Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

The Trial of Not Knowing

The hardest part of any trial may not be the trial itself, but waiting for it to begin.
Psalm 79:5-13; Luke 18:1-8; Revelation 6:9-11 
"On Guard at Sunset," Peter G. Varisano, U.S. Army Center of Military History.
Music: “Gary Owen,” U.S Army Field Band, Duty Honor Country: Two Hundred Years Of West Point Tradition, Naxos of America, Inc., 2012.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Trial of Not Knowing.pdf
 

Justice On The Right Terms

We all want to see right prevail. Or do we? Maybe what we really want is to see right prevail as we define it. 
Leviticus 21:1-24:23; Ezekiel 33:10-11, 44:15-31; Matthew 5:38-42; Luke 6:27-38
Robert Earl Jones (L) as Luther Coleman and Robert Redford (R) as Johnny Hooker in The Sting, winner of the Oscar for Best Picture of 1973. Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.
Music: “Maple Leaf Rag," Scott Joplin, Stoptime Rag, Future Noise Music Ltd., 2008.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Justice On The Right Terms.pdf
 

Defiance, or Definition?

Where do we draw the line between obedience and defiance to authority? Maybe that is not the right question. Maybe it's more a matter of who - and whose - we understand ourselves to be.
Daniel 3:12-18; Job 13:15-16, 19:25-27; Thessalonians 5:8-11; Revelation 12:10-11 
The Fiery Furnace, Gustave Doré.
Music: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo,” The Abyssinians, The Abyssinians Live, Ackee Dist 2012.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Defiance Or Definition.pdf

Our Shenandoah Moment

No matter how diligently we try to avoid controversy and hard choices, eventually they overtake us. It is another paradox of life that even refusing to choose one way or another often means to have made a choice, and in so doing to endure even greater harm. This is not new. Our ancestors going back to the beginning have dealt with hard decisions. What can their choices teach us? 
Exodus 1:8-10; 1 Samuel 23:15-18; 2 Samuel 2:8-11, 3:6-21; 1 Kings 2:5-6; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Romans 12:14-13:15; Ephesians 6:10-19
Scene from Shenandoah, 1965 film starring James Stewart. Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.
Music: “Shenandoah,” Mitch Miller and The Sing-Along Gang, The Essential Mitch Miller, Columbia/Legacy 2014.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Our Shenandoah Moment.pdf

An Eternal Catch-22

Life is one grand paradox. To enjoy life to its fullest, we have to live within the boundaries our Creator established, even if those boundaries displease us. Going beyond those boundaries to grasp more of life brings very disagreeable consequences, but what happens when we stay within those boundaries even when they are constricting, unpleasant, and painful?
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-19; 1 Kings 3:5-14; Isaiah 5:18-24; Romans 6:8-11
1963 paperback edition of Joseph Heller's Catch-22.
Music: “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” by George Bassman and Ned Washington, performed by Members of the Original Tommy Dorsey Band, Original Big Band Collection: Tommy Dorsey, Classic Fox Records 2007.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: An Eternal Catch-22.pdf

He Ain‘t Heavy

How fractured is humanity? The Scripture record says we have been fighting one another from the very beginning. Will we ever get over that and be at peace with one another? Yes, that is our Creator's promise. However, He also gives us responsibility to work toward that promise. Oh yes, we do need His help to get there, but if we don't put forth the effort, how will we even begin the journey?
Genesis 4:6-12, 44:18-34; Ezekiel 37:15-28; John 17:20-23, 26
"Two Brothers" statue that stood at the entrance of Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1977 to 2017. Photo: Nonpareil photos, “Boystown,” Council Bluffs Public Library, accessed December 21, 2020.
Music: “He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, performed by The South African National Symphony Orchestra, Classic Unchained Melodies, Prestige Elite, 2007.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: He Ain't Heavy.pdf

By Many Or By Few

Most people just want to live in peace, but there are always a few who want to take that peace from them. Why do the majority let them do it? Maybe because they don't think there is a need to do anything about the evil in their midst until circumstances get so bad that they have to do something about it. Apparently this is a common thread of our shared humanity. So how do we change it - or should we even try?
Judges 6:6-20, 7:19-25; 1 Samuel 14:6-23; 2 Kings 6:16-17; Psalm 44: 17-26; Romans 8:31-39
Photo from The Magnificent Seven, 1960 film starring (L-R) Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, and James Coburn. Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.
Music: “The Magnificent Seven,” by Elmer Bernstein, The Magnificent Seven Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Sony Masterworks, 2016.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: By Many Or By Few.pdf

Our Part of the Story

We live in the present, but we are linked inextricably with those who have come before - just as those who come after are linked with us. What do we remember of our fathers and mothers of old? Do we want our sons and daughters to remember us in the same way?
Psalm 34:16-23; Hebrews 11:13-16, 32-40, 12:1-3; Acts 7
JRR Tolkien, shortly before his death in 1973. Shelfmark: MS. Tolkien photogr. 8, fol. 122 Image by © The Tolkien Trust 1977.
Music: “Into the West,” by Annie Lennox, Fran Walsh, and Howard Shore, performed by Peter Hollens, Misty Mountains: Songs Inspired by The Hobbit and Lord of the Ring, Peter Hollens, 2016.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Our Part of the Story.pdf