jchandle writes

  I finished studying the book of Mark a couple months ago, but I still processing it–and probably will be while I make my way through the other gospels and the rest of the New Testament. There’s a lot to think about related to the Gospel of Mark, and I’m in a weird spot where I’m not super stable on much of what I’m thinking about. But writing this has helped me get more stable. If you read this, and have any thoughts of your own, please feel free to let me know! Writing is really impactful on my thinking, and interacting with others forces me to think even more differently, and that’s all good.  The First Synoptic Gospel Scholars are mostly in agreement that the gospel attributed to Mark is the first written of the four canonical gospels. To illustrate, imagine this:  Three friends witness a car accident. A police officer asks them each to write a report of what happened. If all three do so without looking at each other’s papers, then they would likely tell many if not ...

  Me: I’m not sure I actually believe in God anymore.  Also Me: let’s stay up late and read the Bible! Faith journeys are wild. Mine is progressing slower than I’d like. But if you’re curious for an update, this post might help you there. I also think some of my thoughts might be helpful to others. If you find that to be the case, please let me know, because I’m lonely a lot in my particular path and so I’m desperate to hear from people who relate even a little.  I do also recognize that some people who relate to me in some ways with what's below, might have VERY different reactions to some of what I am finding sustaining or challenging. That's okay, and I think your reactions to these are valid--even if they are the opposite of mine. Quotes sustaining my faith lately Real faith “Real faith, life-changing faith, Abrahamic faith is always in crisis. That’s how you find out if it’s faith at all. I promise you that more faith will mean less crisis until finally God says ‘wel...

I don't know if I would pick these as my "favorite" every time, but these are the scripture passages that ran through my mind involuntarily the most throughout 2022. They are the verses that stuck with me long after I was done reading their section of scripture.   Let me know what yours are and why! “Deep and terrifying darkness” “As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.” (Genesis 15:12)  After being promised repeatedly that the land of Canan would be his, the first dream-revelation of the Bible is the dark truth that the promises of God are sometimes only found long after the trial of faith and even after life extinguishes. Reading verses like this sucks because I fear that darker periods will last much longer than I want or that I am led to believe they will. But there’s also a bittersweet comfort in knowing that these feelings were shared by believers from the beginning.  The God of Israel “The...

  “A multitude of camels shall cover you. . .  All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you.” (Isaiah 6:6-7) I can’t stop thinking about Isaiah 60:6-7. I know it’s supposed to symbolize the nations paying tribute to Israel, metonymically and actually through animal offerings. But I’m enjoying imagining it detached from its cultural context.  Are you ever caught with your bank account at its limit–an important bill just out of your financial reach? Maybe you’re stranded on the side of the road with a broke-down engine. Maybe your card was just declined with a week’s worth of groceries on the cashier’s belt. Here come the camels. They’ll cover you.  You hear one braying from just out of sight. Then another comes around the corner. They and a third camel mosey purposefully to the checkout counter where you stand, declined card in hand, full of embarrassment. One of the camels spits on the grocer’s scale. You can smell hi...

  “ Come now, let us argue it out,      says the Lord” - Isaiah 1:18 (NRSV) Here’s a question that’s been on my mind for several months: is faith a choice? For every question of truth, you can gather all the evidence on both sides and depending on the quality and quantity of evidence, you believe one side or the other. But what’s happening when being convinced happens? Do you consciously select a side to believe or do you just believe what you believe as a natural response to the evidence processed? Is the verdict a decision or is it more like a shiver in the cold or sweat in the sun?  I’ve judged enough High School debate rounds to say that there definitely are belief-decisions that are consciously made. As a judge, I have to write an “RFD” or “reason for decision” indicating why I chose to side with the affirmative or the negative. But even then, sometimes my decision and its reason is contrary to what I actually believe. In spite of the way the debate ad...