There are Caesar things & there are God things. The empire's money has Caesar's image. Give it to him. You, your identity, & your allegiance/worship are marked by God's image. Give them to him. A good, timely word from Pastor Barry Jones.
Field ed | Adjunct Professor OT/Bib Studies •PhD Biblical Studies DTS •PharmD UM〽️ Bib Hebrew & OT, intertextuality, covenants | Field ed/ministry formation. Former onc pharmacist 🇰🇷🇺🇸 "very Asian" 📖Remembering the Covenants in Song, 2019.
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There are Caesar things & there are God things. The empire's money has Caesar's image. Give it to him. You, your identity, & your allegiance/worship are marked by God's image. Give them to him. A good, timely word from Pastor Barry Jones.
As a pharmacist, I've dealt with enough people across a wide socio-cx/political spectrum to know that Americans generally trust their healthcare professionals. The only thing that erodes this trust is politics tied to conspiracy theories. It's irrational & harmful. We must push back.
Nice! And kudos on driving a manual. An underrated skill.
I love it! I hope she keeps that sense of humor and sass as she grows up.
Thanks! Not bad for a 10 year old car with over a 100k miles.
I love this. Nice keeping things real, lol.
Got the car fixed/mods done over the long weekend with decent weather for garage time in TX. Sore muscles, some bloody knuckles, and dirt under the nails that can't be cleaned, but also feeling satisfaction and a sense of rest. 🛠️🚗 #wrenchtime #S550Mustang
It's a little bit of a drag here when it's a hundred degrees, but when the weather is nice, turning wrenches and fixing stuff can be therapeutic.
How do I know I grew up poor? I see all these fun, nostalgia posts about classic toys, video games, electronics, & clothes. I realize I really didn't have the cool stuff, I just knew it was cool stuff. 😂😭 #GenX
There's some wisdom in resting with your mind if you work with your hands and resting with your hands if you work with your mind. In a stressful season of teaching and a busy work schedule, getting some car repairs done has left me with bloody knuckles & a sore body, but also a sense of rest.🛠️
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Yes, great note. It's a picture of stewardship among many valuable insights on hesed and righteousness.
Spot on.
I hope to. 🙂
Sermon thoughts on Ruth 2. Truly righteous character doesn't look to simply meet the letter of the law or do the bare minimum. Good isn't obligatory. The righteousness of God fulfills the law generously & mercifully in the details and scope of how we love (hesed) - this brings real flourishing.🌱
America is steeped in the idolatry of gun ownership, the idolatry of welding god-like power in our hands, the idolatry of creating our own little fortresses. These idolatries grow clearer with each mass shooting. So much to grieve, so much to be angry about. These evils are not inevitable.
It's discouraging to see some Xians seeking to justify anger, culture war stances, & condemnation toward others. Did Jesus have boundaries? Yes, and yet his example/teaching centers love, mercy, humility, grace, gentleness, kindness, and peace. Apostolic teaching reflects this.
"...the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace." -James 3:17–18 Note the fruit true wisdom produces. 2/2
Scripture speaks to our Xian cultural moment: "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings." - James 3:13 NET Godly wisdom and understanding are characterized by *action and gentleness* 🧵 1/
In a season full of challenges & hardships, Hanna has been and is my rock. She keeps things steady when I am wobbling. So thankful for her. Happy birthday to Hanna, truly a gift from the Lord. 💐🎁
Encouraged after this year's faculty workshop. Good to connect with colleagues & start a new year with focus. Challenging year ahead but thankful to be part of a good team. 🏫 📚 #perspective #seminarylife
In hard seasons, pausing to take in moments of beauty means more. 🌄 #sunsets #scenesfromawalk
Heard it here & there but wedgie was still the usual term in Michigan. Maybe Wisconsin?
To be conservative means that you value the preservation of certain institutions, values, beliefs, philosophies, etc. Being conservative is not a virtue unto itself. "Conserving" something that is toxic or harmful is actually wrong. We're in a crisis of uncritical thinking.
Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you, Mei.🙏🏼
I appreciate you, Matt. 🙏🏼
Thank you, Bob. I really appreciate that.
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Thanks, Dale. I appreciate you.
Struggling. There's so much going on in life - feels like I'm just trying to keep my head above water while waves keep breaking over me. Lord, I need you. 🌊
A nice moonrise greeted us as we finished our evening walk.🌕
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It's Donut Day 🍩 once again. I have a little tradition in which I bring in donuts on the last day of summer OT classes. It's a nice reward for taking a Hebrew intensive during the summer. Well done!📜📚 #seminarylife
There are two major crises regarding Christian Nationalism and American Christianity. Either churches/Christians are essentially Xian Nationalists but deny it, or they are in the CN movement and think it's a legitimate expression of Christian faith.
