The Rambling Disciple

How many Bible studies have you attended in your life? I can say that I've attended my fair share, both as teacher and as participant. There are few things in life that I love more than gathering together with a group and working through Scripture together. In particular I love it when there is a good, robust discussion about God or Christ or something that challenges us. Having primarily been the discussion leader the past several years, I can tell you that it can be tricky to come up with good questions that stimulate conversation. It's something that I've gotten significantly better at over the years, but it can still be a challenge. There is one question that I hear a lot of teachers or discussion leaders ask that for a long time I used to absolutely hate.  "What does this verse/passage mean to you?" My dislike of this question began while studying Bible at Harding. I was learning all about context, hermeneutical methods, and exegesis. We had it drilled into o...

Something I've noticed is that people will often assume what you believe about many things based solely upon what you believe about one thing. This is true about politics, entertainment, religion, and pretty much everything else. For example, I really enjoy Star Trek and therefore I've had family members and friends just assume I like other shows just because I like this one franchise. That's an example where it really doesn't matter, but this sort of thing happens a lot. If you indicate you agree with Democrats or Republicans on one, singular issue many people automatically jump the conclusion that you must buy into their whole platform. Instead of being willing to examine each and every issue separately we instead package our beliefs into bundles. We assume that if you agree with A then you must also agree with B and C while disagreeing with Y and Z. The same is true for matters of faith and theology. Part of what it means to be a Christian is the content of our belie...

Earlier today I stood in line at an office of the Texas Department of Public Safety to get a Texas driver's license. This particular office is actually a converted grocery store that they have turned into a facility that specifically deals with driver's licenses and the like. Unfortunately, while there I discovered that the birth certificate that I had was actually a copy and only the original would do.  Let's just say that I was incredibly annoyed by this. I had scheduled the appointment a week in advance, had gathered up all sorts of documents to prove my identity, I showed up early just like one is supposed to, and I find out that because one document isn't right I can't go ahead and take care of things. It was frustrating and a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy because I always dread dealing with government bureaucracy.  After I got home and stewed for a bit I realized that it wasn't that big of a deal. After all, I can just go to the courthouse and get anoth...

One could argue that idolatry is the root of all sin. The very act of placing something above God, even if that thing is very good and created by God, fundamentally disrupts the created order and causes harm. The worship of other gods is the first of the Ten Commandments for a reason as it is the foundation of the other.  In many ways I think that the ancient world was far smarter than we are. They looked at all the different aspects of life and assigned gods and goddesses to them for worship. They knew, while we often deny, that they were worshipping things like sex, money, power, violence, and so on. So, they named the deities and erected temples and altars in their honor. There was no pretense that they were doing anything different. We are just as idolatrous and pagan as the Romans, Canaanites, and Egyptians ever were. The big difference is that we refuse to acknowledge it. As a society in general we like to avoid "religious" trappings anywhere we find them. This is true ...

  This is the written version of my final sermon at the Church of Christ Northwest, preached on my last Sunday as youth minister there. It is formatted like a letter, specifically a New Testament letter.      To the Church of Christ Northwest in Peoria, Illinois, peace be upon you all. May our glorious God and Father pour out mercies unnumbered in your midst, may our Lord Christ Jesus’s faithfulness never leave you, and may the Holy Spirit’s presence flood your hearts and lives. May you continue to seek out the Triune God with fervor and love as you bring about the establishment of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.        I would encourage you, my brothers and sisters, on this final day of fellowship. While I rest assured that the bonds that tie us together are woven through eternity, as the One who has bound us together is eternal, and that I will see many of you again in this current age, now comes the end of a particular season. I sincerely pray to ...

A key motif throughout scripture is that of the wilderness. The Israelites, once freed from Egypt, head into the wilderness towards Sinai. When they refuse to trust in the faithfulness of God and believe in the bad reports of the unfaithful spies, they are led once again into the wilderness. David hides from Saul in the wilderness. In the prophets God often speaks of bringing his people back into the wilderness. Jesus goes into the wilderness immediately after his baptism. The church is described at times of being in the wilderness. At first glance the wilderness may seem like a bad place. There are no cities, no civilizations, and no resources. Everything out there from the wildlife to the weather is trying to kill you. If you go out alone you will not survive. Strangely, the Bible often talks of the wilderness fondly. In the prophets God yearns for the days when Israel wandered in the wilderness. For David and Elijah it is a place of safety from their enemies and in the time of the N...

Something I think we often neglect is having an ideal to strive towards. We get wrapped up in the very real limitations, problems, and troubles of our world and adopt a very pragmatic attitude towards life. We focus on what we can do and how to simply keep things from getting worse. We then often dismiss those who put forward an ideal as idealists or naïve. There is nothing wrong with being pragmatic. We need to be aware of the gifts God has given us and the resources we have been blessed with. We need to be humble enough to realize that we cannot do everything we want and can do nothing perfectly. It is good to realize that unbridled idealism is unrealistic and ultimately disappointing. However, pure pragmatism simply keeps one afloat. Without an ideal to strive towards, a standard to reach for, we don't grow. If there is no vision or goal we tend to be aimless. As Christians we are called both to be realistic in our dealings with the world and to strive for the ideal that is Chri...