Author: James Hogan

Behold the Lamb of God

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So I’ve been enjoying reading the book of John of late. Always a pleasure when it comes time to read that again. And today, found myself reading the three epic chapters(but really, aren’t they all?) of John 4, 5 & 6. So many things could I say (Jesus proclaiming Himself to the woman at the well! Jesus healing the man who had been waiting 38 years – “pick up your pallet and walk!”), but since John 6 is the last chapter I read, thought I’d just make a couple comments on a few items that encouraged me deeply. Firstly, Jesus had just provided a bountiful feast for the thousands of people that had flocked to Him for his healing. Because of this great sign which Jesus had performed, the people decided that Jesus really was something special and they for some reason thought it’d be a good idea to make Jesus king (by force if necessary!). Jesus – knowing that this was a terrible idea, and indeed that His time had not yet come – went up the mountainside to be by Himself, at which time I have no doubt He prayed to His Father. The disciples apparently had no idea when Jesus was going to come down, so they got in a boat and started across the sea. The wind was terrible, they were rowing for miles and then finally…they saw Jesus. Walking. On the sea. Reasonably so, they were frightened. But Jesus reassured them – “It is I; do not be afraid.” And so they were willing to receive Him into the boat and Jesus brought the boat to where they needed to be. No more rowing required! I suppose this is a well-known story, but I just want to make a couple quick points. The disciples were on their own(as they thought) and not having a great time of it. Just as we often are in the midst of turbulent and miserable circumstances and think that we’re alone and think that Jesus is nowhere near. We may think that there’s no way Jesus could be near or with us(maybe intellectually we know this is not true…but emotionally and spiritually…we feel alone. Yes?) Yet, no matter where we are – Jesus has absolutely no probably getting to us. Being near us. But what is the disciples’ first response to seeing Jesus on the waves? Fear! Just so with us – sometimes when God reaches out to us when we’re in the midst of our mess, we are afraid as well. It may be for different reasons (not just because we see God walking on the water!) We are afraid for Jesus to see us at our worst. We are afraid that Jesus is too holy and we know we are too unholy. We are afraid that Jesus is disappointed in us. We are afraid that Jesus won’t really be able to help us. We are afraid looking into the face of God. But Jesus reassures us. “It is I; do not be afraid.” As we know who Jesus truly is – His character, His divine nature, His love…for us! – so that should assuage our fear and reassure us that the nearness of Jesus is indeed our good. Jesus’ communion with us – via ministry of the Holy Spirit! – is indeed a very balm to our wounded souls. And so it says the disciples willingly received Him into their boat. So let us not push back against the ministry of God in our lives – let us receive Him, welcome Him, cry out to Him, love Him. Be willing – nay, be eager! – for Christ to work in our lives. And what great things will He not do?? Just as He miraculously brought the boat to where they needed to be…so God will do wonderful things in our lives. Far more wonderful than we can even conceive. True? May it be so.

Humorous interlude. I do like that the next morning, all the crowds of people are still looking for Jesus and they note that the one boat is still there and the disciples had used the other boat (guess there were only 2 boats there originally?)…and they still couldn’t find Jesus anywhere!! They’re hunting all over and finally they find Jesus across the sea. They are most confused. Wait a second…how did Jesus get here when he most certainly didn’t use a boat?? It’s fun to picture their puzzlement. They probably didn’t consider the fact that Jesus doesn’t exactly need a boat. The Son of God truly rules the wind and the waves and He will walk where He will. No boats required.

Briefly…another few thoughts that encouraged me. The rest of John 6, Jesus challenges the Jews greatly. They bring up Moses and the manna in the wilderness and ask Jesus if He will perform such signs (even though He already did…I guess they want more signs? More food!) and Jesus doesn’t hold back from speaking truth to this crowd that seems to be seeking Him. He tells them that He Himself is the true bread of God that comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world. And that only those who believe in Him will have eternal life. There’s a lot of back and forth and I don’t have time to get into it now, but Jesus doesn’t package this into a nice easily digestible message. No, He makes it difficult. He makes it weird. And just when they start to complain about Him coming out of heaven (“We know you come from Joseph and Mary!”), he challenges them further, while also proclaiming the truth that no one can come to Christ but those in whom the Father works. What hard words are these. Those who ate the manna in the wilderness, what happened to them? They died in rebellion in the desert. That manna did them no good whatsoever. But as for the true bread of life, Christ Himself? Come to Him, believe in Him for your salvation, cry out to Him for your life…eat His flesh and drink His blood (oh what a beautiful picture of communion with God this is!)…and you shall abide in Christ and Christ shall abide in you. You will truly live forever.

