Always Reforming

Our nation was rocked again this week by another senseless  shooting , this time at the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas.  It seems that Churches, and other houses of worship, are a new favorite target for gunmen, who, one would imagine, identify them as vulnerable targets because churches, like schools, provide the opportunity for maximum damage with minimal resistance.  This story, of course, ended a little differently. I genuinely tried not to write about this story, but doing is so is the only way I can stop fixating on it.  Here are my thoughts on this event. 1) Obviously, it could've been much worse.   It's not very often that a "mass shooting" ends within few seconds of beginning (we don't hear about them on the news anyway).  As far from comforting as it may be, the people in that building, and across the U.S., should be thankful that the carnage was limited. 2) We need to stop twisting tragedies for political purposes.   This is not a victory

Dear fellow citizens who support the impeachment of our president, Donald Trump, I'm writing to you today because I think things have gotten out of hand lately.  The political landscape in our nation is becoming increasingly more transparent and it's time for self-respecting citizens to engage in some self-reflection.  This is all getting a little silly, isn't it? Before I say anything more, let me be very clear about something.  I did not vote for Donald Trump, nor do I intend to vote for Donald Trump in the future, barring some unexpected turn of events.  I do think that some of his acts as President have been laudable, but he has done nothing to demonstrate that he is a Godly, respectable man, nor am I naive enough to believe that anyone becomes that rich and powerful in New York without crossing a few ethical lines. Nevertheless, I have a few problems with this whole impeachment thing you guys have going on. First of all, I'm pretty sure most of you guys don

Exactly 14 Years Ago "Hubert!" "Huuuuubeeeeerrrrrt!  It's time for dinner!" The backyard offered no reply.  Hubert's mother stormed through the screen door, a cloud of frustration in her wake. "Hubert!  What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm petting Celery," Hubert responded without lifting his gaze. "Celery?" On Hubert's lap lay a kitten.  His coat was dark like midnight; his eyes glistened like emeralds.  She could hear Celery's purr, serene yet vigorous, from several feet away.  Her heart melted. "Where did you find that?" "I think he found me," Hubert replied.  "I was just sitting underneath this tree and he climbed onto my lap.  Can we keep him?" His mother was conflicted.  Hubert obviously had a strong affinity for this cat, and after the recent loss of his father, a feline companion might be just what the nine-year-old boy needed.  On the other hand, the added ex

It seems like almost daily I see a meme on Facebook complaining that the American education system is teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic instead of life skills.  As our nation becomes more aware of the broken promises of higher academia, social media is being inundated with a flood of articles promoting a focus on trades and home economics in lieu of Algebra and ancient literature.  Millennials are especially vocal as they remind everyone that their failures are not their fault because they were never taught how to budget, to pay taxes, etc. Well, guys, I have some news for you. Uncle Sam ain't yer daddy!  Betsy Ross ain't yer momma! The government, whether federal, state, or local, does not have the responsibility to teach you life skills.  "School" was not intended to teach you how to live your life, nor was it designed to make you successful.  An "education" is not meant to teach you everything you need to know.  It is meant to equip you with

Vaccines save lives! But...they often have side effects that are worse than the diseases they prevent. Processed food keeps millions of people from starving to death! But...it's really unhealthy and is probably giving us all cancer. Social media facilitates the dissemination of information and enables us to stay connected with friends and family! But...it spreads misinformation and is probably dragging us all down into depression. Technology opens up new possibilities and allows us to be more productive! But...it also puts people out of work by eliminating entire industries. On and on the story goes. Every pro comes with a con.  Every advancement presents new issues.  Every solution the human race develops to solve the world's problems creates an entirely new and previously inconceivable set of problems. Welcome to life. Welcome to reality. Welcome to a world broken by sin. Nothing is ever perfect.  Nothing is ever resolved.  Nothing will ever exempt u

The Internet is undefeated, my friends. If you maintain any sort of a social media presence, you are doubtlessly familiar with this week's hottest meme.  It's not a single meme per se, nor even a single meme format.  Rather, it's the interposition of the words "Epstein didn't kill himself" into virtually every meme format ever devised.  When we sit back and consider the proliferation of Epstein-based memes, we can observe three things: 1) Memes are silly and amusing, but they are more than that.  They have become an art form, a means of communication, a way to make a statement.  They are the bastard child of newspaper editorials and satirical cartoons.  Instead of partisan cartoonists satirizing the politicians they don't like, we have artisans everywhere challenging the immovable moors of society; which leads me to my next point. 2) Americans, and I suspect we're not unique in this, deal with the harsh realities of life through meme-based humor.

