Did you know there are 856 languages spoken in the island nation of Papua New Guinea? The entire nation is the size of California and has about 7 million people. Think about that, on average only a little over 8,000 people can understand each other in their native language. Among the reasons there are so... Continue Reading →
Poli-ticks
I saw this picture recently and my first instinct was to lash out at the person (who somewhat frequently posts on political topics). But before I did my Greek training kicked in and I started thinking about the real meaning of the term (affairs of the city or we might say society). Suddenly it jumped... Continue Reading →
Thoughts & Prayers?
In the wake of yet two more mass shootings in this country I have seen many posts crying for politicians to strengthen gun laws to help prevent future crime. One of the phrases I have seen repeated more frequently recently is summed up in the picture below. The sentiment expressed recognizes that far too often... Continue Reading →
Seeing the Stars
I was sitting on the back deck of a cabin in the middle of nowhere recently looking into a hazy sky attempting to star gaze. It was disappointing to be sitting there in an area known to have little light pollution and not see the wonder of the heavens sprawling out before me. I finally... Continue Reading →
Danger of a Small God
While reading a very informative article on the Biologos site (here) I had an interesting thought. It seems to me that there is often a temptation, for both secularists and Christians, to say that God can only exist if the world is simple. No one would ever think of using this wording but it often... Continue Reading →
Could I find faith?
Yesterday I began to answer the question, "Would you be a Christian today if you had not been raised one?", by telling a little of my journey toward Christianity. Today though I will try to show why I do not think I would be a Christian if I had not been raised around Christianity. The... Continue Reading →
My Journey
This week I was asked an extremely difficult question, "Would you be a Christian today if you had not been raised one?" The easy answer is for me to say, "of course, because I have made my faith my own". But I do not want to give the easy answer and I must say, "I... Continue Reading →
Why is the Bible so Messy?
The question was recently posed to me why there is not more consistency in reading the Bible. The person who asked this comes out of a scientifically based background and is used to more standardization than there appears within the Church. I've thought about the question and several potential answers have developed, but I do... Continue Reading →
The Breath of Life
How do you know the story of Adam and Eve is true? This question was recently posed to me (for those unfamiliar with the story see Genesis 2-3) First, this is a difficult topic and there are a variety of opinions and I'm only touching the surface here. Anyone interested in really studying the topic... Continue Reading →
General Conference 2019
On Tuesday February 26 the General Conference voted to pass the Traditional Plan as our way forward as the United Methodist Church. This plan will keep in the Discipline the current language prohibiting clergy from preforming same-sex weddings as well as prohibit self-avowed practicing homosexuals from entering the clergy. The plan also institutes mandatory penalties... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 