Thoughts

This wasteland cold and dark runs free Its fearful creatures speak to me One fateful day one nudged my hand To set my eyes upon a tree He knew I could not understand For I was in his native land His signs became our common speech To lead me through the deadly sand Now stuck I saw him me beseech He could not lift me out to reach The firm foundation of a cave Outside the boundaries of this beach Withal, the beast became more brave To risk his own my life to save To carry me, its life it gave To carry me, its life it gave. This poem was inspired by Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." That poem, like this one, has four four-line stanzas of eight syllables per stanza. Its rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.

Below is an appeal letter to Governor Newsom that I sent just now that urges him to allow places of worship to remain open. Governor Newsom: I write to you today to urge you to allow places of worship to remain open under safety guidelines. As you may know, mental health has been a great concern during this pandemic. Talk to any mental health professional, social worker, pastor, or school teacher, and you will learn the impact this has had on our emotional well-being. In our church alone, we have seen the tragic emotional consequences of the pandemic. This impact is not, however, limited to anecdotes. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in mid-August that anxiety- and depression-related symptoms “increased considerably” in the United States between April and June of this year, with “40.9 percent of respondents [having] reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition,” including a ten-percent increase in thoughts of suicide compared to the...

As a friend told me about a conversation she had with one of our pastors about whether animals go to heaven, she told me about the Hebrew word nephesh ("soul"). I wondered, then, what the difference was between soul and spirit. After a little research, I came across what many seem to agree is a main difference. The soul of a person is that person's being--personality and life--while the spirit is that part of us that connects with God. There are several verses that refer to spirit in this way:* "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:1) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly p...

Please note that the following thoughts are only my observations. Please consider the evidence you see in the behavior of both parties for yourself. In our politically polarized climate, I was thinking about how Democrats and Republicans are different, and where those differences come from. Democrats seem to place more hope in institutions, and seek to reform those institutions when there is something wrong in society. Hence, there is more willingness to levy taxes to offer more social services as a support to those with less than others. They see the state as a way to equalize society. Thus, evil, to Democrats, seems to be a social issue: if there is a problem in society--poverty, racism, climate change, etc.--it is a problem with the structure of society and must be addressed as such: repair the system, and you will solve the problem. They are generally accepting of a larger state bureaucracy because they believe that increased accountability within a state structure will prevent evi...

My pastor wrote a letter to our congregation today seeking prayer for the family of George Floyd and the officer responsible for his death, among other requests, encouragement to guard against becoming jaded against the world we live in, and to help us be receptive to what we can do during this crisis. I wrote a short response in support of him, which follows. "I was thinking this morning about our role in this as Christians. This is a moment when white, African American, and other Christians can together display the power of Christ and the gospel over racism: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:38) We are all servants of the same God, and all made in his image. To see you empathize with African Americans publicly is healing. I'm encouraged that, as Martin Luther King, Jr., said, we as a church can be like the early church: a thermostat and not a thermometer, th...

Like other Christians, I've wondered how it could be true that God both directs the course of history and gives humans the freedom to make their own choices. More specifically, I asked the common question, "Do we choose salvation, or does God choose it for us?" Calvinists in the Reformation argued that God determined, or predestined, who would be saved and who would not be saved, but like many others, this led to what I thought of as an unjust God because it meant he condemned some and saved others. Putting aside for the moment this false assumption of God's possible injustice-- indeed, none of us deserves salvation, and God's choosing salvation for anyone is a grace those saved didn't deserve-- what I ultimately wondered about was God's sovereignty versus our free will. In my late teenage years, I thought I had solved the problem easily with a single verse: Romans 8:29, which reads, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the i...

*Note: In the following post, I am heavily influenced by a pastor named Bob Shirock. Specifically, Shirock writes about Solomon's response to the pleasures he experienced in life in Ecclesiastes, and observes that we can enjoy pleasures in life if we accept them as God's gifts, and if we express our gratitude in their enjoyment. He cites Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 and 1 Timothy 4:1-5. I’ve noticed something about pleasure: the highs can be followed by lows. This sounds obvious, but what I mean is that times of joy and fun in life's pleasures are wonderful, and can lift your spirits for a time, but they can be followed by a disappointment that comes from the realization that they are short-lived and will not satisfy us in the long-term. I’m calling this a pleasure hangover. We gain happiness for a time, but see that this happiness is temporary. We therefore feel a subsequent low that leaves us still longing. It reminds me of a theme in the life of C.S. Lewis: sehnsucht , or a wist...

