Troubler of Israel Tidbits from a Tishbite Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:16:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 God’s “Yes” and Long Flights https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/07/gods-yes-and-long-fights/ Wed, 07 Jul 2021 21:52:55 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2990 Some of my most revealing discussions happen on airplanes, during long flights. They usually begin when the person imprisoned in the seat beside me asks what I do for a living. When I reply that I work for a Christian worldview ministry, I can see the wheels turning. Occasionally, they’ll reply, “Awesome! I’m a Christian, […]

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]]> Dunning-Kruger, Cultural Amnesia, and Tyrannosaurus rex https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/07/dunning-kruger-cultural-amnesia-and-tyrannosaurus-rex/ Wed, 07 Jul 2021 21:42:17 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2984 The Dunning-Kruger effect (famously described by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger) is the idea that people who know little to nothing about a subject tend to wildly overestimate their competence in that subject. This is because their knowledge is so limited, they lack even the categories to recognize their own ignorance. We see […]

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]]> Why Music Opens Hearts and Minds https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/06/why-music-opens-hearts-and-minds/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 21:06:59 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2975 The late Rich Mullins wrote a lot of songs that changed people’s lives and shaped their faith. But one song in particular has a reputation for grabbing the attention of unwary listeners and has even been known to convert souls. In “If I Stand,” Rich sings: “There’s more that rises in the morning than the […]

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]]> Growing Old and the Gun Lap https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/06/growing-old-and-the-gun-lap/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:55:53 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2965 The first few minutes of Pixar’s 2009 smash hit “Up” are unforgettable for a lot of reasons. We were enchanted and moved watching Carl and Ellie develop a friendship as children, which eventually blossomed into a love that led them to the altar and into the fixer-upper house where they met. We see flashes of […]

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]]> Why Was the Forbidden Fruit Forbidden? https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/06/2956/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:48:32 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2956 It’s hard to pick your favorite books by a guy like C. S. Lewis. He’s become much more than just another author for me. After reading my first few Lewis books, I was, as my friend Steven Wedgeworth once put it, ready to learn at the feet of the master. He’s one of the great […]

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]]> Taking the Plunge Into God’s Story https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/06/taking-the-plunge-into-gods-story/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:37:52 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2945 There’s a moment in childhood when you realize that the world is a much bigger place than the family farm (or apartment, suburban home, or village you call home). This awakening looks different for boys and girls, and I can tell only one side of that story from experience. But mine was a lot like […]

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]]> ‘The Wheel of Time’ As a Celebration of Gender https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/04/the-wheel-of-time-as-a-celebration-of-gender/ Tue, 20 Apr 2021 18:52:41 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2929 Two years ago, I embarked on my longest fictional read to date with Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time.” Weighing in at almost four-and-a-half million words, this brick wall of a series is enough to make even seasoned fans of fantasy count the cost. Last week I finished book fourteen, “A Memory of Light” as […]

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]]> What If Suffering Is God’s Secret Weapon? https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/03/what-if-suffering-is-gods-secret-weapon/ Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:48:38 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2912 Recently, I’ve had occasion to ponder suffering in a deeper way than ever before. I say this not because the situation I’m in is worse than it has ever been (my family have by now become hardened veterans of this private war), but because I’ve become more familiar with the true character of suffering. It […]

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]]> Pornifying Tolkien https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/03/pornifying-tolkien/ Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:34:02 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2906 TheOneRing.net reported recently that the talent agency in charge of hiring actors for Amazon’s upcoming prequel series to “The Lord of the Rings” put out a casting call for men and women who are “comfortable with nudity.” The ad continues: “Up to $500 per day. We need Nude people based in Auckland – age 18 plus, […]

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]]> There Are No Egalitarians When the Dog Attacks https://www.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/2021/03/there-are-no-egalitarians-when-the-dog-attacks/ Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:23:04 +0000 https://admin.patheos.com/blogs/troublerofisrael/?p=2897 On my drive home from a men’s Bible study on Tuesday night, my five-year-old son Elijah (who always accompanies me to give his mom a break) announced, “I just love fighting. I love swords. I like to kill the bad guys.” His declaration followed weeks of donning whatever makeshift armor lay close at hand and […]

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