Radically Happy

  • DiaBlogue: Ashes to Ashes

    Dear Alan, Happy Ash Wednesday! [Yes, I realize that’s a problematic statement on many levels :-]. Though our church is otherwise very informal and contemporary, Lent is always as a major time of fasting, reflection, repentance, and prayer. In particular, as I’ve been reflecting on our DiaBlogue during the three-week…

  • Hosea 4 Whore-ible

    Questions: Why is God upset with us? Should He be? On what basis? Should we be upset with our fellow man? What do we lack? Why? What are the consequences? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Hosea.

  • Hosea 3 Homer for Gomer

    Questions: Does God love us even when we don’t love Him? How much does it cost Him? This time, will we stay? How far will He go to get us? How should we respond? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Hosea.

  • Hosea 2 Desert Ed.

    — motivates us to take the extraordinary steps necessary to restore a relationship.Which, in fact, is what happens here:Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.Not only does he turn a loving face to her, but he also restores what he…

  • Hosea 1 Worst Little Whorehouse

    Questions: What is the craziest thing God ever asked you to do? For what judgements will He hold us accountable? What is He trying to communicate? To do in our hearts- By what name does He call us? Will He have mercy? Are we still His people? “Read More” to…

  • Daniel 12 The End

    Questions: How will things end? How bad will it get before then? Whom can we trust? Will we be delivered? Are we wise? What should we be doing? What shouldn’t we be doing? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Daniel.

  • Daniel 11B The Bitter Prince

    Questions: Why do so many people hate the Jews? How have they managed to survive for so many millennia? Is religion worth defending? Even fighting over? Are we prepared for the end? Should we? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Daniel.

  • Daniel 11A yrotsiH

    Questions: Does God know what is going to happen in the future? Does it matter? Why would He tell us? Should we care? What would we do differently? How would we pray differently? Would we endure? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Daniel.

  • Daniel 10 Message Latency

    Questions: Why do we mourn? Do we expect God to care? Are we grateful if He does? Do we really want to see God? Is it a blessing to be beloved of God? Can we handle it? Will we wait for it? Why does it matter? Do we need help…

  • Daniel 9 Prayer, Time

    Questions: Does God hear our prayers? When? Is there a proper time for repentance? Will God fulfill His promises? Even if we get what we want, does it matter? What — if anything — truly endures? Can we ultimately count on God’s love for us? How? Why? “Read More” to…

  • DiaBlogue: SPOM, spom, Spom, SPoM

    Metric: The best theory is one which most elegantly explains all past results while enabling precise predictions for the widest range of future experimentsThis doesn’t mean it is impossible to question these assumptions, but it does mean that by doing so you are going outside “normal science” into a realm…

  • Transformation: A Unifying Vision of the Church’s Mission

    Last week I was privileged to finally see an early draft copy of the book on Transformation I helped Luis Bush with a couple years ago, based on the Transformational Covenant they developed in Indonesia. This version came out of the second Transform World Conference (India 2006), and it mentions…

  • Daniel 8 Ram? Tough!

    Questions: If God is in control, why do His enemies appear to triumph? For how long? Does He ever explain Himself? Does it help? Will it? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Daniel.

  • Daniel 7 Four Legend Animals

    Questions: Why would God give us visions? Do we really want to know the future? Even if it involves great suffering? Does God know or care than the unjust are reigning over the just? Will it ever end? How? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet Daniel.

  • Daniel 6 Lion ‘n’ Wait

    Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask [a petition] of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?As does the…

  • Daniel 5 Hand: Out!

    Questions: Is self-indulgence a sin? Do we ever rob God’s temple to satisfy our flesh? Does God’s patience ever run out? What about our obligation to warn our enemies? If we were weighed in the balance, would we be found wanting? Is our time at an end? Will we know?…

  • DiaBlogue: Of Anger, Hatred, and Love

    Dear Alan, In addition to the “obvious” confusions identified in my last post, your last post touched on another topic that has long puzzled me: I have, for instance, described universal utilitarianism (or at least my understanding of it) as being incomplete since it “does not reflect our intuitions about…

  • DiaBlogue: Obviously (not)

    [emphasis mine] My question was instead whether you agreed that we could derive something comparable to the MSSB starting from the deistic hypothesis; the last paragraph of your comment hints that you might, but I’d like to know for sure.Given all that, I would be happy to reformulate our first…

  • Daniel 4 Feeling Sheepish

    Questions: To what is the heart of Nebuchadnezzar turned? Where is Daniel’s heart? What about God’s? Why does it matter who rules in the kingdoms of men — and whether we know it? Are we grateful that God humbles the proud? Should we be? Why? “Read More” to pursue answers…

  • Daniel 3 Fire Drill

    Questions: To what do we bow? Why or why not? Is God really able to deliver us? Is He worth serving even if He doesn’t? Are we willing to believe the evidence of our own eyes? Even it makes us look foolish? “Read More” to pursue answers from the Prophet…