Paradox and the Science of Grace (2)

October 7, 2015 By JBW

It seems as if science itself has progressed so far that it has shut the door on absolute-ness, thanks to the study of sub-atomic particles and time-space relativity. Quantum Mechanics, which studies these tiniest of particles, is a scientific discipline wrought with paradoxical issues and weird ideas. Take, for example, electrons and photons. Electrons are the smallest particles of matter that make up everything that exists. And Photons are the particles that make up light. Now consider this fact: The... Read more

God, Paradox and the Science of Grace (Part 1)

October 5, 2015 By JBW

My CFO, Drew, and I have coined a term that we use quite a bit at the office. It’s called “Business Sovereignty.” Drew and I are making decisions and taking risks every day as we are running the company, but we believe that it is God who works it all out one way or the other. Like me, Drew also happens to be Presbyterian, which is really neither here nor there, other than we flatter ourselves with our astute choice... Read more

Confessions of a Mad Journalist (Part 3): Four Things I Have Learned About Spiritual Life

October 2, 2015 By JBW

Continued from previous post There has been one overriding, familiar theme woven throughout all of my journal writings during the past twenty years: I was constantly searching for some greater purpose and meaning for my life. But I never really got it, not in the way I thought it should be at the time when I was writing it down. I kept waiting for some huge Master Plan from God to overlay my life, like it would click into place... Read more

Confessions of a Mad Journalist (Part 2): Overcoming the Fear of Failure

September 30, 2015 By JBW

Continued from previous post Oftentimes, my journal acted as a sounding board for my career – a personal assistant of sorts, to help me think through major issues, or grapple with risk. Sure, being an executive can be fun, you are thinking. You get to make big decisions. People respect you. You get to tell others what to do. And, let’s see. What else? Oh yes – the fate of the entire organization rests upon your shoulders. That’s not completely accurate, but... Read more

Confessions of a Mad Journalist (Part 1)

September 28, 2015 By JBW

Like most insecure and spiritually frustrated white men in their forties, I keep a journal. Some men hunt. Others play golf. I know one gentleman whose passion is collecting kaleidoscopes. Me, I’ve taken to transcribing the obsessive voices in my head into a handsome series of leather-bound, hand-written manuscripts. Because if you were to secretly hold up a glass to my skull and listen in at any given moment, I’m afraid you would hear a terrorizing barrage of chatter that... Read more

Hey, All You Forty-Something Parents! WE STILL ROCK! (Part 3)

September 25, 2015 By JBW

Modest Mouse finished their set, and the crowd, in solidarity with the band’s namesake, offered up a Modestly enthusiastic applause while the band exited the stage. The roadies began setting up for REM. Some kind of eclectic indie-alt music was now being piped out to the crowds. All of the songs had that same ironic apathetic tone of youth, with frequent and casual use of the f-word throughout the lyrics. I was offended, and increasingly disturbed that the f-word has become... Read more

Hey, All You Forty-Something Parents! WE STILL ROCK! (Part 2)

September 23, 2015 By JBW

Sophie was running ahead of me, talking to her friend on the cell phone, trying to decide where to meet. We eventually found her friends over at the sunscreen-sponsor tent. After the initial greetings, my daughter immediately banned me from their presence. I’m used to this by now. But I still put up a little fight. “Well how am I going to know where you are? There are like twenty thousand people here. What am I gonna do all alone?” “Da-ad! You are NOT sitting... Read more

Hey, All You Forty-Something Parents! WE STILL ROCK! (Part 1)

September 21, 2015 By JBW

One summer I promised my sixteen-year-old daughter, Sophie, that I would drive her to see a rock concert. It was taking place at one of those open-air venues, where you could buy lawn-tickets and sit on a blanket under the stars on a warm summer evening with a few friends and enjoy the music. This was planned weeks in advance, and I hadn’t really given it much thought when I had said yes. I figured I would drive her to... Read more

A Tasteful Examination of Using Salty Language

September 18, 2015 By JBW

Warning: This post is rated PG-13. If you are offended by certain slang words that might be used in those movies, then please, do not read this post. Is it okay for Christians to Curse? I have a friend who works in the Christian publishing industry. He was recently telling me how conservative it is, and for emphasis, he added, “We can’t even print the b-word.” I scrolled through a catalogue of words in my head, trying to guess which... Read more

Believing the Unbelievable

September 16, 2015 By JBW

I have spent the past few months reading through the gospels again, a little bit each morning. Despite of the rush of my daily schedule, those few minutes of quiet contemplation always help to keep my spiritual wits about me as the hectic day unfolds. I’ve finally just about completed the last one, the Gospel of John. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually read through these holy books in their entirety – probably not since college, over twenty-five years ago. But for some reason I was... Read more