Category: God Loves Us

God Loves Us, Guest Post, Recommended Reading, Uncategorized

A Way Forward by, Michael Metzger

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

https://claphaminstitute.org/a-way-forward/ (copied Feb 14, 22)

I appreciate folks who can evolve in their thinking. So I find it fascinating that many who are evolving are recommending the same way forward.

In March of 2020 Chuck DeGroat wrote a confessional titled, It’s Always Been About Love. He felt he’d forgotten that. A great many evangelicals feel similarly, including James K. A. Smith, N. T. Wright and Dallas Willard. Here’s Wright’s evolution over the last 30 years.

In 1992 Wright wrote about a “spiral path” of knowing reality, where the only access we have to reality “lies along the spiraling path of appropriate dialogue or conversation between the knower and the thing known.”[1]Few Christians understood what he meant by that.

Maybe that’s why in 1999 Wright sounded rather pessimistic. “We live at a time of cultural crisis. At the moment I don’t hear anyone out there pointing a way forward.”[2] He felt some Christians “put up shutters” while others capitulate to the post-Christian world. “My brothers and sisters, we can do better than that.”

But Wright wondered aloud who in the faith community has a way forward?And, if believers aren’t pointing a way forward, who else might? By 2013, Wright had found a who else.

That year DeGroat joined a small group of believers meeting with Wright. They were exploring faith and formation. DeGroat asked Wright for his best recommendation for a resource that explores spiritual maturation at depth. Without hesitation, he recommended Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World as a way forward. Wright called it is a “magisterial” work.

I can imagine a few reasons why. McGilchrist says findings in neuroimaging reveal how knowing reality is a spiraling path, a reciprocating flow between the right and left hemisphere of the brain. It turns out Wright’s intuitions were right on.

McGilchrist says the right hemisphere is the intuitive mind. The left is the rational mind. Since 95 percent of the western world biases the left brain, and most of Wright’s readers are western Christians, most couldn’t intuit what he was saying. Small wonder Wright was pessimistic.

But there’s more. McGilchrist notes how only the right hemisphere has direct contact with the outside world, the cultures passing through our gills. The left doesn’t. Since 95 percent of the western world biases the left brain, and most of Wright’s readers are western Christians, most do not touch, feel, taste that we live at a time of cultural crisis.

But there’s more. According to McGilchrist, it is only in the right hemisphere that we make a paradigm shift. In most cultural crises, the way forward requires shifting some paradigms. I have a hunch Wright read that and thought, That’s why there’s so little spiritual maturation at depth. The deepest part of our being is not beliefs but paradigms, unconscious assumptions shaping beliefs. Western Christians don’t go deep enough into anthropology, human nature.

James K. A. Smith, Professor of Philosophy at Calvin University, does. He notes how our anthropologies shape our theologies. He gets that from reading scripture as well as Iain McGilchrist. He cites McGilchrist’s work as a way forward for the church.

It’s no coincidence that DeGroat, Smith, and Wright are all now saying they missed the wider picture. Love. All three come from Reformed traditions formed by the Enlightenment, biasing word over image, language over metaphor. Language is the domain of the left hemisphere, which is narrowly focused. Most Reformed traditions embrace a narrow view of the cross, substitutionary atonement. Jesus died on the cross to satisfy God’s demands for justice. Law. DeGroat, Smith, and Wright are saying they missed love.

The good news has always been about love… and law. In other words, Jesus did die for our sins. But he did this for the joy set before him of “marrying” us, love, enduring the cross, despising the shame. On the cross, we were betrothed to Jesus as his bride. [Yes Love. Father so loved us he sent Jesus. Jesus so loved Father and us he came. Holy Spirit so loved Father, Jesus and us he helps us know them. Jesus is the true way to life (more than Zoe, Shalom); Becoming children of God the Father, betrothed to King Jesus and indweldt by Holy Spirit. This comment added by Michael J. Weiss]

It seems that Dallas Willard was moving in this direction in the last months of his life. Like Wright and Smith, he was despairing. Do people really change—even with all the available resources and practices and disciplines? With his good friend and neuro-theologian Jim Wilder, Willard was exploring how neuroscience is a way forward, developing a psychology of love.

