The yeast of reality
“What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Does our view of reality come from:
A. What we experience on Sunday? Are people and the surrounding culture becoming more like Christ and his kingdom?
B. What we experience Monday through Saturday? Are the people of our churches becoming more like the surrounding culture?
Studies say the answer is more B than A.
Why do good things happen to bad people?
“[God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
As a pastor I am often asked "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But rarely do I get this other question. Really, why do good things happen at all?
I once worked for a company that preached "What's good for you personally will be good for the company". This Darwinian 'survival of the fittest' philosophy could lead nowhere good (and it didn't).
From what I know of The Fall, sin, world history, current events, and my own heart, the source of any goodness is a mystery. But it's a mystery God reveals to everyone willing to see.
A crisis of trust
Our vision is cloudy and our language confused.
We imagine different destinations.
But You illuminate one step.
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- poverty & compassion
- imagination & creativity
- technology & ai
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship