I’m not very good at connecting the dots. If I’m watching a movie with some friends, I’m usually the one who will be surprised at the plot twist that everyone else saw coming. So it shouldn’t surprise me that I missed the point of the Christmas story for the longest time.
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Romans
The Goal
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I am by no stretch of the imagination a “sports guy.” Sure, I played little league softball for a few years, dabbled in some volleyball at a local park, and played some football and soccer at church, but I never gained a passion for any of them, in part because I was never all that athletic. I was also homeschooled until I graduated high school, so I never played for a team during those years. Furthermore, my immediate family members are not really sports enthusiasts, although I do have a few ties to Texas A&M (shout out to my Uncle Don, Uncle Jim, and Mom). I’m far from competitive, low on team spirit, and largely ignorant when the conversation turns to fantasy football draft picks. Until Saturday, I had lived my life without the ESPN app and its catchy jingle (Da-da-da! Da-da-da!). Continue reading
Theology
I really like theology. Throughout my relationship with the Lord, I’ve often found myself more at home in the academic realm than anywhere else. Thick books with big words and complicated explanations concerning the nature of God have long captivated my interest and stirred my heart for the Lord. I get excited when I get a better grasp of a doctrine, and I am thrilled when I get to share with others about possible ways of understanding the God of our salvation and his ways in the world. I desire to know him and to make him known, as the saying goes. But to grow in an understanding of God is to recognize that God will never be fully understood through my studies in this life. Continue reading
A Small Ring
As the fellowship makes its way across the pass of Caradhras, their course set for Mordor to destroy the ring of power, Frodo, the ring bearer, loses his footing and rolls backward down the mountain before being caught by another in the party. In the fall, the ring slips out onto the snow where it is picked up by Boromir. As Boromir holds the ring up before his eyes, he wonders, almost to himself, that a tiny ring is the cause of such turmoil among the free peoples of Middle Earth. Boromir, who desires to defend his people against evil, wonders why the ring cannot be used for good, why it must be destroyed if it possesses such power. Continue reading
You Sneaky Sin
The Ten Commandments.
When you read those words, you probably thought about one of three things: The Law of God, Moses, or Charlton Heston. It’s possible that you pictured Christian Bale, but I’m assuming there aren’t many who made that specific connection. Regardless of what your mind associates that title with, I doubt that the Ten Commandments are totally foreign to you. You may even be trying to count how many you know from memory, listing them off in classic King James Version English (“Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal,” etc. (Exodus 20:13-15, KJV)). Continue reading
The Death of Love?
Nicholas Sparks, the author of a large number of romance novels, divorced his wife of twenty-five years earlier this year according to a number of sources online. The articles I read noted that he and his wife had come to this decision after much consideration, but separation was still the final verdict. Continue reading
If I Might Be Transparent…
I am not infallible or inerrant. Neither am I sinless or untouched by the fall. As much as I wish I were, I’m just not. I’m a normal guy, saved by grace from bondage to sin, yet still struggling with sin. Continue reading
Time Travel and the Trinity
Time travel is absolutely ridiculous, to the point that I can’t possibly understand it completely.
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My Life in the Word
I laid my Bible to rest last Wednesday, and I felt like I was letting go of an old friend.
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The Devoted Doctor and the Perfect Physician
Not long ago, while driving around Austin, TX with a few friends, I noticed that the car in front of us had an Imperial insignia and a Triforce attached to the bumper. I pointed these out to the guys and was immediately called a nerd. When I joked that I had never been called that before, one friend simply responded, “That’s doubtful.” We all laughed because we all knew the truth: I’m a huge nerd. There’s no denying that fact. Furthermore, I always enjoy looking for spiritual parallels in the geekiest of stories. That definitely makes my day. Continue reading
as i learn to walk 