Category Archives: Uncategorized

Folly in Proverbs

Walking With Giants Posted on by

The book of Proverbs has much to say about ‘the fool’ and his ways.  The title does not belong to those of limited intelligence, but rather to those who choose and cultivate folly.  Kidner: ‘the book has in mind a man’s chosen outlook, rather than his mental equipment.’  The fool returns to his folly as a dog returns to his own vomit (Prov 26:11).

Depiction

In Proverbs, both wisdom (Prov 9:1-6) and folly (Prov 9:13-18) are personified as women inviting the young and impressionable to her banquet. …

Laughter: the best change agent?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Much has been written about the power of story, of narrative, to change attitudes and behaviours.

But I would like to put it to you, ladies and gentlemen, that humour can be just as powerful an agent for change.  This is so with regard to topical satirical shows such as Have I Got News For You (BBC).  And it is doubly so, of course, when humour is employed at part of (maybe the main part) of story-telling.…

Platitudes tested

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Trevin Wax reports:-

In 1911, Holbrook Jackson, a disciple of Nietzsche, wrote a book called Platitudes in the Making.  He sent a copy to G.K. Chesterton, who write, in a green pencil, a response to nearly all of Jackson’s pithy platitudes.

Here are some examples: with Jackson’s proposals in bold type, and Chesterton’s responses in italics:-

  • As soon as an idea is accepted it is time to reject it. No: it is time to build another idea on it.
…

How to kill a small-group discussion

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Questions – and the discussions they can stimulate – are the life-blood of small-group Bible study.

However, not all questions are equal, and some can actually bring a discussion to a full stop.

Melissa Kruger cautions against the following types of question:-

1. Captain obvious.  While it can be helpful to prompt people to notice what’s actually there in the Bible text, some observation questions are simply inviting people to state the blindingly obvious.  So, suggests Kruger:-

Instead of asking, “Who are the three people Paul interacted with in the city of Philippi in Acts 16?”
…

What’s your facial screen saver?

Walking With Giants Posted on by

What does your face say to the preacher?  Tony Payne reports that according to a ‘mate’ of his, people wear one of four expressions on their faces during the sermon:-

  1. There’s the Shar Pei Dog, who presents a permanently grumpy, closed-off expression that makes clear to everyone that nothing and nobody is going to get through to him.
  2. There’s the Invisible Fairy Hunter, whose eyes flit everywhere, counting the bricks and checking out the ceiling, like Captain Hook in search of Tinker Bell.
…

Mystery

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In everyday usage, the word ‘mystery’ suggests ‘something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain’ (COD).

Unfortunately, this usage is too readily imported into discussions about what the word means in its biblical context.

So let’s take a look.

In the OT, the word ‘mystery’ only occurs in the Aramaic part of the book of Daniel (Dan 2:18–19, 27–30, 47; 4:9), where the word rāz is rendered mystērion in the LXX.  In that context, the word refers to God’s hidden plan which revelation and the unfolding of events are in the process of making known.…

Silence speaks

Walking With Giants Posted on by

William Barclay (Daily Study Bible on Mark 15:5) writes:-

There is a time when silence is more eloquent than words, for silence can say things that words can never say.

(i) There is the silence of wondering admiration. It is a compliment for any performance or oration to be greeted with thunderous applause, but it is a still greater compliment for it to be greeted with a hushed silence which knows that applause would be out of place.…

How (not) to apologise

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Thom S. Raynor notes that leaders often fail to apologise properly for their failures and mistakes.  They thereby sacrifice integrity and lose credibility.

Among the worst examples of nonapologies, Raynor suggests the following:-

  1. “If I offended anyone . . .” This one is also called the hypothetical apology. There is really no mention of wrongdoing. It tries to put the responsibility of the apology on the offended party or parties.
  2. “For whatever harm I caused .
…

Periodicals

Walking With Giants Posted on by
…