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Archive for December, 2008

pursuing the knowledge of YHWH: Hosea 6

Posted in textures, tagged , , on December 7, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Hosea is a torturous work, not chiefly for its unending textual complications but more immediately for the fearful conundrum in which its northern Israelite originator and its Judean stewards find themselves. We read time and again that YHWH has turned against Israel, has become its chief antagonist, has determined to wipe the slate clean of his troublesome, rebellious sons. (more…)

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unmovable: Psalm 125

Posted in textures, tagged , , on December 6, 2008| 3 Comments »

Often considered one of the soft qualities of personality and character, trust does not immediately associate itself with sturdiness. The iconic self-made man of the American psyche trusts no one but himself. By definition self-reliant, he does not attach his fortune to the reliability of anyone else.

Not so the life of YHWH’s people. Here a different logic holds sway. The very reliability of YHWH establishes a baseline of sturdiness for those who choose to entrust their lot to his character:

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time on and forevermore. (Psalm 125:1-2 NRSV)

Geographical strongholds stand in as metaphor for YHWH’s existential bedrock. Those who anchor themselves to this most sturdy Protector will themselves be unshakable. A soft quality becomes, in paradox, the hardest.

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sweet as cherry pie: Sade, Diamond Life

Posted in reseña, tagged , , on December 5, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Before there was Freddy Adu, Ghana-born, US-naturalized soccer phenom, pop culture had another Adu. Hardly anyone knew it though, for she was one of those artists whose given name seems to say it all.

Her name is Folasade. We know her, and the English band that took her name as its own in the country to which she emigrated, as Sade. (more…)

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love’s unreason: Hosea 3

Posted in textures, tagged , , on December 5, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The Bible wastes little time attempting to uncover the reason YHWH loves his renegade Israel or Christ loves his deeply flawed church. Time and again its pages stake the claim that the audacity and perseverance of such ardour defies logic. At the very least it outpaces any reason to which human beings have direct access. (more…)

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