January 2012
3 posts
No Church in the Wild
I’ve been listening to the Jay-Z song “No Church in the Wild” lately, and it’s really drawn me in and made me consider what he’s saying in the lyrics. (**Warning: this song contains explicit lyrics**)
I was vastly helped in my thought process by the website rapgenius.com, which aims at critiquing rap as poetry, and explaining thousands of canonical rap songs. The...
The Dilemma of the Missing Father
I’ve been reading a book that’s teaching me about writing. One of the big lessons I learned was that in every story, there are problems that carry the story forward, but those are mainly on the surface. Deep below are the dilemmas, things that aren’t actually discussed, but that show that there are more serious things going on that are deeper, and that can’t really be...
How to Overcome Immorality
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for the Lord’s people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a person is an idolater - has any inheritance...
December 2011
11 posts
Newt the Catholic
I was listening to NPR this morning and heard a piece about Newt Gingrich’s “conversion” to Catholicism. I had some issues with this story, but maybe I’m off here. Here’s what I heard.
His wife has sung for many years in the choir of the largest Catholic church in Washington, D.C. Newt was previously a Baptist. He mentioned himself that he had gone to listen to her...
Christmas Bread
Every year in November my wife bakes about 60 loaves of cinnamon bread and gift-wraps it, and stores it in our freezer until the week before Christmas. Then we give it to everyone we know as Christmas gifts - our coworkers, family, friends, and neighbors.
The neighborhood I live in is an interesting dynamic. We live in a cul-de-sac, and all of the houses look like townhouses in their shape, but...
Good Parenting is Painful
I absolutely love the age my son is at right now (though I have loved all his ages). He’s 3 1/2 and is so much fun to play with. Within the last week, for some reason, I’ve seen a drastic increase in his tendency to hit. This has been a subject we’ve discussed with him ever since he could swing his arm, and it’s not been a problem until now.
Over the weekend, I spent...
One Last Tebow Time...
I know I’ve talked a lot about him over the last week or so, so I promise this is the last thing (for now) that I have to say. But it’s bothering me enough that I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it.
I’ve said before that I listen to a decent amount of sports talk radio. Last week I heard several other NFL players commenting that they were a little disgusted by how much face...
Why Get Married?
A somewhat shocking statistic I ran across this week is that currently in the U.S., only 51% of adults are married. And that number is dropping and soon married people will be a minority in this country. (not a minority in a discrimination sense - just a less of us than them sense). Does this matter?
Yes.
It matters because a lessening number of people being married means that our cultural...
Tebow Time
I’m not gonna lie - I have absolutely loved what’s been going on with the Denver Broncos this season. A young guy who had been discounted as a loser last year is making an entire team believe they can do amazing things, and they are. I don’t think they’ve lost a game since Tim Tebow took over this year. And he is a good guy, always very humble, giving credit to the entire...
A (possible) Hidden Truth Behind Unemployment
I’ve been listening on NPR to a lot of stories about people struggling with unemployment. My heart goes out to those people, and I pray about that situation in our nation regularly. It’s rough, and people are having to do desperate things to make ends meet, and sometimes that’s not even enough. In no way am I trying to take anything away from how rough things really are for...
Continuing Thanks...
Although I’m probably moving slower than other people I know who are doing their quest towards listing out 1,000 gifts from God, I am still going with mine. I’m closing in on 300, which seems like a lot to me. Here are some recent blessings I’m thankful for that God has brought to us:
- For how insightful and helpful my wife’s questions are at times, that help me deal with...
November 2011
4 posts
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it better if I’m not angry.”
– Jeremy Keegan - my new mantra for dealing with anger in all situations. So far, it’s providing good clarity.
We've Lost Our Ability to See Beauty
A book that I started back in the summer that I just picked up again yesterday is “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky. Great book by the way. One of the chapters I was reading about this morning was on leadership, and in particular, feedback. Belsky shares about a story-telling workshop that he went to, led by Jay O’Callahan. During the workshop, everyone stands up and tells a...