This is big for the Korean community in SoCal, but this will be cool for Koreans everywhere. Good move for Sonny - he'll do well in MLS and in LA. 🇰🇷⚽
Yes. It takes much more work than we have done to deal with all the infused meritocracy in Evangelical practice & culture.
For many modern Christians, one of the most detrimental dynamics is a reliance on meritocracy as a way of ordering social structures & institutions and explaining reality. It's especially harmful when seen as an impartial, objective force that is divinely approved. What is grace?
It's only science fiction until it happens. 🫣
A dawn-dusk diptych of today's eastern sky.🌄 #longday #TexasSkies
In the midst of a lot, it can be hard to celebrate special moments, but I am so thankful today for 31 years with @hk1won.bsky.social I love being part of a journey and a friendship beyond what I could have imagined. Happy anniversary! 💐
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This is the greatest thing I've seen in a while. Dying. 🤣💀 Thanks, @jbgraeber.bsky.social I needed this.
Love this shirt. Love that Pastor Michael Oyedokun takes youth on an annual tour of HBCUs so they can know and remember these important institutions.🏫🎓 #HBCUs #RespectedRememberedRelevant
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The church lives in tension between a Kingdom to come & this world where we live & move among the nations. Our loyalty to Christ must be primary - we are in the world, never of it. No worldly national or political agenda or identity can ever override who we are, what we do in Christ.
Law & order is not the same as justice. Law & order can be used to further an agenda, oppress a group, advantage others, and protect corruption. Justice is to insure that all wrongs are addressed with repair and restoration. They may coincide, but they are not the same.⚖️
Loved today's OT class. Enjoyed the topic, the students' engagement, and interest. Great group. I've also had a rich week of internship exit interviews. It's not either or for me. I love working with students in both field education and in OT studies. 📚📜🌱 #seminarylife #thankful
Philippians 2, the description of Jesus' character, and the call to love one another in humility is about as clear a teaching as there is in Scripture. Yet so many who claim the name of Christ fail to heed this call. 💔
And by a true blue Michigan man. 🙂
@jbgraeber.bsky.social ‼️☝🏼
A toxic effect of greed & materialism is the inability to be gracious and merciful as Jesus is. No matter how well some can pontificate about grace & mercy, they cannot fathom care & support for people who are not "worthy." They cannot let go of meritocracy.
This hit me hard. 💔
Had one of those days you just love as a teacher - students asking good questions, showing that they've grown in their knowledge and understanding, and striving to take what is learned and move toward serving the Lord and others well.📚📜🌱💚 #OTStudies #Hebrew #Seminarylife
Yes!
I had heard a Korean student had graduated from DTS in the 30s. I had wondered who this was and what his story was. Thanks to Autumn Yoo for this piece honoring Pastor Kim Seung Lak, (ThD class of 1931) and his legacy in Korean theological education. 🏫 voice.dts.edu/digitalartic...
Chris is an excellent NT scholar, a Johannine specialist. Glad he's doing work in Mark.
The Word series is a big deal. When Chris and I were back in seminary, I know young Chris would've been over the moon if he knew that he would one day author a volume in these familiar colors. Congratulations, my brother! Love seeing this.📚 #NTStudies #WordSeries
No. Sorry, he and I were classmates in seminary and his younger self would've been so excited if he knew that he would eventually write in this series.
You don't have to be apologetic or qualify things if you cried during Superman. There were some beautiful, human, hopeful moments and tears are just fine. Soft hearts are not a sign of weakness. #LookUp
Excellent description of agape: Love is the unconditional commitment to seek the good of the other, even at personal cost. Today, one way to love is to lay aside our schedules & agendas. Love others in the interruptions. Good, timely word today. Thank you, Barry Jones.
James Gunn gets the source material and handles it well. He knows his comicbook source materials & lore. This Superman is faithful to the spirit of the comicbook Supes and the movie captures the comicbook visuals/action well. #LookUp #Superman
Saying some piece of art is political is lazy critique. It's usually code for "I don't like the politics in this piece of art." Those folks usually don't say anything when they like the politics infused in a piece of art.
MAGA has been so deceived they are incapable of understanding why their conspiracies are not validated in the real world. Climate change is real? Tariffs raise prices for us? Vaccines prevent outbreaks? Immigration enforcement isn't about criminals?
Still hard to believe I get to teach here. Seems like yesterday I was sitting in this classroom as a student. 📚📜💚
There's a lot of heaviness right now. I didn't realize how much being in the classroom and working with some great students can energize and refresh. Summer courses are challenging, but I am thankful to be teaching right now. 📚 📜 #OTStudies #HebrewPoetry
This is who Superman is. Excited to watch James Gunn's entry into the DC cinematic canon. #LookUp www.dc.com/graphic-nove...
