October 2011
1 post
September 2011
1 post
August 2011
1 post
“As evidenced by people living in Oklahoma, West Texas and South Texas and...”
April 2011
1 post
February 2011
1 post
August 2010
2 posts
Doing God's Work in Oklahoma City →
(Click on the title to link). I am proud of my church, OKC First Church of the Nazarene, and of my pastor, Jon Middendorf. I think the church really gets it, and my church will use this new facility as a tool to that end. At OKC First, we seek three things: Friendship With God, Friendship with Each Other, and Open Friendship for the Sake of the World. Churches are used to hearing about the...
The Virtue of Stick-to-itiveness
Stick-to-itiveness! You have probably heard it before, and now the Merriam-Webster dictionary includes it with this definition: “dogged perseverence: tenacity”. When this virtue is displayed, it seems to me it looks a lot like fortitude. Fortitude is defined by the same dictionary resource as “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or...
July 2010
6 posts
“What we call real estate—the solid ground to build a house on—is the...”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables
Surviving Complexities By Standing on the Rock
If I didn’t know it before, I have decided that my life is complex! The challenges of my life have exceeded any likely prediction from my youth, based on any indicators at that time. Across the years, complexities surfaced for many reasons too lengthy to enumerate here. A few trusted individuals who know me best would even verify that most of these trials are not of my own making. They just...
June 2010
6 posts
“Despair is a greater sin than any of the sins that provoke it.”
– CS Lewis via the demon, Screwtape
“Don’t ask why. It will only lead to pain and despair. Instead, ask God...”
– Unknown
Rough Ways Made Smooth: What is God Up To?
My last employment change was over a decade ago, when my family and I
moved from Texas so I could accept a new responsibility for my alma mater
(Southern Nazarene University). Amidst that weighty decision, God gave me a
personal confirmation of His assurance through the special lyrics of a Steven
Curtis Chapman song, Dive. These lyrics may sound familiar:
The long awaited rains have fallen hard...
Thanks so much to two friends, Brandon Becker and Travis Chapman, for informing me about Tumblr!