Category Archives: On Faith

Apologetics, Theology, and Exposition

Still a Long Way Off

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Mark

This phrase from Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son pierced my heart with hope. We are told in Luke 15:20, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran … Continue reading →

Posted in Fathers and Sons, On Faith | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rhizomatic Faith

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Mark

I fell in love with milkweeds in Kansas City. About a dozen species can be found in the fields and ditches. The bright orange of the butterfly-weed flashed like a neon light in a sea of prairie, but my delight … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, nature, On Faith | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rain, Seeds, and Prayer

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Mark

You see the rain differently when you have seeds in the ground. The springs rains here in Myrtle Point are different than those in the Midwest. Here the rains can last all day, sometimes for several days. Lumpy gray clouds … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, On Faith | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Praying Large

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Mark

In a crisis our world contracts. I can best compare this to a time I almost passed out. I had just gotten over a cold and decided to hit the weight room for a hard work-out. I had been sitting … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Weak Things

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Mark

Sometimes I hate being a Christian. I grew up on Tarzan, Robin Hood, and Zorro, men of action stories. Bad guys were, well, bad and always got what is coming to them. Heroes did stuff and were men of few … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Loving Smeagol–and Addicts

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Mark

Odd, as it may seem, reading J. R. R. Tolkien has helped me love meth addicts—of which there are many in Myrtle Point. Tom Shippey’s book, J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, argues that Tolkien’s Lord of the … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith, Tolkien, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lauren Daigle, Mushroom-pickers, and Church as Staging Area

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Mark

Recently I was listening to Lauren Daigle’s song “Rescue” on the radio (K-Light). As can happen with radio, her beautiful song was juxtaposed with news of the ongoing search for a lost mushroom picker. On the southern coast of Oregon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, On Faith | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Nietzsche, Tom Bombadil and the Stronger Song.

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Mark

Friedrich Nietzsche famously said of the church: “They would have to sing better songs to make me believe in their Redeemer.” Although wrong about much, Nietzsche is right about framing belief and salvation as contest of songs. J.R.R. Tolkien also … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith, Tolkien | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Pajamas!”–A Hobbit Battle Cry

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Mark

Of course, the actual battle cry of hobbits was “The Shire!” This cry, like “pajamas,” does not summon visions of military or urban grandeur. The memory of fat cabbages in well-tended gardens and fat hobbits in cozy holes are what … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith, Tolkien, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

More Than One Angel

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Mark

Despair. I don’t despair in God, but I am sometimes shattered by despair for those I love. Free-will is alternately exhilarating and terrifying. Of course, Christians have been divided over free-will and salvation. Some take comfort in the idea that … Continue reading →

Posted in On Faith | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment