notes on christianity, belief, and art
A few Easters ago, I lectured on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. At the end of my talk, a woman chastised me in front of the group. “It doesn’t matter what theologians, scholars, or logic says. All that matters is the Bible.” Work that statement out as you may, but I think the main thrust of it was, “You just have to believe.” Continue Reading…
Brie Larson in Short Term 12
I may be a youth pastor, but sometimes I don’t know what to say when a student comes to me for help. Case in point:
A few years ago, a teenager found me after a church service and told me about his home life. His words were emotional, but not soft. I think I remember him cursing a few times during our conversation. It’s hard to blame him, if I were in his position I might be cursing too. My response to his story didn’t come easy. I wasn’t speechless, but I wasn’t confident. My words tumbled instead of slid.
Then I said something that surprised me. It surprised me because I’m not sure where it come from. Continue Reading…
I remember when I first questioned God’s existence. I was a teenager with more acne spots than combined conversations with girls. I probably shouldn’t have doubted God; I practically took my first breath in church. My family attended worship services multiple times a week and I knew the Bible from the front cover to the maps. I was even born by way of water birth in the congregational baptismal (that may not be true).
But I doubted anyway. Continue Reading…
My son Weston
This Sunday is my first Father’s Day. It’s difficult to believe Weston will be a year old next month. Pretty soon he’ll be able to bring me the television remote and mow the lawn when I need to rest up for dinner. I think I’ll teach him how to bake cookies too. You never know when you’ll need a skill like baking cookies. Oh wait, yes I do. Every single day. Continue Reading…
As a child, I remember the first time I saw a mountain. The rugged peek ascended to the sky above; a tip of white capping the crescendo. My South Texas mind realized, as a looked up at the Appalachians, that there is more to this world than my home. Continue Reading…
Easter is this Sunday and we’re bound to be talking about at least one of two people: Jesus and/or the Easter Bunny.
Staying in line with the season—and a recent late night host’s retirement announcement—I felt like it would be appropriate to write a David Letterman-esque post about why Jesus is better than the Easter Bunny. Because here on the site, we only report the material that people are talking about. Hope you enjoy this as much as I fought to stay appropriate. Enjoy some Easter LOLz everyone. Continue Reading…
Sometimes I feel like prayer is an enemy of productivity. That’s not an easy statement to make out here in the open, but it’s nice to release doubt from the basement every once in a while. Continue Reading…
Fasting never came easy for me. I couldn’t quite grab the concept. At twelve, I remember staring at my friend’s bubbly, swirling cup of Coca-Cola, wondering why I decided to give up soda for an entire month. At fourteen, I almost passed out during a fast. At fifteen, I was done. Pass the cookies before someone gets hurt. Continue Reading…
There are some pastors who enjoy talking about Hell. They preach about it with an almost frightening ferocity. They scream it. They growl it. They foam at the mouth when they say it. That last part might just be my imagination.
I personally don’t like talking about Hell very much. Continue Reading…
Disclaimer: this post contains spoilers for those who haven’t seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
I actually enjoyed going to the orthodontist as a teenager. Not only did I get out of school early, but the office I visited had television sets installed into… Click to read full article
