Category: Random Observations
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Faithful in Unfaithful Places
I think Joseph of Arimathea is a fascinating character. He was a respected member of the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin—the governing body that exercised significant religious and civil authority in Jerusalem during the days of Jesus. It included men from very different groups and perspectives, including Pharisees and Sadducees. We’re not told exactly where Joseph…
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When Life Stops Making Sense
Twenty-five years ago, I sat in a classroom in New Jersey. The morning was crisp, blue, and beautiful. We were just getting started with a new school year. Early in the day, news started rushing through the halls about an airplane that had just hit a building in the city. A few months earlier, I…
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From Provision to Purpose
Early in my ministry, I worked with a pastor who had been a successful engineer in his younger years. His family owned a company in a niche industry, and the business had become quite profitable. But God intervened in this young man’s life, and he eventually sold his stake in the family business to enter…
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When Provision Disappears
In high school, I planned to become an orthopedic surgeon. As a committed athlete, I had spent my share of time in a doctor’s office getting wrists and knees and fingers repaired. Over time, I began to grow in my fascination for how the human body worked, and also for my doctor’s Rolex. Living in…
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Speaking for God
A research study in 2007 found that “getting rich and famous” was a high priority for young adults. Another found that one in three millennials wanted to be famous—with some even willing to sacrifice jobs and relationships to achieve it. One U.S. poll found that half of adults wouldn’t mind experiencing some measure of fame.…
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This is the Life
Once a year I head to Gateway Christian School to participate in a session of their life skills class for high school seniors. I pull my old Jeep CJ out of the garage and use it to teach them how to check and change their oil, jump a dead battery, and change a tire. I…
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Beyond the Broken Image
In high school, my algebra classes met in a classroom on the upper floor of our building, directly across from the restrooms. I remember that classroom more vividly than almost any other room from my academic career. It always seemed ten degrees warmer than the rest of the building, and the hallway carried the smell…
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The Race that Matters
A pastor friend here on the island often jokes that I’m missing the part of my brain that says, “This hurts, I should stop.” That’s because, despite being a relatively big guy, I’ve completed several major endurance events over the years. After multiple marathons, long-distance bike rides, and several half and full-distance Ironman races, I’m…
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Cool Gear, Empty Identity
On my twelfth birthday, my parents gave me an unexpected gift. I don’t remember asking for a guitar, but that first acoustic delivered to me on that cold February evening turned into a lifelong obsession. I shudder to think of the time (and even more frighteningly, the money) I’ve spent on guitars over the last…
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Kingdom People
Missionaries have a difficult calling. Sharing the gospel is challenging enough among people we already know and love. Missionaries add unfamiliar languages, new cultures, and great distance from family and friends to that challenge. As a pastor’s kid, I remember our family hosting missionaries for dinner after they visited our church. Once the presentation was…
