Andrae Crouch: My Own Tribute

Andrae

I thank God for the mountains, I thank Him for the valleys And I thank Him for the storms He’s brought me through ‘Cause if I’d never had a problem I’d never know that God could solve them I’d never know what faith in His word can do. -"Through It All"  by Andrae crouch I’d say he built all of us up, some a little, some, like me, an awful lot. Music permeates, after all, so when musicians birth great songs, they settle into our lives and literally become part of us. That’s why you can still remember tunes that got you through a rough Continue Reading

After the Fall

palm tree

“Man is a stately castle, intricately and masterfully constructed. The castle, however, was given a life of its own. When man took it on himself to be God, he ruined everything – the decay became so extensive that only one with the eyes of a craftsman could see the structural beauty that remained underneath. Man is an amalgamation of dignity and depravity, a glorious ruin.” -from The Wounded Heart by Dan Allendar Years ago my pastor gave an illustrated sermon explaining what happened when humanity went from Good to Defiled. He stepped up to Continue Reading

Jesus and Same-Sex Marriage

rebuilding-her-shattered-trust-marriage-matters

Recent well-publicized developments are causing many Christians to re-examine their position on homosexuality. A newly-formed group called Evangelicals for Marriage Equality is dedicated to creating dialogues within Bible believing churches on why we should support same sex marriage. Well known Christian artist Vicky Beeching recently “came out” as a Christin lesbian, joining similarly influential gospel artists who’ve come out as homosexual, including Ray Boltz, Jennifer Knapp and Clay Aiken. Popular author and speaker Rob Bell has announced Continue Reading

Robin Williams and the Dark Plunge

Robin Williams

(I’m reposting this message with a few updates in light of the Robin Williams tragedy, Continue Reading

The Irrational Bible

Irrational Bible

"I have no more ability to believe --- that the first people on earth were a couple named Adam and Eve that lived 6,000 years ago. I have no ability to believe that there was a flood that covered all the highest mountains of the world only 4,000 years ago and that all of the animal species that exist today are here because they were carried on an arc ---” -Christian musician Michael Gungor  To me, one of the scariest trends in modern Christian thinking is the notion that it’s less important what you believe, and more important how you believe Continue Reading

Assessing Matthew Vines’ “God and the Gay Christian” Part III – Jesus and Homosexuality

Vines

The heart is an artist that paints over what profoundly disturbs us, leaving on the canvas a less dark, less sharp version of the truth. -Dean Koontz, Forever Od When you love someone, you hope they're right. If they’re wrong, you can confront their wrong while praying they come to see the truth, or you can revisit the truth itself and see if might reconsider, be flexible, change its stance. The notorious story of comedian W.C. Fields comes to mind, in which someone sees him on his death bed perusing the Bible and asks him what he’s Continue Reading

A Welcome Divergence

Divergent

My son and I caught a screening of the new Neil Burger film Divergent yesterday, and while I can’t say I was blown away, I did like it enough to recommend it, both for the quality of the film itself, and for the relevant-as-today’s-paper questions it raises. Continue Reading

Random Ramblings #48: Gun Control, Lance Armstrong, Jodie Foster and The Impossible

Photo Credit: ABC News.

Every Friday we’ll leave the topic oriented post, and instead post some personal comments. — A Cuppa Joe Gun control seems to be on everyone’s agenda or hit list, depending on which side of the aisle you root for. The restrictions Obama’s proposing, in light of the Newton tragedy, look innocuous enough, and I personally am not afraid of background checks for gun owners or limits on sales of automatic weapons. What does have me nervous is the trend, which I doubt will end with these initial proposed laws, regardless of the fact they’re not Continue Reading

After The Fall

castle ruins

Every Wednesday we’ll post something to do with doctrine and recovery. Hope it helps. --- After the Fall “Man is a stately castle, intricately and masterfully constructed. The castle, however, was given a life of its own. When man took it on himself to be God, he ruined everything – the decay became so extensive that only one with the eyes of a craftsman could see the structural beauty that remained underneath. Man is an amalgamation of dignity and depravity, a glorious ruin.” -from The Wounded Heart by Dan Allendar Years ago my Continue Reading

A Gift Taken To Soon: Honoring Whitney Houston

whitney-houston

A Gift Taken Too Soon The news came like a kick in the stomach. Not entirely unexpected – we knew she had problems – but we hoped it would be decades before Whitney Houston’s drama would end in the most final of ways. She’s left us after a mere 48 years, her early exit punctuating a life so impressive, but so cautionary. She achieved, battled, re-achieved, struggled. And those of us who’ve wrestled with a passion or habit know exactly what that means. It means discovering something that delivers comfort, ecstasy, pain-killing relief, or Continue Reading