Finding Your Soul by David Anderson
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Noah
was undoubtedly bored. Ever since humans took to the waves, ennui has been aboard. Like war, life at sea can be “interminable boredom punctuated by moments of terror.” In the psychological doldrums, sailors carved scrimshaw, made up sea shanties, sang them over and over, played cards, drank beer and rum. Noah’s voyage was worse for…
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Cain
was a wilderness wanderer, exiled for the sin of murdering his brother Abel. But—did he wander with a dog by his side? Cain, frightened at the prospect of being alone and vulnerable, cries out to God, “My punishment is more than I can bear . . . . Whoever finds me will kill me” (Gen.…
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Hagar
is the wild card in God’s plan of universal salvation. When her mistress Sarah cannot conceive, Sarah gives her slave to have sex with Abraham (Gen. 16). Like a lot of poor women, Hagar is just given like a piece of property; her body is not her own. She gets pregnant, bears Ishmael, and Sarah…
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Jesus
begins the Lenten journey—every year—by heading out to the wilderness and taking us along (Mark 1:9-15). The wilderness is often portrayed as an ominous and threatening place—avoid it at all costs. But what if it has a word for us, a message from God? Because the Exodus sojourn in the wilderness became the single most…
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“Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds
On Saturdays our companions are musicians. Every Saturday is Music day in the series, and for these “Stories of Turning,” there seemed no better song than the classic, “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds. Watch and listen below. Then check out the brief notes and commentary just below the YouTube recording. I always thought “Turn,…
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Lot’s Wife
is perhaps the Bible’s most famous turner. God was about to destroy the city of Sodom, her hometown, and despite being warned to leave and not look back, she did (Gen. 19). She couldn’t help herself. I have a hard time condemning Mrs. Lot since I would have done the same thing. I’m with that…
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Two Unnamed Boys
in a parable of Jesus became my brother and me. There once was a father, Jesus said, with two sons. He says to the first, “Go and work in the vineyard today.” The first boy says, “I will not.” But later, he changes his mind. He grabs his pruning hook. To the same question, the…
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Peter
knew how to turn. That’s why he is a model for us on Ash Wednesday, a day that calls us to turn in a new direction. I mean Peter’s famous vision of a sheet descending from heaven filled with all the animals he was—by law—forbidden to eat (Acts 10: 1-48). A voice from heaven says,…
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Dreams Too Big To Manage
On Friday night we checked into a hotel in Philadelphia. We had tickets to a play and decided to make a weekend of it. The next morning I opened the drapes. There, across the street, stood the Museum of the American Revolution. Let’s go! I said. The exhibits, enlivened by Hollywood-quality videos, were dramatic and…