I had a similar experience when I first read The Master and His Emissary. That was in 2010. It helped me see why so few Christians recognize our post-Christian age. McGilchrist helped me see why we don’t seem to have a way forward, and why so few ever make the necessary paradigm shifts. I didn’t feel quite so alone.

That same year I read Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010by Charles Murray, a religious skeptic. Yet he’s hoping for a fourth awakening in America. The first three were led by religion. But Murray rightly notes that religion no longer has cultural capital in America. It can’t lead the way. Neuroscience can, so Murray writes…

“The more we learn about how human beings work at the deepest genetic and neural levels, the more that many age-old ways of thinking about human nature will be vindicated. The institutions surrounding marriage, vocation, community, and faith will be found to be the critical resources through which human beings lead satisfying lives.”[3]

Wow. Neuroscience is a way forward. It can validate, corroborate, older Christian traditions and their understanding of human nature. They can be a resource for shalom, satisfying lives, seeking the well-being of all.

So… if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one who wants to evolve in their thinking, and seek a way forward… I highly recommend Iain McGilchrist’s work.

There’s The Master and His Emissary.

There’s a shorter rendition: Ways of Attending: How our Divided Brain Constructs the World.

And there’s McGilchrist’s new book: The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World. I bought the Kindle version and am currently making my way through it. I’ll report on it later, but I feel it’s reinforcing what a heckuva of lot of evangelicals smarter than me see as our way forward.

[1] N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God, (Fortress Press, 1992), 35.

[2] N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is(InterVarsity, 1999), 195.

[3] Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010(Crown Publishing Group, 2012), 300.

I highly recommend you start receiving Michael’s blog and listen to his podcast!!!!

“The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is and not how bad we are.” Michael Weiss

Family News, God Loves Us, J3 Khai Restoration, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Personal Reflections, The Daily Blessing, Yehovah

God is good is the good news

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

The Gospel is about how good God is, not how bad we are!!!

Jacob upon waking from a beautiful revelation of the LORD (Yehovah) himself talking to and confirming promises made to Abraham and Isaac, that now promise to him also, Jacob says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. (Gen 18:16)”

I am amazed and encouraged by this observation. Amazed at how wonderful God is and encouraged because he revealed to Jacob that in fact, he was in that place. I don’t know why the grandson of Abraham and son of Isaac does not know Yehovah was in that place, but I do see God making himself personally real to Jacob.

I wonder, is this experience like the one Peter had when Jesus told him, “Flesh and blood did not reveal that to you but my Father who is in heaven, (Mt 16:17)” after Peter proclaimed that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God? (Mt 16:16)”

 I believe that God is building his Church “upon the rock” of God revealing himself to us. I also wonder if this interaction with Jacob was an “upon the rock” building moment?

Update on Darlene

Father is blessing and healing Darlene as he loves her and responds to your loving prayers for her. Her wound is healing, and she is getting stronger as does a little more physical exercise each day.

We know God can heal her completely right now and if he heals her over time his grace is always sufficient!!

We hope to be in Springfield together for Christmas!!!

God Loves Us, J3 Khai Restoration, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Personal Reflections, The Daily Blessing, Yehovah

The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is, not how bad you are!!!

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
John 3:16 & 17:3 combined, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believed in him would not know Father, Son and Holy Spirit but would know Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Life eternal is living in relationship with God every moment from now on!!! You are loved always and always.

What is Meant By “these ten times” in Numbers 14:20-23?

David Talley — March 31, 2014

Numbers 14:20-23 states, “Then the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned them, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.’” What is meant by “these ten times?”

One option is to understand this phrase as a rhetorical number. It would be similar to a parent saying to a child, “I have told you ten times to clean your room.” The parent has not necessarily communicated with the child exactly ten times. The point is that there have been countless times that communication has been made. In the Numbers passage, the point would be that the Lord has been persevering with His people through countless illustrations of rebellious behavior, which was testing Him. Another option is to understand this phrase as an actual number. This would mean, then, that the Lord had been tested an actual ten times by the behavior of the people.

