Homeward Bound

My pastor preached this Sunday on the parable of the talents (Luke 19:12-27). It has long been one of my favorite parables, and it is oh so very convicting! Throughout my life I have felt this weight on my shoulders, a responsibility to be faithful with the immensity of all I have been given: Life, breath, health, time. I have been born in the west, under conditions historically and globally affluent. My upbringing is particularly precious to me as I have been raised by two godly parents in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They both taught and modeled to me what it means to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been immersed in Christian teaching from day one, and truly few have what I have received. I have been given much and much will be required of me.   The parable of the talents, however, goes beyond visible externals and early childhood experiences. When Jesus mentions talents he is including all the resources the master has entrusted to his earthly servant...

Every Christmas my Puritan collection grows. It is a great time for acquiring new books to plumb the depths of the riches of theology and the Christian tradition. I just ordered a Louis Berkhof systematic theology to join the fray with the others on the shelf, and actually it may be time to add another Ikea bookshelf to my office while I am at it! Reading and thinking about the Word of God is one of the most fascinating things anyone can do. There is no bottom to the depth of what is contained in the Scriptures and it is exciting for me to jump into something so wonderfully over my head. Yet I have cause to remind myself from time to time what the point of it all is. The study of God and His Word is a most worthwhile experience, but it cannot be divorced from its ends. And its ends are not intellectual, entertaining, or self-advancing--but very spiritually practical. Some Negative Examples It is not surprising that the Bible has examples of many unbelievers who were fascinated in knowl...

We live in an age of innumerable errors. There are false religions, false views of man, false views of God, false views of salvation, false views of the nature of truth itself. There are false views of justice, false views of morality, false views of sexuality, false views of the end and telos of man. And that is not even opening the can of worms that is politics where we observe countless examples of governmental overreach and failures of magistrates to do their divinely appointed jobs. Human life is trodden over in the name of personal choice, evil is called good, and what some have termed a “soft totalitarianism” seems to be on the rise.  Suffice it to say, a lot of people are wrong about a lot of things. In such an environment it is tempting for sound minded Christians to take hold of the battle standard and begin berating everything and anything that is in opposition to the truth. Social media and other online tools make such crusading easier than ever, gifting everyone a virt...

I recently talked with an older man at my church and we shared some of the challenges we were facing in our different seasons of life: me with my 3 kids and my job, and him with some career decisions he is facing. I confessed some of my stoical tendencies with regard to my family, my tendencies to “suffer through the difficulties” and just get through it, and he gave me a perspective I am very much thankful for. He told me that his now grown children are not walking with the Lord and he regrets not spending more time investing in his kids when they were young. He said the time goes by so fast and that he wishes he could go back and do things differently. The child rearing season is such a short moment and before you know it, it’s gone and there’s no getting it back. Implicit in his self-reflection I sensed a challenge to me: “Don’t squander this precious moment, Daniel! To me, a young dad in the thick of things, this is exactly the perspective I needed to hear. My friend could not go ...

In our day, mental health dominates discussion and the term has bloated to an exceedingly broad umbrella, encompassing everything from psychological disorders to anything that makes me anxious or leads to mental discomfort. A google search defines mental health as “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being” and it is to this expansive definition that I refer to in this post. I am not writing about disorders, mental illness, or many of the viable medication offered for mental health; only the preeminence this broader category has taken in the modern mind over every other category, and particularly that of religion. In The Coddling of the American Mind , the authors recognize a concept creep in the category of “safety,” and one example is in the term “trauma.” Trauma up until 1980 was used only to describe a “physical agent causing physical damage.” After 1980 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder became the first type of traumatic injury that is not physi...

One of my favorite qualities about myself is my ability to “get through things.” It may run on the Harris side, but regardless, it consists of being able to disengage my emotions when I have to get through something. And I do not mean anything traumatic, only the stuff of normal life. One example is a job I had for a few years which was not only monotonous and unfulfilling, but looking back I believe I was truly unnecessary to the team. I was not being used anywhere near what I judged my potential to be, and the work I did was almost entirely nonessential. My leadership was not utilizing the data I produced, and if I was to go missing for a week or a month I am certain no one would have been the worse for it. But, true to form, I held on to that job for a few years because, well, it was a job! Jobs are not held for the fulfillment they provide but for the money and my young family needed the money; and I cannot help but look back on that with a little pride. I did what I had to do and ...

If you are an evangelical like me you have probably heard and used the popular slogan “It is not a religion it is a relationship” to describe the differences between Christianity and other works based systems. Unlike most every other religion, Christianity is unique in that it does not offer “salvation” as a reward for performance. “By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight.” We are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works (Eph 2:8-9). Jonathan Edwards once said so well: “There is nothing we contribute to our salvation but the sin that made it necessary.” Instead of a string of endless duties where we must obey or face the threat of exclusion and damnation, Christianity offers sonship and security to those who know Christ: those who are found in Him and born again. Furthermore the emphasis on relationship in Christianity is important and unique. It means we are not left to doing dry duties, No! We get to know ...

I recently read The Horse and His Boy and since I had long forgotten the plot and the conclusion, I enjoyed the whole thing as if it was the first time. What a brilliant, well-constructed story. It takes some time to get going but by the end the story fits snuggly like a glove, resolving every uncertainty and lose end in a work of pure Lewisian craftsmanship. On top of that, I believe it speaks directly to some issues in myself, namely a preoccupation with self with tendencies to self-pity. I was struck by the self-pity of Bree, the kidnapped Narnian horse who in the story is escaping homeward from the southern deserts of Calormen. He is a charger, a beautiful white war horse who has fought many battles, even earning acclaim for his feats in this foreign kingdom. But during the flight northwards to his homeland, in one instance he does not appear so grand. Bree and his company are attacked by a large lion and it is Shasta the young boy, not Bree the warhorse, who turns around to fa...

