Greetings folks.

Disclaimer:  this isn’t a health-related post 🙂

On Sunday night I went to the theater and watched Doctor Strange with my family. Pretty good movie. I always enjoy the first movies of series where the main character is introduced. I especially love it when they must travel far away and learn ancient practices as part of their physical and spiritual growth. Batman Begins, Last Samurai, etc, I’m just drawn to the clash of a Western personality with Eastern culture. Po from Kung Fu Panda isn’t from America but we certainly relate to him as one who takes little seriously, and I think it is this same theme that I enjoyed in that movie too. So when Doctor Strange travels to Kathmandu seeking healing and winds up in training in the mystical arts to control energy from other dimensions, I was hooked.

Of particular interest to me in Doctor Strange is the existence of a library filled with ancient books containing the secrets of the multiverse. Not simply the universe, an insufficient description of the creation we know, but the multiverse, the many universes of which ours is just a part. It is Doctor Strange’s discovery and ability to readily consume the knowledge contained in these books that allows him to ascend to Sorcerer Supreme. That and letting go of his ego which prevents him from embodying this knowledge.

But enough about Doctor Strange. I bring it up because I had another “boom” moment yesterday morning when reading the Bible. Another ancient text, although this one is real. I wondered why it is that we can be fascinated with the idea that there could be ancient books in secret libraries somewhere in the world containing ultimate wisdom and yet unmoved by one that might very well be sitting on a shelf or in a drawer in our own homes? As a fantasy, the idea has great allure. But in reality, foolishness?

So this is what I think about sometimes when I read the Bible. For me, you could take me to Barnes and Noble, lay the Bible on a table and then offer me that ancient text or any book in the self-help aisle, and I’ll take the Bible every time. Ancient wisdom. And truth. Not that the books in the self-help aisle aren’t of any value, it’s just that I’ll look to the Bible first before seeking wisdom elsewhere. I contend that it is truly alive in some mystical way.

The crazy thing is that the Bible is the most readily available book in existence–translated into nearly every language and in different styles in order to be best understood. But my observation is that, increasingly, the assertion of its modern relevance is met with suspicion and disbelief. And why?  That’s a long discussion, one that interests me but not one I can write in a few hundred lines. But suffice to say that it contains the story of God. Sometimes I want to run and hide from Him too. Or think Him out of existence altogether.

For those interested in further reading and my “boom” moment, have a look at Numbers 9:15-23 and Luke 9:28-36 (biblegateway.com is a good source, I read the NLT version).

As you read, consider that God’s Presence is in the cloud. Christ has replaced the Tabernacle. God’s people need wander no more.

Feel free to reach out to me if you care to discuss….

Love and blessings

Brent