I had one of those childhoods. I had one of those childhoods you don't realize is atypical until you go out into the world and meet people who think you're Amish or Catholic. I had a contracted childhood; I don't suppose I had much of a childhood at all. I had one of those childhoods marked by pain and worry. I had one of those childhoods that teaches you how to internalize pain. I learned not to cry. I learned what it means to be strong, or at least, I thought I did. I had one of those childhoods landmarked by funerals . I seem to have a preponderance of childhood memories that involve death. I guess that's the curse of being the youngest in a big family. I remember Grandma Carrie's calling hours. I remember hearing that Grandpa Spencer's emphysema was so bad that he could no longer get out of bed. I remember Dad preaching the Gospel at the funeral. I remember hearing him say that Grandpa didn't deserve to go to Heaven, but that

Have you ever heard something and thought, "That's about the dumbest thing I've heard this year!"? Something along those lines shot through my head Tuesday evening as I watched about 15 minutes of the Democratic debate that was held in my home state of Ohio (15 minutes was about all I could take before I had to turn on Blackish).  About halfway through the debate Anderson Cooper directed an unusually poignant question towards Beto O'Rourke (the transcript is here ), addressing O'Rourke's recent statements regarding a mandatory buyback of assault weapons.  After quoting the Congressman's own words, Cooper asked, "...You said police wouldn't be going door to door.  So how exactly are you going to force people to give up their weapons?  You don't even know who has those weapons." Cooper challenged O'Rourke to add some substance to the rhetoric he's been employing on the campaign trail, and, let's just say, O'Rourke f

If it's not one thing, it's another.  Am I right?  This time it's Ukraine. "Impeach Trump!" the liberals cry. "Prosecute Biden!" the conservatives reply. "Wait...prosecute Pelosi, too!" conservatives continue. Allegations of corruption dominate social media and network news as representatives of all political ideologies defend their side and decry the opposition.  Meanwhile, average Americans debate back and forth without really knowing what the heck is going on because, after all, peons like us can never really be confident that we know what's going on. What I find surprising is how many people seem to be surprised by these endless revelations of corruption, nepotism, and maneuvering that are coming out of Washington. How is this surprising?  How are people just figuring this out? Were people really unaware that this country, the so-called land of the free and the home of the brave, has always been at the behest of old dudes

Balance, my brothers.  Balance. I find that most theological or ethical conundrums are solvable if we find the balance between extremes. The modern social landscape is pervaded by subjectivism and emotionalism.   "Only God can judge me!" we cry.   "Don't judge me!" we insist. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking has infiltrated the Church and can be heard from pulpits around the world.  Pastors no longer make definitive declarations of right and wrong, nor are they allowed to say anything negative.  They're not supposed to tell people how to live their lives.  To speak of sin is taboo.  Christian brethren are no longer willing to exhort or to be exhorted. "Different strokes for different folks!" rules the day. This is, undoubtedly, an unbiblical mindset.  The idea that true love ignores behavior that is perilous to a brother's soul is patently false.  Christians, as the body of Christ and coworkers in the Gospel, are t

I saw an angel in my dreams last night, He asked me three piercing questions: Where are you going? What are you doing? and Who are you becoming? I looked at him, A tear in my eye And  A smile on my face, And said, Only God knows, At least, I hope He does, 'Cause I sure don't. He put his arm around my shoulder, And said, Brother, Remember, You are the choices that you make. I woke up, Those words Still ringing in my ears, And considered every choice That I had ever made. I looked into the mirror, I barely recognized the man Staring back at me, I asked him, Where are you going? What are you doing? Who are you becoming?

Everything you choose to do is also something you are choosing not to do. Everything you buy is at the expense of something you will  not  be able to buy. Every hour you spend doing something is an hour you cannot spend doing something else. Every decision you make excludes a million other possibilities. Every choice is a trade-off . Your resources are finite. You are finite. Find your passion. Focus your passion. Recognize value. Redeem the time. Celebrate the excellent. Invest in the eternal. Leave a legacy .