I have been trying to do some Bible memorization with my eldest son before bed. We started Psalm 23 last night which drew me to reflect further on what might be the most well-known Psalm of all. Like the Psalms do so well, chapter 23 provides a remedy for many of the issues we have in modern times: fear, panic, anxiety, hyper-activity, depression. Starting with the Shepherd and His relationship to the sheep, Psalm 23 deduces how this relationship transforms our life as well as out state of mind in the midst of varying circumstances. Because the Lord is our Shepherd we shall not want. He makes us lie down in green pastures and beside still waters. He restores our soul and leads us along the path of righteousness. Because He is with us, we will fear no evil in the valley of the very shadow death. His rod and His staff comfort us. In the presence of our enemies He prepares us a table. Spurgeon writes on this 5th verse: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies...

Montana woke me up on May 6, 2021, at about 6:15, informing me that today was the day. She had called both the midwife and her mother, and the former was beginning her hour drive to come to our house. I got up slowly, like I usually do, thinking through everything I needed to do to prepare. This is our third child, so I have been through the drill before. I remember feeling excited, but not giddy. I went down stairs to my computer where I telework and told my supervisor that I will not be logging in today. My wife is in labor; the hour has come.   Montana and I had decided to do a home birth for our third baby. Our first two boys were born at the hospital, and both were great experiences. Our decision to make the change was in part due to COVID restrictions in our area. We had a lingering fear of the off chance occurring: that one of us would test positive on   the day of the birth and Montana would have to deliver the baby alone. More positively, however, we had heard glo...

Every once in a while you run across a book that makes more than a usual impact on your life. Whether it was the unique season of life you were in when you read it, or simply the superiority of its content when compared with others, this book for some reason left a marked impression on you, an impression you remember to this day. I remember G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy having this long lasting effect on me as did C. S. Lewis's The Abolition of Man and Puritan Richard Sibbes's The Bruised Reed . Not only were they each excellent books, but the unique moment of my life when I read them contributed to their impact. In many ways I was prepared for their teachings at the moment of my reading, and I believe God has used several, often long dead writers, to encourage and strengthen me throughout the last few years. I have recently read a book which I truly hope will have a similar effect on my life. The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink is a short book, unlike anything else I ha...

Ravi Zacharias has had a deep impact on my faith. I have listened to his broadcasts off and on for the past decade plus. When news came out several months ago that he was involved in some sort of sexual misconduct, I was shocked. When a more detailed, independent report highlighting the extent of this misconduct, manipulation, predatory behavior came out a few weeks ago--I was even more shocked. How can someone so firmly rooted in knowledge and the truth of God, be living a completely bifurcated double life? How does that happen? Here is an almost 10 minute  video I made on my youtube channel sorting some of this out. It is unscripted and a tad meandering, but I try to talk a little bit about the nature of truth, and call Christians (leaders in particular) to purity. This is a non-negotiable, and no amount of giftedness or dynamism can supplement its lack. It is okay to mourn when our "heroes" turn out not to be what we thought they were. I am not sure yet what I am going to...

Blog subscribers! Below are two links two recent speaking engagements I had this month: The first is at a local church in my area, Grace Chapel, and I was blessed to be able to do some pulpit filling as they await the arrival of their new pastor. I talked about the burden of Jesus Christ, and how living in his service will prove easy and light, for He is a gentle Master.  Grace Chapel Sermon Then I had the privilege to do a virtual chapel at my old Christian School, talking about the abundant life Jesus offers to us in John 10:10.  King's Christian Academy Chapel Over the past year or so I have been very impressed by the reality of God's grace and tenderness to us. The life He offers to us is the best possible life we can live, for He gives us the very best He can give. There are many things that are challenging in the Christian life and many lines in the sand which need to be drawn with regard to our culture. There are hard realities we need to come to terms with in Scripture...

I made another video: The early ministry of Howell Harris is an incredible ride. Full of energy and excitement, Harris travails the rural landscape of Wales preaching the Word of God, and particularly the convicting message of the law. His ministry was met with great spiritual and physical opposition, but was nevertheless filled with even greater power from the Holy Spirit of God.  In order to proclaim the good news, we must know the bad news first. Howell Harris's message would be a bit hard for our modern sensibilities to hear, but it was a necessary word for the ignorant and rough population he was ministering to. God worked through Harris mightily to bring conviction of sin and ultimately repentance on a grand scale to the people of Wales in the 18th century. Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t1NqdZw968&ab_channel=DanielHarris

1 John 1:9 is a well-known verse offering assurance of forgiveness to the one who confesses his sin: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I have often understood this to be for believers: if anyone who is in Christ falls into sin, confesses his sin to God, God here gives a promise of forgiveness. He will forgive that sinner and cleanse him from his unrighteousness. What is interesting is the promise of forgiveness is rooted in both God’s faithfulness and His justice. God is faithful and He is just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I have always understood how God’s faithfulness is grounds for forgiveness. "Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds."   God’s character to us is so benevolent and unfailing, how could he hold our sins against us if we come to Him in brokenness and repentance? What has been less clear to me is how God’s forgi...