Summer is over already?

Posted on September 5, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Traditionally, in the USA, Labor Day (the first Monday in September) marks the end of the summer vacation season. It is also the time when students go back to school and in this blogger get back to blogging.

We marked some significant events this summer.

We gained two sons-in-law this summer. In August, we had the privilege of seeing our two older daughters married to fine young men. Being of the male persuasion, I was less than enthusiastic about all the details leading up to the weddings (and requisite drama), but the weddings were wonderful events and I am happy for the new couples.

We also dropped our youngest daughter off for her first year of university study. It has been interesting to watch as she works through the process of discovering how her talents and desires relate to career choices (and selection of a major field of study).

We were able to tack on a few vacation days before and after the drop off, so we spent some time with our daughter and spend a few days decompressing after the very busy weeks that had just taken place.

So now I happily return to blogging. Hopefully, I am refreshed and ready for what God brings to us as we enter a new phase in life as empty nesters. It is still my plan to produce 2 or 3 posts per week which are designed to encourage you, the readers, to begin or deepen your relationship with God.

I hope you also had a great summer. Feel free to share some highlights from your summer in the comment section below. I’d love to hear about what is going on in your lives.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

When the heavens are silent

Sometimes it seems that our prayers bounce off the ceiling. How should we respond when Heaven is silent? Some thoughts on why God might not answer.

The softening of the Gospel

Under the Gospel, our hearts experience the softening that allows for a proper understanding of the role of the law.

The gap between my head and my heart

The problem is that I can maintain an intellectual understanding of Jesus’ teaching while I fail to live it out. I can easily rationalize the gap between what my head understands and what I choose to live out.

Dealing with apparent failure in apologetics

If some could witness the miracles of Jesus and remain unconvinced and unconverted, we would be foolish to think that everyone will respond to our presentation and defense of the Gospel. The will overrides the intellect when dealing with matters of faith and world view. If the lack of response is an indication of failure, it is a failure that Jesus also experienced.

Division vs. Diversity in the Church

I’ve been thinking about my post of 5 days ago regarding division in the church and feel the need to clarify something. Unity in the church does not equate to uniformity. We should not all look the same inside the church because the people in the culture around us are not all the same. Within the bounds of correct belief and practice is the opportunity for diversity.

How Long, O Lord?

God allows us to go through difficult times. He allows us to go through dry times where it feels like our prayers never make it past the ceiling in the room. God allows the knuckleheads to remain in power both in the government and in the church. Often, he leaves us wondering why.

It is in those times when the promise of Jesus begins to bring comfort. He will be with me to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). To fix our predicament, God came down to be one of us to feel our pain and offer a solution for it. While this may not make the process easier, it should affect the result.