Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Sprinkling the Dogs

We love our dogs, but because they are dogs, sometimes they get into things that make them repulsive to us. That's when they need some loving intervention in the form of a thorough scrubbing to make them acceptable in our presence.
Isn't that exactly what our Creator does for us?
Numbers 19:1-22:1; Judges 11:1-33; Psalm 90:4; Isaiah 52:13-15; Ezekiel 36:22-28; Matthew 22:31-32; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 2 Peter 3:8; Hebrews 10:19-25
 
Music: "Remember Me,” Cody Ryan Cribbs, Exodus Road Band, Prodigal Son, Exodus Road Records 2022. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Sprinkling the Dogs.pdf

Divine Expectation Management

Life is an endless series of negotiations. Children and parents negotiate their relationships and boundaries, business partners negotiate contracts, social organizations negotiate bylaws, and nations negotiate treaties. It's really a matter of reaching agreement about what each party contributes and what each will receive. We know by experience the problems that arise when one or both parties fail to live up to their obligations, but what happens if one of those parties is our Creator?
Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22; Jeremiah 7:21-25; John 6:67-69; Hebrews 11:23-29
Korah, Dathan and Abiram and their families are swallowed up by the earth, Gilliam van der Gouwen, after Gerard Hoet, 1728, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Music: "Trust & Believe,” Exodus Road Band, Hard Rain, Exodus Road Band 2018. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/. 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Divine Expectation Management.pdf

How God Sorts Out His Own

It's easy - too easy - to write people off as lost causes when it seems that God is judging them. If it is judgment, then it may be such people are simply suffering the natural consequences of poor choices. But what if the people suffering the most are not the ones who made those choices? And what if those natural consequences doom them to make those same choices and perpetuate the cycle? Do we let them perish, or do we break into their suffering somehow, at least to ease their pain, even if they never find the path to redemption?
Numbers 13:1-15:41; Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25; Deuteronomy 7:1-6; Matthew 1:1-6; 2 Timothy 1:3-7
Rescuer holds a hand of a student survivor of the collapse of La Promesse College, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. UN Photo/Marco Dormino, November 7, 2008, via Flickr.
Music: "Forgiveness,” Mason Clover, Perception, Abiron Records 2019. Mason Clover’s music is available at https://www.masonclover.com/.  
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: How God Sorts Out His Own.pdf

Quail Jerky and the Illusion of Abundance

How much do we trust God? We say we trust in Him, but how much trust do we really have when adversity comes? Maybe a better question would be, do we trust Him more than we trust in ourselves to provide the things we want when we want them? That leads to a more uncomfortable question: if God doesn't provide in the way we expect, is He still the God we want to follow?
Numbers 8:1-12:16; Zechariah 2:10-4:7; Daniel 3:12-18; Philippians 4:12-13 
Desert Quail (Gambel's Quail), illustration from The Birds of California, William Leon Dawson, (Los Angeles: South Moulton Company, 1923). Biodiversity Heritage Library, via Flickr.
Music: "I Know Whom I Have Believed,” Hymn Collective, Gospel Light, Infinity Records 2010.  
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Quail Jerky and the Illusion of Abundance.pdf

Coping with Unfair

It is inevitable that we encounter undeserved adversity. That's been part of human existence for as long as anyone can remember. We can't eradicate unfairness, which means we have a choice: we can complain and make ourselves more miserable, or we can bear it as best we can while finding a way to grow through it.
Numbers 4:21-7:89; Judges 13:2-25; Genesis 6:5, 9:8-16; Matthew 1:18-25; 26:36-39; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; Ephesians 5:21-33
Sad little boy. Photo: David Shankbone, May 2009, via Flickr.
Music: "Crisis of Belief,” Mason Clover, An Intimate Look, Abiron 2008. Visit https://www.masonclover.com/ to hear more by Mason Clover.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Coping with Unfair.pdf

A House for the Lonely

A family should exhibit some degree of cohesion. Family members should look out for one another, encourage each other, and love one another through the endless trials of this life. But if we have trouble doing that in our own flesh-and-blood families, how can we hope to do better as the family of God?
Numbers 1:1-4:20; Hosea 1:10-2:21; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 68:5-6; Matthew 23:13; Romans 9:24-26
Master Sgt. Ernie Valley cradles his new adopted daughter, Oleksandra, after greeting her at the Boise Airport, Boise, Idaho, January 23, 2014. U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse, via Flickr.
Music: "Home,” Teshuva, Return, Teshuva 2014. Visit https://www.teshuvamusic.com/ to hear more by Teshuva.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A House for the Lonely.pdf

A Map and A Guide

There may be a broad consensus in the world today that humanity has lost it's way. There is no consensus, however, when we consider where we lost our way, and where we thought we were going in the first place. These are questions our Creator answers quite plainly, but we usually don't recognize His answers because we're too busy shouting answers of our own imagination.
Leviticus 26:3-27:34; Jeremiah 16:19-17:14; Genesis 3:1-24; John 14:15-27
A couple consults a map to determine their way in unfamiliar territory. Photo: Byronv2, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 21, 2020, via Flickr.
Music: "Return,” Solomon O. Lopez, The Born At Home Collections, The Hebraism Project 2009. To hear more of Solomon’s music, visit The Hebraism Project on YouTube.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Map and A Guide.pdf

Awaiting the Great Cosmic Reset

We hear often these days about a "Great Reset" that is needed to correct the economic and other imbalances in our world. That's not a new idea. God established His covenants with humanity on the basis of a Greater Reset that would restore order in His Creation. In fact, Creation testifies about that in the cycles and patterns all around us.
Leviticus 25:1-26:2; Jeremiah 32:6-27; Genesis 8:20-22; Psalm 24; Ecclesiastes 1:9; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 12:1-13; Mark 7:1-12; Luke 12:15-20; Revelation 5:1-14, 13:8
Signs and warnings appear to testify that our Creator built a rhythm into His universe that pulses with His life. Should we fear, or should we learn to move with that Divine rhythm? (Photo: Partial solar eclipse, Lewes Beach, Delaware, June 10, 2021. NASA/Aubrey Gemignani.)
Music: "Dear Hate," Exodus Road Band, Hard Rain, Exodus Road Band 2018. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Awaiting the Great Cosmic Reset.pdf