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A reaction to Constellations by Ellie Holcomb.

When it snows, I hear you.

A reaction to the Happyrant while traveling cross-country.

A few thoughts of tribalism, racial tensions, MLK day, and the inauguration.

Oh Facebook, Facebook...

A thought on today's webinar by Brad Hambrick.

A thought in reaction to the Disney movie, Soul.

A journal entry from May 2020 as I reflect back on 2020 after the Cross Conference.

A response to Cross Conference 2020 day 1.-------------------------------TranscriptToday is December 30th, 2020 and yesterday, I watched the first session of the Cross conference. Along with testimonies, panels, and various videos, Tripp Lee and John Piper gave their messages on content from the Lord’s prayer. Tripp Lee focused mostly on the line “Our Father in Heaven,” speaking on the hypocrisy of living our lives for the approval of man when our Father in heaven loves and rewards us. And Dr. John Piper argued that the hallowing of God’s name is what enables the other five petitions of the prayer. And if I could just say one thing in response to what I’ve heard so far, as well as in response to some of the conversations I’ve had as a result, it’s that -- whether with regard to global missions, the church, or my own life-- I am so grateful that nothing is hidden from God.Firstly, because of Christ, we have moved from death to life. Where you were once dead in sin, unable to please or glorify God, you have been born again. You now exist, not as a dead, lifeless image, but one empowered to live Coram Deo, before His face. We are freed from death to serve, to worship, as we were created to do. And, day by day His grace sustains us until we will eternally and perfectly live before His face in glory. But secondly, we can be assured that He knows. What do I mean? I mean that if He’s the one who created you and recreated you and sustains you; there’s no sin, no dead flesh you can hide. And in spite of who you are, those aspects of who you, are being actively redeemed.That’s really the core of the Christian faith, let alone necessary preparation for missions. You are acceptable to God because a perfect sacrifice was made on your behalf. And you are beloved children of God because you are found in Christ, adopted in the Beloved, as your eternal representative.You are so deeply involved and yet it’s so truly not about you; it’s staggering to me every time.So we work, knowing that we will be made ready for the tasks God has set before us. We confess as means of having the Spirit of God minister forgiveness to our souls. And we plead that His name would be glorified in our hearts primarily that it might be glorified throughout creation.Lord, thank you.

A thought on literacy in the church, and our joy in reading the Bible.--------------------------------------------------TranscriptToday is December 29th, 2020, and I started my Bible reading plan for the year. Last year, I read the Bible chronologically over the course of a year and straight-through the Old Testament in 10 days and the New Testament in 3 days. I’ll be reading the Bible backwards by book for the next six months and then doing personal studies in Judges and Psalms on non-weekdays.So this morning, I was reading out of the book of Revelation. The book in general is meant to be both a warning, but even more so, an encouragement to a group of churches who were either apathetic or under strong persecution. And if I could just say one thing, it would be that despite our levels of education, I think literacy levels in the West are far more similar to the early church than we realize.To my understanding most of the population was functionally or actually illiterate. Then, you had some from the middle classes who could read and write in certain contexts, meaning for day to day purposes, but they were often called “illiterate” regardless. And, you had the upper middle class who could read and write, but also in this group, some incredibly literate men who were trained in rhetoric and could read and write and speak amazingly well -- to the point where it was a competitive, public hobby.Thus, when it came to the church, two things happened. Firstly, most of Scripture was read aloud for the people -- as the Book of Revelation would have been in its epistolary form -- and secondly, because of the word-oriented nature of Christianity, people grew in their literacy in ways that were accessible to them.Both as a non-Christian and now as a Christian, I’ve constantly wondered why Christians don’t read the Bible; or better yet, don’t find joy in it. And I’m not talking about those who call themselves Christians, I’m talking about people whose lives revolve around following Christ and desire to read the word. Alongside many other reasons, I think one is being ignored in the church.At one point, I thought it might have to do with the length of the book -- that it was just too much of a time commitment to really get into. I do think that scares some people. But then, thinking back to elementary and middle school, the entire Bible is the size of reading the last two Harry Potter books -- about 1200 pages. My friends and I would finish one of those books within a week of the release date.Today, at least in the US, we are expected to function at a 3rd to 4th grade level when it comes to literacy - everything that is mass-produced for a general audience rarely teeters above that. While in school, it’s hardly a stretch to read a 5th or 6th grade level Harry Potter book. However, you take someone, even a high school or collegiate graduate, out of a school context and ask them to read a 9th-grade level book, and things get difficult. Why? Well, firstly, because they are expecting something easier than what they get, and so as soon as they realize it will take effort--purely because the exercise of reading such a thing is foreign to their daily life -- it’s disheartening. Secondly, it’s difficult because although they recognize most of the words used, I’ve noticed that people may not be familiar with the usage of the word or the grammatical structure in most biblical genres. But lastly, I think it’s because outside of the clergy or pastorate, I’ve noticed Christians often treat the Bible as though it should be difficult....

