Homeward Bound

Guns. Guns for everyone or no guns at all? This is the hot button issue at the moment and I see Christians on both sides of the fence. The increasingly frequent mass shootings continue to fan the flames of political debate, but have taken me down a different strand of thinking: Christian civic responsibility vs. Christian suffering. As Christians we are to be lovers of justice. We are to stand up for the weak and the needy. Micah 6:8 could not say it more succinctly: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Jesus says in Matthew 22:39 that after loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind--the greatest commandment is--to "Love your neighbor as yourself." This sets the stage for what I will call Christian civic responsibility. As Christians we are called to look after our neighbor, and to not look the other way when ...

Productivity for Dummies I am a pretty big fan of Tim Challies and his writings. He is a pastor, a speaker, a great blogger, and an avid reader--whose book reviews are both excellent and extensive. When I heard that he had released a new book (that was a short length and about productivity) I jumped at the chance and immediately bought it on my kindle. In the introductory pages (an possibly my favorite part of the book) Tim paints a Biblical framework for productivity. Why are we doing this in the first place? Why do we do anything? Tim defines productivity as "effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God." Since we are created by God for the purpose of glorifying God, everything we do matters. This should revolutionize the way we see productivity. It is not about us getting more stuff done for the sake of ourselves. It is about us getting more stuff done in order that we may bless others and glorify G...

“Could a football manager really make that much of a difference?” That is what I asked myself as Liverpool thoroughly thrashed Southampton FC this past Wednesday by the score of 6-1. And no these are not American football teams. And yes I will try to make this sporty post bearable for you non-sporty readers. 6-1 is a rare score line in soccer. What is even rarer is Liverpool winning by a convincing margin, or Liverpool even winning at all. Under the previous manager, Brendan Rodgers, the lofty aims for a successful season seemed more like a childhood dream than an attainable ambition. Though Rodgers had varied results throughout his four year tenure as manager (a very successful 13/14 campaign), where the club was sitting just a few months ago was nowhere near his hopes and promises. The team was boorish to watch. Dull. And the results were even dull-er. Liverpool was bad. Rodgers got fired. Insert German manager Jürgen Klopp, and in the blink of an eye we have seen Liverpool com...

Why am I a Christian? I believe that salvation is a gift of God and is not something that I can achieve or even come to terms with in my own power alone. Humanly speaking though, what convinced me that Christianity is true? How did I come to be certain that this is not just some made up religion used as a crutch for weak people? There is much supporting evidence: Creation. Complexity, design, and beauty in the Universe Entropy. Things get worse over time. Archeological sites confirm many questions regarding Biblical authority. Old Testament prophecies predicted with accuracy and detail future events hundreds of years before taking place. Jesus’ birthplace, death, manner of death before that manner was invented, ministry, resurrection…etc was also predicted long before he had arrived on the scene. There are extra-biblical accounts that confirm Biblical ones. The Bible, though written over a span of one thousand plus years and with 40 authors is incredibly cohesive and wit...

Have you ever been asked about your faith and you feel--bashful? Not ashamed per say, just hesitant. Unsure. Maybe a tad apologetic. I often feel this way. Maybe it is due to a lack of practice or simply a fear of people. Whatever the reason, this reluctance to speak out it is something that I need to overcome. A.W. Tozer said the following: "I do not go to the modernist and apologize. I do not go to the liberal and excuse myself. I do not go to the philosopher and say rather apologetically, 'I'm sorry, but I am a Christian.' Rather, I go to these and say, 'I have what you're looking for. This is what you need. Something in your heart was made to appreciate everlastingness and it will never be satisfied until it gets eternity and immorality and the promise thereof.' And I say, 'I have it.'" I love this. Tozer is expounding on the reality of Ecclesiastes 3:11, that God has set eternity in the human heart. A thirst for something more. No mat...

I have a cousin who is a about 16 months old. She is a spirited one, and her personality and spunk is growing by the day. She is what you would call a toddler. Toddlers are a lot of fun. They are bundles of energy that are discovering the world and learning to talk. They also want to touch stoves, fireplaces and everything that is not in their best interest to touch. And when the toddler is not allowed access to the object of their desire--the toddler cries. It is not wrong that they cry, it is just what toddlers do. There is a problem, however, if the toddler stays a toddler; if the kid never grows up.  Temperamental children are cute at 16 months. 20 year olds in diapers are not so cute. Modern America has raised a generation (my generation) of toddlers. A generation where everyone is in a state of hyper sensitivity towards anything that threatens their toys. Speak against my "sexuality" and you are mocked as a ...

When I look back at the leaders who have influenced my life the most, I find that they were primarily people that I have known personally. I felt valued by their relationship and approachability and therefore opened myself up to them and to their ideas. Those leaders won my following because they connected with me and went out of their way to show that they cared about me. Relatability is a definite strength of leadership. So is vulnerability. Which is why I was slightly confused about a certain former President of the United States: George Washington. I am sluggishly chipping away at Ron Chernow’s biography entitled: Washington a life , and I was surprised to find out that George Washington’s leadership style was not at all the approachable and relatable kind that I have found so influential personally. Washington was often described as “aloof” and hard to figure out. In public Washington held his cards close to his chest. People were mystified by this m...