Again though, these were weird words. And Jesus didn’t make them necessarily all that palatable. And so many of His disciples (those who had been following Him! Those who thought they liked Jesus!) just couldn’t take it. When they thought Christ was just a prophet or just a rabbi or just a good man…they were very willing to follow Him and be a part of His group. Now though? To trust that Christ is the only source of eternal life and to completely and totally believe in Him for salvation? Too much. So many of them “withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” Submitting yourself to God isn’t about going to church or being part of a fun social group. It’s completely and totally surrendering to the God of the universe, believing what God says about Himself and trusting in Him and Him alone for your salvation. This isn’t a fun and easy way of life. But it is true life. And the gorgeous words which wrap up this chapter…Jesus asks the twelve disciples if they want to go away too. How does Simon Peter answer?

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Let those be our words. To whom else shall we go indeed? There is no one other. There is nothing else that can satisfy. Never, no never. To whom shall we go? Christ Jesus is the Holy One of God, and our true hope of salvation.

These are a lot of random words today, so don’t take my words for true interpretation of these texts. Just some musings on what I read today and thoughts that came to my head. Indeed, through the reading of the Scripture does the Holy Spirit comfort our souls.

Stamp out All the Fires, let Not a Spark escape

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Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
You whose garments are hot,
When the land is still because of the south wind?
Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,
Strong as a molten mirror?
Teach us what we shall say to Him;
We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.
Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
But the wind has passed and cleared them.
Out of the north comes golden splendour;
Around God is awesome majesty.
The Almighty – we cannot find Him;
He is exalted in power
And He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.
Therefore men fear Him;
He does not regard any who are wise of heart.
-Job 37:14-24

Dawn Beckons

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A wonderfully cold morning. Oh how much I relish this winter season! I walked outside my door this morning into the chill air, delightedly seeing my breath steam strong through the dark of early morning. As I drove down the interstate, listened to one of my more recent mixes, one I heartily enjoy – Clarissa. Have I posted that tracklist yet? Probably not – I fear I am dreadfully behind! I’ll share at some point. Now at my office, soon to start work. But first, enjoying a cup of hot honey-sweetened coffee as my thoughts wander and roam.

Stars Bleed Through that Velvet Black

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45. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. Finally decided to get back into Narnia, since I’d read the first four books earlier this year(my favourite four!). Really did need to finish the series though – and I’m glad I did. I was reminded that even the lesser Lewis works are far greater and more worthwhile than the vast majority of the other books floating about. This book is an interesting one – set during the reign of the High kings and queens (Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy)…but in an entirely different area of the world. We get a glimpse at Calormen – a not altogether nice place, by many accounts – and we meet some fun new characters(I love Aravis! And Bree!). A joy to read.

46. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. Yes, this is the proper place for reading this book. 6 out of 7. Some people may differ with me – “but, but…chronologically it comes first!!” I most certainly don’t care. Please never read this book first in the series, because then the magic and the wonder that comes with reading Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe is much diminished. I think reading it right before the last book makes sense for various reasons (not the least of which is the fact that this is the sequence in which the book was published!). Why am I harping on this so? Because I do think that if you plan to read the Narnia series (which I highly recommend!!), most of the complete sets out there nowadays number the books in chronological order, which makes this book the first book in the series. Hence a new reader would assume (rightfully so) that he or she must begin with Magician’s Nephew. So I’m doing my part to forestall that grave error. I do remember many years ago…I’d read most of the Narnia books at various times (I’m not quite sure where, as we never owned them growing up) but for some reason I never knew Magician’s Nephew existed. So one day was at a friend’s house…and discovered this book. I apparently had a spare few hours and I profitably spent them reading this book. And I was enthralled. I knew the rest of the books, I had enjoyed reading about Narnia. And then this book…this is where it all began!! The mythical notes of this book sound strong and I could not help but be quickly drawn into the story of Digory and Polly and how Narnia began (or rather…was created!). The almost sci-fi like elements of the green and yellow rings and the portal world (…er…World between the Woods!) and the dying world with a dying sun tickled my fancy and once I was swept up in the story…the creation of Narnia begins. A wonderful, beautiful book. (But please read it sixth in the series)

47. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. Never my favourite of the Narnia books. Sometimes I joke that it may be my least favourite!! Part of the reason for that may be the fact that I do believe it’s not the best written of the Narnia books…the plot is a bit unbelievable at times (Narnia somehow gets co-opted by an ape and about thirty men from Calormen? Really??)…and it’s not really a fun read for the majority. The false Aslan bit, the fall of Narnia, etc. But embedded in this book are a lot of very good thoughts. The presence of a immoral, cruel, false Aslan gives rise to the belief that there is no true Aslan at all and even causes doubt and fear in the minds of the heroes of the story. The devil is the father of lies and truly he loves to twist and murder the truth, especially the truth of Christ. Unbelief is also something that we may think is a form of freedom, but unbelief very quickly turns into chains of the darkest slavery, something we can’t escape even if we wanted to (and we don’t want to). The imagery of the dwarves sitting in the stable in darkness and not seeing the true, beautiful reality – what is so obvious to those who have eyes to see. But these dwarves shut their eyes and shut their ears and believe not, for their foolish eyes are indeed darkened. So…yes, I don’t think this book is the best, but it has some good bits. And I shan’t even describe the end of the book, for I can most certainly not do it justice. But any book that brings me to tears on the last page…I can’t deny the power of the most glorious truth that Lewis is so poignantly holding a candle to.

The Chorus of the Heavens and the Sea

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I hesitate to write too many words now, as much as I would like to. But this is the kind of afternoon where I crave to end it by reading my book on this couch, cosy and warm inside as the cold wind dances down the pavement outside. And see, already I start at the end rather than at the beginning as is proper. Clearly I am in more of a hazy dream-lit mood than in the correct frame of mind for writing coherent thoughts. But pardon me if I spill but a few words out upon the page nevertheless.

I really should be logging a few of my latest reads (as I am now three books behind! knocked out the rest of Narnia this past week), but I can do that later, I suppose. Right now, I am just at peace in the Lord, and I am ever so grateful. It’s been a very busy last few weeks and I have been tired and frazzled, my energy seeping away ever more noticeably as I’ve progressed through these last weeks. But now – even though I’m congested and have a cold! – I finally am at a point where I can rest. And I am ever so grateful to my God for that. This day I was able to worship at church – which of course was a refreshment to my soul. And then following…a little bit of shopping at the store and a little bit of lunch (a great leftover lunch! 2 slices of pizza, a piece of cornbread and a bowl of salad!).

Now this past hour, I decided I couldn’t sit inside any longer. The chill air called my name. So out for a walk I went. Glorious mid-40s temperature. Weather in which it is appropriate for me to wear both my turtleneck and wool coat! And so my feet trod the streets around my neighborhood – up to 11th, over to Studemont, stopped for a quick coffee at Red, then back down to White Oak and over to home. But I fear I bore you. Because obviously the route of my walk signifies nothing to no one but myself!

(interlude for the laundry – I had to step away for a moment to get my clothes in the one operational dryer we have…as all afternoon, I keep missing my chance. Not again!!)

Now where was I? Ah, describing the afternoon and my walk. Well, there is not much to say. I have been finding moments of pure joy lately as I’ve walked around my neighborhood. Why is that? Well, to put it in words is something I fear I can’t do, as I attempt to write random snippets of poetry and they are all turning out to be uniformly terrible. I have an odd soul, I’m afraid. So what brings joy to me is something that I can’t describe to you without the strong possibility of eye rolls and other such reactions. I adore the grey sky on a cold winter day. The kind of grey sky that sits as a blanket over (or underneath!?) the heavens and promises so much more than it reveals. The sky is not uniformly grey, no of course not. That would be quite boring and indeed depressing. But this is the kind of sky that admits no blue whatsoever. It is a well-cloaked sky indeed. But in various spots, there are hints of that radiance of light. The sky pulses with vibrant gradations of colour and hums with glories unimaginable. They are not all seen. But the light is hinted at. Strongly. And so I walk underneath the beautiful blanket of cloud that holds the heavens at bay. The bare-branched trees wave slightly in the breezes. They are bare now, but not always. More glories not seen. But coming soon. Leaves flutter down the street in strong alignment with the wind that courses along in such reckless fashion. And the pavement continues to move backwards underneath my feet. The sky of curious grey, bare branches of wistful trees, and the winds of winter that dance just so. My heart throbs in fierce affection for these things. See now? I told you I was strange. But it is rather nice to be walking underneath the heavens and look to the skies and look to the earth and see such beauty. It is quite pleasing to feel the cool touch of winter upon my cheeks and pull my coat a little closer. It is in moments like these that my mind is agape that I should feel in concert with the heavens and with the earth and with the seas and with the stars – in worship of the One who made us all. A leaf slowly flutters to the grass, for a moment hanging weightlessly in the wind. The sky darkens with the coming of the night. The star song approaches. It is moments like these that my soul sings.

