Blog — David J. Collum

Day 38: Layers

Layers: they are everywhere. We look at something, take a new car for example. It is shinny and clean. It looks great. Underneath the hood is a wildly complex machine. There are days we, or an expert, need to get under that hood. However, most days, we simply enjoy driving it. In each of our lives, there are things we are the experts at. Our jobs, a hobby, maybe cooking, or something else. When necessary, we can “get under the hood”, but most days, we simply enjoy the drive. Where can you “get under the hood”?

Day 37: Play it again, Sam

Jack, aka Humphrey Bogart, chides his longtime friend and piano player: “Play it again, Sam.” Sam resists. He knows hearing that melody, hearing those notes, will conjure up old feelings in Jack. But sometimes it is good to conjure up earlier thoughts. I spent 7 Blog Posts going through Chapter 14. Before we jump into chapter 15 today, let me ask you to “play it again”. Here are the points I was trying to invite you to see in Chapter 14...

Day 36: May the force be with you

Living in a flesh and blood world, laboring each day, conscious of our health, finances, and more—naturally results in a “this world” focus. Jesus, while on earth, was very immersed in the physical world. And yet, reading the Gospels leaves a person with the sense that he was also deeply connected to something bigger. Are we Spiritual OR Physical, or Spiritual AND Physical?

Day 35: Unlocking obedience

Obey? Why? Obey what? Today the idea of obeying something “outside of yourself” might be an antiquated notion. Yet how are you with conforming your actions (those things you do) with your will (those things you know you should do)? Are you a “try harder” kind of person? Or perhaps you take your cues from Yoda: “For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumMarch 18, 2018Commandments, Love, Obey, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 35, John

Day 34: Fallen down a rabbit hole

Perhaps you think I have fallen down the Rabbit Hole of John 14:12-14. Hang in there. I am wrapping them up today. I have put us in this Rabbit Hole because I believe finding our way through these verses just might unlock your understanding of Jesus’ hope for you.

Day 33: I am the greatest

“I am the greatest.” So announced Muhammed Ali in 1963. He was a remarkable boxer and an even more remarkable showman. He knew how to attract an audience. Beyond ego, there is something about that phrase. It yells “control”. More than knowing the outcome of a situation, our desire is to control the outcome. In fact, many of us have jobs where that is exactly what we strive to do.

Day 32: Hocus-Pocus: seeing the world around us

"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:14) We know what this does not mean; it does not mean if I believe in Jesus, and ask for whatever I want, then Presto-Change-O, I get it. Okay, so what does it mean?

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumMarch 12, 2018Name, Reality, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 32, John

Day 31: Slow down, you move too fast

We live in a fast-moving world. For you to move fast, what does it take? What I mean is, “For you to move fast, do you simply start out that way, or is there a process to gain speed?” For me, I can move fast, once I really learn something. We need to slow down through this part of John’s Gospel.

Day 30: Home is where the heart is

“Home is where the heart is.” Where is home for you? That is an awfully personal question. The idea of home brings memories to our minds. For some of us good memories, and for others of us, not so good. This chapter of John is packed. Jesus is on his way back home—and he is excited to bring us!

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumMarch 7, 2018Home, Father, Gospel of John Day 30, Gospel of John, John

Day 29: I will do anything... I promise

Desire can make us crazy. It comes upon us like a roaring lion. Our craving for affection, or attention, or stuff, or a person... well, what is it for you? Have you ever thought you'd do just about anything for the object of your desire? We (at times, when we desire something) will say, “I will do anything… I promise!” but then we don’t follow through. Even the disciples did! But it's not so for God.

Day 28: Judas, can I wash your feet?

How did Jesus behave when he knew “his hour”, his death, had come? Remarkably. Chapters 13 – 18 chronicle his behavior… and it is all about his concern for his “crew” (his disciples). Here is how John describes it: “…when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart this world to the Father, having loved his own, he loved them to the end.” He did. He begins by washing everyone’s feet.

