"Struggling with the Bible" with Dr. Tom Boogaart, this Thursday, 7pm!

Oct 5, 7pm, Brew Merchant, Holland

I sat down with Dr. Boogaart last Wednesday morning. I had sent him a few songs, a TikTok, and an audio clip from a podcast. We exchanged pleasantries, and dove right in. Tom explained that he was working on an article about the beauty and desolation of the earth. He was grieved for the earth, genuinely so. We talked about life and death and God and science and truth and love and the Bible. It was a conversation laced with urgency, intimacy, humility, exasperation, hope, longing, and despair. I realize this all sounds a bit pretentious—a couple of academics spending two hours “wondering” about reality and the meaning of it all. Trust me, it’s not lost on us. But we are determined live well, to soak up as much joy and beauty and depth from life as possible. In that desire, we feel connected to so many, maybe even to the divine.

You are going to appreciate Dr. Boogaart’s vulnerability and wisdom. You can find a number of his recent musings here. This is a quote from one these musings: “There is a fullness that is emptiness, and an emptiness that is fullness. An empty heart has more space for God and, filled with the love of God, has more awareness of the world so loved by God and more courage to engage the forces that threaten to undo it.”

I am contemplating including the song below in our gathering. It really captures the bittersweetness of life, something Tom and I will discuss on Thursday.