One of the standard texts that I've heard most of my life in support of "spiritual worship" is Psalm 51:16-17. In my younger years I remember this primarily as a text used against the "physical worship" of the Roman Catholic Mass. For in sacrifice you take no delight,burnt offerings from me you would refuse,my sacrifice, …
Continue reading The Blood of Bulls and Goats, a Cup of Coffee, and the Renewal of My Inmost Being
Brenda and I went to a soccer game today. Being a boarding school, all the parents and friends of the kids live a long way away. Besides, it was frigid today. (About 50° and very damp at game time -- brrr!!!! -- [I know, but it's best to play along with the locals when it …
Here's a most remarkable couple of verses from James 2:12-13 that had not caught my attention before. "So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." The translation (paraphrase?) that …
A word of explanation is in order as to precisely what I meant in this essay about the Feast of Circumcision when Mary and Joseph named Jesus. The sentence in question is, God gave Adam authority to name the creatures he (that is, God) created. That in itself is remarkable. But for God to then …
Today Vang Pao, leader of the Hmong people in America for a generation, died in Fresno, California. General Pao was probably one of the most important figures in the Vietnam War and was certainly a hero for the Americans. As cultural leader of the Hmong, he was, and continues to be, a great hero for …
Here's a thought that has crossed my mind a number of times today, January 6 (which is Theophany). But first, a reminder that the Orthodox Feast of Theophany is about how the Trinity is revealed at Jesus' baptism. (Theophany literally means "the revealing of God.") The Trinity is revealed, according to Orthodox theology, not in …
... well, Chris Ferrrara knew, because that's where I discovered this little oddity on my way to finding something else. Did you know that according to British Common Law, money deposited in a bank is not your money? A bank deposit is not a "bailment" (an entrustment of your property to the bank for safekeeping) …
Last night Brenda walked through the room and asked me who was playing. Trying to answer the "What does TCU stand for?" question before it was asked, I said Texas Christian was beating Wisconsin. A half hour later I'm watching the sports desk chatter between games and it occurs to me that I don't ever …
Today, Jan 1, is eight days after Christmas, and is therefore, according to Luke 2:21, the day Jesus was received into the Covenant (ie, circumcised) and received his name. This brings to mind one of my favorite hymns, "At the Name of Jesus," by Caroline Maria Noel. It is typically associated with the great hymn …
Just Another Jim 