Ecclesiastes – Page 2

The Problem with Pleasure

March 4, 2019February 28, 2019Leave a comment

This week we begin looking together at some of the places in which we seek meaning for our lives. One of the biggest areas is in pleasure of one kind or another. The allure of pleasure–you pick your pleasure–is obvious. It feels good. Who wouldn’t want that? But, the question we have to face down is this: Does it deliver on its promise? Keep reading as our series, Finding Meaning, continues.

The Problem with Pleasure

There are some things people enjoy that require…training to be able to actually enjoy. Fine art is one of those. I haven’t quite developed enough of a taste for it to be able to enjoy it as thoroughly as others do who have. There are folks who can go to an art museum and have their spirits fed simply by what they see there. I can’t do that. I have, however, had the opportunity to develop a taste for classical music. While I don’t do it all that often—I mostly listen to news, commentary, and preaching—I genuinely enjoy listening to classical music and from multiple different genres (did you know there were multiple genres of classical music?). There are some pieces that feed my spirit in a way few other things in this world do.

Read the rest…

When Life Feels Empty

February 25, 2019February 20, 2019Leave a comment

This past Sunday we kicked off a brand new teaching series called Finding Meaning. For the next few weeks we are going to walk through some highlights of the collection of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible we call Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes, the wisest man who ever lived records some personal thoughts on his own efforts to find meaning in life. Through his reflections we can learn a great deal about where to find it in our own. First, though, we need a foundation from which to build this structure of ideas. That’s what we did yesterday. If we are going to find real meaning in our lives, where do we start building? Keep reading to find out.

When Life Feels Empty

So…the Patriots won the Super Bowl. Again. I’ll just say: They’re really good. More specifically, Tom Brady is really good. Bill Belichik is really good. They managed to bring just what they needed to beat every opponent they faced in the playoffs. Every time. Now, the result was the most boring Super Bowl game ever, but I’ll bet you didn’t hear any complaints to that effect in the locker room after the game. A Super Bowl win is a Super Bowl win even if it’s boring. The thing that drives so many folks crazy about the Patriots isn’t just that they are really good. The Los Angeles Rams and even my Kansas City Chiefs were really good this season and they didn’t drive anybody crazy. The same goes with the New Orleans Saints. No, the thing that gets under the skin of so many folks is that they’ve been good for so long. This was the sixth win for Patriots and their ninth Super Bowl appearance just in the last 19 years. In other words, they’ve been to the Super Bowl basically every other season for the whole of this millennium.

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Digging in Deeper: Ecclesiastes 10:20

August 20, 2017August 18, 20173 Comments

“Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Ever wonder where the phrase “a little bird told me” came from?

All day long we see people and have thoughts about them. We can’t help it. They come to us almost before we even realize what is happening. These snap judgments may be kind and charitable, but they also may not be. In fact, for most of us, they’re not more often than they are. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Ecclesiastes 9:11

August 20, 2017August 20, 2017Leave a comment

“Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Thanks to the influence of Eastern religious movements in this country, we have a fairly common phrase for when something unfortunate has happened to someone. It comes in many forms, but the simplest (and cleanest) statement is this: “That’s Karma.” Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Ecclesiastes 9:17

August 20, 2017August 18, 2017Leave a comment

“The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

In spite of all his railing against the inherent unfairness of life in that wisdom doesn’t lead to an end different from a life of folly, Solomon nonetheless settles on the value of wisdom. Read the rest…