Greetings, and welcome to Squinting through Fog (AKA The Fog Blog). My name is Cameron Lee, and my “day job” is Professor of Family Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, a post I’ve held since 1986. I also serve as a teaching pastor and marriage and family life educator, teaching Bible classes, preaching, and working with individuals and couples to strengthen their relationships.
Here comes the disclaimer: this blog does not officially represent the views of either the seminary or the church where I teach. It began as a place to reflect and record my thoughts after the death of my father. Since then, these posts have evolved into a personal spiritual discipline: a kaleidoscopic mix of journal, essay, rant, and even the occasional commentary on movies or sports.
The name of the blog comes from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of 1 Cor 13:12 in The Message: “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears…” The blog is thus devoted to attempts at faithful “squinting,” to exercising Christian imagination in the midst of the ambiguous journey we call life.
The writing has become something of a minor ministry in its own right, for which I am grateful. Posts normally go up every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. If you like what you’ve read, you can support the ministry by subscribing to automatically receive future posts by email — for free, of course! — or by referring others whom you think might be interested. You can also explore the archives from previous months. The blog is public, so feel free to leave comments: I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you wish to contact me directly, you can do so at cameron@fuller.edu.
Thanks for visiting!
Cameron,
Recently your blog referred to the common misuse of Romans 8:28. I don’t think I “got it.” Could you expound on that a little? An email response (if you have time) would be perfect.
Blessings,
Miriam
Hi, Miriam. I’ve responded by email, but will post here briefly as well. My basic concern is that sometimes people take the verse (“God causes all things to work together for good…”) out of context. They use it as generic encouragement, as if to say “Everything will work out fine.” And that’s true–but in context, Paul is not saying that things will work out for good in the sufferer’s lifetime, but in God’s cosmic plan for the restoration of all creation. In the meantime, we “groan” with Paul, and the Spirit groans with us, as we await the glorious completion of that divine work. That’s the Christian hope we are called to embrace with patience.
Amen to that. The typical misquote I hear is “All things work out together for MY good” rather than for “God’s good” (which is ultimately my good, but not necessarily while I’m alive on earth where people can “kill the body.”).
Hi Cameron! I’m so glad I happened upon your blog. You might remember my speaking to a couple of your classes a decade ago. I’m in the process of finishing in MA in Theology at Concordia and preparing to see what God has in store next. Glad to be back in touch. Blessings on your “brain dump”:)
Hi, Heather! It’s been a while. I love that you’re doing your MA at Concordia; I look forward to hearing what the next chapter will be.
this a great place to dump your brain. Look forward to sifting through it.
Hey! im happy to announce that ive nominated you for two awards, they are because of your lovely comments and general positive nature , please collect your awards and the images to use on your site here ! http://sfoxwriting.wordpress.com/blog-awards/
Thank you for your kindness. I am honored to be nominated.
Hello Dr. Lee!
My name is Arie, and I was one of the attendees at the FPCH Marriage Seminar last Saturday. You may remember me from the Q&A segment; I was the one with the High Five question! hehe
I just wanted to reach out and say Jon and I were so inspired by your talk. It was an amazing conference overall, and we’re so glad we decided to attend even though we’re not married yet. (3 more months to go!) I pray God continues to speak and move through your commitment to Him. The world is so fortunate to have you in this day and age!
Best, Arie
PS. I very recently started a blog, and mentioned you in my latest post! Enjoy–
https://vocaloco.blogspot.com
Thank you, Arie! Keep writing…you have a nice and natural writing voice.