Imaginatively Inhabit

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John 6

by Tyler Dirks

Here’s a highlight reel from John 6. “Let’s serve dinner to thousands of people.” – Jesus of Nazareth “Yeah! Definitely! There’s a kid over there with a Lunchable, maybe we can ask him to share with everyone! It’ll be an epic feast!” – Andrew (said as a joke, and probably with some irritable sarcasm). “Bingo! […]

Redeeming The Foul Forest

by Tyler Dirks

I once was the proud owner of a forest. The formation of my forest came about quite naturally, for it was a forest of egotism. When it comes to egomania I’ve always been a natural – I don’t even have to try …it’s effortless! Every square inch of my self-serving sanctuary grew up naturally …no […]

Luke 11!?

by Tyler Dirks

After all His inflammatory statements in chapter 10[1], it is nice to see Jesus taking some time to reflect and pray. Perhaps Jesus will realize that He has been a bit harsh, and maybe, just maybe, He will make some key adjustments to His tone and style of communication so as to avoid grossly offending […]

Inflammatory

by Tyler Dirks

He went every week. He went religiously. Did he enjoy and endorse everyone who attended? Nope. But that didn’t stop him from being thoroughly involved. Bottom line, it was chalk-full of complexities and bewilderments, AND it was his custom to actively attend. For instance, one time he went to the synagogue (as was his custom) […]

A Dialogue Based on Luke 14

by Tyler Dirks

[follower] “What’s on the agenda for today?” [leader] “Today we dine with uptight self-righteous people.” [follower] “That’s gonna be awkward.” [leader] “Yup.” Later that day, during dinner… [uptight self-righteous people] “Why do you flagrantly break God’s rules?” [leader] “I don’t.” Awkward silence… [leader] “I got a story for y’all. Once upon a time there was […]

The Angel of the LORD

by Tyler Dirks

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Luke 24:27 Where is the Angel of the Lord in Scripture? Gen. 16 – Gives a promise to Hagar in the wilderness. Gen. 22 – Reaffirms the messianic promise with Abraham. Gen. 31 – Appears […]

2023 Sermon Series (Blurb)

by Tyler Dirks

The book of Judges reads like a series of bizarre dreams. The array of unusual stories is unparalleled. It is a saga of completely off-the-wall, utterly unexpected and shocking events. And the deeper you go into the narrative the more you realize that this dream is actually a nightmare. You come to find that the […]

Ethan the Ezrahite

by Tyler Dirks

Imagine you are Ethan the Ezrahite (author of the final poem in Book III of the Psalms). …Ethan – that famous sage in the entourage of wise men – along with Heman, Calcol, and Darda – in the days of King David and King Solomon. This Ezrahite saw firsthand the glory of the Davidic empire! […]

Cru. Confu. Conceit. Child. Charge. Childlike.

by Tyler Dirks

Question: did Jesus strive to keep a low profile? Answer: yes (Mark 9:30). Question: why is Jesus always trying to keep a low profile? Answer: because Jesus is determined to be crucified, and he knows that once he explicitly tells the crowds what he’s about, they will murder him (see John 6:60-61); and Jesus isn’t […]

“Stop Dating My Mother!”

by Tyler Dirks

Remember that episode of The Office when Michael dates Pam’s mom? Remember how it drives Pam bonkers? Remember how the tension builds and eventually boils over in the break room when Pam yells at Michael, “Stop dating my mother!” And Michael says, “You know what? I’m gonna start dating her even harder.” Here’s the clip. […]