About Paul’s Ponderings

I began Paul’s Ponderings in 2004.

Twenty years ago, I was an unmarried youth pastor who read a wide variety of books. I used this blog as a way to process what I was reading. The format of many of those early posts was a quote from a book, followed by the thoughts it stirred in my mind (hence the name Ponderings), with an attempt to tie it all to a Bible passage.

During those first few years, I posted almost every day. However, I never followed a strict schedule—I wrote whenever my mind was crowded with thoughts that needed to come out. I wasn’t as successful with my blogging as I wanted to be, mainly because I neglected to proofread and edit my posts. They were strictly stream-of-consciousness. While I never amassed a huge audience, the blog did serve the purpose of emptying the rambling thoughts that often occupied my mind.

Over the past fourteen years, my life has shifted quite a bit. I went from being single to being married with children. I went from serving independent Restoration Movement Churches to being an ordained pastor (along with my wife) in the Free Methodist Church—a denomination I hadn’t even heard of twenty years ago. Needless to say, my free time isn’t what it used to be.

Another major change during this time, which I’m sure many of us have experienced, is the rise of smartphones and social media. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal, and I didn’t notice how my free time had shifted from reading books to scrolling through social media and listening to podcasts.

Then COVID hit, and what started as a little time on my phone turned into an addiction. I didn’t realize it at first, but this summer I was confronted with the reality of how big the problem had become. I don’t recall the specific details, but I do remember picking up my phone and opening X (formerly Twitter) with this thought running through my mind: “I don’t know what to think about.” My thoughts were no longer my own—they were being directed by whatever I found on my phone.

That realization took me back to why I started Paul’s Ponderings in the first place: to have a space to share my own thoughts. But now, those thoughts were coming from the small device in my hand. I had a problem.

As I seek to break free from my phone and social media, I’ve decided that a good discipline to cultivate is the habit of reading and writing again. That led me back here, to my long-neglected blog. I realize that, in recent years, “being a blogger” was more a part of my fantasy self than my reality. You can look through the archives and see my failed attempts to revive Paul’s Ponderings. Now, I want to give it another try. Whether or not I gain readers isn’t the point—the point is to have the motivation to read, think, and share my thoughts.

My plan is to return to my old format: starting with a quote from something I’m reading, jotting down my rambling thoughts, and making some attempt to tie it all back to the Bible. I hope you’ll join me on this journey, but if not, that’s okay—especially if you promise to check in every once in a while.

Rethinking the Woman at the Well

John Eldredge in his book Beautiful Outlaw shares a common thought about the woman at the well, that she was “sexually loose.” 

But as you can see I crossed that out. 

Why? 

Because it probably isn’t true. Remember, this is a patriarchal culture where women have very little power. What that means is that it would have been suicide for her to be unfaithful so many times. Women did not have the power to initiate divorce, and to have no husband to provide for you would have been disastrous.

The more likely scenario is that her husbands have either died or divorced her, which left her very vulnerable. Because of this the town’s people see her as unlucky or maybe even cursed (think about Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38). 

Through our western eyes we read that she is shacking up with a guy, but again, that is probably isn’t the case, and even if it was, it was something she did out of survival rather than a sinful lifestyle. The phrase that Jesus used to describe her condition could mean hat she is the second wife, the lesser wife, in a relationship: he is not her man.

This also explains why she is at the well at noon time. Contrary to the way we have been taught to teach this encounter, women did not just come in the morning or evening to get water, but they came whenever they needed it. If she was the second wife, then it would have been her responsibility, and since she had no children to help her, she had to carry all the water the household needed herself. This meant multiple trips to the well each day. 

Rather than being a sinful woman, this woman is a woman doing her best to survive, a woman who experienced a lot of tragedy, and a woman viewed by many as cursed. 

Do we know any of this for sure? 

No, we don’t. The text just doesn’t give us that information. 

We do know, that she is not described as a sinful woman until the Reformation. We also know that the Eastern Orthodox Church venerated her as a saint with the name Photini, “Enlightened”, given to her when the apostles baptized her. The Eastern Orthodox Church also believe that she was a great evangelist who was martyred in 66AD. 

