Earlier this week I told the story here of how one thought led to another, leading me to the interesting conclusion that we are so self-focused that even when we are actually thinking of others we are thinking of self. Incredible, and brilliantly designed by our Creator, I might add. Another thought that has been…
Life With God
Well-Seasoned
These days most of my music making happens whenever the youngest pay me a visit in my office. My guitar is out on its stand, ready for any action it might be required to perform. Most times it just sits there—looking great—but on occasion it will get a little exercise. Something I have been noticing…
More of You and of Me Less
There’s a song. It’s a song that I wrote. The words actually seem a bit out of order: “More of you and of me less…” (Sometimes when you write songs, the words fit better when they’re “out of order”.) But the words are still true. (If you have time, or can listen while you read—or…
The Real Value of Stuff
I love visual truth. Even though I am a person who loves words, and communicating thoughts, emotions, questions, and experiences through just the right word or phrase chosen to build a vivid picture of truth in one’s mind, there is nothing quite like a visual “object lesson”. Tonight mine came in the form of a…
Trust
A while back, I was having a conversation with a friend about the centrality of trust to Jesus’ teaching in the gospels, and Scripture as a whole. It seems to be a foundational principal of Kingdom thinking. We were discussing the various tenets of faith, and trust, and belief, and as we hashed it out…
Beautifully Stained
I wrote a new song recently. Actually, I wrote two. (That was quite odd. Two in one day was a new experience for me.) To be fair, these songs are not actually yet fully complete. I’m certain that I will tweak them musically as well we lyrically. But for the most part, two near-complete songs…
The Blame Game
Deep within the heart of mankind is a hesitancy, if not an outright refusal to accept responsibility. Some of us are able to work up the courage on occasion, but generally our first (and second, and third) response is to point the finger at someone else. Yesterday a friend told me a story he had…
Scattering, or Gathering?
Recently I was catching up on some podcast listening and enjoyed hearing Wayne Jacobsen’s response to an article by John Burton. I am unfamiliar with Mr. Burton, but in general, his interpretation of observable trends does seem to differ from mine—at least, his conclusions certainly differ. His article is titled: “You are NOT the church:…
Christianity, or Jesus? (Aren’t They the Same?)
Our family is currently making our way through the book of Luke together. We’re taking our time, but I do enjoy reading in larger chunks, so we will often read what might be the subject of an entire series of sermons in one sitting. Tonight, we read through the fifteenth chapter: the three stories of…
Conditional Libertarianism
I have been enjoying Ron Paul’s book, Liberty Defined. Enjoying, and finding myself becoming frustrated by it. See, there’s no doubt in my mind that I am mostly a libertarian. Mostly. I’m not completely one because I understand that people—you, and me—are sinful. We have a natural bent towards doing the wrong thing. (Or, not…