The Celtic Monk

This week I was asked to vote for or against a document which opened with this affirmation: "The good news of the Gospel is that the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people." This opening sentence spoke to me of the sovereignty of God. I've been out of seminary for quite a long time, so perhaps my ideas on the doctrine of the sovereignty of God are no longer theologically precise. And maybe you feel the same way, so let me run this by you. I've always thought that Matthew 5:45 "for God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" spoke to the sovereignty of God. It doesn't matter if you're a saint or a sinner [BTW: all saints are sinners] God's sovereign will and way is over ALL - whether you acknowledge God or not. God is God. God is sovereign over the righteous and the unrighteous. As our debate ensued, there a

No surprise to those who know me,I'm a voracious reader. I prefer reading to most things that take up our time. I prefer reading to movies and television...to soduko and crossword puzzles...to facebook and farmville... to Hearts and Solitare. You get the picture. Years ago I had an ongoing conversation with a friend about the kinds of things I read; much of which I consumed as fodder for the next thing I would write. It was for me one of those uncomfortable seasons of discernment about my very being. Am I more than what I do professionally? Is there room for a small percentage of reading material for "me" and not for "Rev. Dr." I don't think that conversation ever came to a conclusion. I didn't start reading trashy novels to compensate for the many volumes of theology and religious history! I did begin to read more poetry. That conversation bubbled back up to a conscious level as I looked at the book on the glass coffee table, marked by a creased pa