I have a lot of friends, pastors and non-pastors alike, believers and unbelievers too, who are going through deep valleys of pain, illness, loss, sorrows, and betrayals right now. No one is immune to these things. Life, since the fall and until Jesus returns, has always meant that all these things will visit our lives … More Thinking about Sorrow
Still getting settled in at our new digs in Pleasant Hope, MO. Culling more books from my library, sorting papers, hanging pictures, meeting neighbors, sharing the gospel, volunteering at the new Library, spending time with our grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law, trying to nurse my back into health. These have been the primary activities of the … More Meditating About, Before and To God
Imagine this as your history, the narrative of your life. You are young and inexperienced, the runt of the litter so to speak. When you are the youngest of 8 brothers you either become resilient or a coward. David became resilient. He would need it. His gifts and faith brought him to a place of … More Psalm 59: When an Enemy Pursues You
He was a brother in Christ. He was bold for truth. He was courageous in the face of opposition. He died for what he believed. But his impact will continue. None of his friends said he was perfect. Charlie knew he was a sinner in need of a Saviour. He was viciously slandered in life. … More The Truth Will Out
Sunday Evening Musings A desperate woman. Jesus walked 50 miles one way (so, 100 miles total) to talk to one desperate woman. His disciples in tow, all twelve of them, men designated as apostles, arrive in a surly mood. Maybe it was because they were tired. Maybe it was because Jesus had taken them into … More Jesus Walked 50 Miles to Talk to One Woman
One of the great pitfalls of any politically divided age is the tendency of both sides to demonize the motives, strategies, and the persons of the other side. This is equally true of both the right and the left, even if both are blind to the reality, maybe especially because they are blind. The beast … More A Message for Both the Left and the Right from Bonhoeffer
Thought experiment that I put before men at a discipleship conference some 16 years ago: You are going home at the end of the day. You get in your car, turn on the ignition, look at the gas gauge, and remember that you forgot to get gas. Instantly, a calculation goes on. You know that … More Thought Experiment Toward Radical Transformation
I found this on Quora, related to an important historical question affecting the whole world from the middle east. In the post below, I have reformatted the concise essay that is both historically accurate and helpful to any discussion of Palestine, the West Bank, Gaza, Israel. I have changed nothing but the formatting. The author … More Where Did “Palestine” Come From?
Sigh! Tomorrow, I will begin the long trek back from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam, to Amsterdam, to Detroit, to Charlotte, NC and finally to my lovely wife in South Carolina. My teaching time in Tanzania has come to an end. Today, I preached the morning worship service in a local congregation here in Mbeya. … More Last Report from Africa
It is almost 9 PM as I write. That means it is 2 PM in the afternoon on the East Coast. For the last three days, I have taught for 6-6.5 hours a day with some intense questioning from the conference attendees. It has been marvelous and exhausting. Every afternoon, I get back to my … More A Brief Undate From Africa
ChosenRebel's Blog 