An early lesson God taught me through teaching the Bible to His people was how uncomfortable we are with unresolved tension. He taught me the difference between our minds and His. It was, and still is difficult, because it requires an admission that I can’t explain Him—the same admission I seek from those who wish I would “clarify something” following most of my Sunday sermons.

I had just finished preaching on Jesus’ healing of the demonized boy in Mark 9:14-29. One sentence in bold summarized my thoughts: If you want to follow Jesus, you must learn to fast and pray. An earnest gentleman approached me wearing one of those “I disapprove greatly” faces every pastor knows too well. Before I could greet him, he reminded me of about fourteen other passages, verses, and theological truths that just didn’t seem to fit with what I had just said.

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