Dr. David L. Turner

/ˈmyo͞oziNG/

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Pursuing Life and Ministry in 2023 (Colossians.4)

We don’t need a spiritual fad diet to start off 2023. Jesus keto-gummies aren’t going to cut it for us. What we need is to get re-centered on our role in God’s grand narrative to reconcile the world to himself by forming a new humanity in Christ.

Paul’s pastoral concern in Colossians 1:24-2:5 does just that. Paul summons us to grasp the amazing revelation of God’s grace in bringing all humanity—Jews and Gentiles alike—into the family of God through Jesus the Jewish Messiah. Have you given serious thought lately to the sheer grandeur of God’s plan to bring messianic shalom to the whole world? Have you prayerfully reflected on the part God is calling you to play in that plan?

Christmas in Colossae (Colossians.3)

Don’t settle for a diminished Jesus this Christmas! Let’s wrap our whole selves in worship around the One in whom all divine fullness dwells, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Let’s approach the manger in amazement that it was the beginning of a faithful life that led all the way to the cross, the empty tomb, and back to glory at the right hand of God. Let’s ponder how the one who created us in his image graciously became one with his creation, displaying all the fullness of God during his life on this earth. Let’s glory in the confidence that when he took on our flesh and blood he destroyed the devil and delivered us from the fear of death. Come, let’s adore him, Christ the Lord.

Giving Thanks with Paul: Colossians.2

While we should always give thanks for the blessings God gives us, our gratitude should ultimately be for the grace that has opened our eyes to realize our need of Christ. Whatever material blessings we have or lack are from the providence of a good and faithful God. Our bounty is not the fruit of our hard work, self-sufficiency, and national superiority.

The Edmund Fitzgerald: Life Lessons from a Lost Anchor

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? In this post we look at an obscure event in the career of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the loss of an anchor in the Detroit River nearly two years before its tragic demise. We’ll also take a brief look at ancient anchors, and the Bible’s use of nautical imagery in reference to historical storms and as a metaphor for life’s difficulties. All aboard!

The Blessed Virgin, a Wedding Party with Problems, and a Lesson on Prayer.

It’s helpful to understand the language that different churches use to describe Mary, and it’s fun to ponder what she was thinking when she told Jesus the wine had run out at the wedding feast. There’s even more value for us when we think of Mary’s request as a model of prayer. Are we mindful of the hour of Jesus’ passion when we pray, or do we just blurt out prayers assuming that God exists to meet our personal needs in the way we want them met? Hopefully we’re learning, as Mary was, about cruciform praying. Our requests, like hers, need to be in step with the hour of Jesus’ passion, when he prayed three times, “I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Famous Last Words: Jesus Speaks from the Cross

Many Christians are familiar with the tradition of remembering Jesus’ Seven Last Words from the Cross during Passion Week. The seven last words tell us what the cross meant to Jesus. They also ask us what the cross means to us. Jesus’ last words confront our deepest fears, and call us to face them in the power of his victory.