Are You Voting for Your Church to Close?
This week, I read a heartbreaking article about a 700-year-old church in Wales holding its final service. After centuries of faithful ministry, dwindling attendance and mounting expenses forced the doors to close for good. But here's what struck me as peculiar: the final service was packed! People filled the pews, stood in the aisles, and one by one rose to share how much the church meant to them and their community. My first thought was, "If it meant so much to you, where have you been for the past few years?"
Sadly, this scenario plays out far too often here in Wales. There's even a running joke that churches serve only three purposes: hatch, match, and dispatch (infant baptisms, weddings, and funerals). Yet when another chapel closes its doors permanently—and trust me, it happens alarmingly often—communities act devastated. It's like mourning a friendship you never bothered to maintain.
God’s Rubber Ducky
Last Friday, I talked a bit about the leviathan and its formidable armor. Today, I want to take another look at this creature from the Bible, but I guarantee you, the perspective will be completely different. It may, in fact, cause you to laugh out loud or perhaps shout, "Hallelujah!" Intrigued? Good, let's do this!
Now, if you've read Job chapters 40 and 41, you know that God describes this creature in terrifying detail. We're talking about a monster with scales like shields, breath that kindles coals, and a mouth that shoots out flames. Job 41:33 says, "Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear." This thing is the stuff of nightmares—a fire-breathing, armor-plated sea monster that makes Godzilla look like a goldfish.
But here's where it gets interesting. When you flip over to Psalm 104:26, suddenly the Leviathan gets a completely different introduction:
Owls, Night Seasons, and the God Who Sees in the Dark
Did you know you can learn a lot of theology from a bird with big eyes and a funny hoot? I didn't either—at least, not until my Bible study on the animals of the Bible landed on the owl. Suddenly, this "spooky" night bird became one of my favorite little professors.
In Isaiah 43, God says something that stopped me in my tracks: "The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls..." (Isaiah 43:20a). The owls honour Him... in the dark. They don't sing like the sweet little songbirds at sunrise. They don't trill in the bright blue sky. They hoot in the lonely, desolate places when everyone else has gone quiet and gone home.
Most birds are at their best in the sunshine, but the owl is built for the night.
Filled To Withstand
Have you ever marveled at the incredible abilities God has given His creation? I recently found myself fascinated while studying whales for a Bible study on animals in Scripture. What amazed me most wasn't their size or their song, though those attributes were astounding; it was their ability to dive deep into the ocean without being crushed by the immense pressure.
Sperm whales can plunge nearly 10,000 feet below the surface, enduring pressure that would obliterate most man-made vessels. At those depths, the water presses down with a force of over 4,000 pounds per square inch. It's dark down there. It's dangerous. Yet the whale glides through those depths with ease, completely unharmed.
Now, compare that to a submarine. Modern submarines are engineering marvels, designed with the strongest materials and most advanced technology.
A Different Kind of Weight Loss Plan
It's that time of year again. The clock struck midnight, the calendar flipped to January, and suddenly everyone's talking about their resolutions. Weight loss usually tops the charts. Gym memberships skyrocket, salad sales increase dramatically, and social media feeds fill with "new year, new me" declarations.
While physical health goals are certainly commendable (and something this poor body of mine could benefit from), statistics show that by February, about 80% of these well-intentioned resolutions will have been abandoned. The treadmills will empty, the salad containers will be pushed to the back of the fridge, and life will resume its comfortable, familiar patterns.
But what if I told you there's another kind of weight loss that might be more worth pursuing this year?