Dawn Waits

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Another morning, another logging of the books. Well, actually only one book this time! Just finished it this morning, so thought I’d write a few words while my thoughts are fresh…

44. A Sad Departure by David J. Randall. This book was both depressing and encouraging at the same time. How can that be? This small book, published in 2015, is subtitled “Why we could not stay in the Church of Scotland”. And this book resonates deeply with me because of the fact that it is a historical account of something that I was very much a part of. A controversy arose in the Church of Scotland in 2009 when it was deemed acceptable that a man living with another man and practicing homosexual sin should be inducted as a minister of the Church of Scotland. For the next few years, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland discoursed and debated and defined a trajectory upon where it would be acceptable that practicing homosexual ministers should lead churches. This book was a concise and darkly fascinating look at how this happened and the response of those who believe that the Word of God is a higher authority than any denominational structure. At the end of the day, that is really the question. Rather than a question of a particular sin…from where do we get our authority? From the cultural mores of the world or from the very Word of God? To what or whom do we owe our honour and allegiance? This fallen world we live in or very God Himself? There is a very telling phrase that was actually spoken in one of the General Assembly meetings – in May of 2011, I believe. It was acknowledged and agreed upon by all that the Bible only speaks of homosexual practices in a negative and condemnatory way. But, as was stated on the floor of the General Assembly, “…we now know better” than the Bible. When the foundation is allowed to crumble – nay, when the foundation is attacked with C4 charges! – the degradation of the house is surely not far behind. So this tragic decision by the Church of Scotland led many churches and ministers to decide that they could not in good conscience remain part of a denomination that valued the praise of man above that of God. Many churches left, many pastors left. And my church – Gilcomston – was one of them. This is part of the reason why this book was one I knew I had to read. I was a part of Gilcomston South Church of Scotland from the years 2010-2013, during the heart of this controversy. I knew the basics of what was going on, but as I read this book, I realized that there were a lot of details that I had no idea of. It was even worse than I thought at the time! And this book was full of names and places that I remember hearing Pastor Dominic talk about and ask for prayer for, as these various churches submitted to God even in the midst of persecutions and troubles. And my own church made our decision sometime in 2012 that we also would not remain part of the church of Scotland. As a member of Gilc, I cast my vote along with the rest – and it was almost unanimously that our congregation voted to leave the Church of Scotland and form a new congregation. And so we did. I still remember the abuse that our church (and specifically Pastor Dominic and his family) received in the papers and media for this decision. I probably didn’t fully appreciate at the time the weight they were under. I probably didn’t fully understand the attacks of Satan that were aimed at Dominic and his family and our church. But God strengthened us mightily and enabled us to carry out the decision that was made. We indeed left the Church of Scotland. And so I’ll do something I don’t normally do and link back to a post that I wrote the day we worshiped together as an independent church for the first time, on March 10th, 2013. Click here for my words on that day. Now to get back to this book. It is a small book, but it is a good history that was written very shortly after the events for which it speaks, which is always useful. Many years from now, memories dim and accounts of this may be muddled. So this work by Randall is surely important for the look it gives into the mindset and spirit of various ministers and congregations. This book depressed me because of the apostasy and feeble-mindedness of the Church of Scotland. This book encouraged and uplifted me because I am reminded that there is yet a remnant that God preserves. There are even yet faithful believers in the Church of Scotland – never let it be said that I am condemning those who remain within. But I am encouraged that God has empowered various churches to take a stand for the truth and authority of God’s Word. May we be ever faithful to the Word of God. May we be ever obedient to our God. May we humble ourselves continually under God’s mighty hand. And He surely will lift us up – at the last day, if not sooner. To God be all glory, now and forever. Amen.

Waves Crashing Upon the Seaside

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Happy Wednesday, one and all! It is a Wednesday which is also kinda a Monday…as this is my first day back at work following a nice long Thanksgiving holiday. So I sit here at my desk, peppermint mocha to warm me this fine cold morning. And although I could write all about my holiday in Florida with the fam, I fear I do not have the time at the moment. So…let’s catch up on book logging, shall we?

41. Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford. A classic sci-fi novel. Apparently I am still very much in a science fiction mood…and my appetite for old sci-fi has been most thoroughly whetted by the last few books I’ve read. This book, published in 1972, actually reads almost more like a 50s’/60s’ sci-fi novel, which for me is not a bad thing! I apparently liked this book enough that I’ve now ordered the second book in the series. I shan’t describe the plot of the book, but like a lot of older sci-fi books, the characters aren’t necessarily well-formed but…I shall say that the cypher-like nature of the main character actually enhances both the stunning wonder and pulse-racing danger of the cosmos. The descriptions of space-flight in this novel were both highly original and utterly gorgeous. The main spacecraft in this one…so lovingly described that I could almost imagine the author was a space-pilot himself. And this book moved right along…I read it in just a few days? Not a masterpiece this, but a very serviceable enjoyable read. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

42. Triplanetary by E.E. Smith. Speaking of classic sci-fi…this novel was originally published in serialized form in…wait for it…1934! So back we go! My paperback version I picked up was a 1949 version. Still four years before Dad was born!! This is another book that isn’t a masterpiece, but still highly enjoyable, partly just for getting a window into the 1930s mindset! This book has a lot of great action pieces that are a bit ridiculous but…hey, it’s still good old fashioned fun. You can tell when it was written because one of the most deadly weapons in the book (used twice) is a type of nerve gas (still very much on the minds of people back in the post Great War days). The dialogue in this book is fantastic…mostly because it’s really not how people talk today, but it tickled my imagination to have all these futuristic characters using 1930s American slang! Love it. I haven’t yet decided if I will get any more books in this series, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. A good book to read on the airplane as I flew to Tampa a few weeks ago…

43. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Finally a modern book. Published in 2014, this is definitely not a classic science fiction novel. Actually, it’s not really a science fiction novel at all. A few weeks ago, I told Meagan I needed to find more sci-fi novels and she was gracious enough to lend me this. (Thanks Meagan!) But I discovered soon upon reading this that it is much more of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic future genre than sci-fi. But no matter that, it was a gorgeous read. I read this in…I think a day? My first few days in Tampa, wasn’t feeling great, so spent a lot of time on the couch reading. And this book made it all ok. The highly literary style of this book tended to sometimes overwhelm the actual plot of the story…but honestly I was alright with that. It was incredibly fascinating to read about the fall of a civilization through the eyes of several characters that were all connected to each other in some way. The character tying all the other characters isn’t even alive for the main plot, but his shadow looms large over the rest. The flashback scenes were some of my favourites and the character of Miranda, the author and artist of the titular “Station Eleven” comics, was most definitely my favourite character. The dinner scene with her and Arthur and others…so vivid I can even now see it in my mind. Honestly, the main plot wasn’t even as fascinating to me as just finding out more about the history of the characters and seeing how everything tied together. The main villain? I figured out who he was fairly early on, and while tragic, he didn’t amount to as much of a menace as I was anticipating. Again though, loved the characterization of Miranda…loved reading about her great work – “Station Eleven”. The short bits of the novel describing those starlit seascapes were some of my favorites. Final verdict? Can’t unreservedly recommend, as it definitely is a bit of a depressing read (post-apocalyptic fun!). But I sometimes enjoy those works tinged with melancholy and regret, so I was perfectly alright with it. I can still picture the glittering snow falling down upon the fallen King Lear, that fallen Arthur Leander.

That Arrogant, Ignorant Cadre of Youth

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Hello friends!! Thought I’d write for a minute this calm Saturday evening…been a lovely day (hanging out with my friend Marina in downtown Tampa…lovely time of good conversations in the riverside breezes…) and then this evening has been a splendid time with the family…dinner of Best New York pizza and then watching the rest of Captain America with the family (been introducing Mom & Dad to Marvel movies…Dad rather liked Iron Man and I think Mom is a fan of Cap!). Now Maryanne and Laura and Mom are watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie…and I may be sneaking a peek every now and again myself as I write this. So classic. Dad is prepping for message tomorrow…and I suppose I will sit down myself and watch the rest of this episode.

Very thankful for the goodness of the Lord in all things.

A Moment of Thanks, nay – a Festival of Thanksgiving

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So it is about half two this Thanksgiving afternoon. And I sit here in the family room at the computer, tapping away on this keyboard for a bare few minutes that I have free. Maryanne is strumming away on the ukulele and Laura is on the couch attempting to not feel sick(sad day!), Caisson is finishing up the mashed potatoes while Dad decides that the stuffing is most definitely at the right level of done-ness…and Mom is resting for a moment after she’s done most of the work prepping the simply lovely-looking dining room. For the moment of the Thanksgiving feast is almost at hand…Steve and Vickie and Ted and Norraine should be walking through our door at any moment and then an afternoon of far too much delicious food and even more abundant conversations of love and laughter awaits…and the pervading mercies of the Lord thrill our souls.

Have a most lovely day of Thanksgiving, my dear friends. My heart is full of gratitude for you all. My heart is full of that peace which surpasses all comprehension. Bless the Lord, O my soul.