Regardless of which option one might choose based on the evidence available, it is important to have an understanding of what it means to “test” the Lord. A clue is provided for us in Numbers 14:11, which is the Lord’s response to the people in the situation, which precipitates Numbers 14:20-23. In Numbers 14:11 it states, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?’” The Lord performed signs (Egyptian plagues, parting of the waters of the Red Sea, etc.) for Israel intending that it would produce belief in them. However, as soon as Israel moved beyond an event where they had seen a sign from the Lord and then encountered another similarly difficult situation, they did not evidence belief. Thus, they tested the Lord. Another clue for this is provided in Exodus 17:6, where it further defines “testing” as Israel’s raising the question, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Again, when the nation encountered difficulty, their response did not evidence a belief that the Lord could move on their behalf and meet them in their place of need. Indeed, in their minds, he was absent.

Either option for understanding “ten times” is plausible because we do not have a record of every event that occurred for Israel during this time period. All we have a record of is “snapshots” of various events that occurred through the nation’s journeys. However, the second option is supported in a rather interesting way from the biblical text. The “signs” of the plagues against the Egyptians are intended not only to judge the Egyptians, but also to instill belief in the nation of Israel. Israel watched the powerful work of God in the ten plagues. Then, the Lord delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians and took them out of the land. How does Israel respond when they encounter difficult situations along the way? Do they evidence belief or does their response “test” the Lord with their lack of belief?

If you were to read Exodus 14 through Numbers 14 (it is not necessary to search through the book of Leviticus) with an eye toward Israel’s response to the various difficulties encountered during their journey, it is interesting to note that there are ten occurrences where they grumble and complain rather than evidence belief in the Lord. Note the following passages:

1.         Exodus 14:10-12

At the Red Sea where it seemed that Pharaoh’s army would destroy them

2.         Exodus 15:22-24

At Marah where they found bitter water

3.         Exodus 16:1-3

In the Desert of Sin as they hungered

4.         Exodus 16:19-20

In the Desert of Sin as they paid no attention to Moses concerning the storing of the manna until the morning

5.         Exodus 16:27-30

In the Desert of Sin as they disregarded Moses concerning the gathering of the manna on the seventh day

6.         Exodus 17:1-4

At Rephidim as they complained for water

7.         Exodus 32:1-35

At Mount Sinai as Aaron led the people in making the golden calf

8.         Numbers 11:1-3

At Taberah where the people raged against the Lord

9.         Numbers 11:4-34

At Kibroth Hattaavah in the grumbling provoked by the rabble for quail

10.       Numbers 14:1-3

At Kadesh in the Desert of Paran when the people refused to receive the good report of Joshua and Caleb but rather wished themselves dead

So finally in Numbers 14:11, the Lord cries out “how long?” Repeatedly the Lord had demonstrated His faithfulness in each situation of difficulty. However, as soon as Israel encountered another difficult situation, they evidence unbelief through their grumbling and complaining. Their complaining cried out loudly, “Is the Lord among us or not?” As a result, the Lord concludes, “and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice.”

Is any of this important to us? Our response to this is to consider how we might put the Lord to the test in our own lives. We can read about the Lord’s faithfulness in the Bible, and we have seen his faithfulness in our lives. Yet, when we encounter our next difficulty, do we evidence belief in Him, a belief that knows we can trust Him through the difficulty?

David Talley

David Talley is a professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology. Talley enjoys research in the areas of Old Testament theological themes, local church ministry, and contemporary theological issues. His dissertation research on the judgment of pain in Genesis 3 continues to be a focus in his research as he formulates a perspective on Godly living in a difficult world. Talley is passionate about understanding and teaching the truths of God’s Word, discipling and equipping others, and “passing on the faith” to the next generation. In 2013, he completed a survey book on the Old Testament, which blends the information of the biblical text with the transformation of the heart. His research has also been published in The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Eikon (formerly the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) and the Christian Research Journal. 

https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2014/what-is-meant-by-these-ten-times-in-numbers-14-20-23 (Accessed August 30th, 2021)

God Loves Us, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Personal Reflections, The Daily Blessing, Yehovah

Jehovah Bless You and The Gospel is about how good God is not how bad we are.

