Homeward Bound

What time is it? Where are we going? What is the vision of the future that gives us purpose to live in our present time and place? These questions are some of the few Trevin Wax addresses in his recent book entitled Eschatological Discipleship . Eschatology is a theological term often associated with the topic of the end times among Christians. Wax chooses to use this word in a “broader sense” as “encompassing the Christian vision of time and the destiny of the world.” Wax is correct in his concern that many Christians are living with a “shrunken view of eschatology” which “fails to impact discipleship” and leaves Christians without the necessary tools to read the signs of the times and navigate its darkness. Unfortunately it is not uncommon to see Christianity viewed as a truncated list of rules or doctrines detached from any future vision of the Kingdom of Heaven. In this book, Wax gives a call for Christians today to live in the present as people of the future. After...

Some scattered thoughts I wrote a couple of months ago about how our society is failing a certain demographic: How are we failing our boys? I read this article that Russell Moore shared on twitter that claimed that men need a movement similar to feminism to start a conversation about what is true masculinity. Clearly what we have currently in place is missing the mark. Young males are the ones doing these mass shootings, but more than that--it is quite plain to see that this demographic of younger men are falling through the cracks. The author of the article thinks that a lack of vulnerability and "real men don't cry" mantra has calloused these boys and given them no outlet for their emotions. I agree somewhat. I am sure it has contributed. I remember reading a different article from a writer of a different persuasion almost a year ago who claimed the opposite. He said that the eradication of everything traditionally manly--of hard work, of fighting, of book...

I picked up this 99 cent copy after running across Jesus’ remarks in Matthew 12, in which he quotes the prophet Isaiah: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Uncertain in the ambiguity, I found out Richard Sibbes had written an entire book on the topic. I had never read anything by Richard Sibbes before, but with an increasing personal interest in the Puritans I decided to give it a try. I was, frankly, blown away. The Bruised Reed is less a commentary on Matthew 12:20, and more of a blueprint of the Christian walk. It begins by discussing the tenderness of Christ. The heart of the Father. “As a mother tendereth most the most diseased and weakest child, so doth Christ most mercifully incline to the weakest child, and likewise putteth an instinct into the weakest things to rely upon something stronger than themselves for support.” Sibbes instructs that we not consider ourselves loftier than Christ, but in likewise manner, condescend to t...

Looking through some of my highlights in one of my favorite books. Found this, and thought it relevant for the anarchistic demagoguery we see today: "Anarchism adjures us to be bold creative artists, and care for no laws or limits. But it is impossible to be an artist and not care for laws and limits. Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame. If you draw a giraffe, you must draw him with a long neck. If, in your bold creative way, you hold yourself free to draw a giraffe with a short neck, you will really find that you are not free to draw a giraffe. The moment you step into the world of facts, you step into a world of limits. You can free things from alien or accidental laws, but not from the laws of their own nature. You may, if you like, free a tiger from his bars; but do not free him from his stripes. Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump: you may be freeing him from being a camel. Do not go about as a demagogue, encouraging triangles to break o...

We live in interesting times. We live in a time where we can broadcast any detail, any event, any accomplishment to the world with a few taps of a thumb. We live in a world where we can correspondingly observe every detail, event, accomplishment of our “friends” with the passive dragging of the same thumb. Social Media is a powerful platform, there is no doubt. Never before in the history of the world could information be received and broadcasted in such speeds. To be sure, there are positive uses for social media, just as there are positive uses for any medium. The medium is not necessarily “good” nor is it necessarily “bad”. There are good ways to use the medium, just as there are self-serving ways to use the medium. But it is so difficult to keep powerful tools in their proper places. They have a tendency to intrude on our life, to rebel against their original functions. One of the things that I have observed through spending significant time on social media platforms i...