We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you. (Gal 2:5)
Houses are always going up for sale in my neighborhood, so when I first saw it, I assumed it was just another advertisement. But as I focused, I realized the color was wrong. White background. Big red letters that were empty and stretched at the ends of the s’s.
I stopped, stretched my neck forward and squinted.
Did that say, “Star Wars”? Continue reading
When I was a teenager, I was the one my friends always sought out for advice. I do not know if this is because they sensed a wisdom in me they did not receive elsewhere, or if it was due to the brash self-confidence in my intellect, which masqueraded as blunt honesty. Either way, the more I talked to people the more I realized that I tried to pursue the “third side of the coin.” That unique perspective, or outlook, that made them reevaluate their situation and choices. In truth, it wasn’t discernment at all. It was only creativity impersonating as insight. And if I was creative enough, if I gave just the right analogy, I could talk almost anyone into my point of view.
This was a talent that I nurtured. One that I cherished and believed in.
And then I had kids. Continue reading
In 1985, hidden beneath my sister’s old Billy Joel and Eagles albums, I found an LP with a picture of a lone man refusing to bow down to a monarch being carried through the streets. The body guard of this king is pointing an accusing finger at this rebel, making it clear that he will suffer for his crime. The title of this record was “No Compromise” by Keith Green. I knew nothing of this artist at the time, but I remembered my older sister listening to his music and reading his magazine, so I thought I’d pop the album on and give it a whirl. Continue reading
During World War II one of the boldest Christian voices combating the evils of Naziism was that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a native German pastor and scholar whose writings and radio broadcasts intentionally placed his own life at risk so that God’s truth could be contrasted against Hitler’s worldview. Eventually, Bonhoeffer’s words were censored, and he had to flee his native country. But this choice was not permanent, and he returned to Germany, knowing it would probably cost him his life. In the end, it did.
But before the Nazis hanged him, he penned one of the best quotes in modern Christian writing when he said:
When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
In a world where suffering in the flesh is disdained and avoided at almost any cost, Bonhoeffer sounds like a lunatic Continue reading
It was with a sad heart that I received the news this morning that a former pastor of mine had committed suicide after a long battle with depression. Although I have not attended that church in about 5 years, I still remember my former pastor as a loving individual and a strong leader. Like everyone, he had his flaws, and as with many pastors in my life, I only knew him from a Sunday morning distance. Still, he seemed to be a solid man of God who tried to serve to the Lord with his life.
The hallmark of a good pastor, I believe, is that he leaves you thinking. Continue reading
…let’s get one thing straight.
I HATE camping.
The cramped quarters. The temperature drop that always seems to fall 20 degrees cooler than expected. The tent whose only purpose in life is to wreak havoc on the spatially challenged. The sudden loss of daylight that invariably occurs when trying to set up said tent. The constant infestation of dirt in everything from food to clothes to the inside of my sleeping bag. (Heck, even my toothbrush feels gritty.) And, of course, the backache that turns me into Quasimodo for three days after the camping trip is over. Yeah. That’s fun.
Continue reading
living in the tent 