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The space between expectations and reality is called disappointment
Imagine Satan shows up before God and the council of angels and, just like the original story, wants to test Job. But in this particular permutation of the story, God says no. Don’t hurt his body, don’t hurt his children, don’t even hurt his livestock. So Satan pulls out plan B. “Can I lie toContinue reading “The space between expectations and reality is called disappointment”
Create Dissonance
A few things stuck with me from the general education classes I took in college. One of these was the idea of “cognitive dissonance.” In psychology, this is the idea of having two inconsistent thoughts, neither of which you want to give up. Having these contradictory ideas in your head at the same time causesContinue reading “Create Dissonance”
The command to like your neighbor
Francis Chan tells a story from when he was a young pastor. He was speaking to another, much older pastor who was telling Chan about the older pastor’s church’s Christmas play. The pastor said that they spent thousands of dollars and had hundreds of volunteers putting in 15 hours a week practicing. Then when ChristmasContinue reading “The command to like your neighbor”
What I would tell a 20-year-old me
In a little bit more than a month, I’ll be turning 30. I’m wrestling of the finality of the end of my 20’s. Looking on the last 10 years, I see some things I am really glad I did, some things that I really wish I had done, and the overwhelming grace of God inContinue reading “What I would tell a 20-year-old me”
Learn to Fall
“In other words,” [Bree] continued, “you can’t ride. That’s a drawback. I’ll have to teach you as we go along. If you can’t ride, can you fall?” “I suppose anyone can fall,” said Shasta.“I mean can you fall and get up again without crying and mount again and fall again and yet not be afraid ofContinue reading “Learn to Fall”
Feel strongly and think deeply
I wish people would start applying the old story of the elephant and the blind men to more than just religion. This little story really does a poor job explaining religions and a pretty good job explaining a lot of other things. For the uninitiated: Three blind men stand next to an elephant. (For ourContinue reading “Feel strongly and think deeply”
Book review: Evangelism in a Skeptical World – Sam Chan
Christianity is true. Now, if that is the case, it makes sense that worldviews that deny Christianity are false. And since they are false, if you poke and prod them enough, you will find the (sometimes gaping) holes in them. Now there is a very unfortunate tendency among some Christians to find those holes, tellContinue reading “Book review: Evangelism in a Skeptical World – Sam Chan”
Wickedness and Self-Deception
One of the triumphs of postmodernism is that it has shown us that we are not rational, unbiased observers. The modern man used to think that he was something like a scientist in a lab coat, adding a few drops of red to a small pitcher of blue and “poof!” Purple. Turns out that theContinue reading “Wickedness and Self-Deception”
Theological Proportionality and Your Nose
“A man’s nose is a prominent feature in his face, but it is possible to make it so large that eyes and mouth and everything else are thrown into insignificance, and the drawing is a caricature and not a portrait: so certain important doctrines of the gospel can be so proclaimed in excess as toContinue reading “Theological Proportionality and Your Nose”
Good Enough
I’m going to say something controversial. When we do things, especially things in furtherance of the gospel, I think often we should settle with “good enough.” What do I mean? You haven’t prepared enough for a Bible study you are invited to lead? Lead it anyway. You are not super well versed on all theContinue reading “Good Enough”
Our Business is People
You can’t measure how well or poorly you are doing something unless you have some sort of metric. Are you a good bricklayer? There is a few ways to measure that. Number of bricks laid, how strong the structure is, how honest your prices are, how well your clients like you. But here is theContinue reading “Our Business is People”
Poem: John’s Faults
In honor of Father’s day, I’m posting a poem that I wrote about my son John when he was only 2 months old. A lot has changed; unfortunately that change has been more drastic in him than in me. John’s Faults John, You’re a baby, and I love how you play and cooBut I admit,Continue reading “Poem: John’s Faults”
Racism and Bargain-Bin Philosophy
The best explanation that I’ve ever read of how philosophy affects our everyday life was written by author Rachel Jankovich. She writes, “Worldly philosophers and thinkers have always been something like the high-fashion designers who live in a sort of alternative reality. They make unbelievably stupid outfits for unbelievably tall and harsh looking people withContinue reading “Racism and Bargain-Bin Philosophy”
When Your Ears Itch
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when peopleContinue reading “When Your Ears Itch”
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