Time to Panic or Surrender?
As I write this article, it is Saturday morning and the US Credit rating has been downgraded from it’s AAA rating by one of three rating agencies. Funny how this happened after the markets on Wall Street had already closed giving them no time to react impulsively to the news. The news media is giving voice to anyone who wants to get in front of a camera and point fingers, and many hold their breath waiting to see how the markets will react on Monday morning. Whatever is going to happen will start in Asian markets first, and will ripple around the world to US markets later the same day. Are you worried? The truth is, no one knows what will happen next. The economy seems to be on a daily roller coaster that is being built daily, and the future is...
Hope Exists
For a while I’ve felt God call me to do something to reach out to people who are feel alone, unloved, lost, and completely broken. I’ve pushed it aside for months, but with the recent death of Tyler Clementi I feel like God is telling me, “Do it now!” So I’ve created Hope Exists, which is a place where people can come, tell their stories, and have hope. It’s broken people supporting other broken people. I know that with my trials and tribulations, I would not be here if it wasn’t for people supporting me. So I’ve decided it’s time to return the favor. The blog can be found here. The community Facebook page (which includes a message board) can be found here. And you can follow Hope Exists on Twitter...
Satan's LAST victory over the believer
My grandmother died last night and again, I’m faced with tragedy. I am not generally good at sorrow / grief, and I typically respond in somewhat cold, logical manner. Though my grandmother was a Christian and I fully rejoice that she is in the presence of our Savior (Come quickly Jesus!), part of identifying with grief is really seeing death for what it is. Very similar to what I said in my last post, death really is a stark reminder of the consequences of sin. It is a victory for the devil in a lot of ways. I am reminded of the scene in the Passion of the Christ where the Devil figure is walking through the crowd as Jesus is being killed. There is a certain level of triumph in his face, yet he is apprehensive. The death of Christ was the...
Storms
Thanks to the so-called “snowpocalypse,” I am once again cooped up inside my house this morning. Last weekend we received about 3 ft. of snow, and today they’re calling up to 18 inches. Usually I love snow, but this is just ridiculous! But as my mom reminded me this morning, eventually all the snow will melt and it will be spring again. Which is true. I just wish it would arrive sooner. This reminds me of other storms in my life: emotional storms. Depression storms. Anxiety storms. When these storms come, they never seem to go away. Even when I pray that Jesus would calm these storms, like He did in Matthew 8:26, the storms continue. Or maybe I’m interpreting things wrong. Maybe instead of ending the storms, Jesus is giving me...
God's Church – Are we bringing rubber and road together…
What is the role of God’s church when confronted with the real suffering of a fellow Christian? Relieve that suffering? Don’t answer too quickly… What if that suffering is for a reason? Let’s suppose God is teaching and growing that Christian through the suffering. But how are we to judge that and keep from interfering with His plan? Should we even attempt to? But I don’t recall the Lord saying anything about withholding aid from others in the church. Am I missing something? This is a very real and troubling question in my mind, right now, dealing with a very real and troubling situation… RIGHT NOW. This Christian is in a destructive housing situation and has no way out on their own. It appears to be heavily...
Thoughts On Haiti
Like you, I’ve been keeping up with the latest Haiti relief news. And like you, my heart breaks with each update. As with this writing, it’s estimated that 100,000 may be dead. The natural question to ask is, “What can we do?” Should we debate why God would allow such a travesty to happen? Don’t get me wrong, it’s normal to wonder why something like this would happen, if God is so loving. But honestly, I don’t think we can fully know God’s will. I think sometimes you just have to admit that stuff happens. Should we then make fun of Pat Robertson’s claim that the the earthquake happened because they “swore a pact with the devil?” If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’ve...