“What does it mean to be here, now?”
That question underlies every human endeavor, from the scientist’s inquiry to the poet’s cry. Whether whispered in suffering or shouted in joy, it is the core ache of the soul. We live, we act, we think—but to what end? And under whose authority? In what story are we participating? The book you now hold—Among the Ruins: Expositions on Being Here—seeks not to give final answers to all of these questions, but to faithfully walk through them with you, under the light of God’s Word.
This version is not merely poetic meditation—it is deliberate exposition. It holds the same bones as its sister volume of meditations but puts on different clothes. Where that book whispered in parable and prayer, this one speaks with open instruction and theological reflection. Yet both are concerned with the same thing: how to be here, and how to be His.
Five Paths Through the Ruins
This book is structured into five primary parts, each examining one of the foundational dimensions of human life in a broken world:
- Under the Sun — a series on meaning, futility, and the search for significance.
- From the Tree — a theological look at the Fall, focused on the epistemological rupture introduced by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- On a Hard Road — a biblical treatment of suffering, justice, and sovereignty.
- By the Way of the Way — a discipleship-shaped exposition of the gospel as both message and method.
- In His Song — a reflection on the love of God as the sustaining melody of redemption.
Each part contains seven expository chapters, roughly 1,000 words each. A final chapter at the end will summarize what has been uncovered and what remains to be hoped for. Each section stands on its own, but together they compose a symphony—a theological and spiritual framework for being here in the full sense of the phrase.
The Title: Among the Ruins
We live among ruins. This is not merely metaphor. Our thoughts are fractured, our loves are disordered, our systems are broken, and our best efforts decay in time. The fall of mankind in Eden was not only the loss of paradise—it was the shattering of our perception of what is true, good, and beautiful. We now grope for meaning in a world that groans beneath the weight of sin. And yet, even here—especially here—God speaks.
This book assumes that the Bible is not just a source of comfort, but the very architecture of reality. It does not avoid hard questions, but walks through them with reverence and hope. The ruins are real. But they are not final.
The Mode: Exposition with a Pastoral Eye
These chapters are not designed as seminary lectures or academic monographs. They are theological reflections shaped by Scripture, written with clarity, and aimed at transformation. They seek to expose—not just biblical texts, but the condition of the human heart in light of those texts. The goal is not merely to explain, but to edify.
There will be doctrine, yes—but always with an eye toward discipleship. There will be clarity—but never at the expense of reverence. If the writing sometimes feels like it shifts from teaching to praying, that is intentional. This book does not pretend that learning and worship are strangers.
Being Here, Being His
The subtitle of this work—Expositions on Being Here—carries a double weight. “Being here” refers to the human condition: finite, fallen, longing for purpose, aware of death, and aching for love. But it also contains a second phrase, hidden and implied: being His. To be truly here is to be His—to be rooted in Christ, reconciled through the cross, remade by the Spirit.
That is the deeper goal of this book. Not just to explain life among the ruins, but to awaken hearts to the reality that we are not abandoned in them. We are sought, spoken to, sung over, and sent.
So then, we begin. Not with answers, but with presence. Not with mastery, but with humility. Not with perfection, but with the conviction that Christ came to dwell among the ruins, and that He still does.
Let us listen. Let us learn.
Let us be here—and let us be His.