My graduating class from Westmont College recently gathered for their 50 year reunion. I was honored to be the president of our graduating class. I was not able to attend the reunion. I was invited to give the invocation at the dinner via video. I opted to declare a blessing over the class for the … More Westmont College Class of 1973 50th Reunion
LOST YOUR BEARINGS? It was my first year in college. One of my classmates was blind. As I crossed the parking lot returning to the dorm, I spotted my blind classmate riding a bicycle across the parking lot. He was headed right toward me. I froze in my tracks. I had no immediate mental context … More LOST YOUR BEARINGS?
HUH? In the past couple of years, that has been my go-to response as I witness self-identified Christians and self-identified Christian ministry leaders respond to the pandemic. Many of those responses were not consistent with my core values and worldview as a Christian and Christian leader. This reality first impacted me was when I read … More THE IMPERATIVE FOR A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
My word for 2022 is worship. The choice may seem a bit obvious given my vocation as a clergyman. However, while navigating the storms of life in 2021 and now transitioning into a new year, the abstract concept of worship has a concrete image attached to it, an anchor. Healthy life transitions require an anchoring … More SEEKER SENSITIVE
When the Magi worshipped the newborn Messiah, they presented him with gifts of “essence.” The essence of gold had emerged from a fiery trial. Wounded trees yielded the essences of frankincense and myrrh. When a wound on a tree penetrates through the bark and into the sapwood, the tree secretes a resin. Frankincense is made … More GIFTS OF ESSENCE
Our technological culture has transitioned from turning dials to pushing buttons to touchscreens to voice activation during my lifetime. When I think of dialing down, I think of the old technology for turning down the volume or turning down the heat. There is a tendency in life for the sound of the noise around us … More DIAL DOWN!
A Biblical worldview must address issues regarding the testings and trials of life. Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that testings and trials are a standard component of the human experience. The narratives of Scripture highlight the real-life struggles of its characters and their varying degrees of success or failures in navigating these … More DIFFERENTIATION
Currently, many self-identified Christians are publicly voicing their objections to Covid vaccinations and government mandates designed to protect community wellbeing. I do not identify with the worldview expressed by these objections. I prefer to live from a biblical worldview which is pro-science and pro-government. In a previous blog, I detailed my pro-science biblical worldview. In … More Developing a Biblical Worldview – Personal Freedom
One common objection to receiving Covid vaccinations is the perception that researchers developed the vaccines too quickly. Knowing the scientific reasons for this triumph of timing and the rigors of testing and production quality controls ought to alleviate this concern. I recently viewed a PBS program on American Experience entitled The Polio Crusade. Even though … More Rapid Vaccine Development – Covid-19
Three recent observations: 1. Word continues to reach us of self-identified Christians who have fallen ill with Covid. Some have required hospitalization experiencing severe pneumonia symptoms. Given current vaccination statistics, it is safe to assume that the majority of these individuals are unvaccinated. One hospitalized acquaintance reported that all their “Christian” friends encourage them not … More Developing a Biblical Worldview – Worldview Footings: The Case for Vaccines
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