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
Jehovah bless you and keep you,
Jehovah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you shalom.
Numbers 6:24-26

The Beginning (Origin or Source) of Creation

“Investigate where we will, not a grain of grace, not a mite of mercy, not a spark of sympathy, not an atom of authority, not a trace of truth, not a fraction of faith, not a look of love and not a glow of glory exist without His (Jesus) originating energy. If we examine the vaster things we must admit that the whole earth is full of His glory, whether this glory be reflected from the sublimity of the sky which is so measureless, the splendors of the stars which are so countless, the shining of the sun which is so exhaustless, the spaciousness of the heavens which are so trackless, the surging of the ocean which is so ceaseless, the spectrum of light which is so matchless, the designs of the snowflakes which are so numberless, the springs of fountains which are so traceless, the superiority of mountains which are so ageless or the fragrance of flowers which are so taintless. These few features in themselves introduce a range of wonders that are indescribable.”

Rolls, Charles J.. The Indescribable Christ: The Name & Titles of Jesus Christ A to G . Believer’s Bookshelf Canada Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Featured Writers, God Loves Us, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Personal Reflections, The Daily Blessing, Uncategorized, Yehovah

Jehovah Bless you and the Glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
Jehovah bless you and keep you,
Jehovah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you shalom.
Numbers 6:24-26

“God, who said, ‘Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,’ is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor 4:6 (TPT)

Learn about Akiane, this painting of Jesus and her other works by clicking here!

Reduce stress while driving Part II

Can driving the speed limit reduce stress?

Note: In this video I say, “when a police officer points his gun at you.” I meant to say, when a police officer points his speed monitoring gun at you,” not his weapon.

God Loves Us, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Legacy Dream Team Overseer, Messiah, Personal Reflections, Recovery Updates, Uncategorized, Yehovah

Yehovah Bless You and Thank You for the Birthday Greetings and Blessings

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
Jehovah bless you and keep you,
Jehovah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you shalom.
Numbers 6:24-26

Because God loved me first, I love him and you,

Shalom,

Michael Jay Weiss, Sr., The Khai Guy

“The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is not how bad we are.” MJW

God Loves Us, Jehovah, Jesus, Personal Reflections, Recovery Updates, The Daily Blessing, Uncategorized, Yehovah

Yehovah Bless You and Heading Home Tomorrow

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
Jehovah bless you and keep you,
Jehovah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you shalom.
Numbers 6:24-26
Heading Home 1 Video, 1 minute short
Heading Home 2 Video, 3 1/2 minutes short

Because God loved me first, I love him and you,

See you soon,

Shalom,

Michael Jay Weiss, Sr., The Khai Guy

“The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is not how bad I am.”

God Loves Us, J3Khai Ambassadors, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Personal Reflections, Testimonies, The Daily Blessing, Yehovah

Yehovah Bless You and It’s Opening Day

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.
Jehovah bless you and keep you,
Jehovah make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you shalom.
Numbers 6:24-26

It’s Opening Day

In the Big Inning God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He alone I trust.

I am in the major surgery league now. I am a little nervous but Father’s Grace Bubble surrounds and fills me with the perfect amount of grace I need.

A miracle for me is a Normacle for God. He has my back and together he say’s “we’ve got this.”

God’s love for us started before time began, so he has loved us longer than anyone else.

God’s plan A, because he loves us, is and always will be us knowing Father, the one true God, and Jesus the Messiah, whom the Father sent (John 3:16/17:3).

I am so glad I have a moment-by-moment relationship with God (Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit).

I am not “looking anxiously about” because I am in the palm of God’s hand and he is helping and strengthening me.

I am grateful for you, you are precious and special all day long, you’re my best buddy.

Because God loved me first, I love him and you,

See you soon,

Shalom,

Michael Jay Weiss, Sr., The Khai Guy

“The Gospel (Good News) is about how good God is not how bad I am.”