The Joshua Victor Theory

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. If we asked the question, “Have I been put in a position to give thanks?” What answer might God’s Word give us? God’s Word gives us a clear and simple answer: Yes. Every one of us is in a position to give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 says, “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ” Give thanks in all circumstances. God teaches that we should be thankful in all circumstances. The question was, “Have I been put in a position to say thanks?” And if we answer Yes, together with Scripture, then we rightly acknowledge that we are always in a position to give thanks, no matter what our circumstances are. But if “No” is our answer, what does that say? Our “No” might come consciously, if we are openly ungrateful toward God or are grumbling about our circumstances. Or the “No” might come unconsciousl...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul uses the analogy of a tent to describe life in our earthly body. Not everybody loves tent camping, but for many it’s a fun, summer family activity. But even die-hard campers—have stories of the frustrations of tent-living—floods and leaks, mosquitoes, cooking problems or food issues. And mostly we can laugh about them—because tent living is usually no more than a temporary vacation for us. But for Old Testament Israel, for 40 years, a whole generation of hundreds of thousands of people lived in tents on the move. Generations of Israelites afterward were to commemorate this in the Feast of Tabernacles or “Tents”, when they would live in a tent for one week, as a reminder of how God preserved Israel through the 40 years in the wilderness. The 40 years was no “fun camping trip” that could be cut short when things got uncomfortable and they wanted to head home early for the comforts of a...

The following Lenten series I will be preaching on is adapted from Dr. Reed Lessing's series on Jonah the prophet. Dr. Lessing is professor of Old Testament at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.  Consider Fallon, Nevada. The EPA has found that Fallon’s water system delivers more arsenic to its customers than any other large town water system in America. Folks there even joke about it: “Arsenic? It only bothers you if you’re not used to it.” One resident who has lived in Fallon all his life, jests, “Arsenic is no biggie. I’ll die of something. It’s called life. Once you’re born, you start dying.” The arsenic levels remain high, not because people like drinking arsenic, but because they don’t want to pay for the solution, a $10 million treatment plant. One local official said, “This is Nevada. They don’t want to feel government is intruding in their lives.” Talk about being obstinate! These people would rather serve arsenic-laced water to their children than allow the government t...