Start Thinking Blog

Division and Salvation I have always been interested in Zechariah’s prophecy concerning the Lord’s coming. “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there […]

The Divine Destination Today I am departing from the usual discussion of the Old Testament scripture curriculum. Instead, I hope to lay out the meaning and purpose of covenants from the beginning and how they are administered. I will try to use non-religious language where possible in describing these ideas so that everyone, regardless of

I want to cover two aspects of Jonah’s story: the literal and the spiritual. I believe that we are all familiar with the story of Jonah, probably because it is so unique and unbelievable. God commands Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach and prophesy about what awaits them if they don’t

Today I want to cover two scriptures from the Book of Amos that caused me to think about how we become what and who we are. I will look at them one at a time and then explain why I believe they are related. First, Amaziah, the priest of Beth-el, was not pleased with the

Don’t Take Things So Literal First, this will probably be shorter than normal. I’m vacationing in San Diego, listing to the crashing of waves on a bright sunny morning. The Book of Joel contains many of the prophecies surrounding the Second Coming of the Lord and describes events prior to and after it. The language

We have all heard the children’s rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” This idiom effectively teaches young people to ignore or at least deal with hurtful speech. While this strategy for deflecting verbal bullying puts into perspective the weight we give to the words of others, it

Mysteries, Speculation, and Reality The description of Ezekiel’s prophetic calling is singular and strange. What kind of language do you use to articulate a vision of God in his element? There is nothing on earth to compare to the glory of God and his workings, which leaves a description impossible. What are we to make

Tear It All Down and Start Over The prophet Jeremiah was given the commission from the Lord “to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down” and then to “build and plant.” Because Israel had become so corrupt and had lost sight of the purpose of the covenants that they celebrated with empty ceremonies

Solid As a Rock I have been thinking for several years about how the events of the Savior’s second coming will play out. The images portrayed in the scriptures are filled with symbolic representations of seemingly impossibly strong things being utterly destroyed or changed. It isn’t easy to imagine how powerful institutions will be taken

Seeking God When I read the scriptures, I usually find at least one verse that stimulates a series of thoughts which helps me make sense of things I observe in individuals and the world. This week is no exception. Isaiah 65:1 is the verse for this week. It reads, “I am sought of them that