Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

I serve a humble God. It seems kind of strange that a God could be humble especially when so many people misunderstand Him and label Him as either an egoist in the highest order or even rather insecure. But as I read the Bible, and seek to really understand it, I find that God is rather humble and, in imitation of Him, I need to be humble as well. Christianity has, at its core, the humiliation of its God. This is a truth that is trotted out at Christmas and Easter (especially), but it needn't be relegated to those holidays on the church calendar. If I carefully read the Scriptures I see this from Genesis 1 straight through Revelation as it is something that sets my God, the true God, apart from any other. He is patient, meek (power under control) and gentle of heart and in Him I find rest - not a hint cruelty or pride.  I also find in Him the desire to discipline me and orient at least a some of His activities towards my well-being. That He would even pay attention to me is s...

I was uploading a bunch of pictures to Flickr today and came across some pictures of miscellaneous stuff in our garage that we have sold on Craigslist. It all went - not a single thing was left and I received my asking price on all but one of the items. That I got my asking price on just about everything is completely strange because, as far as I know, I have not paid the asking price on any item off of Craigslist. At any rate, this is just another example to me of the golden age of information and connectivity that we are living in. After picking up a nice used bike for my oldest son I recalled a story to my boys about a used bike that my dad purchased for me. We were on our way back from visiting my relatives down in Wayland, NY when we just happened to drive by a house with a decent enough used bike for sale. My dad got it for me, we loaded it in the station wagon, and we were on our way again. It was a decent enough bike (just the good side past a piece of junk) and I rode it for...

I am reading a book called Apologetics to the Glory of God by Dr. John Frame and, as I read it, I am becoming more aware of the Creator-creature distinction that is at the core of my definition as a man. To say that there is a great gulf that stands between me and God is a misuse of the language. God is absolutely, wholly Other, and, thankfully, he draws near to me through the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. Yet, this gulf brings me peace. There is another that bothers me. The separation that bothers me is the one I choose. My sin hinders my relationship with Him as I assign myself another purpose that is in opposition to the one that I have been given. I call myself sovereign and king rather than giving Him that title. He is not One to take rivals lightly and, thanks be to God, He seeks to drive my sin far from me for the sake of His Name and for my great good. I thought last night about who we would be if we lived forever in our fallen state and it shook me. What if we ate of the ...