My Faith View from Here - Daily readings and thoughts

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 19, Ecclesiastes 3, Daniel 3:19-4:3, Ephesians 6:10-24 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2019%2C%20Ecclesiastes%203%2C%20Daniel%203%3A19-4%3A3%2C%20Ephesians%206%3A10-24&version=NASB1995 A Time For … “There is an appointed time for everything.  There is time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). During my morning time of reading, writing and praying, I sit in a reclining chair on an angle towards the back patio door of our house.  Yesterday I looked out and it was sunny.  Today I am looking outside and it’s raining.  Yesterday, we went waterfalling and today I’m going to work in my attic.  There is a time for waterfalling and a time to stay inside and work in my attic.  I don’t control the timing for rain but both waterfalling and rain are good.   No matter what your take is on rain, or on waterfalling, one thing we can agree on is that time moves forward.   As I ...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 18, Ecclesiastes 2:12-26, Daniel 3:1-18, Ephesians 5:22-6:9 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2018%2C%20Ecclesiastes%202%3A12-26%2C%20Daniel%203%3A1-18%2C%20Ephesians%205%3A22-6%3A9&version=NASB1995 Jesus in the Weeds This may seem controversial but in my last few years of employment, 2015 - 2022, I worked for an Anabaptist Church.  One of the things I would often hear from our teaching pastor is the following quote.  I agree whole heartedly with this quote. “ We believe in the inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God, and his name is Jesus. ” To simplify my point, we often hear from both mainline and evangelical denominations that the Bible is inerrant and infallible.  The ideas behind those words are much older, but the terminology and the detailed theological formulations we use today developed much later.  I am not an apologist nor would I describe myself as a theologian, so if you are ques...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 17, Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Daniel 2:36-49, Ephesians 5:1-21 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2017%2C%20Ecclesiastes%202%3A1-11%2C%20Daniel%202%3A36-49%2C%20Ephesians%205%3A1-21&version=NASB1995 More or Less “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure.  So enjoy yourself.  And behold, it too was futility”” (Ecclesiastes 2:1) He explored alcohol, built houses, planted vineyards, made gardens and parks, ponds of water, possessed slaves, possessed large herds of livestock, collected silver and gold, had musicians to listen to, had many mistresses and became greater than all before him.  Anything he wanted he received.  Yet “all was vanity.”   I don’t know about you but I suspect you, the reader, are like me in some ways.  We have a nice property on the shore of the Bay of Fundy.  I would love to get the additional property on one side of us.  I would like to get a ...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 15:32-16:20, Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, Daniel 2:19-35, Ephesians 4 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2015%3A32-16%3A20%2C%20Ecclesiastes%201%3A12-18%2C%20Daniel%202%3A19-35%2C%20Ephesians%204&version=NASB1995 Truth Hurts “In much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain” (Ecclesiastes 1:18). This scripture really hit home to me today.  Particularly “increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”   News is something that is intended to keep us informed on happenings here and around the world.  I tend to read the news on my News App on my phone.  I’m not big on listening to snippets of news in video form, I simply prefer to read.  It’s quieter too. I find as I’m reading news stories, I constantly have to have the filter on, determining what point of view the news article is being written from and whether the news is real news or simply opinion.  It can be...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 14:28-15:31, Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, Daniel 2:1-18, Ephesians 3 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2014%3A28-15%3A31%2C%20Ecclesiastes%201%3A1-11%2C%20Daniel%202%3A1-18%2C%20Ephesians%203&version=NASB1995 Resistance is Futile Have you ever wondered?  I have!  What’s the point of it all?  Those thoughts are quite depressing. As I’ve reached my mid 60s I find time turns faster and faster.  It seems just a few days back I was realizing we had reached the summer solstice and that just seemed a few days after Christmas.  Now we’re in the middle of September and almost halfway to the winter solstice.   Everything cycles.  The earth rotates daily and reveals night and day, the moon rotates once every 27.3 days and cycles through its phases every 29.5 days.  The earth, with its moon, cycles around the sun every 365 ¼ days.  It goes on and on.   Seasons change, water cycles ...

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings 13:14-14:27, Proverbs 31:22-31, Daniel 1, Ephesians 2 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2013%3A14-14%3A27%2C%20Proverbs%2031%3A22-31%2C%20Daniel%201%2C%20Ephesians%202&version=NASB1995 Don’t Get Lost in the Weeds For the last month or so, Sylvia and I have been reading a book called Doctrines that Divide by Erwin Lutzer.  Erwin outlines the history of the Christian church and where different doctrines have contributed to the reformation of the church and then have driven the church to split into many denominations.  We are coming close to the end of the book now and we are seeing how the author is starting to show his true colours and is revealing his stand as a Calvinist.  I’ve mentioned in the last week or so that a Calvinist, in very simplistic terms, emphasizes God’s sovereignty and predestination, while Arminianism, which I tend to agree with, emphasizes God’s grace and our ability to respond to Him....

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year) 2 Kings  12:4-13:13, Proverbs 31:10-21, Ezekiel 48:30-35, Ephesians 1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%20%2012%3A4-13%3A13%2C%20Proverbs%2031%3A10-21%2C%20Ezekiel%2048%3A30-35%2C%20Ephesians%201&version=NASB1995 Behind Every Excellent Woman As I was reading from Proverbs today I was quite impressed by the description of the “excellent wife.”  We did not even read the whole section of the excellent wife but here are some of the things it describes.  I should note that this is my interpretation and not a quote of Proverbs.  If you want the words from Proverbs, go back and read it  🙂: More valuable than jewels She’s trustworthy The husband only gains from being married to her She does only good for her husband She shops, in fact going great distances to get what is needed She works  She wakes up early to provide food for her household She is a business woman She is strong She works late She gives to ...