The Bible list joy as one part of the fruit of the Spirit. And while not all joy leads to laughter, you often find laughing where there is joy. And I enjoy laughing, especially at the silly parts of life. Good, clean, and funny entertainment is hard to find today. But one of the best sources of laughter I have discovered over the past year is from comedian Nate Bargatze . Keep It Clean To be clear, Nate is not a... Read more
In a previous post, I wrote about trusting God because He is good. But I want to explore that thought deeper and explain what I mean and why I believe God is good. And because He is good, you can trust Him. Before I say anything else, I want to acknowledge that God is good because that is what God reveals to us. God does not need justification. If He does, He can speak for Himself. Just ask Job! Also,... Read more
Limited Understanding When you read the story of Job in the Bible, you get inside information on what is happening in the story. But we do not get that type of clarity in our own lives. We do not question the circumstances when life is full of success, material blessings, and good health. But we search for understanding when life is hard and filled with suffering and tragedy. Like Job, we want to understand the cosmic math that explains the... Read more
Looking up from the bottom Have you ever found yourself at rock bottom? Elijah, who was feeling abandoned, tried to carry on alone. Independence can be a helpful trait. But God made us with the need to live in a community. One of God’s first recorded thoughts about humankind was that it was not good for Adam to be alone. When we try to conquer the world on our own, we often lose perspective in three critical areas: the physical,... Read more
And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” – Elijah to God. Elijah, God’s Prophet During the Old Testament, the people of God had a massive problem cycling through their sins. They would go from being blessed- to complacency- to sin- to repentance- to being blessed, and so on. During the era when the Israelites had kings, the kingdom generally did as... Read more
This is part three; read part one here and part two here. In the first two parts of this series, I talked about the difficulties of finding community and the vital reality of The Priesthood of all believers. I will use the last entry in the series to implore you to find community and live out your creativity. Christians, Community, and Creativity Ideally, Christians comprise a community of people who live according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They... Read more
This is part two; read part one here. Priesthood of all Believers Does mono theology define community? The “priesthood of all believers” doctrine is vital to my Christian faith. All Christians have equal access to God through Jesus’ sanctifying blood and with the help of the Holy Spirit. Could the Spirit of God speak in many ways and be heard differently by every heart? Unique Community The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers states that no one needs... Read more
Where do I begin? I often feel like I don’t fit in. Theologically I am conservative, but not enough. And I am also not liberal enough to shed my conservative trappings. I have followed Christ since childhood but have not always found community. And I have not always been passionate about being creative, but I am more passionate about Christ, Community, and creativity. Let me explain why. Maybe you feel that same kind of way. You want to be part... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In