Happy 2022! It’s the first weekend after the new year, and Sherri and I are home alone again. We celebrated Christmas a few days after the actual holiday. Our children, together with a good friend from Belgium, gathered together for some great meals, fun games, and what can only be described as joyful chaos!
As I said, it’s the first weekend after the new year, and a quiet, cool Saturday in Northwest Florida. Sherri is busy taking down the Christmas decorations, and I’m back in my study, preparing for a new year of Church on the Edge. As I do from time to time, I’d like to give you a glimpse as to what lies ahead in this new year.
Lunar New Year is February 1 this year. It’s a holiday that means little or nothing for many of my subscribers, but for my Asian friends, and those of us who have lived in Asia for any length of time, it’s a big deal. For this reason, I’ve chosen the first week of February for my new format of weekday posts. Here’s a look at it -
Mystic Mondays
Monday’s, we will be looking at the writings of some of the Christian Mystics throughout the centuries. Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, Gregory of Nyssa, Teresa of Avila, and many others whose writings remind us of the deeply spiritual and heart-led faith we have embraced through Jesus. The Christian Mystics remind us that there is a lot more to our faith than dotting our doctrinal i’s and crossing our doctrinal t’s.
Tuesday Podcasts
Tuesdays, I will begin a new podcast series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I am entitling this series Confronting Cultural Christianity. So many Bible studies on Galatians focus on “grace and law,” faith and works.” This is certainly a major theme in Galatians, but running much deeper than that is the apostle Paul’s militant defense of the customs and culture of new Christians whose faith in Jesus was never meant to reflect Jewish religion or culture. What makes Galatians so relevant for our day is its eye-opening revelations of the danger of culture-bound Christianity with its demands on conformity rather than the rich diversity God intends for His children to reflect to our world.
Wednesday Bible Commentary
Wednesday’s will follow up on Tuesday’s podcasts with a series of posts, entitled Good News Gone Bad. I know that my podcasts are not as popular as my daily devotionals, and I get it. I’m trying to shorten the podcasts for that reason. But regardless, I’m going to follow each of Tuesday’s podcasts with a written reflection on the Scripture passage from Galatians. Consistent, relevant Bible study is a vital part of our Christian lives.
Thursday Memoirs
Thursdays I’m going to be sharing some personal reflections on my life and ministry over the years. In my book, Masterpiece in the Making: Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth, I talk about the importance of sharing our stories with each other. We are all part of a larger story - the story of God’s redemption and salvation in Christ. But to fully understand the depth and joy of what God has done for us individually, it’s important to connect with one another in community.
Rock ’n Roll Friday
Rock ’n Roll Friday will conclude each week. I’ve already released a few rock ’n roll devotionals. There are a lot more headed your way from artists like Heart, Led Zeppelin, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Eric Clapton, Halestorm, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and a host of rock ’n rollers who, in their own creative way, have something to say to us as followers of Christ if we only will open our hearts to hear God through their lyrics.
So, what’s up between now and the first of February? I’m not exactly sure; I’m still recovering from our late holiday celebration. Tomorrow is Sunday, and after we get back from church, I’ll sit down in my study, spend some time with the Lord, and see where things go.
In Christ,
Dan
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
Hey Dan, excited to read the run down of devotions coming up in 2022. For January, perhaps hitting on subjects that came up recently… the Georgia quarterback denounced before hitting it big in the final game… long suffering fandom for the Georgia faithful… the chaos of a family Christmas but with the common denominator that everyone has each other’s back … like families should. Happy to listen to your podcasts too when we do our daily walks. God bless you and Sherry, you are serving our Lord well and we appreciate you!