I’ve been watching a debate (from 2008) between Christopher Hitchens (an atheist), Dinesh D’Souza (a Christian), and Dennis Prager (a Jew). (See the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0LY6Vwcp4-U). The debate lasts for about two hours, and I’m 45 minutes into it. So far, Hitchens has dwelled a lot on evils committed by religious people. I was surprised to…
Category: A little about me
Taking a Break
It’s been awhile since I took a blogging break, so I’m due. In the meantime, feel free to check out previous posts or the booklets listed by category at the top of the page. There’s also a tab with recommended reading. These are books that are important to me, that have had some impact on…
Anchor and Bedrock
The following is an excerpt from my personal journal, written in June 2020. It’s raw in places but we’re all feeling a little raw so I thought it might encourage someone else. *** Today, coronavirus restrictions are in their 13th week. Protests and riots over the murder of George Floyd are going into their 3rd…
Shhh! Don’t Tell the Governor or President!
Much of the world is living with restrictions because of coronavirus. Like many others, I’ve struggled with all of this. Every time guidelines/restrictions are added or changed, it takes time for me to process them and adjust. I’ve seen myself go through some classic stages of grief: denial, anger, depression…I haven’t really bargained because there…
Are You with Me?
While I was spending time with the Lord this week, He asked, “Are you with me?” My first reaction was, “Is this one of those questions like when you asked Peter if he loved you?” I’m way more likely to overthink things than Peter. There was no confident (over confident?), “You know I’m with you,…
Am I Growing?
Not long ago, it was my turn to share from scripture at a men’s group I attend. As I asked the Lord what to talk about, I found my mind turning to questions: Am I growing spiritually? If so, how do I know? I decided to raise these questions at the men’s group to see…
Which Nature?
The other day, a guy in a truck blew a stop sign, pulled right in front of me, and sped down the road. I was super annoyed and wished all kinds of misfortune on him (“LET HIM GET PULLED OVER, LORD!”). Seconds later, I thought about my reaction and judgments. The driver was reckless and…
A Piece of the Continent, a Part of the Main
The following article appeared in our local paper last week. It is a revision of something I posted a few years ago. *** When I was new to faith, I attended a prayer meeting at church. As we prayed, the formation of the first man, Adam, came to mind: I imagined particles of dust swirling…
What a Waste
One night as I sat praying, I found myself thinking what a waste spirituality is (in one sense). Case in point, there I was, sitting, doing nothing. Not long ago I wrote that much of my prayer time is taken up just sitting with the Lord, feeding on His presence. There aren’t many great revelations;…
Everything Will Fall
On December 1st I woke from a dream that left me unsettled. It was a long rambling dream, but I knew the end was from the Lord. In the dream, I was talking with a friend who pastors a church. He was telling me the church suddenly fell apart and closed. He said, “Everything seemed…
