I was an athlete growing up, extremely competitive both then and now, and never gave up during any sort of competitive setting no matter how dire the situation was. For whatever reason, this attitude stayed on the field and was entirely vacant for most of my life outside of sports. On the field, I was confident and dedicated. Off the field, I was fatalistic and lazy. Through much reflection over the years I’ve come to...
This week’s lectionary readings began with Jonah; to be specific, the end of his story. Taken all together, the four readings weave a portrait of the encounter of an angry man with a generous God. This fall, God has been generous, and I have been angry. So this was a helpful week. Here’s what I’ve learned, beginning with Jonah. Jonah 3.10-4.11 Jonah is the “minor-est” of the minor prophets. He only has one line of prophecy:...
John M.G. Barclay, ‘Food, Christian Identity and Global Warming: A Pauline Call for a Christian Food Taboo’, The Expository Times 121 (2010): 585-93. Over the past couple years I have repeatedly returned to the article listed above. Not because I forget about the main point, but because I find it incredibly compelling. I just keep coming back to it. I pour over the arguments; they keep haunting me. And so, naturally, I tell everyone about...
I just came back from a week-long missions vision trip in the Philippines. It was a whirlwind of a trip, traveling to a new place everyday, but it was a great time of encouragement and eating, meeting and worshipping with other believers from different places. While the Philippines has recently been in the news, due to the terrorist activity in the southern Philippines, we went to the northern part of the Philippines, which is relatively safe. My...
This past year, I had the privilege to attend the popular Drive Conference hosted by North Point Ministries. It was a time for my colleagues and I to travel and enjoy a wonderful time together. This was my first time in Atlanta, first time experiencing true southern hospitality, and first time experiencing the famous Waffle House. In a nutshell, the Drive Conference is basically North Point Community Church leaders sharing what they do week in...
I never really thought I would be here, in this place wondering what is next. When we left Aberdeen it was in hopeful anticipation of the next step almost being an immediate thing. At first it was a bit disappointing…. ok really disappointing. I really didn’t have much time to reflect on what was next. It was a whirlwind of activity coupled with a sandstorm of tasks, list upon list of check boxes to tick,...
In light of everything that is happening today in our nation regarding area of immigration, I wanted to write about how as Christians, we need to respond to these issues and see what God’s heart looks like towards the foreigner and sojourner. Instead of just being ethnocentric as Americans, and seeing America First!, our core identity is rooted in our identity in Christ, far more than our national identity. We are part of God’s family,...
For those who don’t know, I am getting married in about 30 days from now. The prospect of this fills me with such joy, primarily because my wife-to-be is my best friend and someone I choose not to live without. There will be so many practical benefits to our marriage: Cutting commute time in half, functionally saving up to thirty hours a month; less sleep; more sleep; building a home of our own. Yet, I...
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it saved Israel. As he unwittingly proto-typed Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Moses was distracted by a curious phenomenon: “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” (Ex. 3:3) Read the rest of the story here. Why is the bush not burned? Moses’ question is not answered, but Israel is set free from slavery. — Even more curious is the mystery of...
Evil things happen in this world, and yet God is still somehow sovereign. This is perhaps the hardest part of Christian theology to accept and understand. How is God sovereign over the persecution of Christians around the world, over the acts of ISIS, over world hunger and poverty, or over smaller evils like my own depression, pain, and anxiety? The answer might be eerily similar to the answer to how a perfectly good Father is sovereign over...
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