Continue reading →

The monastic movement knew that, like any school, it had to have a curriculum.  If it was to be a School of Love, that curriculum would be (yes, you guessed it) love.  A two-volume textbook would be at the core: … Continue reading →

It was at Gethsemani where I first encountered the phrase, “school of love.”  I was immediately drawn to it, but it would still be some time before I discovered it was the phrase Bernard of Clairvaux coined to describe his … Continue reading →

Some of you reading this know that one of my favorite places on the earth is The Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky.  I never tire of going there, and it is easy for me to go there in my … Continue reading →

Jeannie and I recently completed a travel adventure with our pop-up camper and her Little Red Truck.  We still lacked ten states of the lower 48, so we used late July and much of August to complete the list. We … Continue reading →

August is one of the times each year when I cease posting and take a break.. “In-Sight” will return in the Fall as an occasional theme.

When my grandmother got older, neither of her two children (my dad and his sister) thought she was eating properly.  The crisis was precipitated by her wanting to eat jelly sandwiches instead of a “proper meal.”  I was present on … Continue reading →

The sun does not pop up in the morning or fall down in the evening.  Sunrises and sunsets occur gradually.  And they do not happen only once, but in a daily cycle that brings variety and enrichment to the basic … Continue reading →

I sometimes repeat topics and themes I’ve written about previously.  I do this not only because new people subscribe to Oboedire, but also because there are some things I believe are foundational for attentive Christian spiritual formation. Today, I want … Continue reading →