Affection for Your Fellow Man
I’m just getting into “The Four Loves” by C.S. Lewis, and like “Surprised by Joy” it is very informative and interesting. The particular chapter I am reading this morning is on one of the four loves - Affection. Now, I haven’t finished the chapter, so I don’t have all the information, and hence won’t be giving some verdict or definition about it. But...
October 2011
5 posts
“It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to...”
– C.S. Lewis (via Ann Voskamp)
Preach to Yourself
I am part of a home church currently, and in that setting we rotate who teaches week to week. Something that was brought up yesterday was the fact that each time someone prepares a lesson, they personally get so much out of it when they do and how much they enjoy that.
In the last 12 years that I have been preaching and teaching off and on, my views have changed and my understanding has matured,...
Two Sparrows in a Hurricane
As I was driving to work early this morning, I heard Tanya Tucker on the radio, singing her song Two Sparrows in a Hurricane. The words of the chorus made me think about marriage and I wanted to post a few of my thoughts as I listened. First, here are the lyrics from her song:
Like two sparrows in a hurricane
Are trying to find their way
With a head full of dreams
And faith that can move...
Personal Updates
I have a lot going on right now and wanted to share some of it. First of all, I have started a new blog with my friend Josh. It won’t take the place of this one, but will be another place where some of my work comes through to the public. We’re doing a co-operative blog, spawned out of the many email conversations we’ve had over the past several years, as well as the time we...
September 2011
11 posts
The Cruelest Verse in the Bible
Even the most infrequent reader of the Bible has likely heard of or read for himself the infamous Psalm 137:9. To put it a little more in context, I’ll include the last 3 verses in that chapter:
“Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. ‘Tear it down,’ they cried, ‘tear it down to its foundations!’ Daughter Babylon, doomed to...
“The quieter you are, the more grace you hear.”
– Ann Voskamp
“Resistance knows that the longer we noodle around “getting ready,” the more time...”
– Steven Pressfield
“This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no...”
– William Lyon Phelps
The Narrow Gate is also Small
We are all pretty familiar with Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7:13-14 in which He says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Most of the time when I’ve heard or studied this passage, I tend to...
Because Some Things are Better Than Happiness
A question that has confounded me for a long time involves God’s role in “the fall.” Here’s the basic cycle of thought: God created everything, and it was all good. Then Satan tempted Adam and Eve, sin entered the picture and Eden was lost. Man and woman now lived in sin, pain, suffering, hard labor. We Christians believe God is all-knowing, and all-powerful, and always...
Thanks
I have not been doing a good job at pointing out blessings in my own life. Hopefully this week that will change. M, W, and F mornings now, before I head to the gym, I’m only going to focus on 3 things - memorizing Scripture, prayer, and thanks. T and TH, I won’t be working out, but instead giving myself more in depth time for studying the Bible and other books. When I go for a while...
The Earth is Yours - Gungor →
Trying to get my Monday off on a good start. Listening to some Gungor and you can too! Check them out HERE.
“You have to live to understand the Gospel.”
– Garrison Keillor
Continuing Thanks...
It’s been a long time since I posted things I’m grateful to God for, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t still been writing them down. I passed 250 on my list this week. Here are some of the more recent things:
- the health of my wife and developing baby during her pregnancy
- parenting discussions I’ve had with coworkers
- my mom and dad running around their house...
2 Phrases Easier Said than Done
There are two phrases that I have come to believe are very important in the Christian life, but my recent dealings with them have been difficult. The first one is found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Paul is talking here and he says:
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to...
August 2011
10 posts
The Marriage TEAM
One of the best pieces of marriage advice I ever received came back to me again this past weekend. I was hanging out with some friends and had the opportunity to share it with them. I believe I got this particular piece of advice from Paul David Tripp in his book “War on Words.” EVERY married person should read that book, it has been tremendously helpful to me.
Genesis 2:24 says,...
2 Perspectives on Beer & Bible Study
Last night my department went out for a happy hour after work to send off one of our own to a new job in California. He’ll be sorely missed, but we celebrated his time with us joyously.