As I studied evangelism, I was impressed by how much Jesus talks about growth in the kingdom of God (Mathew 13: 18-23, 24-29, 31-33). In fact, salvation and sanctification are both part of the Christian experience. We are to be apart not only of others’ salvation, but of their growth, as well. Jesus said as much in Matthew 28:19-20 when he commanded his closest followers not only to “make disciples” and baptize them, but also to teach them to obey everything they had learned from him. For the Christian who is sharing the gospel, however, we may not always see the results of our ministry. Still, Scripture assures us that God will multiply our work and lead to growth of God’s kingdom. This starts with planting a seed. Read, for example, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one pu...

The dragon said he wanted more, So when he left, there were but four The gnome preferred we let her be, Then soon we saw there were but three The giant wanted something new Alas, we found there were but two And last, I set the puppy free And now I saw there was but me.

An article in the OurDailyBread website, titled "Evangelism in the Twenty-First Century," begins with a quote from George Barnum. It reads, "We are physically detached from each other. We change places of residence frequently. One survey revealed that seven in ten do not know their neighbors. As many as one-third of Americans admit to frequent periods of loneliness, which is a key factor in the high suicide rate among the elderly.” (1) As a Christian, I have heard the message that others don't want to hear the gospel. They don't want to be evangelized. They want to be left alone. Yet, here is a quote that is especially pertinent during this coronavirus scare. It shows that loneliness can have life and death consequences. In fact, Tim Keller, in a lecture titled "How to Become Evergreen" (April 30, 2020), highlighted a recent Harvard report, which studied the importance of church attendance. The author of that study reported a 68 percent drop in the like...

I wrote this in response to an article in The Atlantic  titled "Some of the Most Visible Christians in American are Failing the Coronavirus Test," found here:  https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/christian-cruelty-face-covid-19/610477/?utm_source=digg To Whomever at  The Atlantic  whose eyes this might reach: I was saddened to read Jonathan Merritt's article about the attitudes of Christians about the coronavirus and President Trump. As a Christian in the evangelical world, I can speak for many when I say that the attitudes Merritt describes are the very ones many Christians are so sensitive about. We are very aware of our sullied reputation among nonbelievers, and many of us do everything in our power to share Christ's love for the world with both our actions and our faith. Merritt admits as much toward the end of his article when he acknowledges that "Most Christians...are trying their best to live a life consistent with their faith...

The mail came late that day, and he was nervous. There weren’t many days on which he anticipated mail as much as today; but this day was different. His pacing would have annoyed anyone had they been with him, and after spending the last hour doing nothing but that, even he began to notice. “I’m too anxious,” he said aloud. “I have to sit down, breathe, clear my head.” He did so, but was up moments later, again anticipating the news that was sure to come. A package dropped to the floor through the mailbox, and as quickly as it had, Jesse picked it up. He tore open the manila envelope with such dramatic violence that any passerby would have thought him angry. In a way, he was. It wasn’t that he particularly needed the justification that he felt a degree in engineering would bring. In fact, he had already proven himself in so many other ways—finding a lucrative job on his own, moving out in his late teens, staying out of debt while buying a home; but to this day, he felt too frequentl...

A plant I saw with withered leaf Whose life drought left in waste Had bowed its weakened stalk in grief, Could rain no longer taste Then, slow, as in degreed consent, It let a kernel fall Releasing all the life it lent From when it still stood tall “My God, my God,” it seemed to say “Why thou forsakest me?” Then as in genuflection lay It broke to be set free Then all of nature seemed to mourn, The sky itself to cry, The rain came down, but life was born, From ground that once sat dry The little kernel’s sprouts were seen Its buds still tender thus For from the death of Life we glean New life that grows in us.

