I have to admit I’m not a great prayer. (This is a safe space, right?) In fact, I think if many of us were honest we would say that prayer is the most difficult devotional aspect of the Christian life. Maybe you can’t seem to find the time. Or maybe you can’t seem to focus for more than a few moments before the thoughts and distractions that have been crowding your overflowing mind flood over the barriers and pull you away. Or maybe you can’t quite bring yourself to believe that God really hears and answers when you call.
I’ve been in all of those places.
Recently I’ve been reading Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for a class, and found myself struck with one of Bonhoeffer’s insightful observations about prayer. On a trip to Paris as a young man...
Is belief dangerous?
I was listening to John Mayer’s fantastic album, Continuum, recently, and was reminded of that question as I listened to his song, “Belief.” (As an aside, while I often disagree with his worldview, I continue to be amazed and inspired by Mayer’s terrific songwriting.)
The song is in many ways a political statement, but it reflects some commonly held secular thoughts about religious belief. The first is that all religions are essentially equal. Each contains a certain measure of truth and thus what you believe (or don’t) is really immaterial.
The problem is that it only takes a cursory look at world religions to realize that you can’t say “all religions are essentially equal” and maintain your intellectual integrity. Muslims believe that Jesus...
Today I saw a woman angrily leave the line at a restaurant – burrito bowl unfinished – because the guacamole wasn’t free.
I was tempted to scoff, but the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me how many little things I’ve lost my cool over in my time. Let’s just say I won’t be throwing any stones.
Isn’t it funny how much emotional energy we spend getting angry at silly things? A line that takes too long, a sports team that loses a close game, a person turning left out of the wrong lane – these are all things that can get our blood boiling from time to time. And let’s not even mention the petty squabbles that regularly divide churches.
Matt Chandler says that the antidote to such foolishness is to realize that the universe isn’t about you; it’s about God and His glory. ...
What an awesome evening of worship at HBU’s Quest service on Tuesday! We were overwhelmed by the response of the students to the music and the powerful message from Aid Sudan’s Executive Director, Peter Swann. Thanks to Danny Miller and Colette Cross for bringing us out!
We began the evening by playing a couple worship songs and then moved into the music from the new project, Music for the Radio. Along the way we told the story of our time in Sudan and invited students to be a part of Aid Sudan’s Radio Station Project by providing handheld radios for the South Sudanese.
Peter delivered a powerful and challenge message. Are we provoked enough by evil in this world to do something about it? The students answered with a resounding yes!
One student, Shelby, gave $100 to...
This has been a weekend of remembering. We have all recalled those moments ten years ago, where we were, how we heard, what we did. Maybe some of us have remembered people that were lost in the Towers, or the Pentagon, or on Flight 93.
I remembered a seventh-grade Sunday School teacher named Jerry Paskins. I loved him because he always brought donuts. He was incredibly fit. Each day he did a pushup for every year of his life, plus one to grow on. On September 11, 2001 he did 58 pushups.
Jerry was in his final day of an insurance audit on the 94th floor of the North Tower when the first jet ripped into the tower in a ball of flame that consumed floors 92 through 98. Initially it was assumed that he simply never knew what hit him. But when rescue workers found Jerry’s body a...
Friday, September 2 was Jess' last day of work at Aid Sudan. For four years she served as their Events Coordinator until we decided that it was time for her to be home with our 15-month old son. Her time at Aid Sudan has been incredibly impactful on both of our lives. I think we are both a bit more like Jesus because of the influence Aid Sudan family and our experiences with the South Sudanese. To me that's about as good as it gets.
Here are some of Jess' reflections on her time at Aid Sudan, from the Aid Sudan blog:
Nearly four years ago I walked into the Aid Sudan office for the first time. I was interviewing for the part-time Administrative Assistant & Events Coordinator role after bouncing between contract and temp work since moving to Houston the year before. I certainly had...
We spent Sunday morning at Crossroads Baptist Church in The Woodlands and what an awesome morning it was! Thanks to Larry York, Rocky Gilmore, Roger Raymie, Sandra Livingston and everyone who had a part in bringing us in. We led worship and had a chance to share several of the songs and stories from the Music for the Radio EP. Then Bob Livingston, an Aid Sudan missionary and the son of church members at Crossroads, spoke about his experiences in Sudan.
He spoke about the power of the Radio Station Project, and its ability to reach people with the Gospel that no foreign missionary could reach. He talked about how simple tips for the treatment of water, transmitted via the radio, can make a huge difference in the health of the Sudanese people. He reminded us of the story of Thildit, a...