It's okay to say I don't understand, I don't know why, I have no words. You don't have to have all the answers to love people, weep with those who weep, be present. 💔
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Love @deepvellum.bsky.social - they reprinted an important book on the history of race dynamics in Dallas called The Accommodation. It had been out of print and hard to find.
Have to keep explaining that TX is not so much red as it is gerrymandered. The demographics no longer represent a deep red state.
Saw our son off as he is headed to a youth retreat. Heart felt heavy watching the kids boarding buses and parents seeing their children off. Such a swirl of emotions. At times like this, I am thankful that the Spirit intercedes for us. I don't have the words. 💔🙏🏼
There will be time to review what went wrong, who needs to be held accuuntable, what can be done in the future, etc. Right now our focus should be on emergency aid and ongoing search & rescue efforts. Please pray. Give if you can. 💔🙏🏼 cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/c...
Heart is heavy. Praying for the campers and those lost to catastrophic flooding in Central Texas. Mercy. 💔🙏🏼
Bingo.
My heart aches. The Lord called his people to do justice, love mercy, and humbly follow his ways. We lament that we don't have the power to enact justice. We can still pour ourselves into works of mercy for those longing for justice. 💔
The rhetoric from the right is that they are protecting Americans, helping Americans financially prosper, providing social care for Americans. When you realize WHO they mean by Americans, their moral math makes more sense. 💔
Not only do economic policies, budgets, and spending plans reflect moral values, they have theological significance. They reveal a nation's idols and the altars where they offer sacrifices.🪙🏦 #greed #productionforprofit #wealth #Mammon
Heather McGhee was 💯 right. Racism will lead you to fill the swimming pool with concrete rather than share it with the people you hate. Better to bake in the heat than see "those" people get some relief. Let the reader understand. #TheSumofUs
Rinse & repeat for all the groups harmed by this budget. Sigh.
But, yes. The fear of a guilty woman being found out may also serve to elicit a confession from one who is guilty. So that is a factor.
Not exactly. It's genius that the bitter water isn't fatal or toxic to the reproductive system. So the woman who is legally vulnerable survives in most cases and the priest's oversight (not civil court) means the accuser can no longer press accusations bc the LORD has effectively cleared her.
And a few more... Proverbs: the Sluggard vs the poor in the land. It's not about a Puritan work ethic. Prob 31: which Prov 31 woman? The one teaching a king about justice or the one modeling mercy to the needy? Lev 19: context matters - love your neighbor is actually about justice & mercy.
A few of my favorite lessons to teach: Gen 2-3: A defense of Eve - it's not about her foolishness. Num 5: the ordeal of bitter water & the LORD's protection of women. Num 27: Zelophehad's daughters - active justice for those without power. Ruth 1: Orpah is actually a good daughter-in-law.📜
Sermon prep note: Two common misconceptions about the Fruit of the Spirit in Gal 5. 1. The context is a "one another" y'all passage. The Fruit is meant for the love of neighbors. 2. The Fruit is a listing of individual standards. It's a single, multifaceted picture of Jesus' character. 🌳
In your anger do not sin - Eph 4:26 "Anger emerges first when we are understandably aroused by a natural stimulus after being wounded by an injury." - Jerome on Eph 4:26 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right/justice, for they will be filled. - Matt 5:6 God cares & understands.
Last few walks have had some vivid skies with some variety & beauty. Trying to slow down & enjoy these moments.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is a unity of characteristics describing Jesus' character, which the Spirit forms in the believer. *Scripture is clear: It is how you know the tree.*
It's Flagg Day here in Cooperstown. 🚩🏀 #MFFL
The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance. ~ Isaiah 19.23-25
Yes. More than ever humility regarding the scope of our knowledge and understanding is an important quality.
Cool to see Minjee Lee take her third major right here in Frisco, TX. ⛳ Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! And 만세! 🇰🇷🇦🇺 (And are Minjee & Minwoo the best siblings in pro golf today?)
We follow the Prince of Peace. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God. Lord, have mercy.
Not sure how greed, materialism, racism, and nationalism are connected? Just watch the way this administration tries to enforce racist, nationalist deportations while trying to keep the production and economic impact of immigrant workers.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 🕊️💚 ~ 2 Corinthians 3.17
An underappreciated aspect of pastoral care is the ability to observe, listen, and triage well. At any moment we all have a handful of things we're struggling with, but good care takes into account what is the most urgent or serious need. Compassion, triage, taxonomy, reflect, care.
I grew up in Dallas in the 80s where people in my community celebrated #Juneteenth. Though I knew what it was commemorating, I didn't realize the full significance of this day. It is a day of celebration for many but also an occasion to lament that freedom came too late and the struggle continues.
I know Vance Boelter is rooted in a movement that claims to be Christian but is not related to the true Church. Yet, seeing that he was a CFNI student, did missions, and served as a pastor shows me how hateful false teachings & ideas can take root in the Christian sphere. 💔
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