Reflections/Devotionals
Streams of Water In The Hand Of The Lord
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. -Proverbs 21:1 The Nature of Our Hearts If I hold a drop of water in my hand, and I tilt my hand this way or that, what happens? The water moves. Did I exert any energy on the...
Every Good Thing Comes From God
What kinds of things in life do you enjoy? What brings you joy, happiness, or pleasure? What delights you, brings a smile to your face, makes you wish it would never end? I think that for most of us, delicious gourmet food or refreshing beverages rank pretty high on...
The False Gospel of Self-Defense
Everyone knows that we here in America are in the midst of an all-out culture war regarding guns and their place in society. And in this skirmish, most of the pro-gun rhteoric presupposes the sanctity of a little thing called “self-defense.” This tenet of U.S....
Why I’m Leaving The Republican Party
For most of my adult life, I’ve been a Republican. And not just a Republican in name only (as some of my readers will surely regard me), but a faithful, registered devotee of the GOP. Not only did I vote for Republican Presidential candidates in every major election...
Is Christmas Fair?
Every year, everyone asks my kids if they’ve been good this year. Why? Because, as the legend goes, if they’ve been good then they’ll get presents. Not only that, but the presents-to-goodness ratio is directly proportionate, so the more goodness, the more presents...
Harvey Cedars Jammies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMmcdDk6kHk This summer, while on vacation, our family created a new music video to celebrate our all-time favorite vacation spot, Harvey Cedars Bible Conference. While the music isn't original, the hip-hop lyrics and amazing dance...
When I Leave, I Want To Go Out Like Elijah
Death. Nobody really likes to talk about it. And for good reason; it's a raw, gritty topic that throbs with the pain of past losses, the fear of future losses, and the threat of the ultimate loss---ourselves. Even for Christians, who believe that death is the start of...
Three Criminals: Hope from Galatians 5
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.1 In the version of the Bible I read, the New Testament talks a lot about the “flesh”---that is, my sinful nature, the part of me that is hell-bent and always wanting to do the...
The τέλος of all things
One of the things about my seminary experience that changed me for good was the opportunity to take introductory Greek and Hebrew classes. While I am no scholar and unfit to accurately translate anything not written by the apostle John on my own, I have nonetheless...
Happy Star Wars Day!
May the Fourth be with you! Yes, for those of you who did not know, May the 4th is officially Star Wars Day. (If you don't believe me, just Google it!) Yes, it is a glorious day in which all us geeky Star Wars fans greet each other with cheerful grins, secret...
Happy Easter!
This morning in church my pastor said something profound: Why don't Christians make more of Easter? He didn't mean it in a guilt-inducing, shame-on-you sort of way; that doesn't help anybody. But he had a good point: on Christmas we give gifts and eat rich food and...
Moses and the Promised Land
Oftentimes when God says, "No," to something we really want, it's hard to believe that His heart toward us is tender and loving and that He delights to give us good things (Psalm 107:9). But He has been teaching me recently that sometimes when He says "No," He is...
This only shall not pass…
I'm reminded tonight that of all the things I put my time and energy into, only two will remain: people and the Bible. People last forever. Whether in Heaven or in Hell, I believe we all have a permanent, everlasting existence. Thus, my time spent with people is an...
What is God doing in Japan?
What is God doing in Japan? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at...
Please Pray for Japan!
Please Pray for Japan! New earthquake retraumatizes millions According to recent news updates , Japan was rocked by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake near Sendai Thursday night. While there was no tsunami this time, there was still a tsunami warning for an hour and a half,...
UPDATE FROM JAPAN, PART TWO
Saturday After a very blessed stay in Iwaki, we drove straight through my old hometown of Funehiki (I really wanted to stop, but our schedule wouldn't allow it) up to the city of Sendai, which had arguably seen the most devastating effects of the earthquake and...
Update from Japan Relief Efforts 3/25/2011
As of this writing, I have been in Japan three days, and already I have seen God move powerfully, first in my own heart as well as in others'. God is so good! Tuesday When we arrived on Tuesday evening, people at Honda Chapel were busy, busy busy! Some of them were...
Why I Am Still Going
These have been some crazy days...initially I was hoping to blog every day before the trip, but that got blown out of the water because God's plans have been so much bigger than ours! The team I'm with is now officially 8 people, and in only 6 days God has raised up...
Urgent Prayer Needed for Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Crisis
Urgent Prayer Needed for Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Crisis Our dear family & friends, According to recent news updates , although the Japanese government's evacuation zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant is still officially 12 miles (20km), the...
Update on Giving and Our Team’s Safety
Our dear family and friends, First of all, thank you for your patience as we got our fund-raising details taken care of! Our team has arranged two ways to donate to helping our brothers and sisters in Japan (electronically or by check). Gifts by check are tax...