Okay, maybe judgment isn’t such a bad word after all. What, then, could Jesus mean by His words in Matthew 7:1? Well, first, who is Jesus talking to in Matthew 7:1? Check the context. Four verses later, He addresses his audience as, “You hypocrite.” Now, I will be the first to admit that I and […]
Jesus: Don’t Judge? (pt. 1)
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matt. 7:1). These oft-quoted words remain a favorite of Generation X and millennials, but what do they really mean? The term “judging” is used by my generation with an almost universally negative connotation. “Don’t judge.” “Only God can judge me.” “Don’t judge me if you don’t […]
The Struggle is Real (pt. 2)
In my mind, it was not the biggest loss of the night by any means. Atlanta’s epic collapse was overshadowed by something far greater. How ironic that it was a young American man in the most American of settings that showed me the reality of my situation in this culture?
Jesus: Go Watch Some Birds?
My apartment smells like sweet potato fries with adobo and curry seasoning. The kitchen is half cleaned and hot. I walk outside to the cul-de-sac that rounds our apartment community. It’s unseasonably cool for a fall Georgia day with a glassy grey sky behind brown, bare tree limbs. I look into the tree and see […]
Jesus Says NO to Self Defense?
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There is plenty in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount to wrestle with. Does he really mean, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and threw it away”? Does he really mean, “Blessed are those who mourn”? Wait … um, doesn’t the Bible also command me to rejoice? (See Philippians 4:4; Nehemiah […]
Jesus Has a Brand?
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It is interesting how powerful a symbol can be. There is one particular logo I have seen in many different languages (the one shown above is in Amharic, the most common language spoken in Ethiopia, where I went in 2012). The same is true for the other languages in which I have seen the classic white […]
Faith Journey, Video Testimony
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Check out this video of the 10-minute testimony I gave at IHOP-Atlanta about our two day faith journey into the African bush, where we saw the Father amazingly provide for us and saw many come to Christ. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4xg8rR16No]
Faith Journey, Continued (East Africa pt. 6)
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“I’ve never seen hunger for the Word like this before,” I told Samuel, recalling our encounter with the warriors gathered under the thorny shade tree. Off the beaten path, off the grid, and quite off the map, this tribe were as eager and open as children to hear this “Good News,” and I believe that’s […]
Faith Journey (East Africa pt. 5)
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Imagine going off the edge of the map with no money, no extra clothes, and no plan except listening to and following Holy Spirit. Then imagine Him putting together the most amazing cultural experience of your life. That’s a faith journey. In Luke 9 and 10, we find Jesus sending out his disciples in a […]
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A Day in the Life (East Africa pt. 4)
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7:00 Wake up. My iPhone alarm shouts me out of bed… and, at that, the day’s similarities with Western/American life end. 7:30 Set up and prepare the prayer room. I unlock the storage closet and set up the Yamaha mixer and amp, hook up the many meters of mic cords and speaker cables, and prepare […]
The Wrestle and the Gaze (East Africa pt. 3)
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Living overseas has a way of making you quit pretending… …and, honestly, I’ve been struggling with my faith for several years. What follows is like a journal entry about wrestling with my faith as well as the sweet way the Father is meeting me where I am. Over the past several years, living in Atlanta, […]
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The Real Spirit of Christmas
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Tomorrow marks my first Christmas spent an ocean away from my family. I miss them, and they miss me. Even so, in this season of life, I’m learning the truest expression of the spirit of Christmas. There are many things I won’t get this Christmas. There won’t be any of my grandmother’s dressing, and Bing […]