Musings of a Born Again Christian
Imagine for a moment that your child died. I don’t mean when you’re 90 and your son or daughter passed on at age 72. I’m asking you to consider the loss of your child at age 6 or 20. I’ve got friends that wrestle with that daily. I have no such experience and only a […]
Do you ever feel that way? I have been lately. Only in a certain sense, though. I should explain. Do I have any real worries in the grand scheme of things? No, I do not. As a Christian, I know how this ends, and what comes next. But, living here in the world can be […]
Made us stronger. Have you ever truly pondered that? I remember reading in a Great Book once a ditty that went something like this: And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell […]
“Do you fight the good fight on a daily basis?” Yes. “Do you ever win a battle or two?” I do. “Can you handle it when you get your tail kicked?” Usually. “So, what happens when you’re simply not able to help someone you know needs the help?” Uhhhhh, well… I’m not very good at […]
I’m afraid it did… You see, I’ve been grappling with a problem for some time now that I couldn’t quite manage. Simply put, a recent idea was somehow adopted, absorbed, or otherwise planted into the minds of some dear friends and church family. Simply put, they are placing a lot less emphasis on being worship […]
Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred. exerpt from The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson That tidbit has been buzzing around in my head for months. Sometimes we’re duty-bound to do things we don’t like. Or worse. In […]
immersion baptism the only way?
Mene, meaning numbered. Tekel, meaning weighed. Upharsin, meaning divided. Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin. Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided. What the heck does that mean? Well, Daniel interpreted, accurately, by the way, the hand that appeared and the inscription left behind. We find this story in Daniel 5, and I’ve always been drawn to it. Ever heard […]
If you like solid American Folk music, this blog title may have spurred you immediately to think of “The Trapeze Swinger” by Iron & Wine.
That sentence has been ringing in my ears since last night. I heard it then and I hope to never forget it. I was at a social function among friends and a story was unfolding before me that I hadn’t bargained for… Apparently, the daughter in this story had offered an item for sale in […]
I can imagine my trek across the planet from every cancer ward in Western Culture, to every medical shack in war-torn Rwanda, as far as the Eastern edges of the Orient – I’d be on a mission to heal them all. I’m that stupid sometimes. “Stupid? That’s pretty harsh. Why would you say that, Michael?” […]
I’d been reading quite a bit about the Darwinian fairy tales in the general sense, some of which were pressed by the likes of Derrida and Foucault. I think they’re somewhat misunderstood by the average Joe, but mostly bunk. As an aside, “Darwinian Fairytales” is the title of a really great book by David Stove. […]
Do you ever hear that kind of thing? Seriously. Do you? I don’t offer this in any way to sound braggadocious. Truly. I have people tell me things like that. Routinely. Oh, Michael, you’re such a great husband! If you only knew how horrible I can be to my bride, or the chippy nature I […]
I usually don’t find myself getting all sappy and emotional in public. Do I? Who am I kidding? I find no problem with sharing my thoughts and feelings with just about anyone. I won’t be ashamed for sharing what He gave me. Empathy, sympathy, and communication skills in order to convey sentiment and caring. I […]
Stemming from a blog I wrote specifically on the topic of Biblical Self Defense, I’d like to cover the Biblical case for situational awareness. If you understood Exodus 22:2-3 from my previous blog that self-defense can be justified, then what things can we do in order to avoid threats? You’d need to truly become more […]
Yeah, I wrote that. Flame on. Seriously, though. There seems to be an inherent misunderstanding about this, so let’s walk through things a bit. What would you say if I offered you, not only self-defense but a Biblical case for the situational awareness that will often steer you away from scenarios where stopping a threat […]
There’s a five-dollar phrase, huh? But what does it mean? I think I can help, provided I grasp properly what I’ve read and researched. Essentially, the alchemical dictum can be broken down like this: alchemical – a tranformative or creational processdictum – an expression of general truth, or in some cases principle And what does […]
You read the title correctly. And I believe I can connect the dots for you in a way that might matter in your life. Explore this thought with me, my brothers and sisters, please. I was offering a parallel to a group of men in the church not long ago, and I prepared a focus […]
I sure do love him, despite wanting to smack my head on the desk from time to time. A friend watched my boy interact with me not long ago. He remarked, “He’s good for you. He’s teaching you patience.” I’m not sure I agree. I should be concentrating on patience, but sometimes, in fact, far […]
I’m asked occasionally the origin of my thoughts and precepts. All are heavily plagiarized… I barely have any original thoughts of my own. I have gleaned and pondered the overwhelming majority of my considerations from the works of people far smarter and more considerate than me. While I do also read crap from the likes of Dawkins, […]
I was recently delving into the Sermon on the Mount, and digging into Matthew 5, 6, & 7 respectively. After the Beatitudes, which were absolutely Earthmoving for me to finally comprehend in context, Christ moves forward to help clear up our sense of legalism. We’re taught about the need to remain preserved and visible – […]
James Hetfield, of Metallica, wrote “Nothing Else Matters” for the Black Album way back in 1990… I remember snagging it after a four-and-a-half-hour round-trip drive to the nearest big city when it came out. I had an expectation that I’d be listening to something along the lines of “…And Justice for All” but it wasn’t. […]
God never gives you more than you can handle. Nonsense.
When you hear those words spoken, or read them, two responses typically follow. Either, you read them and assume something juicy comes next, which actually qualifies you for idiocy, or you read them and said to yourself, “God doesn’t hold two-way dialogue with people very often in recorded history, so this guy is being metaphorical […]
I think it’s called Grace in the Good Book, and forgiveness in the world. And I need to do more of it. Routinely… My cousin was married recently and her wedding was nearly perfect. The setting was a small and quaint church in a small rural Missouri town. She’s grown up in that church with […]
And we still haven’t asked ourselves some of the most basic questions necessary to TRULY understand the undistributed middle of this problem. This blog will be short and sweet. Yes, this is a Christian blog. And I always seek to offer either scripture and/or a Biblical basis for the thoughts I’m offering you as readers. […]
Through discussion with my Dad, I was able to talk him into joining me for a quick discussion on the journey the Magi (3 wise men) would have taken to come from the “East” to worship the Christ child. My dad spent two years in Asadabad, Iran, while in the Peace Corps and it was […]
If you’re near Newton (just east of Des Moines, IA) this should interest you. Here’s a link to the FB Event so you can sign up and/or communicate directly with CBF. I was just sent an email from Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, and wanted to share it with you: We are excited to host a marriage […]
A few Sundays back, our pastor had what I’d like to refer to as a “mic drop moment” without his intention. Yes, he’s calculated in his sermon delivery as well as researched. But every now and then I sense a comment in him that comes off the cuff. In essence, he blurts out what he’s […]
This subject may offend some of you, as the components I describe may not be a reflection of the church you inhabit. Let’s start with what you don’t want in a church. The fact is, there are good churches out there and bad ones. And when I say “good” I mean “good” as defined by […]
Some time ago I experienced a real slap in the face. I deserved it. I had it coming. It could have been avoided, but I was too stupid to get out of my own way. So, I got was coming to me. …And I’m grateful for it. God works in ways I cannot comprehend. To […]