bierkergaard

The miracle of Christmas are many and mulitudinous. Yet, how the Almighty places Himself in a position of vulnerability by taking on flesh is truly the most miraculous. The One who is infinitely strong assuming weakness. He was...the God in diapers, worshipped, given gifts, hunted to be killed, hungry and thirsty, precocious, humble, misunderstood, loved, hated, envied, followed, taken advantage of, laughed at and ridiculed, amused, frustrated, angered, popular, on the outs, perplexed, amazed, pleased, disgusted, lonely and afraid, forgotten, bold, forgiving, merciful, confrontational, irritated, patient, a friend, a family member, a teacher, a brother, a son, a leader, ignored, persecuted, betrayed, questioned, a questioner, not just truth, the Truth. Not just a way, the Way. Not just a life, the Life. LOVE. In all ways, just like us, yet without sin. Beaten, mocked, whipped, spit on, crucified, died, and buried. Raised on the third day, who now intercedes for us with the Father. He w

This Christmas season, I purposed in my heart, I was going to be more mindful of God and not get distracted by all the holiday hoopla. I was going to create a place inside for Christ. Well, my best intentioned plans have been destructed by some other condition inside...what appears to be a viral infection attacking my gastrointestinal track. I have been dashing alright...but not through the snow, but to the nearest john. I will spare you the details. Let us just say that the last five days have been unpleasant. Since September I have been consistently praying to God--among many other issues--that I would not allow my belly, my appetites, to rule me like Caesar's. Primary of these autocratic appetites is the eating of food. I want to appreciate good food yet not be in worship of the god of gluttony. Second, that my periodic episodes of backaches, that come and go--usually when I do something stupid to strain my back--teach me the weakness of my flesh and the folly and futility of t

The three books that I purchased recently at the Hoboken bookstores are: - Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly ( John Eldredge has basically co-opted and somewhat Christianized Bradshaw's writings). - A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People by Steven Ozment (being 3/4's German, all direct relatives off the boat and on U.S. soil before the rise of Hitler, gives me a personal and familial interest in the work). - For Whom The Bell Tolls by some dude Ernest Hemingway (never heard of him, but I will give a shot). It is the story of the Spanish Civil War and disillusionment..."the tragic death of the ideal" as noted on the back cover. All three books have a strong masculine tilt. Most countries refer that their collective nation as the Motherland...Germany is one that refers to itself as the Fatherland. I am sure that Freud would have had a field day exploring the paternal psycho-sexual reasons for this. I am not sure why I obtained this testostero