[Bible/Theology]
Mark Driscoll's Top 5 Sermons (1/3/12)
-After some preliminary discussion, I list my top 5 favorite Driscoll sermons with a brief explanation of each one. There are honorable mentions as well. If you're looking for good sermon content, this is a resource for you.
God's Mission in Jonah (8/8/11)
-Every so often you write a post that you hope is going to take off but never does. For me, this is it. Jonah is a short but fantastic book on God's mission to the world. In this post, I discuss some historical background to the book and show what it says about mission. The back half of the post are some practical questions to help ask how we can better respond to God's mission.
Applying the Gospel to Pornography: How Christians Should and Shouldn't Deal with Lust (5/8/11)
-In this article, I try to point out some terrible trends in the Christian world for dealing with lust/pornography and explain why none of them really work. Then I explain why it's much better to apply gospel principles to the problem than the silly gimmicks that are so popular. The gospel is the only thing that can really get to the root of problems with lust, namely idolatry and misunderstandings of the spiritual life and the gospel.
Rob Bell, Heaven and Hell, and The Problem With Academia, the Youth for Christ Era, and Post-College Urbanites (2/28/11)
-This is my attempt to sort through the Evangelical mess that began when Rob Bell released the promo video for his book "Love Wins." I try my best to track some major movements in American Evangelicalism to explain why Rob is attractive to a younger generation of "academics" and "post-college urbanites". The post is reflective of some struggles I was going through at the time in academia.
Some Thoughts on Church Leadership (12/21/10)
-This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote for a theology class. In it, I note some characteristics of church leadership from the New Testament. I present a view a bit different than the mainstream assumption of what the church is and how its leadership is to function.
The Lord's Supper (12/23/10)
-Another post from the same paper (^), this one focuses on the function of the Lord's Supper in the New Testament and church practice.
Religion Blows Series
-In this series, I talk about why believing in the gospel of Christ is completely different from being religious, and ultimately, why religion is a bad thing altogether. This series was sparked as I was slowly brought to the realization of how religious I was and how it affected by view of God, people, and the Bible. So naturally, this series contains some personal reflections and windows into conservative Evangelical culture. I also work through some passages of Scripture and try to establish a theological foundation for a grace-based relationship with Jesus.
Part 1 - Religion vs. the Gospel (11/5/10)
Part 2 - The Heart and Comparative Righteousness (11/14/10)
Part 3 - The Intent of Law (12/31/10)
[Personal Reflections]
At the Dawn (11/6/11) - A Prayer
Your Holy Spirit Rest (9/25/10) - A Prayer
The Bible Will not Save Us: Thoughts on Bibliolatry (9/20/10)
The Challenge of Death (5/8/10)
-A youth pastor's reflection on the death of a student at the local high school
Confessions of a Practical Agnostic (9/29/10)
-This is a reflection on a faith crisis I went through in my early and mid-20's.
[Travel]
Mark Driscoll's Top 5 Sermons (1/3/12)
-After some preliminary discussion, I list my top 5 favorite Driscoll sermons with a brief explanation of each one. There are honorable mentions as well. If you're looking for good sermon content, this is a resource for you.
God's Mission in Jonah (8/8/11)
-Every so often you write a post that you hope is going to take off but never does. For me, this is it. Jonah is a short but fantastic book on God's mission to the world. In this post, I discuss some historical background to the book and show what it says about mission. The back half of the post are some practical questions to help ask how we can better respond to God's mission.
Applying the Gospel to Pornography: How Christians Should and Shouldn't Deal with Lust (5/8/11)
-In this article, I try to point out some terrible trends in the Christian world for dealing with lust/pornography and explain why none of them really work. Then I explain why it's much better to apply gospel principles to the problem than the silly gimmicks that are so popular. The gospel is the only thing that can really get to the root of problems with lust, namely idolatry and misunderstandings of the spiritual life and the gospel.
Rob Bell, Heaven and Hell, and The Problem With Academia, the Youth for Christ Era, and Post-College Urbanites (2/28/11)
-This is my attempt to sort through the Evangelical mess that began when Rob Bell released the promo video for his book "Love Wins." I try my best to track some major movements in American Evangelicalism to explain why Rob is attractive to a younger generation of "academics" and "post-college urbanites". The post is reflective of some struggles I was going through at the time in academia.
Some Thoughts on Church Leadership (12/21/10)
-This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote for a theology class. In it, I note some characteristics of church leadership from the New Testament. I present a view a bit different than the mainstream assumption of what the church is and how its leadership is to function.
The Lord's Supper (12/23/10)
-Another post from the same paper (^), this one focuses on the function of the Lord's Supper in the New Testament and church practice.
Religion Blows Series
-In this series, I talk about why believing in the gospel of Christ is completely different from being religious, and ultimately, why religion is a bad thing altogether. This series was sparked as I was slowly brought to the realization of how religious I was and how it affected by view of God, people, and the Bible. So naturally, this series contains some personal reflections and windows into conservative Evangelical culture. I also work through some passages of Scripture and try to establish a theological foundation for a grace-based relationship with Jesus.
Part 1 - Religion vs. the Gospel (11/5/10)
Part 2 - The Heart and Comparative Righteousness (11/14/10)
Part 3 - The Intent of Law (12/31/10)
[Personal Reflections]
At the Dawn (11/6/11) - A Prayer
Your Holy Spirit Rest (9/25/10) - A Prayer
The Bible Will not Save Us: Thoughts on Bibliolatry (9/20/10)
The Challenge of Death (5/8/10)
-A youth pastor's reflection on the death of a student at the local high school
Confessions of a Practical Agnostic (9/29/10)
-This is a reflection on a faith crisis I went through in my early and mid-20's.
[Travel]
The Best and Worst of Egypt (12/14/11)
-At the end of the fall '11 semester, we capped off our Egypt & the Bible class with a trip around the entire country of Egypt. This post is my top 5 best and worst things from the trip. It is complete with HD video, pictures, and the occasional travel tip and biblical reference. I threw a little humor on there too, 'cause why not?
[Pop Culture]
Engaging Culture: The Gospel According to Seven Pounds (3/12/10)
-A review of Seven Pounds engaging the movie with the gospel. This came out of an exercise I did with my youth group.
Five Songs to Liven up your Fall (11/9/11)
-Five musical selections I enjoyed in the fall of '11.
[Bible Backgrounds]
The Importance of Rain in Israel (6/19/09)
-This is a short essay about how lack of water affected the inhabitants of ancient Canaan, including the Israelites.
Rain in Israel: A Symbol of God's Blessing (9/27/11)
-Why knowing Canaan's weather patterns are so important for understanding some passages of Scripture, and how it also enhances our application. Accompanied by pics and vids.
