Snapshots and Synapses

Published in paperback on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Shepherds-Letter-Mitchell-Malloy/dp/1973415933/ Copyright © 2007 Mitchell Malloy All rights reserved. ISBN: 9781973415930 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS All our talents come as a gift from above, and all we do is to imitate the Great Giver with gifts of our own. Soli Deo Gloria!

I want to tell you about the Alpha Course.  Around 30 years ago, I had the privilege of attending an Alpha course at Truro Church in Northern Virginia. I was already a believer in Christ, but I've always struggled connecting with others. Some people may be surprised by that fact because I've been blessed with so many wonderful relationships, but the Alpha Course was special in that it opened the door to lifelong, family relationships. The people in our Alpha group kept meeting until we were pulled to different parts of the country. Yet even after that, we've had reunions, attended the weddings of our daughters and even met remotely during the COVID lockdown. I can't say that every Alpha group is as special as ours. The reunions and remote gatherings were in large part due to one lovely lady in particular who has continued to pull us back again and again, and it was my privilege to see her enter into a relationship with Jesus 3 decades ago, a relationship that has poure...

Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray. Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. ~ Ephesians 4:14-15   Speaking the truth in love sounds easy, but in practice it can be really hard. It can be hard to speak truth, fearful of how it will be received, and it can be hard to speak in a loving fashion when the truth can seem so obvious or when it’s being casually disregarded. But God made us to live in truth and love, to speak truth to others with love in our hearts. As I wrote this, I felt concern that my words could hurt people I care about: friends, colleagues and relatives. I don’t want to bludgeon anyone with the truth, but I don’t want to be unclear about the whole truth, explained if you read through to the end . There are many mo...

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been trying to form my thoughts for a topic that I’ll post later this month, and like our society in general have considered Father’s Day only as an afterthought. Our society celebrates Mothers pretty easily, and that’s a good thing. But it seems harder to celebrate fathers. Why is that? The message at our church today was a really good one but reflecting upon the content I realized that it was mostly describing fatherhood wounds, the impact of a bad father figure and how God brings restoration. So I could choose to write about the qualities of a good father, and that would also be a good thing to share, but instead I thought it might be better to share my challenges as a father. Assuming that others may be challenged in similar ways, maybe someone would benefit from knowing that we’re not alone. As the father of five children, I know I’ve made mistakes and that I’ve also done the right thing. No one is perfect as a parent, and that shouldn’t...

Since the Garden of Eden, there has always been evil in this world, and yet at one point the wickedness of men had become so great that the Bible tells us God regretted making mankind, deciding to flood the Earth and start over with Noah and his family. Some people say that wickedness has always existed and today is no different from years past, but I disagree. I have seen in my lifetime the growth of wickedness as described in the Bible as an increase in lawlessness or rebellion. Yes, evil has always existed, but it was not socially celebrated as it is today. What occurred in shadows is celebrated publicly, and the sophistry of today’s social norms would have quickly been silenced in a younger world.  I’ve been accused more than once of focusing so much on what I am against people sometimes wonder what I’m for, and I have to admit it’s often easier for me to see what’s wrong when I look at our world today. It saddens me, and I wonder if that’s how Jeremiah felt as he looked upon t...

Why do we celebrate mothers? Should we celebrate all women on Mother’s Day? When God created women and men, He created us in his image. Male and female He created us. So from that aspect, yes we value women as much as we value men. We value mothers and women without children equally. We should never devalue what God has called invaluable. Yet just as we don’t celebrate men on Mother’s Day, we don’t celebrate all women. There are women without any biological children who play the role of a good mother for others. These spiritual mothers are every bit as worthy of celebrating as much as any biological mother. We celebrate mothers, because of what a good mother is. A good mother encourages her children in doing what is right and rebukes them for doing what is wrong. A good mother is loving. She is self-sacrificing, and she is self-sacrificing because she loves. Because she loves, she does what’s in the best interest of her children and does not follow her own selfish desires. She minister...

My Life / My Will If I were an atheist, reality would be centered around me. I would judge things as good if they were in my best interest, and I would judge things as bad if they were not to my advantage. If I were an atheist, all relationships would exist for my pleasure and for the pursuit of my best interest. I would be at the center of the universe, and all others with circle around me. It would therefore be important that people agree with me in all things. Depending upon my level of sophistication, I would get people to agree with me without even realizing how I was manipulating them. In fact, I would take great joy in converting people to my way of thinking, and if I changed my thinking in any way, then I would want others to join me in this new enlightenment. If I were an atheist, I would want people to think of me as somehow “good“, so I would probably have some story to tell people about my “goodness”. It could be around my generosity, which would be just enough to have peop...