Outside the clear glass I spied the racing trees Then I moved down quick to see the open seas And in all that time I thought my feet were fleet That my own two legs had brought the even beat Yet the sounds I heard were not the steps I feel But the clack click clack of locomotive steal For where the train would go no one could look to me Still I could step here, there, and choose the sights I see Then when I reached the front I turned to look clear back To find my twisted walk lined down a railroad track Now when I plan what steps I think I need to take I then recall that trip not of my own clear make For all the choice we make and all the paths we stroll Come from a trip long planned to reach a grander goal

When I was asked where I want to put my treasures I was shown a metal safe and a beautiful vase I thought the safe drab, and so chose the vase I was proud, indeed, and showed this to all who’d look Then, a stumble thrust the vase high Down it came, and shattered I was cut, so cut that I could little move All the beauty of that vase was now but shards of memory I noticed among the treasures, those treasures laid bare Something I had forgotten I’d added It was a toy I’d stolen as a kid and tucked away below all else For I did not want to remember it, though I dare not throw it out I picked it up for the first time in decades Studied its dirty, broken exterior Paint marred from years of rust And thrust it down in disgust Just then an old man walked near “Say, young man,” said he, “how much for the broken car?” Why, I asked, would he want it? “It reminds me of my own car, years ago.” He removed from his coat pocket a car, polished and clean “It looks like you had ...

The captain groaned a sour note When once he spied the dreadful news His rudder on the sea afloat Its bearing did his ship now lose Adrift, the skipper raised his hands His face fell drained of every hue For nowhere could he spy safe lands Nor compass tell if north was true From peace a sudden squall began That darkened ship and sea the same With clouds’ descent to shroud that man Obscuring more his eyes and frame With hope but gone, he dropped to knees To pray that ground would graze the ship His tears mixed with the rain and freeze  At once they wet his quivered lip The calm had fled, the silence gone There little hope for light or dawn But in that dread the whisper spoke The words like warmth wrapped as a cloak While countless signs said all was lost Still there he rose to face the cost The tempest churned and tossed the craft Though planted still he mocked and laughed For what is fear but hope adrift The downcast face that fails to lift But brave a...

All the world said to me I was naught but a pawn That was hanged between index and ring But from all of my dreams I still woke with a yawn And believed I could make myself king Then when after a stroke that had earned me some rank I was told I could now be a knight I was told, though my place was still humble and frank, At least now I could enter the fight Then when more social place did I earn through my deeds It was said I could then be a rook I looked down at myself and repeated the creeds That I’d found in a chess player’s book By the end of the game, though the battle was done, I now king, though my army was gone, I turned ‘round and in shock, for I thought I had won, I faced mate by a servile pawn. This poem communicates what can happen when we strive to earn acceptance from others through social standing.

I’m on the other side now When I look back, I see How deep was that precipice That chasm that I thought was so shallow, So ephemeral, while I traveled through it, Was more real than anything that came before I can turn back if I want, The sirens of lost love are calling, Always calling, Drawing me back to change the past If they had their way, I’d stay there forever Unlike Odysseus, I don’t close my ears, For I need to hear what they’re saying Just to know that the leaving was indeed my choice I can keep walking forward, For my steps are my own this time I walk in my own strength, Or so it seems For what strength I see is mine Is indeed his And I learn That I’m never meant to be alone.

My social studies students and I are studying Islam right now. The other day, we were reading about one of the Five Pillars, zakat (charity in Islam that means "that which purifies"). Muslims believe that giving away money helps to purify it and also "safeguards [them] against miserliness" (1). I asked the class if this was true, that giving money away makes us less greedy. They generally agreed that it does. I wanted to test whether or not they really believed this, so I handed a volunteer a $10 bill. I told the class that I would ask for the bill back the next day. I said that they should pass the bill around among their classmates, and that as a result, there would be no way for me to know who had the bill. For that reason, whoever wanted to keep the money could keep it. Even if I did learn who kept it, I told them, I would not punish that person. I wanted them to be motivated by their own honesty. The next day, I asked for the bill, and a student handed it to me...

There are things I want to hear, And there are things that are true; The voices I want to hear Are the ones I’m list’ning to But a mind that’s been tuned To a far purer spell Distills out the false And brings light to what’s well   The voice that’s now heard May still not be that loud But the heart tuned to hear Will it find from the crowd.