Always Reforming

Ahem. Why does it seem like every time someone posts a positive affirmation on Facebook, 85,000 people feel the need to defend the inverse or opposite position, as if the positive affirmation necessarily acts as a denial of it?  Allow me to give you an example: Positive affirmation: "I like coffee with milk in it." Comment section: "Why don't you like coffee with sugar in it?" "Why don't you like tea?" "I like coffee and tea and, therefore, I am a much more complete human being than you!" And, of course, let's not forget about this gem: "I'm only here for the comments." (extra points for a Michael Jackson meme inserted) Now, I don't like coffee, but that's not the point.  The point is that the positive affirmation does not necessarily imply any of the ideas rejected by the comments.  Perhaps the person posting about their coffee also likes tea.  Perhaps he (or she--let's not be sexist here) dri...

Evangelical (what does that even really mean anymore?) leaders recently released a declaration regarding sexuality.   The Nashville Statement  (hereafter NS) is simultaneously concise, thorough, and Biblical.  As would be expected, it is causing a bit of a stir in the media and across the Internet, where it is generally being portrayed as the hateful vitriol of outdated homophobes.  Here are my initial thoughts on the statement and its subsequent reception. 1) It is sad that it is necessary.   You know how pathetic it is that your cup of hot coffee has to have a warning that says that the contents are hot?  Yeah, the fact that the NS is necessary is sort of like that. Christians believe that homosexuality is wrong?  What?!  Christians believe that gender and sex are related?  What?!  Christians believe sex outside of marriage is wrong?  Again, what?!  This is all so shocking!  Be still, my beating heart!  All the p...

Weary and exhausted, Kirk Adams found himself plodding across Missouri on some back-road highway. "Faster?  Yeah, right!" he thought.  "I should've stayed on 70."  He was travelling west across the country in search of something more than small-town life in Ohio could provide.  At age 24 he was searching for a job, for a home, for himself.  He wasn't sure where he was going, but he would go as far as his crimson '99 Camry would take him.  He snapped his head backwards as he caught himself dozing.  He couldn't remember how long he had been driving and it was now after midnight. A pale moon and distant stars were the only lights besides his hazy headlights.  He yanked his head up again.  "Man," he thought, "I need to find somewhere to stop."  He flipped through the channels until he found a decent song--Hotel California--and cranked it up as loudly as it would play without destroying his speakers.  He opened his windows to let in so...

Theology, once known as the queen of the sciences, has a long history of big words and subtle distinctions, and while Christianity shares in this heritage, she has always maintained that the Gospel is ultimately quite simple.  There are many who love to discuss the complexities of theology, and those things have their place, but the wonder of the Gospel is its simplicity.  The beauty of the Gospel is that it can be comprehended and obeyed as equally by the pauper as by the prince.  The Gospel is the  great equalizer in the Universe, rendering all men equal before God regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, social status, or academic erudition.  The seminary professor may know more about God and the Scriptures, but that does not mean that his grasp on the Gospel and His walk with God are deeper or more genuine than the pupil in his classroom. The Apostle John provides a concise summary of the Gospel in 1 John 3:23.  He says, "And this is His commandment, tha...

Christian and Racist: those two words should never appear juxtaposed in a sentence without some form of the word not being involved.  For the Biblical Christian racism is an evil to be expunged from the face of the Earth and those who would simultaneously espouse racist views and Christianity clearly don't understand the latter.  Unfortunately, Christianity has always had those proponents who ignore or twist its teachings to promote hate.  These jokers in Charlottesville , at least any who would claim Christianity, are a perfect example.  Far from being consistent Christians, they are fanatics whose religion pays homage to their political and anthropological ideology instead of informing it. The Gospel has no room for racism.  The New Testament is full of language that reflects the universality of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, partly because of the insular views of the Jewish people.  The Jews, through years of persecution and exile, had developed ...

My wife and I have had four kids in just under six years, so you could say it's been a busy half decade for our family.  Having kids teaches you so much about life, which means that having them quickly gives you a crash course.  Sometimes you have to pause and consider the lessons that life has imparted to you on your journey.  Here's a few of the things I've learned so far: 1) Raising kids is difficult--way more difficult than you can anticipate while yet childless. 2) Raising kids is expensive, but maybe not as expensive as people make it out to be. 3) Bearing children is difficult on the human body (okay, I learned this one vicariously).  4) Consequently, not every woman can physically bear a dozen children, especially given the modern dearth of nutrition in our food. 5) Parenting while tired can make you say and do things you regret. 6) Gabriel needs a little brother. 7) Having less than seven children does not mean you don't love kid...

This past Tuesday my family arrived home from a wonderful vacation to find a lonely cat and an awful smell.  You see, we have two cats, but only one came to greet us.  The other one, unfortunately, I found under our steps deceased.  We're not 100% sure exactly what happened to our three-year-old cat, but he had a history of UTIs that we thought were stress-induced.  Truth be told, he's never really acclimated to being a full-time indoor cat.  Augustine, you will be missed!  I am not, however, writing a eulogy for my cat, so I'll get to the point.  I really want to discuss how this tragedy proved to be a powerful life lesson for my oldest daughter, Genesis. Back to last Tuesday.  I walked downstairs to make sure that our cats had enough food and found myself surprised by how much food was actually left in their bowls.  Instantly I had a hunch that something was wrong.  Actually, my hunch went back to when our other cat met us at the doo...