2015 | Pedestrian God

Titus: An Introduction

May 22 2015

How do you introduce yourself? I probably have a dozen ways to answer that question. Renae Adelsberger, Commercial Account Manager at Allison Insurance. Renae, wife of Kevin, daughter of Randy and Cindy, sister of Adam, lover of llamas, teacher of Sunday School, member of FBC Jackson, fan of the Minnesota Vikings, friend of Rachel, resident of Tennessee. The list continues.

If you could only pick one way to introduce yourself for the rest of your life – what would it be?

In the first words of Titus, the Apostle Paul introduces himself this way, “Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.”

Why the double introduction? Why a reference to both God and Jesus? Why a slave an also an apostle?

Remembering Promises in Boredom

Apr 23 2015

But Abram said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

Now the word of the Lord came to him, “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

– Genesis 15:2-5

Out of 66 books in the Bible, my favorite books to reread are those like Genesis that are driven by narrative. It reads like a novel; we read about the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and we end with the people of God living in Egypt due to the famine. Exodus picks up with the whirlwind of Moses’ adoption, calling by God, plagues and Passover. We then slow down in the narrative to Leviticus where we read the law and the word “clean” and “unclean” frequently. By the time I get to Numbers, I’m ready for more action but am instead confronted with a series of genealogies.

And I would venture to say that it’s at this point many of us have broken our New Year’s resolution to read through the entire Bible, cover to cover.

Or at a minimum, we scan through the names and keep flipping until we hit a passage of Scripture we deem “more substantial.”

Nice vs. Good

Apr 15 2015

I had the house to myself for a night last month and I was super excited about two things – getting to eat my bow tie noodles with alfredo sauce (Kevin prefers red sauce) and watching Into the Woods (this is about as close to a “chick flick” as I like to get).

I hunkered on the couch with my bowl of noodles and pressed play, quite honestly, not knowing what to expect. I had read the play in high school, remembered liking it enough to keep my copy on my bookshelf, but couldn’t remember the plot or the themes.

This is not a movie review, but I will say this much, the first 30 minutes in particular are movie-musical magic. The lyrics were beautifully executed and edited to fit film.

There were oh so many themes I could blog about today, but I’ll stick with just two quotes from the movie that make similar points.

The first: Little Red Riding Hood is skipping along the path through the woods, all the time singing about how her mother told her to stay on the path and not to stray. But then she encounters the wolf (played by Johnny Depp). The wolf shows her an entire world of wonders, including berries, that exist if she strays from the path. He is ever so kind and convinces her to wander. Later, as Red reflects on her decisions, she describes the wolf by saying, “Nice isn’t the same as good.”

Video Blog: Easter Devotion

Apr 05 2015

Podcast Review: Ask Pastor John

Mar 31 2015

My college pastor introduced me to the works of John Piper with the book Don’t Waste Your Life. Years later, as Kevin and I began our premarriage counseling, that same pastor asked us to read This Momentary Marriage by Pastor John Piper. His writings have influenced the way I view the Bible and our Heavenly Father.

So when I saw that Desiring God had created a podcast called Ask Pastor John, I subscribed. And the setup matched exactly what I expected – people across the county, from all ages and walks of life, wrote to Pastor John to ask earnest and often difficult questions regarding faith and their walk with God.

Here are just a few of the questions that Pastor John has answered in the past month:

How do I honor God in chronic pain?
Do pets go to heaven?
Is permanent birth control a sin?
Does God want me to be happy or holy?

Archive - 2015

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