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My Favorite Books of 2021
I know I’m a little bit behind everyone else on my “top 10 books” list, but we just moved to a new city, and I think I’m finally getting back to my old rhythms. These are the top 10 books that I enjoyed in 2021. 10. Evangelism as Exiles-Elliot ClarkClark is painfully biblical, painful becauseContinue reading “My Favorite Books of 2021”
Nobody is really a pluralist, and why that’s okay
It is surprising (and oh so refreshing!) to see crossover between our new urban Asian context and where we used to live in the United States. I don’t know yet if the crossover is because our context is becoming more westernized or if it is because the West, in some ways, is becoming more likeContinue reading “Nobody is really a pluralist, and why that’s okay”
Letters of Recommendation
We don’t like to admit it, but who you know is sometimes as-if not more-important than how good you are at something. We’ve gone through some hiring in our office recently, and a well-connected 3.5 GPA absolutely beats out a 4.0 that nobody knows. It’s hard to overstate the power of a good recommendation. ButContinue reading “Letters of Recommendation”
Drilling and Blasting
I don’t know if I can recommend “Center Church” by Timothy Keller enough. I’m not a big “re-reader,” but I’m going through his book again. And I’m so glad I am, the book is full of ways to engage with culture, one of the most helpful being his analogy of drilling and blasting. Keller expressesContinue reading “Drilling and Blasting”
The Untouched Part
I just finished “The Untouched Part” by Eunice-Pauline Olatunji. I’ll be honest, I have some mixed feelings about this book. Though there are some helpful parts, there are also some things I definitely would have done differently. Review The COVID-19 pandemic shook a lot of our categories. A fast-paced, unreflective world forced to stop traveling,Continue reading “The Untouched Part”
Job: a poem
Job is a surprisingly encouraging book when we suffer. Not because it makes our suffering any less, but because it kills the lies that make suffering unbearable. Lies that we didn’t think we believed, but can crop up when we see intense suffering, either in our lives or in the lives of others. Lies like,Continue reading “Job: a poem”
Is it complicated or is it difficult?
I have a Bible reading plan, four different Bible apps on my phone, the capability to listen to the Bible on audio, and around 7 paper Bibles. And I didn’t read my Bible the day before I started writing this post. Therefore, it would seem that the absence of the Bible in my life cameContinue reading “Is it complicated or is it difficult?”
The 70/20/10 rule
Most good resources are taken from someone else (it’s not stealing if you give credit) and this is no exception. I took this from Coram Deo’s Bob Thune (https://bobthune.com/videos/the-role-of-a-gospel-community/) who in turn admitted to taking it from someone else. Look at the well-drawn picture that is the photo for this post. This road represents theContinue reading “The 70/20/10 rule”
Should we pray for persecution?
It doesn’t take a long time in the Sermon on the Mount before you realize that what Jesus says makes someone blessed is different from what most people think being blessed is. For instance, if you ask a cashier how she is doing and she responds, “I’m blessed” it is unlikely that you will inContinue reading “Should we pray for persecution?”
The most misunderstood wedding verse
I was a groomsman at a recent wedding and I was asked to give a devotional to the groom and the other groomsmen. What follows is a lightly edited (maybe sometimes heavily edited: speeches are always better on paper) version of that devotional. I have changed the bride and groom’s names to Susan and BenContinue reading “The most misunderstood wedding verse”
The words you say and when you say them
One of my new favorite movies is “The Pianist.” It’s a 2002 Holocaust film which depicts the true story of a Jewish pianist in Nazi occupied Poland. Near the end of the film (spoilers) a German officer lets him hide in an empty attic and regularly supplies him with food. Part of the genius ofContinue reading “The words you say and when you say them”
The power of reviling and the response of the gospel
I am convinced that the single biggest thing that keeps Christians in the West from being open about their faith is the specter of being reviled. Reviling is when someone says something false and damaging against you. Maybe you want to tell someone that they are in sin, but you worry that they will sayContinue reading “The power of reviling and the response of the gospel”
Ministry, Marriage, and the Delicate Balance of 1 Corinthians 7
1 Corinthians 7 is often put forward as the chapter on singleness. And while I do believe that it is the Bible’s most valuable chapter on that subject, how the Bible portrays singleness will–by implication– tell us a lot about what marriage is about. 1 Corinthians 7 states that singleness is better than marriage, becauseContinue reading “Ministry, Marriage, and the Delicate Balance of 1 Corinthians 7”
Love your church, whatever the size
After years of having a position of some church leadership, I’ve begun to get a feel for what people like and dislike about the church. But I have found that the things that I expected that people would dislike sometimes are not actually the biggest points of contention. For example, my church holds some culturallyContinue reading “Love your church, whatever the size”
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Another Small Stone 