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 A coherent reading of Romans 9–11 can affirm that human beings are genuine free moral agents —persons capable of responding to God, resisting him, believing, disbelieving, obeying, and being held morally accountable—without weakening Paul's strong statements about God's sovereignty.  The key is to ask what question Paul is answering in Romans 9. He is not beginning with, “Why has God eternally chosen some individuals to be saved and others to be damned?” His question arises from a very different problem: If Israel is God's chosen people, why have so many Israelites rejected their Messiah? Has God's promise failed? Paul states the problem in Romans 9:6: “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” Everything that follows through chapters 9–11 is Paul's answer. 1. “Not all Israel is Israel” means physical descent never guaranteed salvation Paul immediately distinguishes national election from participation in the saving people of God. Abraham had ...

Waypoints for Disciples      Waypoints for Disciples — a free six-week study (self-study or small groups) If you’ve been looking for a simple, Scripture -centered path for spiritual growth, Waypoints for Disciples walks you through six essential waypoints:  Start here (Waypoints home page):  https://waypoints.study What you’ll find inside Waypoint 1 — Purpose: Why Am I Here? : why we’re here and how the gospel reframes purpose. Waypoint 2 — Growing in Christ: growing a real, daily relationship with Jesus . Waypoint 3 — Growing by the Word: confidence with the Bible—read, observe, apply. Waypoint 4 — Growing by Prayer: honest prayer, intercession, dependence. Waypoint 5 — Belong to His People: what the church is and how to engage. Waypoint 6 — How to Share My Faith: how to share your faith naturally Tip: Each waypoint includes Scripture, reflection questions, and one or two next steps for the week. Use it privately, with a friend, or as a ...

How to Photograph the Total Solar Eclipse The total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 is now in the books. I hope you got some amazing shots and even more importantly, were able to experience the totality. WEATHER UPDATE: As you probably know weather was a significant issue for most of the US path of the eclipse and even into Canada. Even areas with nearly clear skies had high clouds that prevented the sun's corona being photographed clearly. When you boost the exposure for the much dimmer corona you also get the clouds.  Unlike 2017, I haven't seen any of the massive corona shots where it extends out several diameters of the sun. If you have some, please let me know and post them somewhere. That being said, many photographers got some excellent shots of Bailey's Beads, the Diamond Ring and the sun's much brighter photosphere which is the bright rim closest to where the moon is covering the sun. That's also where there were some very amazing large prominences glowi...

What's the sun's glory or aura and why avoid shooting into it when taking photos of people on a sunny day? If you've ever flown in an airplane and looked down at the plane's shadow on a layer of clouds you've probably seen the bright circular halo reflection the sun makes when it's high overhead. It is sometimes called a "glory" because it looks like a halo.  The Hot Zone.  That "glory" or rainbow like aura is always present even on the ground when you are taking photos on a sunny day and it can ruin your shots.  Let's call it the Hot Zone. When your subject is in the Hot Zone it can make your subject look as if you used an onboard flash, or washing out the contrast and the colors.  Here's an example. The runner looks as if I used a flash. But this is the untouched RAW file shot with the early morning sun around 8:30am directly behind me. It was shot on a Nikon D850 with natural light. Notice how dark the background is because the s...