Again, we don’t know any of this for sure, which means we are left with what is more probable? What is more probable, given her time and culture, is that she was a woman who had a difficult life, and did the best she could in order to survive. And when she met Jesus, she told others about him.

The Spiritually Mature Life: Having the Fruit

On Sunday, April 7, 2024, I started a new sermon series at Bethlehem Church called A Spiritually Mature Life. This sermon series is focused on following the guidance of the Holy Spirit so he can produce the type of life that God wants us to live.

There are two ways we can live our lives. We can follow the desires of our flesh or we can be guided by the Holy Spirit. To follow the desires of our flesh leads to a life that is contrary to the Kingdom of God and thus leads to death. To follow the Spirit produces the fruit of eternal life in us. Eternal life is characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In other words this is the type of life God created us to live. It is a life that demonstrates God’s character in this world.

Text: Galatians 5:16-25

Big Idea: Following the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of eternal life in us.

Challenge: This week expect the Holy Spirit to guide you.

We Have A Voice

I am not sure how I stumbled upon Preston Sprinkle. It could be that I was looking for a podcast to listen to and the title Theology in the Raw grabbed my attention. 

It doesn’t matter how or when I discovered Preston and his podcast, what matters is that I have been listening to him for several years now. Not only have I spent hours with him and his guests, he, in the process, has been influential on my own intellectual journey.

One of the areas that I have enjoyed listening to Preston about is the area of politics. If you have known me for any length of time you know that I have an interest in the area of politics and discipleship. I have written several posts about politics because I am concerned about the influence it has on us who follow Jesus. There is no doubt that many American Christians believe their faithfulness to God is connected to their politics.

Last week I saw this xeet/tweet on X/Twitter:

While I am sympathetic to what Preston posted, I don’t think it is entirely correct. The reason I don’t think it correct is because the position of Jewish exiles and 1st century Christians is different than our position as American Christians.

This has nothing to do with the United States being a “Christian Nation.” Personally, I  think this belief of being a “Christian Nation” has done more harm to God’s Church in the United States than good. One reason for that is because it has caused us to engage in a culture war to maintain Christian influence in the political sphere, rather than focusing on discipleship, which is the true work of the church.

What makes us different from the exiles in Babylon and the 1st century Christians is that our position as American Christians is one in which have a voice. And since we have a voice we should use it as much as we can, because what happens here and the decisions our politicians make affects the entire world (which is why it is correct to see the USA as an empire). 

Using our voice doesn’t equate to choosing sides and voting. One of my favorite posts is this one explaining why not voting was a legitimate option for a Christian. 

Using our voice means we speak “prophetically” about what our government is doing. So if we have the understanding and the knowledge of US foreign policy we should speak out about bad it is or how the healthcare/insurance systems is not good for people. 

Using our voice means praying for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Since the government is so big on both the Federal and State levels, this might seem like a pointless exercise, but it is God has instructed His people to do, so we can live peaceful lives.

The biggest way we can use our voice is to think locally and act locally. The reality is that the smaller the group the bigger the impact. We often get caught up in politics that we have the least influence over: Federal. Outside of voting (and even that impact should be questioned) there is not much we can do to influence those in power at the National level. Yet, there is a lot we can do locally.

At the local level there are always organizations that are looking for volunteers to help. At the local level there are different ways to help shape the condition of the community. At the local level we are better able to see the needs and witness results.

So, I totally agree with Preston that it improper for God’s people to be consumed with presidential politics and other national realities that cause us to forget our supreme allegiance to Jesus. But that doesn’t mean we should find politics uninteresting. Rather it means that we should follow the politics of Jesus: unconditional love and uncompromised truth.

As an exile living in the shadow of empire, remember there is only one kingdom (God’s Kingdom) that you are loyal to and only one king (King Jesus) worthy of your allegiance. So use the voice and influence He has given you to make a difference.