Homeward Bound

Happy New Year faithful readers of the blog! I am thankful to everyone who reads my content, even as I am not able to post as frequently as I would like to. I did not read as much as I would have liked in 2019 either. Time constraints and some lack of discipline on my part have definitely contributed to this. Nevertheless, I did read some good books. Here is my annual top ten books I read in 2019. 10.  The General vs. The President - H. W. Brands This year I did some historical reading on the era immediately following WW-II and some key events that occurred in the Truman presidency. This book takes a look at two very different leaders (Truman and MacArthur) with very different styles. A clash ensues with global ramifications. A good study, full of practical leadership tips on dealing with difficult people, taking responsibility for decisions, and the sorts of people to surround yourself in the event you find yourself in power. 9.  Great Expectations - Charl...

Last week our Bible Study had fun discussing the topic of prayer and whether the plan of God is "fixed" or "open". We are reading  Celebrating the Disciplines  by Richard Foster  which is a bit mystical and Quaker in its theology. I will say I enjoy reading something that is a bit out of my usual swim lane. Theologically I am hardly a cesationist , and I welcome learning about how we can experience greater intimacy with God and hear His voice. I believe there is a very real aspect of the Christian life that is experiential. So far, I do not have an issue with too many of Foster’s methods. The theology, however, I have found to be problematic at certain points. There was one line in his chapter on prayer where he stated God is continually changing His mind as His children pray: " the Bible stresses so forcefully the openness of our universe that, in an anthropomorphism hard for modern ears, it speaks of God constantly changing his mind in accord with his unc...

My now two year old boy has been having trouble going to sleep. Frequently Montana and I will hear him cry, "Wind, wind!" from his crib. On some evenings if the wind hits the side of the house just right, it will howl. The boy being only two years old is afraid. As he has developed he has grown in his sensitivity to danger, noises, scary things. A few nights ago I held Hudson in his room and I gave him a mini sermon on the sovereignty of God. I started on a naturally human level. I tried to explain to him how the winds is logically not a scary thing. At least not in November in Southern Maryland. Maybe on an island in the Pacific during typhoon season, but not here. Even if it did really blow we are blessed with a structurally sound house that shelters us from its effects. The noise is, just that: noise. It is outside of our house and the noise cannot really do anything to us. "But even if it could harm us, God is sovereign over the wind," I explained. Not...

One of my great struggles is timidity. Fear. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of not being accepted or approved of. Fear of being derided or lambasted for my beliefs. Far from your classic provocateur, I am not one who enjoys cutting against the common grain. I do not like to stand out. I want to blend in, I do not want to cause fuss. To put it a bit more positively (or negatively), one of my struggles is cowardice. Some people are wired for the battle. They are naturally bold; if you come hard on them there instinct is to come back twice as hard. Me not so much, and much of my struggles revolve around how do I exactly speak up about my faith when an opportunity arises? How do I stand up for what is right when what is wrong is promoted and celebrated? How do I stand for a message and a belief system that is so counter everything our times holds dear? Paul famously   wrote his son in the faith Timothy a passage I may have to glue on every surface in my house, car, and wo...

In economics class I learned about the reality of unintended consequences. Often economic policy through say “minimum wage” or “tariffs on foreign imports” are enacted with good intentions: to get the laborer in a low-income job a little fatter check every two weeks; to give domestic companies the upper hand against the often-subsidized international competition. But what man intended for good, man often just makes plain worse. That minimum wage hike may be more likely to get the laborer laid off than promoted; and that home team advantage tariff is likely to burden your own people just as much as it does the outside competition. Outside of economics, just about every well-intended decision has some kind of unforeseen, unintended consequence. I want to talk about the American church’s well-intentioned plan to make church more appealing to the lost. In the 1990s to the early 2000s seeker sensitivity was all the rage. They argued that with the rise in Biblical illiteracy, churches ...

As the world drifts further away from truth, the truth will look increasingly abnormal to the world. As people of truth, there will be much temptation to smooth the hard edges of the Word of God in order to be seen in a more appealing light. There is pressure to stay relevant, or if not relevant; at least not be the "bigots" the previous generations were. We have seen this softening in much of the Seeker Sensitive church methodology. The padded preaching and the positive and encouraging radio stations. "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, He is crazy about you!" We see it in many Christians who feel the need to apologize or make excuses for the portions of Scripture our generation has problems with. We see it in the, what I call, Christian motivationalism, where God is your life coach and he is trying to get you to accomplish your goals. "He is for you, not against you!" Many try to straddle the line between the harsh tones of S...

All in David's army attained not to be equal with his few worthies in prowess and honor, and yet did not cashier themselves: thou hast reason to be thankful for the meanest place in the army of saints, the least communications of gospel mercy and grace must not be overlooked. *** The quote above resonated with me as I was plodding through William Gurnall’s Christian in Complete Armour . I have written before about being content with the role God has given you, of giving up notions of "greatness" in exchange for a life of faithfulness, of losing your own ambitions for the cause of the glory of God. These ideas are relevant to the season I am in now. I am learning godliness with contentment in the days of small things. What Gurnall means is there were many in David’s army did not make the top tier of his "Mighty Men." For every name etched in timeless Scripture there were hundreds in the common rank and file who also fought and bled. Yet we do not kn...