“I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God: Just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing — the way to heaven; how to land on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: For this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. Give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God!”
– Rev. John Wesley
I have been in ministry of one sort or another nearly my whole adult life. This ministry has been embodied in many sundry roles: pastor, teacher, youth leader, administrator, counselor, but also as friend, husband, father, and son. It has played out in several different denominations and traditions. It has been stamped with many differing theological modes, philosophical trends, and cultural currents.
Throughout my short sojourn on this side of eternity, one thing that has continued to surprise me ever anew is the Bible. It is the one book I cannot put down, cannot help but return to again and again, cannot stop arguing with, loving, fearing, needing. I have been renewed countless times by the ways in which these ancient texts challenge our reasonings, deconstruct our pre-concieved notions, and offer brighter light in blackest darkness. In the same way, I am perpetually frustrated by the ways many refuse to be challenged by these texts, seeking instead to use scripture as proof text for what they have already decided. God and God’s scriptures are bigger than all our dogmas or our finest mental parthenons.
I started this blog as a place to put down and share my musings as I listen for the cadences of God in these ancient writings. While I write primarily for myself – to keep a record of my scratchings – I hope they may be of some use to others as well. I thank you for visiting.
For those interested in these sorts of things: My name is Andrew Glos. I have a B.A. from Colby College, a Masters from Union Theological Seminary, was a United Methodist minister and pastor for 10 years, and presently worship with and serve among the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the unprogrammed tradition. While raised in the city of New York, I now hang my hat in southern New Jersey. I am husband to my high school sweetheart, father to two precocious daughters, and a servant to three dogs.
A Bible Moth 