When surrounded by works of mankind, we can easily impress ourselves—with ourselves. Back in 2019, shortly before COVID hit, Sheila and I make an east coast trek, and the skyscrapers of New York City astounded me. Towering buildings based on solid bedrock. Every square inch seeming used. Honestly, I felt pretty proud to be part of the human race that could craft such a place. But pride…
Read MoreParadoxes
I’d ridden a dirtbike once, didn’t even know how to shift. Then “Easy Rider” captivated me with the freedom of the open road, so I bought a Honda 350 Scrambler with plans to head to Canada to see a college roommate. I knew nothing, and a month after the purchase I took off. An idiot. But I became a sponge, reading motorcycle mags, talking to experienced riders. And during every ride, I’d analyze what worked, what didn’t. How to set up a curve safely to do it fast. How to brake most effectively without flipping or laying down the bike. And the experts proclaimed…
Read MoreWhen Knowing Hurts Knowing
I lean to rationalism, with a decent desire to know more, to question, to search. Many verses encourage that spirit: test everything, study. But one quest to learn more about God damaged my faith. Here’s how, maybe you can relate.
Read MoreBut God
Preferring to understand the big picture, I embarked on a mission to comprehend God, vainly hoping the more I understood him and his nature and his essence, the better I could follow. Easier for an ant to assess Einstein. Unable to grasp the core of God in the vast distance between our natures, I drifted—until…
Read MoreComplexity's Paradox
After four years of spiritual searching and an inability to make needed changes on my own, I surrendered control of my life to the only being worthy of it. I certainly didn’t meet that standard. The ride since has been wild. I’ve pastored churches and sinned and grown, written books and sinned and grown, taught at Christian universities and high schools and sinned and grown, retired from full time work and sinned and grown. And the further I travel…
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image from commonsensemedia.org
Friends With Benefits
Friends with benefits. This common term describes “a friend with whom one has sex without a romantic relationship or commitment” (dictionary.com). But you already knew that, right? And while the term is fairly recent, it’s gone by a number of names for quite some time. I’m sure you already know them. But don’t expect…
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What a Mess!
So, who ya like for President? Or maybe the question should come out as, who ya dislike the least? Which is the lesser of two evils? If I recited all the problems facing our country, this post would grow into a book. But briefly, both candidates have earned a 58% disapproval rating. 75% of Americans don’t approve of our country’s direction. But even worse is...
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Photo by zazzle.com
But God...
Preferring to understand the big picture, I embarked on a mission to comprehend God, vainly hoping the more I understood him and his nature and his essence, the better I could follow. Easier for an ant to assess Einstein. Unable to grasp the core of God in the vast distance between our natures, I drifted—until I yielded on the attempt.
But one truth came clear—the alienness of God.
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