Category Archives: On Faith

Apologetics, Theology, and Exposition

Key, Pa!

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Mark

In the dialect of Ari, my three-year old grandson, “Key” is “Thank you.” I have no idea why, but Ari’s gratitude is often expressed with a sweet, “Key, Pa!” How much quiet joy his “Key, Pa!” gives me has been … Continue reading →

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He, However

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Mark

These first two words of Luke 8:54 have been echoing in my heart and challenging my mind for several weeks. These words come at the end of the story of Jairus and his sick 12-year-old daughter—his only child. Jairus was … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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