As the world looks in on Christianity today, they are looking for honesty and for sincerity. Too often, what they have found is hypocrisy in those who profess to be followers of Christ. As a new generation of bands hits the forefront in Christianity today, we are seeing a transparency that has never been seen before. MIKESCHAIR is one band who is definitely not afraid to openly discuss who they are, hoping that in their journey with the Lord, others may relate and come to know Him as well. MIKESCHAIR formed while they were students at Belmont University. The Lord has ...
As I began to consider this concept, I thought it would be fairly easy. After all, how many fathers are there in the world? There must be many that stand out. How much news has been reported in the last ten years? There must be great fathers among the reports. Soon after beginning my research, I realized this was going to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. There are fathers in the news alright. Recently there was Dr. Umaru Abdulmutallab, the father of Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the "underpants bomber", or the "undergarments bomber", or something like that. He is ...
A few weeks ago, I took a silent retreat into the North Carolina wilderness to get alone with God and to allow him to speak to my heart. I took a copy of 1 cd on my ipod, Heaven and Earth which is Phil Wickham’s latest album that releases on November 17. God spoke to me in many ways through scripture but He allowed Phil’s music to bring me to a point of true worship. I sat down with Phil this morning to talk a little bit about who he is, his career and what inspires his songwriting abilities. History Q- Give ...
Our God is a God of redirection. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Many of us have planned out our lives, striving to be one thing, only to learn later that God wanted us somewhere else. When we make that commitment to the Lord, we see how God redirects the paths of our lives, leading us to where He always intended for us to be. Jonny Diaz learned this lesson from the Lord and learned that sometimes, that redirection isn’t the easiest thing to accept, but once you ...
At the end of the 1997 season, Scott Brosius wondered where his career was going. He had just completed his worst season in Oakland and now, he was hearing the trade rumors and contemplating where he would be next. God opened a door, one that Scott could not have imagined being opened before that time, reviving his career and providing Scott with a new platform and a new audience. His faith would grow as the Lord moved in so many ways. Scott Brosius is now the head baseball coach at his alma mater. He is in our Men of God spotlight ...
There are a lot of things in life that I don’t know, and each day I discover brand new reasons that I’m not as smart as I thought. However, one thing that I have learned in 30 years of life and 3 years of marriage is what a conversation looks like. One person talks while the other listens, and then they switch places. Pretty straightforward, really. Except when it comes to God.
Continue reading...Friday, April 3, 2009
I find myself often speaking to Him in the imperative when I pray: "Lord, help me." "Lord, make this right." "Lord, forgive me." As I filter these requests through the leper's approach, they suddenly sound more like commands to me. I wonder how they feel to Jesus? These words come from years of familiarity with Jesus. Familiarity is supposed to be a good thing. It should feel like a great shirt that you would never get rid of, even though it has holes in it and the color faded about a thousand washes ago. I've known Him since childhood. But the problem begins when my reliance upon Him degenerates to a degree of expectation.
Continue reading...Friday, January 23, 2009
My wife and I were recently having a discussion on perspective. Why does it seem like we are always striving for something just out of reach? Why are we looking to do the next thing, travel to the next place, buy the next gadget? What is it about the human condition that feeds the rat race mentality? Is it the marketing society we live in? " If you have this new dish detergent, your life will be complete and clean" Is it the MTV effect? We see all the movie stars and the rock stars and want our own minute of fame. This discussion reminded me of the bonus track on the new Kanye West cd entitled "Pinocchio's story" which he performed in Singapore. I love the transparency of this track, as Kanye talks about being on the other side. He should have everything. Money, cars, talent, women....and yet he wants what he can't have. Check out the lyrics and the video below.
Continue reading...Thursday, January 15, 2009
I am a twenty-two year old college student who is somewhat socially awkward and I'm still trying to figure myself out in many ways. One thing I do know, however, is that I tend to over-think things just a wee bit too much. Recently, one of those over-thought topics has been marriage. Now, I know what you're thinking: "you're only twenty-two years old, what in the world are you doing thinking about marriage?" Well...you have a point. Regardless, the point of this isn't why I was thinking about it, but what I was thinking about it. Good old chivalrous tradition states that the man (myself in this case), if he intends to marry a woman, should first ask for her hand in marriage from her father. This tradition has slowly died with time, but there are a few of us who still hold to a lot of the "old-fashioned" ways. (Personally, I think asking her father is going to be a lot more intimidating than asking her. If you don't know if she wants to marry you, don't ask yet...it should be obvious what her answer is going to be.) Asking the father is more than just asking him to give away his daughter, it is asking for his blessing as well (blessing by a parent, yet another dead good tradition).
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Thursday, August 6, 2009
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