A thought on The Chosen Christmas Special on December 28, 2020 -- the Monday after Christmas.___________________________________TranscriptPop theology comes in trends, just like everything else. And I don’t at all think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It actually tells us much about the state of humanity at that period of time. Specifically, it answers two questions: Firstly, what kind of God seems absent in their world? And secondly, what kind of God already makes the most sense to them? Aka, what sort of God looks most like that culture.So you take, let’s say, prosperity preaching. You plop it down in America. Who does it most attract? The poor and the elderly. Why? Because it’s really hard to believe that you have a God who is responsive to your physical needs when you are constantly terrified to make it through the next day. And to be told that you have a God who quote love you in that way, is glorious.But, as it stands, the prosperity Gospel is, indeed, a heresy. And, although it does creep into churches, most Biblically-driven Christians are not particularly responsive to it in the long-run. Why? Because for them, in most seasons of life, it only partially answers the second question.Then you get the resurgence of reformed theology in the US which converged with two generations. The Young Restless and Reformed movement told Gen X’ers (the “work-hard, play-hard” generation who were constantly seeking to do more and go bigger, while maintaining feeble boundaries; one might even say their generation was defined by an idol of control) that they had a Sovereign God who was all-powerful and always in control. And ding: Who’s the highest achiever? God. Who has the control you want? God. The God they feel is absent plus the God that looks like them.The Millennial generation followed suit to a certain degree, as they wanted to do something big, but also different; countercultural, perhaps. So you get the pseudo-victorian meets hipster aesthetic with the radical, world-changing Christians who start podcasts and puritan literature book clubs for the glory of God, while also home-roasting some coffee that they sell under names that somehow refer to Calvin’s Institutes. You have a God who speaks against the culture and who has given you purpose whether you “eat or drink” while granting you access to participate in the biggest or smallest movements to change the world.And although you still see the “make your life count”, “be world changers” lingo -- I’m virtually attending the Cross conference tomorrow, in fact,, I’m also watching as that peters out and people finally catch up to Gen Z. The self-aware, technologically savvy, lonely generation.So on the scene comes “earthy Jesus”. A God who knows what it means to suffer, to be ostracized, to hurt, and to be put into seemingly overwhelming situations. Yet, He is also a friend to those who are dehumanized for whatever reason. He hugs. He laughs. He cries. He knows personally.And hear me out, this is not to say I think this is inherently wrong. In fact, this is cross-cultural (one might even say cross-generational) ministry sometimes at its finest. The Book of Hebrews hammers on Christ’s earthiness for quite a few of its chapters. And to have a God who is not ashamed of me when I’m weak, or different, or a failure, is glorious. This alone answers both of the aforementioned questions: we now have a God who is near....

One thought on Pastor Tim Merwin's Sermon "Now to Him: A Vision for 2021" on December 27, 2020 at Trinity Community Church Titusville.________________________________________Transcript:“I am not here to guilt you or shame you,” but the Holy Spirit is here to convict you, my friends. Because, even as Pastor Tim Merwin mentioned, “this sermon wasn’t about prayer” per se, it was about the God to whom we pray. Likewise, healthy conviction is not condemnation or the hopelessness of shame and guilt. Conviction really isn’t all that much about you, in fact. It is the Holy Spirit’s invitation for you to turn from the lesser to the good, the beautiful, and the better that you don’t even really believe you’re missing--all the while gaining assurance that Christ has taken any eternal consequences for you already; therefore properly mourning your abject ridiculousness from a place of freedom.Does it hurt? Yes. Is it gloriously, abundantly hopeful and freeing? Yes.Because the God to whom we speak (if that alone doesn’t stir a little something in you…) is far more able than we could fathom, displaying His glory, through His power at work within us, His church, forever.I’m constantly comforted that when something seems off in my relationship with God, I can confidently know that it’s my problem. (It sounds like it shouldn’t be, but it really, really is.) I have misunderstood who He is, since, by definition, He is perfect. And now, we get to discover specifically what’s gone wrong. AND His self-revelation for His glory that I might reflect it back is His greatest joy; that’s what His love towards me looks like, because it’s exactly what I need. Kinda sounds like we were made for each other. Don’t you think?There will always be a layer of sin between me and any other human being. Certainly, that is lessened in my brothers and sisters in Christ because we are able to actually live in that “already, not yet” reality of both knowing that such sin is melting away; but it’s also not totally gone.But there’s no “already, not yet” with Him. He is the already and the not yet, the beginning and the end, the eternal, unchangeable One.But He is my God. And I am His.