Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

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

A Question of Lineage

There is merit to living in the moment. After all, we don't want to miss out on what is right in front of us. However, if we do not understand how we came to that moment, then we might miss something even more important.
Exodus 20:12; Psalm 106:43-46; Malachi 4:5-6; Luke 1:68-79; 1 John 2:13-14
Dennis Quaid (L) and Louis Gossett, Jr. (R) in the 1985 film, Enemy Mine.
Music: “Firebird Lullaby & Final Hymn,” Firebird Suite, by Igor Stravinsky, performed by Igor Stravinsky conducting the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, Firebird Suite (1945) and Fireworks - Fantasy for Orchestra, Op. 4 (1908), Columbia Masterworks, 1947.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Question of Lineage.pdf

Courage, or Obedience?

Courage is always desirable, but it can be dangerous if recklessly pursued. If our God exhorts us to be strong and of good courage, then maybe we should learn how to cultivate the kind of courage He would find admirable.
1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 14:12, 16:25; Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 12:28-34
The First Minnesota, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1863, by Don Troiani, National Guard Bureau.
Music: "The Battle Cry of Freedom," Gettysburg College Singers, Songs of the Civil War, Vintage Music, 2015.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Courage Or Obedience.pdf

What Happens When Good People Sleep

Everyone wants to be a good citizen and a good neighbor, or at least that's what we should want. But is that enough? Perhaps there is more to living out our Kingdom calling than simply trying to avoid evil.
Jeremiah 5:20-31; Matthew 5:13-20, 23:27-28; 1 Peter 5:5-11
Chancellor Adolf Hitler and President Paul von Hindenburg, March 21, 1933, Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S38324 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.
Music: "In the Hall of the Mountain King," Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: IV, by Edvard Grieg, performed by Wiliam T. Strømberg conducting the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Edvard Grieg Music to Henrik Ibsen Peer Gynt, Blikkboks Ltd, 2018.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: What Happens When Good People Sleep.pdf

Citizen Soldiers of Heaven

Our Messiah won a decisive victory at the cross, but He did not call us to lay down our arms. In fact, He said He had come to bring a sword to the earth, not peace. How can this be? This is another paradox, but the answer becomes clear when we understand the type of warfare He calls and equips us to wage.
Judges 3:1-4; Isaiah 2:2-5; Micah 4:1-5; Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 22:35-38; 1 Corinthians 15:42-47; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
The Minute Man, Daniel Chester French, Concord, Massachusetts, via Wikimedia Commons.
Music: "The Minstrel Boy," Thomas Moore, performed by The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, Irish Gold: The Best of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Essential Media Group, 2007.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Citizen Soldiers of Heaven.pdf
 

The Nuts and Bolts of Victory

The enemy of our souls is relentless, and his attacks seem never to cease. It's a weary struggle. How do we win? Or, more appropriately, how do we avoid losing?
2 Kings 6:15-17; 2 Chronicles 32:1-8; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 6:10-13
The "Cobra King" crew - 1st Lt. Charles Boggess, Cpl. Milton Dickerman, and Pvts. James G. Murphy, Hubert S. Smith and Harold Hafner -- pose for a celebratory photo in the vicinity of Bastogne, Belgium shortly after the tankers led the armor and infantry column that liberated the city on December 26, 1944. US Army Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Music: "Patton," by Jerry Goldsmith, performed by The BBC Concert Orchestra, The BBC Concert Orchestra Greatest Hits, Big Eye Music, 2008.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Nuts and Bolts of Victory
 

When I‘m 84

Somewhere in our journey of life, we will encounter others who are growing old. How should we treat them? This is important seeing that eventually others will be asking the same question about us.
Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 23:33; Ecclesiastes 12:1-8; John 21:18-19
Portrait of An Elderly Couple, Alexandra Pennycook, used by permission of the artist (http://www.pennycook.com/).
Music: "When I'm Sixty-Four," by Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon, performed by The Hit Co., Love Songs: A Tribute to the Beatles, Planet Music, 2006.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: When I'm 84.pdf

The Insidious Nature of Evil

It may be accurate to say that no one in their right mind would commend evil and condemn good. But then, the testimony of human history demonstrates that this happens far more often than we may be comfortable admitting - especially when those calling evil good and good evil also profess to be the people of God.
Isaiah 5: 13-25; Amos 5:4-15; Matthew 21:33-46; Luke 11:34-36; John 1:1-5
Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria. Adolf Hitler, 1914, via Wikimedia Commons. 
Music: Camille Saint-Saëns, Danse Macabre, Op. 40, performed by Daniel Barenboim conducting Luben Yordanoff and the Orchestre De Paris, Saint-Saëns: Symphony #3 "Organ"/Danse Macabre/Bacchanale/Le Deluge, Deutsche Grammophon GmbH 1976.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Insidious Nature of Evil.pdf