19 results for tag: Jim Fowler
The Death of Jesus on the Cross – Jim Fowler
The death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary for the sins of mankind is so easily and quickly warped by the human mind into concepts of legal pardon based on the penal substitution of punishment inflicted on Jesus, or it is turned into an economic transaction of pay-off wherein Jesus paid the ransom-debt to an unidentified extortive debt-holder. The conceptual theories of atonement that men have applied to the death of Jesus through the centuries need to be rethought and reframed. Christian thinkers have identified some of these logical conjectures for almost two millennia: If Jesus paid a ransom price or debt payment in His death, who did He pay ...
May 2023
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(PDF Format)
Articles:
Stretch Marks of a Mother's Love – pg. 1
One Day in May – pg. 2
The Kingdom in a Person – pg. 5
Grieving Nels – pg. 6
Prodigal Sons – pg. 7
Quotes & Connections – pg. 8
Archaeological Diggings – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
The sign on the gate of the fenced enclosure read “Tel-Evangelica: Sponsored by the International Foundation of Christian Archaeology (I.F.C.A.).”
There in the rolling Judean hills I was joining my first archaeological dig and looking forward with great anticipation to what we might discover. After orientation to the site and instruction as to acceptable procedures of excavation and recording, we began the tedious process of digging.
Tel-Evangelica was a site, the remains of which dated back to the early Christian era. The superstructure of the buildings had long since fallen down and thus were no longer “fitly joined ...
Self-serve Christianity – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
Remember the days when the proprietor at the mercantile, the clerk at the grocery market and the attendant at the gas station would take the time to really serve the customer? They regarded pleasant, helpful service to be their primary responsibility, whereby they might maintain loyal, satisfied customers. Their mottoes were displayed on the wall: “Service with a smile.” “The customer is always right.”
Today, ours is a society of convenience stores, fast-foods and self-service. Aptly referred to as the “Me-generation,” we want just what we want, and we want it now for the least price.
Ours is the age of supermarket ...
A Totem Tale by Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
Fires burn in each settlement across the land. The sound of tom-toms can be heard in the background. It is the time for the perennial carving of totem-poles. Congregating in our tee-pees, each group heatedly considers the essentials of their belief-system. After due consultation of these spirit-matters, consensus is achieved within each tribe as to how they will stack their totem-pole.
The meticulous carving begins. Every detail is important, because each cut has implied meaning. Distinction must be achieved, even in the intensity of the painted colors. Extreme effort is made to make it appear life-like. Duly carved and erected for ...
A Trip to Paradise – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
A Trip to Paradise—Just Sign Up Here! Extolling the many virtues of the island paradise of Tahiti, the promoter explained that this was truly where the “good life” was to be found.
His listener was intrigued by the prospect of living in this island paradise. Convinced that he would like to go there, he was advised by the promoter about the necessary procedures required for receiving an “open ticket” to Tahiti.
As the precise date for departure was indefinite, the aspiring traveler spent the majority of his meditative moments dreaming of what it would be like when he arrived there. His thoughts so dwelt upon his destina...
The Dirty Laundry Ritual – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
Living, as we do, in a dirty world, the clothing that I wear each day gets dirty, sweaty and smelly. So with daily regularity, I take off my dirty clothing, and piece by piece, I carefully cast them toward a clothes basket that is placed quite conspicuously against a wall in our bedroom.
There was a time in my life when I did not do this; when my clothes dropped onto the floor wherever my body happened to be when that particular item of clothing was removed. But when I married, certain social adjustments had to be made, and personal habits were revamped. I could no longer live like a bachelor “pig.” I had to “clean up my act.”...
The Jalopy and the Jaguar – Jim Fowler
Belching black smoke and periodically back-firing, the old jalopy rattled down the road. The owner had driven this car for many years, but it was thoroughly worn-out. People were beginning to shake their heads in derision when he drove by—he was a blight to the road. The paint was peeling, the body was full of dents—the car looked like a wounded survivor of a demolition derby. Flat tires were an almost weekly routine. Talk about uncomfortable! The springs poked through the seats and the wind poured through the cracks in the windows.
