Galilean Fisherman

  Where is God in a Coronavirus World? ( Inspired by Dr. John Lennox )            There is a philosophical question centered around the presence of evil in the world. It is called the theodicy question. It goes like this: Because evil exists in our world, we ask:                     a. Does God love us enough to prevent evil but does not have power to prevent it?                     b. Does God have the power to prevent evil but God does not love us enough?           There are two types of evil: natural and moral. Moral evil is what humans do to each other; acts of hate, violence, terrorism, murder, etc. Natural evil – which may be confused with moral evil – arises from natural disasters and diseases.           The coronavirus seems more like an apocalyptic movie than real life. It has caused us to become isolated, cut off from friends and family. It has disrupted the stable world we had grown used to. Cities – and even countries – have been locked down. The closing of border

            At the very heart of Christianity, is the concept of forgiveness. Forgiveness for ourselves, forgiveness of others, and forgiveness of ourselves.           We are aware that God forgives if we are willing to repent – change – and ask for forgiveness. It is hard for us to understand how God does this. It is like God erases the tape that contains whatever we are asking to be forgiven. It simply ceases to exist.           The reason that is so difficult for us to understand is because it is so hard for us to forgive others. Betrayal hurts too deeply to be forgotten. Slander causes us to thirst for justice. Physical harm, theft, the list is long, all these are hard for us to forgive.           Yet, we often pray the Lord’s Prayer, saying the words “. . . forgive us as we forgive others . . .”           A very wise spiritual director once wanted to teach a student about forgiveness. The student was instructed to place a 5 lb. sack of potatoes in her backpack and carry th

  EMPTY HOUSES           OK, I’ll admit it. I am uncomfortable with empty houses.           I grew up in a very small town. At the corner of our street, there was an empty house. I would literally cross the street – or take a shortcut through a neighbor’s yard – to avoid that house. It just wasn’t right. People live in houses. Why would one stand empty?           As an adult, empty houses no longer make me uncomfortable. I recognize that we live in a mobile society and people move from time to time for differing reasons. Some houses will sit empty for a period of time.           Abandoned houses. Now that’s a whole different circumstance.           More and more you see them along the backroads in Arkansas – and in cities. Houses that have lost their owners. Houses sitting vacant. Houses needing paint and repair. Houses that lean to one side. Houses that are, well, abandoned.           Each one tells a story. And in my imagination, each one tells a sad story. A death in t

  The Blahs             Yeah, it happens to all of us. We find ourselves caught in the wasteland between depression and joy. It seems like winter, lack of sunshine, Covid restrictions, news of riots, blah, blah, blah, all piles up and everything turns gray.           Psychology Today defines it as: “ “ Lack of  motivation  and interest. Low libido. Feeling bored. Feeling tired. Withdrawing from others. Feeling negative about yourself — how you look, your sense of the future, feeling stuck. Negative about others — pet peeves rising up, feeling critical and sensitive. Life is gray.           We weren’t the first to fell this way, either.  Solomon (the Bible says he is “ Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem ” said this at the very beginning of Ecclesiastes: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."           A more severe feeling in the midst of winter is SAD – seasonal affective disorder. But that