Go back with me.  Think back to a day before skinny jeans; a day when hair was spiked and tips were frosted; an era that saw stars wear matching denim outfits and "reality TV" break onto the scene; a day when pop music often featured actual instruments. Yes, those were the days! Those were the days when Creed ruled the airwaves and Scott Stapp was the coolest dude on the planet (and saying dude was still sort of cool). Well, fast forward two decades and the world is a very different place.  The music is very different, but musical differences reflect the greater cultural differences.  Amidst all the changes, however, one thing remains--Scott Stapp is still making music!  He may not be cool anymore, but he is still a talented artist and he's still making quality music. His most recent effort, The Space Between the Shadows , was released on 7/19.  As a Scott Stapp fanboy I had to get it as soon as humanly possible, and I'm not talking about a stupid digital do

Well, ol' Donny is at it again!  His Twitter feed is ablaze with controversy, which is nothing new, but is nonetheless never a good look for the President of the United States of America.  I will say, that man is nothing if not entertaining! As social media sites and cable news channels light up with the story, it seems that liberals in Washington and in the media are intent on force-feeding the American public this idea that Donald Trump is a raging racist, cheered on by the inherently-racist, corn-fed hillbillies of the Midwest; but is that narrative true?  Are his most recent tweets proof of inveterate hate and bigotry? Is Donald Trump a racist? Please, I beg of you, allow me to clarify something before I proceed.  This is not a defense of Donald Trump as a human being.  I am not pro-Trump, just as I am not anti-Trump.  I do my best to assess his words and actions as subjectively as possible.  He is our President, so, as a Christian, I try to respect him as a governing of

Abortion. The sexual revolution. The advancement of the LGBT agenda. The subjectivity of morality. Open hostility to Christianity and the Bible. Despite what some people may tell you, these things are not new.  They are not novel.  These ideas and attitudes have existed throughout history in many different parts of the world.  The historical novelty is a nation acknowledging the true God and conforming their laws to His.  Again, despite what you've been told, this was largely the condition of our country at the time of its inception.  It is certain that there were many ideals and beliefs that formed the foundation of this melting pot we call the United States of America, but it is undeniable that a large contribution was made by Christianity and its values.  We were, in many ways, a Christian nation, or, at least, a nation of Christians. This is why we got complacent. It was easy to be a Christian.  It was normal to be a Christian and even abnormal not to be a Christi

So...Taylor Swift released a new song.  Entitled " You Need to Calm Down ," it is an anthem befitting our postmodern age.  It celebrates the liberty, no, the superiority of the LGBTQ (I refuse to add any more letters to that acronym) community, condescendingly telling "conservatives" that they need to calm down.  The most controversial lyric, and sure to be the favorite of LGBTQ proponents, is, "And control your urges to scream about all the people you hate, Cause shade never made anybody less gay." Now, let me begin by saying that I have traditionally enjoyed T-Swift's music.  She and I are birthday twins (we were born the same exact day, 12/13/89), so I feel like I have an excuse.  I wasn't a huge fan of her pure country music, but I began to enjoy her music as she ventured more into the pop realm.  Though I was disappointed in the sensual nature of a few of the songs on her most recent album, I still appreciated a majority of the album.  She

A permit?  A permit?  Really?  A permit? Doesn't that sound sort of totalitarian to anyone else? I work in an industry in which we interact often with our local and state health departments.  Several of the major services that we provide require us to get a permit from the local health department.  The local officials are occasionally genuine, but they are almost always condescending and almost never have respect for private property as such. In the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, a homeowner is required to get a permit  before doing almost anything to his property.  Some localities are worse than others, but they are all required by state and federal authorities to restrict the citizens' freedoms in meaningful ways. How did we get here?  How did we get to the point where we allow government officials to require us to let them permit us to drill a well or build a house? How did "Give me or liberty or give me death!"

Liberalism. Sexual immorality. Hypocrisy. Worldliness. Unbelief. Apostasy. Compromise. These crises are not novel, even among the communion of the saints.  The study of Church history--the honest study, at least--reveals many sordid chapters in the story of Christ's body.  The Church has always been imperfect.  She has always been a work in progress.  She has always had her ups and downs, her steps forwards and back, her moments of shame, or perhaps, her shamelessness. What does this mean to the Christian?  Why should this motivate the Christian to study Church history?  Well, this reality should actually be encouraging.  As we witness the continual decline of the theological and moral standards of the Church, this checkered past should remind us that we have not passed a point of no return.  The sexual revolution has not conquered the Church.   God has not abandoned His plan for His elect.  Technology and Science, the twin deities of humanism, have not rendered fai