At one point in the evening, a guy who used to work with us stopped by and joined our tables, sitting near me. This is a guy who is a professed atheist, and more than that, one of those who is especially...
“If you have found God with ease, perhaps it is not God that you have found.”
– Thomas Merton
The Story of the White Horse
One day, a white stallion rode into the paddocks of an old man and all the villagers congratulated him on such good fortune. And the old man only offered this: “Is it a curse or a blessing? All we can see is a sliver. Who can see what will come next?”
When the white horse ran off, the townsfolk were convinced the white stallion had been a curse. The old man lived surrendered and satisfied in the...
My Wound
John Eldredge once wrote “A wound that goes unacknowledged and unwept is a wound that cannot heal.” I’ve read a couple of his books, and in Wild at Heart, he talked about how every man has been given a wound from his father, and in the process of becoming a man, he must acknowledge that wound, and heal from it. I have struggled to pinpoint exactly what, if any, my one wound from...
Epiphany at the River
On April 21, 2006, I was at Narrow Passage Creek with Dylan, a boy that I was mentoring at the time. We were skipping rocks for an hour or so, and I began to wander further from the water’s edge to find “good” rocks. I can really skip a rock far and well, given the proper rock. Dylan, meanwhile, stayed beside the river throwing whatever rock in that he could find. Whatever one he looked down...
Cones and Holes - by Shaun Groves
Shaun Groves wrote an amazing blog post a while back, and I came across it again this morning and wanted to share. Enjoy!
Cones & Holes
from Shaun Groves by Shaun Groves
God dug ten holes and called them Law.
God’s people were warned not to step in the holes so no one would get hurt. Or stuck.
One day well-meaning religious leaders, who loved God and His people deeply, decided to lay cones...
Invitation from Me, to You, to join me on Kiva.org →
You will be GIVEN $25 to loan out to someone who is struggling to ascend above their poverty. There are no obligations, no monthly fees - only helping those in need. Check it out today!
The Kingdom of God: Transfiguring Ugly Into...
Notes from the message I brought to the home church yesterday.
What is the Kingdom of God?
Verses to look up:
Matthew 6:33
Mark 4:30-32
Mark 10:23
Mark 12:34
Luke 6:20
Luke 8:10
Romans 14:17
Luke 9:11** (he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal)
Luke 17:20-21**
It is living with God as your king. It’s under his rule and his way of doing things. It refers to heaven, but also...
Amy Winehouse "Fans"
In the wake of the tragic death of singer Amy Winehouse, many videos and interviews have surfaced talking about what led up to her death. One of those videos really caught my attention more than the rest. It was a video of her at one of the last concerts she held, and she looked absolutely lost on stage and forgotten the lyrics. As she stood there, boos ensued, and she had to leave the stage and...
July 2011
7 posts
The Lesson of Thanks, In Marriage
For a while now, I’ve been referencing the things I’ve learned in Ann Voskamp’s book (and blog) “One Thousand Gifts.” I wrote an initial post HERE about why it is so important to take the time to notice the blessings in our life.
Earlier this year, I purchased a journal for my wife and I for Valentine’s Day, with the idea being that we could use it to write...
“What and who you listen to will determine what you do.”
– Andy Stanley; on his Leadership Podcast.
“According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be...”
– Intro to “Bee Movie” - just struck me this evening as one of the many amazing wonders of God, albeit a small one.
Stop Sinning or Something Worse May Happen To You
This is a verse I have struggled with in the past - John 5:14. Jesus had healed an invalid earlier in the day, and later when he saw him, this is what Jesus said to him:
“See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
For a long time, I thought that meant a certain thing. And what I thought that meant, was something I didn’t like the way it...
What "It Is Finished" Really Means
While hanging on the cross, Jesus’ last words to the world were “It is finished” and then he died (John 19:30). I think for a long time, I just thought he was talking about the fact that his work on the cross was finished; the trial is over. His whole life and death is complete. But recently I began thinking more about what he accomplished on the cross.
My man Matthew Henry says...