I’d been looking forward to this weekend for weeks… no months! It had been too long since I was able to hang out with my college friends and being back at the university made it all that much more special. There were definitely some changes, and all the students seemed so much younger than when I went here, but some things just don’t change. Like the guy on the street corner.  The man was older for sure, but it had been 10 years since I graduated from college. He was still on that same street corner, still preaching the same message: “Repent! The end is near!” People laughed at him, just like I remembered doing when I attended the university, but still, no one talked to him. Oh, sure, they talked at him, with jeers and ridicule. They talked about him, too, but they were more interested in getting to their next party. I decided to approach him; let him know what I thought: “Hey man! I remember you being here 10 years ago, and it seems like you’re having less luck reaching people now...

From its origins, Christianity has seen a connection between Passover and Resurrection Sunday, commonly known as Easter. At a minimum, Christians acknowledge that Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection occurred during the Jewish Passover celebration. The Bible clearly tells this story through the lens of the Passover Meal that Jesus had with His closest friends, commonly referred to as the Last Supper. It’s the night that Jesus is handed over to be scourged and crucified; we recall Jesus’ death on Good Friday, called good because He paid the price for our sins on that terrific day, fulfilling the law (Matt 5:17) and demonstrating a divine love.   Did you know however that Passover and Easter were linked from the Israel’s origin?  Recall as Abraham was ready to sacrifice his first-born son on Mt. Moriah. Abraham told Isaac that God would provide the sacrifice, most likely not knowing how true his words were. However, it was not Isaac who was sacrificed on that hill; it w...

What do you think about when you consider Palm Sunday? Is it Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, or is it the knowledge that many of these same people cheering for Him would be calling out for His crucifixion? Do you question how you would have responded to Him? Do you wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that He was entering the city to endure a legal, physical and spiritual trial, that these people who cheered for Him would also reject Him?  I don’t have much to write other than this: I am not worthy. None of us are. I struggle to let go of life’s conveniences, but Jesus willingly gave His very life for fickle people like us. Was it the Romans that crucified Jesus? Was the Jews? Was it God the Father? It was each of us, who by each sin, both little and great, created a need for a perfect sacrifice. So out of love, God sent His Son, and out of love the Son endured the scourging and death that each of us deserves. If no one accepted this great gift, if it were just you or I that would...

I don’t like to suffer. I dislike pain. I have no desire to even watch a movie that’s filled with suffering, especially if there’s nothing redemptive coming out of the hardship. I wish that life were easier, but the truth is that life is hard and that the more I think it should be easier, the harder it gets.  Knowing that life is hard, in a strange way helps me appreciate it more. If I expect life to be hard, I can still enjoy what is good and even enjoy the good fruits of labors resulting from endured hardship. I’ve learned to understand that sometimes we know we’re on the right path by the resistance we feel along the way. I still don’t enjoy suffering, but I can be emboldened by it. Paul understood a deep truth that he very matter-of-factly wrote to the Romans:  “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.” ( Romans 8:28 ) Likewise James wrote:  My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you ...

I’ll repeat my previous encouragements to explore every doctrine and postulation of different Bible teachers as a possibility until proven or rejected by the Bible itself. Maintain a healthy skepticism as well as an openness to some new insights. There are some contradictory beliefs by learned theologians about the Book of Revelations.  Some people believe that true believers will be caught up in sky with Jesus upon His return at the end of the seven year Tribulation period; this commonly referred to as “post-trib”, short for Post-Tribulation Rapture. A very common belief is in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Pre-Trib), who point out Bible verses which indicate that the Rapture and Christ’s Return are two separate events and that God has promised to protect His people from the Day of His Wrath. Some references include: Saving church from God’s wrath - 1 Thessalonians 5:9   & Revelation 3:10   Christ comes for His saints - John 14:3   & 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ...

I’ll repeat my encouragement in Revelation upon Revelation to explore every doctrine and postulation of any Bible teacher as a possibility until proven or rejected by the Bible itself. Maintain a healthy skepticism as well as an openness to some new insights. What are the Four Horsemen? There have been countless movies, stories and myths about the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and they all originate from chapter 6 of Revelation. Do these four horsemen ride out together in cinematic pageantry to unite their powers towards some ominous apocalyptic purpose? We should go directly to the Book of Revelation to understand. The fact is that with all the spectacle of Hollywood and imaginative musings authors often visualize about these symbolic characters, it is almost always a complete re-imagining of who they are as described in the Bible.  Each horseman rides out after a seal to a scroll is opened. (See Revelation upon Revelation  for context) These are the first four seals of a ...

I'm not sure where to begin with this. After all, people historically have gone over the top with their revelations on the Book of Revelation. And let's be clear: John, the author, told us specifically not to add or remove anything from the book. So I will do my best to explain my understanding without any presumptions that my understanding is correct. This is simply my humble conjecture; it is not gospel truth. We see but dimly and even the brightest of all men (someone smarter than myself) can only understand scripture as God chooses to reveal it. I have written before that with every prophecy there is a revelation, an interpretation, and finally an application . The Book of Revelation is filled with revelation upon revelation. The Book of Revelation includes many interpretations as well as references to other symbols found earlier in the Bible. There are many educated theologians with vastly different understandings of this book... because it is prophetic! And as such prophe...