You know what's annoying? People. People and the Internet. Mostly people on the the Internet. We are all crisis-mongers anymore.  It's like we're happy to see a mass murder or a botched abortion,  as if the horrors we purport to oppose bring us a twisted sort of glee. We're all capitalists--we're quick to capitalize on a crisis!  Like ferocious felines we crouch, ready to pounce, always eager to exploit pain and tears. School shooting--20 dead! The virtue signaling and political maneuvering pervade social media for about three days.  After that we forget and go back to watching Game of Thrones and eating bonbons (what, I ask, is a bonbon?). We decry Donald Trump because CNN showed us a smug kid wearing a MAGA hat (but, surprise, surprise...there was more to the story). We attack blacks, gays, and liberals because some black, gay, liberal actor staged a hate crime. We denounce Antivaxxers because some kids in New York got the measles (Heaven forbi

My eyes, riddled with rivulets of red, burst open. "What a dream..." Relief washed away the terror like ocean waves bathing a battered shoreline. I have long been given to dental nightmares, but the dream that haunted me that night was abnormally vivid.  There I lay, reclining in a dentist's chair, bright lights scorching my corneas.  Over me stood a menacing figure, liveried in white.  Embroidered on his chest was "Dr. Butcher, D.D."  He forced his metal implements into my mouth, extracting my teeth one by one.  With each groan and gush of blood, another tooth fell to the floor.  My cries went unheeded as he plucked away in his ruthless rage. Now awake, I slid out of bed, grateful to be back among the conscious.  I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some water onto my weary face.  Something felt amiss.  Having left my glasses beside my bed, I squinted as I leaned into the mirror, my mouth agape. "No..." I rubbed my eyes and leaned in

Over the last two weeks the Internet has been abuzz with news of the final season of Game of Thrones.  Some have hailed GoT as a cinematic masterpiece, while others have labeled it as pornography.  Some have warned of the graphic nature of the show, whiles others have ardently defended their Christian freedom to watch it.  Many have fallen somewhere in the middle. As I've seen so many Christians express their enjoyment of GoT, and even recommend it to other people, I have been a little disheartened.  The issue has sort of stuck in the back of my mind as I try to think of how to engage with my fellow believers on this topic in an edifying way.  The other night, as I prayed the Lord's Prayer with my daughters before bed, I thought, "How can a Christian pray 'Lead me not into temptation,' and choose to watch GoT (maybe we need to get back to praying the Lord's Prayer!)?  How can we genuinely pray this petition and then turn around and place temptation before our

There I lay, arms--folded; eyes--closed; heart--beatless.  I tried to draw a breath, but my diaphragm wouldn't heave.  I sat up, scanning the room curiously.  Moistened eyelashes and awkward glances pervaded the crowded sanctuary. "Who died?" "Oh..." "When did I die?" I didn't recall dying. The proclamations of a country preacher sought to prepare each heart in the room for its own eventual expiration.  He pronounced good news and glad tidings with the voice of a career smoker. "Why is this box so comfortable?" Have you ever really thought about that?  Full disclosure--this was my first time in a casket, but I remember always thinking as a child that they looked senselessly comfortable.  I assume the corpse cares as much for the comfort of his casket as he does for its ornateness.  "Ah...my favorite hymn!"  The robust two-and-a-half part harmony bounced off of olive green walls and stained glass windows, blen

Legalistic. Licentious. Judgmental. Worldly. These are just some of the censorious terms tossed around when Christians discuss ethical standards.  The pendulum seems to swing between extremes.  Some people want to condemn you straight to hell for any failure to obey God's Word (or, usually, for any failure to abide by their own interpretation if it), while others use God's grace as an excuse for their sin. As is normally the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  The Bible proclaims God's grace for those who repent of their sin, assuring the penitent that there is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus Christ, but we are warned against  abusing  the grace of God and we are unambiguously called to live in a way that is consistent with our calling as Christians.  That means that, for the Christian, "this won't send me to hell" is not a valid excuse for indulging in behavior that is dishonoring to God.  Christians don't look for exc

No. That's my short answer. Now for my long answer. The most recent political weapon aimed across the aisle in Washington (that's all it really is, after all--another way to perpetuate the binary party system we've created here in the U.S.) is the Special Olympics .  At first Trump's administration was going to cut funding for the beloved sporting event, but then Trump came through for virtue-signalers everywhere by overriding the decision and assuring that funding would continue.  Democrats had a field day, of course, with the funding cut, despite the fact that they support the "right" to abort children in the womb who have special needs. Trump's reassurance led to widespread jubilation as warm-blooded folks from both red and blue states united in celebration of the humanity of his decision, but it seems no one has stopped to ask a simple question.  Why, my friends, does the federal government of the United States fund the Special Olympics in the