Day 27: Pause—process—peak

Ever hiked any mountains? Hike, not climb; there is a difference. A hike implies a walk. It is strenuous, but your feet stay on the ground. One thing to remember, every now and then, stop and look around. Pause, take in the scene, process how far you have come, and maybe, if you are in the right spot, gaze upon the peak which awaits you. Reaching chapter 12 has been a hike. Let’s take some time, sit together and process this chapter.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 26, 2018Hike, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 27, John

Day 26: Despite the obvious

Have you ever been in a disagreement with someone who has already made up their mind? Whatever facts you might have presented, they just weren’t going to budge. We are all committed to our agendas. Sometimes we can become so committed that despite obvious evidence which points in a different direction, we remain determined.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 23, 2018Lazarus, God's power, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 26, John

Day 25: Do you smell?

Pepé Le Pew, a cartoon character constantly in search of love, has one major flaw. He’s a skunk! Let’s face it, we do not like even being around people who smell, never mind loving them. Do you smell? Do I? Which brings me to today’s Scripture. Sheep are annoying and smelly. Jesus says He is our Good Shepherd. Now I know this is a metaphor, but we are the annoying smelly sheep. He says He loves us, stink and all. Ponder this idea...

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 21, 2018Sheep, Shepherd, Good shepherd, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 25, John

Day 24: Pick an animal

If you were asked to pick an animal that represented you, what would you choose? Would you pick a sheep? My neighbors had three sheep. Ben, Bob, and… Fred. I loved to go visit them. Whenever I did, the results were predictable. If I entered the pen, they ran to the opposite corner. When Steve their owner came in, and called them, they surrounded him. They loved him. I will spare you the details about how smelly there were. The point was they knew Steve, and especially his voice. In today's reading, Jesus uses this analogy and more. Tomorrow we will look at the idea of Jesus as a Shepherd. Today, let’s consider our “sheepiness.”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 19, 2018Sheep, Shepherd, Good shepherd, Animals, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 24, John

Day 23: Crossed wires

Ideas have power. They move our lives in specific direction. Most of us know the ideas that are guiding us, at least at some level. When challenges comes into our lives these guiding ideas either confirm, confuse, or collapse our world. At times these situations and challenges, often painful, reveal wrong thinking, you might say, crossed-wires. In today's reading from John 9, Jesus exposes "crossed-wire" thinking.

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 16, 2018Wires, Blind, Healing, Sin, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 23, John

Day 22: Seeing through the dark

Ever wear night-vision goggles? I haven’t. They seem cool. What is not cool is being in the dark. Most of us in the dark slow down and even stumble about. For some, fear of the dark stops them dead in their tracks. The solution is finding and getting into light. Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 14, 2018Light, Pharisees, John 8, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 22

Day 21: Seeing through the fog

Have you ever been caught in a fog? You can have a vague general sense of the area. Maybe you have been in that fog-filled place a hundred times. Yet somehow the fog throws off your bearings. I bring up fog, because in today's reading, that is what the religious leaders of the day are trying to do to Jesus and to those who are wrestling with just who he is. They are trying to encase Jesus in a fog. They are trying to obscure how others will see him...

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 12, 2018Fog, Stoning, Pharisees, Gospel of John Day 21, Gospel of John, John 7, John

Day 20: Seeing above the noise

“Quiet!” yells the frustrated teacher, desperately trying to get their students to settle down long enough to actually hear their instruction. The crowd in today's passage is in a similar condition... There are all sorts of things grabbing their attention. Calling it noise is not meant to devalue it. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Enough with all this noise…hear me…I am the Living Water!”

Books of the BibleDavid J CollumFebruary 9, 2018Water, Light, Thirst, Living water, Gospel of John, Gospel of John Day 20, John 7

Day 19: Seeing through the Noise

Learning to see through the noise is a mandatory skill in our frenzied world. I find Chapter 7 of John's Gospel to be somewhat “noisy”. I have reread it several times, even outlined it. Why? I want to “see and hear” Jesus. I want to know, “What does Jesus mean when he says certain things?” To help me see and hear, I need to pause at verse 10...