I have talked ad nauseam about function in ancient writings and the difference between literal and fiction on the one hand, and concrete and abstract on the other. I thought I would apply this approach to the story of Noah. (more…)
Author: Grant Hastings
I Do Not Need A Drill Thank You Very Much
I have not posted a blog for some time and I have a good reason. 10 days ago I took an exam for a professional designation in my industry and the last 6 weeks of spare time has been consumed with studying. The exam was an all encompassing challenge exam covering four separate courses. I should have taken 6 to 8 months of preparation but to be fair, I only learned I could challenge the courses in December and I did not receive all the material until March. When the box of thick binders arrived all I could think was ‘what have I gotten myself into this time’. (more…)
God Has Blessed Me With Opportunities
About 20 years ago I was sitting in church listening to someone give a heartfelt talk about blessings. I do not remember the details of the talk but one comment they made has come to give me pause. They said that they were thankful God had blessed them with good health. (more…)
Crabs and the Abundant Life
When our family goes to the local grocery store, my 10 year old son and I often find ourselves in the seafood section admiring the crabs, lobsters, clams and various other sea creatures that are waiting to become someone’s dinner. (more…)
The Armour of God – Disarming the Imagery
The Armour of God is such a powerful image. It is a very physical representation of our spiritual need to protect ourselves from, as it states, the fiery darts of the wicked. For today’s blog, I hope to provide some context to the imagery so that you might better understand the message. We should not read too much into the analogies that are made between the armour and their spiritual equivalents. It is not like roman armour was designed specifically with Christian principles in mind. Paul is making a comparison that may not be perfect, but it gets the point across. (more…)
How High Are You On The Mountain
Imagine that life’s journey is a mountain where financial, emotional or whatever other success you aspire to is at the peak, and we climb through our life towards this final goal. We often measure how well we are doing on our climb against how others are fairing. The further along someone is in a career, marriage, or in building relationships of trust, the higher up they are. Those who have developed gentleness, patience and kindness are closer to the ideal that we are all trying to achieve. (more…)
Why Does God Allow Suffering
I have often heard the lament ‘If there is a God, why does He allow suffering?’ Stephen Fry and Penn Jillette are two celebrities who are often quoted when someone wants to denounce God as heartless and cruel. (more…)
The Academy Awards – Separating the People from the Ceremony
I have been to all sorts of award ceremonies, some better attended than others but they are all the same. The quality of the production is almost always determined by the number of people who want to attend. Every association I have been a part of holds award ceremonies to recognize their best. The academy awards are no different than any other; the difference is simply in the number of people who want to watch. (more…)
The Problem with Refugees
Much has been posted of late on social media concerning immigration and refugees. Those who oppose allowing refugees into the country will post various inflammatory claims and half truths to convince us they are protecting us from violent extremists. Those in favour are equally guilty of exaggerating the truth by trying to convince us that we are their only hope, and our economy will collapse without them. (more…)
David and his Goliath
One of the most iconic figures in Jewish history is King David; his humble beginnings, his valiant rise to glory, and his tragic fall from grace. It is his humble beginnings that interest me. It is not a story of an underdog, rather a lesson of not prejudging or drawing conclusions from what amounts to false assumptions. (more…)