I looked around the restaurant, and my attention was drawn to a South Asian man with a cushioned neck brace. Somehow, I immediately knew that I was to pray for him, and no, it was not from the comfort of my own seat…
Prayer: 2 Sides
Prayer can be approached one of two ways. In the first, we bring our troubles and problems to God. We wheel our dumpster of issues up to his throne and unpack the problems one by one, laying them at his feet. I’ve done this so, so often. This is not to say there isn’t value […]
Staring Evil in the Face, Helping One Without a Voice
I’ve heard it said before that if you want to know what your calling is, look to the area where you feel the deep pain of injustice in your heart. Where is your burden? What moves you? Together as we follow Christ, we are finding a clear picture of what his will is for us—-specifically […]
3 Life Lessons from the Braves’ 2021 Pennant Run
For the first time since I was a student at H.A. Jones Elementary, my Braves are going to the World Series. I won’t lie; I didn’t watch the moment live. The game started about 4 AM my time, but half a world away, waking up as if on a Christmas morning, I got misty eyed […]
Children & C in Psychology (my story, pt. 4)
(This short series, previewing my upcoming book, talks about how God changed the trajectory of my life during my college years. Earlier entries are:Your “Success” – NOT God’s Plan? (my story)800 Youth in Wild Friendship with God (my story, pt. 2)Pulled into the Wilderness (my story, pt. 3) So it was, that while Jesus grew […]
Pulled into the Wilderness (my story, pt. 3)
What’s the evidence of the work of God in someone’s life? For the demoniac of Gadera, it was that he was clothed and in his right mind. For John the Baptist, it was that the heir of the high priest chose to live in the desert with honey and locusts in his scraggly beard. God’s glory can be displayed in the chaotic becoming decent as well as the polished going wild. In college, my sanctification mean going outside the four walls of my room and looking into the full moon. It was trading my prayer closet for a prayer pasture. It meant becoming less civilized, not more.
800 Youth in Wild Friendship with God (my story, pt. 2)
American evangelical Christianity hasn’t historically emphasized pilgrimages. It’s a practice as distant from the minds of young Christians as the far-off places that men in shaved heads and sandals visit. But the Ramp somehow felt like a pilgrimage–and I don’t know if anything could have prepared me for what I experienced at that radical ministry in an otherwise unassuming corner of rural Alabama.
Your “Success” – NOT God’s Plan? (my story)
I still remember getting the acceptance letter to the Georgia Institute of Technology. The large envelope’s black and yellow facade shone like a golden ticket. Known as the foremost engineering school in the state, it was the natural next step in the plan I had for my life. The vision from my childhood was becoming […]
Rescue the Church from Consumerism
I’m concerned that it’s all too easy for us to go to church week after week and do much more to consolidate our wealth and influence than to bring the gospel to those who are hurting, broken, and look different than us.
Process: “An Inconvenience Rightly Considered”
I woke from my nap feeling groggy, yet doing my best to “honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (of course, holy meaning other and set apart). In this case, it had been a thoroughly exhausting week capped by a 13-hour day the preceding day. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, I realized […]
Guest Post: “The Death Clock” by Stephen Garner
This blog was originally posted on my father’s blog, https://hikerdude.wordpress.com. It’s not like I am in a hurry for 2020 to end but, I got a head-start on my New Year’s resolutions recently. I read a preview from an upcoming book called, Win The Day, by Mark Batterson. Not only did it whet my appetite […]
What Trump’s Departure Means for Evangelical Christians
One Evangelical reckons with the complex legacy of his community’s support for Trump
Avoid the Top 4 Prayer Ruts!
Over the past two decades, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my prayer life, and the Lord has taught me so much that can help you avoid getting in a rut. Doing prayer too formally. “Most Gracious Lord, I pray Thou hearken unto us…” Yes, of course, God is worthy of respect, but your […]