All of this was detrimental to the owner’s mental and emotional disposition. It was so frustrating to try to ...
Steroid-Enhanced Religion – Jim Fowler
A visit to “God’s Gym” reveals that many are actively involved in body-building. It has become a competitive sport to see who can sculpt the biggest and most well-defined body.
Gym regulars almost seem to be obsessed with their physical appearance, and never satisfied unless they are becoming bigger and stronger.
The personal trainer constantly encourages the participants to “get with the program” and “work out.” By “pumping iron” they can “bulk up” and thereby build muscle-mass.
This requires the sweating exertion of many repetitions of weight-lifting with ever increasing weights. It is a disciplined regimen ...
The King’s Clothes – Jim Fowler
Once upon a time there was a king. He was king over the vast kingdom of Ecclesiastica. This king was known far and wide for his vain delight in royal vestments. Aware of his propensity to lust after the ego-satisfying need-fulfillment of “pomp and circumstance,” two enterprising con-artists offered to stitch for him some royal finery “fit for a king.”
They explained that their product was so extraordinary and supernatural that it was visible only to the elite and knowledgeable, and invisible to those who “did not have eyes to see.”
“Take my order,” begged the king. “Money is no object!”
The king’s assistants in ...
Jim Fowler and Duke Snider
Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler is one of the great friends and mentors of my life – I’m not the only one who is closer to God given Jim’s ministry. Given a traumatic surgery he has recently endured, allow me to share a few thoughts about my relationship with Jim, a self-sacrificial servant of Jesus.
I first became aware of Jim’s ministry something like 25 years ago. He was then and still is a rare “find” – I look back and I was like an archaeologist who has found a treasure – something (someone) of great value. I quickly determined Jim Fowler to be a prolific writer, a consummate and dedicated scholar who ...
The Land Dispute – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
Many centuries ago in the old country a parcel of land was identified and acquired. The old land deed duly records that the property boundary ran “from the large rock on the southeast corner, west to the sea, north to the top of the hill, east to the large oak tree, and south again to the large rock.” Without precision instruments to measure latitudinal and longitudinal bearings and the exact degrees of direction, this type of land demarcation was common in old land deeds. The large rock that marked the southeast corner of the piece of property was immovable and served as the fixed point of bearing for the position of the parcel.
...
The Chain Gang – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
For some there was the slight semblance of the synchophonic sound of church bells. But it was, instead, the clanging of chains as the prisoners performed their duties. Their day began with roll-call, responding to their assigned identification number. Then, dressed in the dreary uniformity that dissipates individuality, and manacled together in bondage, they marched out to perform their monotonous tasks. The obligatory service having been performed under the watchful eye of the taskmaster, the prisoners filed back into the vaulted dungeon to be fed a bland diet and to engage in the socialization of their chants. They were psyching ...
Franchised Religion – Jim Fowler
A parody is a comic caricature, a ludicrous likeness, an absurd analogy, a ridiculous representation which exposes a particular reality by comparing it to another of a different order. Parodies can be a very useful verbal or literary tool to expose the “red herrings” of diversions which distract attention from real issues; to expose “hobby horses” whereby men keep reverting back to repetitive over-emphasis without critical thought; to expose inane traditions which become familiar ruts wherein we fail to recognize the absence d’esprit. By the use of parody one can be direct yet subtle at the same time.
I had always dreamed of owning a ...
Rebound! – Jim Fowler
Jim Fowler
The basketball game was proceeding at a frenzied pace. Receiving a pass from his teammate, the hometown guarddribbled toward center court. The defending team was employing a full-court press, so our player faked to the left and drove hard to the right, dribbling to within fifteen feet of the basket. There he attempted a one-handed jump shot which ricocheted off the glass and caromed straight up off the front of the rim.
Amazed that he has missed the mark, our player stops in his tracks, his upper torso hanging limp in dejection. Looking toward the coach, he sobs his apologies and laments his failure.
“I’m sorry, Coach,” he ...
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