Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Imperial Holiness

One consistent characteristic of human religious expression is the showiness of it. We build ornate places of worship, adorned with the finest materials, staffed by the best ministers and musicians, and meticulously maintained by dedicated professionals. It's only right that we give God our best, or so we see from the examples of Scripture. But then, is it really "giving God our best" when the hearts of those inside the ornate buildings are inclined more toward themselves than toward God? 
Exodus 25:1-27:19; 1 Kings 5:12-6:13, 12:1-19; 1 Corinthians 6:18-19; James 1:27
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Imperial Holiness
Music: "Alpine Bierhalle,” Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library, April 14, 2021 (listen to the audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/sSDEkgBZ0C0?si=Etd67cZ85LCKNUZR), and Austrian National Anthem, "Land der Berge, Land am Strome,” United States Navy Band, National Anthems, 1997.
Photo: The Münster (Cathedral of Our Lady) in Ulm is Germany’s largest Protestant church, and one of many majestic structures reflecting the influence of Western Christian Civilization. Photo by Armin Appel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Matter of Principle

Did you ever stop to think about what it means to miss the forest for the trees? It has something to do with getting so bogged down in details that we lose sight of our goal. This is where we encounter a dilemma: we can't do away with the details because they point us to the goal, but if we focus too much on the details, we'll never get there. 
Exodus 21:1-24:18; Jeremiah 33:25-26, 34:8-22; Hosea 8:12; Matthew 5:17-20; Galatians 3:23-29
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Matter of Principle
Music: "Psalm 25," Exodus Road Band, Heart of the Matter, Exodus Road Band 2017. See the official video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/kHJa7W2Vqlo. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/.
Photo: Law books, by Paige, February 22, 2008, via Flickr.

Distracted by the Cats

Religious people use lots of spiritual-sounding words, but do we really know what they mean? It might be good if we learn the definitions of the "Bible words" sprinkled throughout our conversations, if for no other reason than so we don't have to guess when someone asks what we're talking about. We can start with holy - a word we think we understand, but probably don't. 
Exodus 18:1-20:26; Isaiah 6:1-7:5, 9:6-7, 56:6-7; Mark 11:15-17; John 17:1-24; 1 Peter 2:1-12 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Distracted by the Cats
Music: "Holy,” Mason Clover, An Intimate Look, Abiron 2008. Visit https://www.masonclover.com/ to hear more by Mason Clover.
Photo: What if you're on the holiest ground on earth, but there's a cat? (Photo by The Barking Fox, Temple Mount, Jerusalem, July 28, 2023.)

The Wisdom of Not Quitting

The scariest and most difficult things in life often involve some kind of change. It doesn't have to be something as crazy as jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft to be scary. Anything that brings change to our comfortable and secure routines can be scary and difficult. That's why we resist change, even if our Creator requires it.
Exodus 13:17-17:16; Judges 4:4-5:31; Jeremiah 16:14-21; Luke 9:57-62; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Wisdom of Not Quitting
Music: "We Will Go Home,” Exodus Road Band, The Tree, Exodus Road Records 2017. See the official video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/MEgWJTwrzQ8?si=0uC48JPOituVq6Vd. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/.
Photo: Soldiers rappel out of a UH-60 Blackhawk during Air Assault training at Camp Smith, NY, July 29, 2010. US Army photo by Pfc. Jose L. Torres-Cooban / Released, via Flickr.

Bus Ticket to Redemption

If God gives us free will to choose our course in life, why do our outcomes seem predetermined? Maybe it's not that the outcomes are predetermined, but that the snares of a fallen world make it so difficult to stay on the path of life once we have made that choice.
Exodus 10:1-13:16; Jeremiah 7:1-20; 46:13-28; Matthew 15:15-20; John 10:16; 1 Peter 4:17; Hebrews 8:8-12 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Bus Ticket to Redemption
Music: "Time Slips By,” Go By Ocean/Ryan McCaffrey, YouTube Audio Library, October 2023. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/oCN9unoUoT0?si=9xG0u21yE-It0Jcb.
Photo: Day 253 - Bus Ticket, by Hornbeam Arts, September 11, 2013, via Flickr.

Identificational Deliverance

What would we do without our identity? If we don't know who we are, how can we know what we are to be and do in life? If we have no identity, we are somehow incomplete. So what happens if the identity that has defined us all our lives is actually superimposed on an older identity tied directly to God's redemptive promises?
Exodus 6:2-9:35; Ezekiel 28:25-29:21; Romans 9:1-5; Galatians 3:26-29 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Identificational Deliverance
Music: "Love Letters,” Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library, December 2018. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/kDvacJbAoU8?si=6STLVGpEobEz3B3N.
Photo: "Supplicate," by David Jones, April 1, 2011, via Flickr.

Navigating Our Shenandoah Moment

Do we always have to choose a side? Yes, and no. It's important for God's people to be on His side. The problem is, He often has His people on different sides of an issue or a conflict. That's the problem of living in exile in a fallen world. Until His Kingdom is fully established, we have to navigate impossible situations created by the endless jostling of the world's kingdoms against one another and against the Kingdom of our God. 
Exodus 1:1-6:1; Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Romans 12:14-13:15; Ephesians 6:10-19
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Navigating Our Shenandoah Moment
Music: "American Frontiers,” Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library, December, 2018. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/54f6wPtm0wg?si=elR4oehV4VfCzU6m.
Photo: Statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. (Photo: National Park Service/Terry Adams.)

It’s All In The Story

Everyone enjoys a good story. Some of the best stories are in the Bible. In fact, the stories of the Bible, most of which are historical accounts, contain much of the truths by which God wants His people to live. Why, then, are we more eager to pay attention to stories from other sources instead of God's stories? 
Genesis 41:1-44:17; 1 Kings 3:15-4:1; Psalm 22:1-4; Jeremiah 22:24-30; Haggai 2:20-23; Matthew 1:1-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 19:11-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: It's All In The Story
Music: "In The Temple Garden,” Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library, February 24, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/CPzdtCFmjc0?si=91kU4_H2xaMB-upd.
Photo by Kat Rowland, March 16, 2009, via Flickr.