On Azimuth

  10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.   I Corinthians 1:10-11 English Standard Version             Many Christians refer to their place of assembly as “the sanctuary.” This refers to two ideas; one the sanctuary is a place that we have set aside for a holy purpose for worship and two a place where we can find refuge from the world. In fact, for years a man who was fleeing persecution or punishment, just or unjust for a crime could claim sanctuary in the Church building. This harks back to the cities of refuge found in the Mosaic Law. Our worship centers, our sanctuaries, ought to be places where we can find rest and refuge from the turmoil that roils our world....

7 For they sow the wind,     and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads;     it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield,     strangers would devour it. Hosea 8:7 English Standard Version             When my social media started filling up recently, I did not recognize the name Charlie Kirk, neither did Christy. We had to look him up to find out why he was important and what he stood for. At first, all I knew was that a speaker at a university had been assassinated. As time passed, I  noticed trends developing. I was unsurprised at the direction of the trends and who embraced what. These postings were a dark commentary on the state of our culture. As the hoary prophet said, “They shall reap the whirlwind.”             We’ve given voice and platform to our darker impulses. We allow peopl...

  When all around my soul gives way; He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand. From “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” by Edward Mote, 1797-1874   26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:26-27 English Standard Version               A few years ago, my conservative friends were distraught, up in arms; some claiming that the moral rot would soon end civilization as we know it. Now my liberal friends are the handwringers, some considering relocating to a supposed far-off Eden where there are no problems. In both cases, they put their faith in a political system and when it failed ...