The Shock Value of the Gospel

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done… he shall bring for his offering a goat… And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.” Leviticus 4:27-29 ESV

Remember the invasion of the “shock jocks”? Those radio personalities who showed up on the airwaves 20 years or so ago, making their name by walking as close to the precipice of unacceptably crass public discourse as possible. Nowadays you’ll see the appeal to shock in “click bait,” those stories that entice us to read them (and make a buck for the hosting site) by claiming that we’ll be shocked to see what this actress looks like now, shocked to discover this trick to lower our insurance, or blown away by what this dog does when the family’s cat dies, or something to that effect.

Why Are You Cast Down, Soul?

Meditations on Psalm 43

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation;
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me?

What Are the Burdened to Do? Meditation on Psalm 44

The following stems from a period I spent under the counseling of my beloved pastor, the Good Dr. Ivan Fiske, who stood by my side during a period of apparent defeat, and faithfully pointed me to the Scriptures for the healing of my soul. The exercise this is drawn out of consisted of reading Psalm 44 daily for a week, and asking the question, “What are the burdened to do?”