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If our lives are like a story, then I will be turning a new page. Tomorrow, I begin taking seminary classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. The page has practically been turned as Catie and I have taken a leap of faith and moved from our life in ministry in Muncie to seminary in the Chicago suburbs. God has been faithful as I have been assured that this is exactly the right time to “turn the page.” Sometimes, actually many times, I have a difficult time differentiating when God is telling me to turn the page and move on in faith trusting Him, or if it is my own desires and insecurities pushing the decision. I have to ask myself these questions: is it my own desires pushing this new direction in my life? Is this really what God wants? What will happen in the future? What is God’s will for my life? There is so much to that discussion – what is God’s will for one’s life? It is sometimes overwhelming, but as I continue to live a life of faith in Christ I only need to know the next step He is asking me to take. God is faithful – He has not steered me wrong in the past, He has proved faithful. Big decisions, small decisions, God has blessed me. I am about to officially turn the page to a new chapter, and I am ready to see God use me and direct me through this wonderful time. The people I will meet along the way, the things I will get to see, and the reassurance that I am exactly where I need to be are all at my fingertips.

Where is God leading you? What steps do you need to take to be where He wants you?

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Psalm 62:1-2

Church Signs

I don't know your experience with church signs, but they can be very funny. Here are some signs that top the list.





I know you want more...





And another for good measure...

Turning things upside down

If you need encouragement that God has things under control you need to watch this. It is pretty amazing. It is certainly worth you time - check it out - it is called "the truth".

Time for Some Stretching

Stretching…I hate it, always have and probably always will. Back in the days of my athletic prowess, I didn’t like to stretch before games, but I did it. It is necessary and fundamental for our bodies if we are going to use them to their fullest potential. God, similarly, likes to see us stretch spiritually so we are ready for our next challenge. The things we don’t want to do begin to be the things we are asked to do during stretching times in our lives. We resist activities that God is calling us to do because we don’t see the benefit, but the irony is that God uses the things in our lives we dislike to shape and mold us into the servants He wants us to be. He tugs along the edges in uncomfortable places so we are more faithful, loving, serving and hopeful followers of Christ.

The core issue during uncomfortable times is trust. At this point in my life, I must trust the Lord even though every detail is not clear in the future; this is spoken of often in the New Testament. This is illustrated in 2 Corinthians 5:7 when it says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” This is the way of the Christian life, and it can be very uncomfortable and risky. Without the benefit of seeing the future, God calls his followers to trust Him by faith that He will take care of them. We must be confident that He will come through on His promises, and He will. I love this verse in Romans 8:24-25, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” There it is; what is hope if you can see it? It isn’t hope, faith or trust; God wants us to trust Him completely because that is an indication He has our hearts. This is not easy no matter where one is in their walk with the Lord. God continually pulls and tugs at the places in our lives where we need to trust Him more completely because He is shaping us into followers more like His Son.

One of my favorite stories in the Gospels is found at the end of John 4. In verses 43-54, John describes the healing of the official’s son, an amazing story of faith – a lesson to us all about being stretched beyond our wildest dreams. Jesus was traveling through Galilee when a man of stature, a Roman official, came to him begging for his son’s healing. One might think that was a stretch in itself, a man of stature humbles himself to ask the help of a miracle worker. God didn’t think so; Jesus explains that it is not through seeing signs and wonders that people will believe in him. The official pleads with him that he must come with him before his child dies, but Jesus tells him, “Go, your son will live.” Are you kidding? I can only imagine what the Roman official was thinking, “I already showed faith by asking you to help me, now you expect me to go and assume my son is alright?” The Bible does not tell us what he was thinking, it only tells us what he did, and what he did teaches us a lesson of faith in Christ. The next phrase in John 4:50 is amazing, “The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” Unbelievable! What faith! At times when we face a crossroads, when we have a choice between trusting Christ or not, what are you going to do? The Roman official took Jesus at his word, and while he was on his way home, his servants met him with news that the boy was living.

John 4:43-54 shows the results of a faith in Christ that is stretched. God will do amazing things in your life, and you will have an amazing testimony of His faithfulness to tell the world. When trials and opportunities to trust the Lord draw near with money, relationships, careers and family, remember the story of the Roman official. Remember that God is using his people for something greater than themselves and in all things God gets the glory. God desires for us to become more like Jesus, and He uses these tough, stretching times to shape us.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

Ben Stein Pursues Integrity

I had the opportunity to view Ben Stein's new documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I had no expectations, but I was delightfully surprised how it leads to the Biblical view of Creationism as the explanation of the origin of life. Stein's goal was not to promote a religious or political agenda; he simply pursued inconsistencies in the academic establishment. It was unbelievable to see the ways many universities (in particular their science departments) and other organizations have gone to keep Darwinism as the unquestioned explanation of the origin of species despite legitimate questions raised by many in the Intellectual Design (ID) camp. As Stein interviewed those who are staunch defenders of Darwinism, there was an absolute unwillingness to question it. Their ruthlessness was unbelievable as it even destroyed careers of those who were simply willing to entertain basic questions about Darwinism and ID.
There were a few things I particularly liked about the film. First, the film's purpose was more about exploring the censorship of ID philosophy, rather than defending the ID philosophy with a bunch of science. I thought this was highly effective because it appears that there is something to hide by an unwillingness to answer questions about Darwinism. Second, I appreciated Stein's attempt at finding the reason why there was such a staunch defense of Darwin. He found that at the core, clashing worldviews (Atheism vs. Theism), was what drove these men and women. This was probably one of the saddest portions of the film because of the "testimonies" of many of Darwinist scientists explained that they had once had faith in God in their past. Each of them deny the possibility of ID, and the hopelessness is either explicitly expressed or obvious in their comments and expressions. This portion of the film caught my attention along with the connections between Social Darwinism ("survival of the fittest") and the Nazi regime. That was very thought provoking and continues to show the hopeless worldview at the core of Darwinism.
The one thing that I take away from this film is not absolute proof that Darwin was false or even that my belief in the Creation account is proved through a few interviews. What is shown more than anything is the value of integrity and honest questioning. First Chronicles 29:17 says, "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." God honors integrity and isn't afraid of tough questions. Even if I cannot find the answer, it doesn't mean that it isn't out there. I hope I have the integrity to dig into every tough question asked of my own worldview - that there is an intelligent designer, God of the Bible. I am confident that I will come out with even more confidence and faith, "because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (James 1:3).


I encourage you to visit the official website: www.GetExpelled.com

Support this film - it is great!

There are lots of great articles on the topic at the Answers in Genesis (AiG) website.

Inaugural Post

It is my desire to post some of the lessons and insights I am learning in my continual walk with Christ. This blog is not ashamed of proclaiming that Jesus is Lord, and that he is alive and relevant in the world today. He has saved my life by giving up his own for me and for all of you. I am excited to embark on this new venture testing my technological skills, theological insights and relevance to real life. Here goes nothing...