The Rambling Disciple

The Trinity is just one of those things that most Christians just don't know what to do with. Sure, they know it's important to the Christian faith but it just doesn't seem practical. It's that thing that theologians and PhD students argue about that probably matters but ultimately just confuses things. Our typical solution has been to ignore the Trinity, leading to the perception that it really just isn't that important. This couldn't be further from the truth. ( Read Part One to be caught up! ) Throughout the Old Testament there is a very important lesson that God is trying to teach the nation of Israel. There is only ONE God. All the gods worshiped in Egypt and in Canaan aren't real, only YHWH God is. This teaching is so central that it is the opening of the Shema, the main credo of the faith of Israel. "Hear! O Israel. YHWH your God, YHWH, is one." When discussing the Trinity this foundational truth is always important to remember. We are...

The Trinity is just one of those things that most Christians just don't know what to do with. Sure, they know it's important to the Christian faith but it just doesn't seem practical. It's that thing that theologians and PhD students argue about that probably matters but ultimately just confuses things. Our typical solution has been to ignore the Trinity, leading to the perception that it really just isn't that important. This couldn't be further from the truth. The Trinity is the very heart of the Christian faith. It is inexorably woven with the story and identity of Jesus Christ, for it is in the Incarnation, teachings, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ that the Trinity has been revealed to us. The only way to understand and learn about the Trinity is through Jesus, and to encounter Jesus is to encounter the Triune God. We typically refer to the Trinity as a mystery. This is correct, however what we normally mean by the word "mystery" is ...

On December 29th, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas a shooter entered the West Freeway Church of Christ during their Sunday morning assembly. Two people were killed before the gunman was stopped by an armed member of the congregation. It was a tragic and disgusting act that could easily have resulted in more deaths. On January 3rd, 2020 the United States military launched a strike in Iraq that resulted in the death of Qasem Soleimani, a general of Iran responsible for multiple terrorist attacks and the deaths of hundreds of Americans and thousands of others. Truly he was someone who did wrong and deserved justice. On January 14th, 2020 the candidates for the nomination of the Democratic Party held a debate. They talked about their policy differences, bashed their political rivals, and overall tried to distinguish themselves from the rest of the field. It was an ordinary political affair for an election year. The question is this; what do these three events all have in common? The way Chr...

We are a people that love to overreact. Every movie that comes out nowadays is either the greatest film in history or its the worst. There is no in between. In politics everything the other side says is insane and dumb while our side is the only one that manages to see reason. Things are either great or terrible, and rarely is the sentiment of "merely okay" accepted. While most of us would probably never admit it, we like this sort of overreaction and taking of sides. It makes us feel comfortable and safe. It allows for an easy definition of who is on "our side" and who isn't. It gives us a sense of belonging to know that there are people who agree with us, and a sense of superiority over those who don't. It's a very easy trap to fall into. Most of the time this sort of thing is a reaction to what "the other side" is doing, or at the very least what we perceive them to be doing regardless of the truth. It is an emotional response that leads...

2020 is upon us. Let's face it, we all expect this year to be ugly. Violence and unrest are spreading throughout the world. Tribalism of all sorts is on the rise. In America we enter the new year in the midst of a political maelstrom. The President has been impeached in what is potentially the most partisan era of American history since the Civil War, and to top it all off this is an election year. Public discourse on any issue seems to have vanished, and sadly even many Christians seem swept up in the taking of sides and blaming others that has taken hold in our society. Ugly would be the nice way of saying how we all expect this year to go. With such ugliness and nastiness comes a unique opportunity: a chance for followers of Christ to let their light shine in this present darkness. We have an opportunity, nay a responsibility, to show the people around us Christ. It is our duty and honor to live out our calling as peacemakers. We are called to be beautiful in a time of ug...

"The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things ought not be so." - James 3:6-10 I am not one to comment openly on politics or my political opinions, and I am not going to start here. These past few weeks have only served to reinforce my conviction that engaging in political discussions, especially on social media, is mainly a detriment to the Christian goal of declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ. Openly touting a political agenda instantly alienates at least half y...

Those that know me well know that I'm not the biggest fan of most contemporary Christian music. I find the style to be largely repetitive, but that isn't my issue. The lyrics are often just so mediocre. They are often more about feeling good about yourself than worshiping God, and the ones that do try to praise God often are so theologically bland that they amount to nothing more than a sweet nothing. Of course not all contemporary Christian music suffers from this problem. If I'm being honest, a lot of the old hymns suffer from the same problem. Occasionally, however, I stumble across a song that has a profound theological message that actually connects with me. Now I know that I am not the most emotionally connective person in the world. I don't really encounter God through emotional experiences. I never really felt the "mountaintop" feeling a lot of my peers would experience after summer camp or a mission trip. So maybe this is one reason why I don'...