I’m not talking about “The Santa Clause,†although Tim Allen’s character in the movie did spend some time in the locker. I’m talking about Nicholas of Myra, a Christian leader who lived a few hundred years after Jesus. You likely know him as Saint Nick or by the popular legend that followed him of Santa Claus. There are all kinds…...
Read MoreThere fared a mother driven forth Out of an inn to roam; In the place where she was homeless All men are at home. The crazy stable close at hand, With shaking timber and shifting sand, Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand Than the square stones of Rome. For men are homesick in their homes, And strangers under…...
Read MoreImagine an elderly Jewish man tucking his grandchildren into bed nearly two thousand years ago. His son is in a Roman prison due to false charges for not paying all of his taxes. The grandfather encourages the children that everything will work out and reminds them of the promises of God. "The promises of God . . . " he…...
Read MoreHere's Your Weekend Worldview Reader with links to articles, essays, reviews, & videos I consider to be interesting or important from a biblical worldview. Join me on the first & third Friday every month as I discuss topics from the post with Carmen LaBerge on My Faith Radio around 7:40AM (EST). ⊕  The Meaning of Gratitude ⊕  The Lost…...
Read MoreGratitude is a second-order activity. It isn't merely the immediate pleasure of a thing, the sensations of being full, or the exhale after nearly missing some harmful event. Gratitude involves our reflection on those things for which we are thankful. Perhaps that's why G.K. Chesterton described gratitude as "our highest form of thought" and as "happiness doubled by wonder." There…...
Read MoreIn our day many weaponize and monetize polemics. It's time for a renaissance in Christian irenics. There's a certain barb in the blogosphere today. It seems difficult if not impossible to find meaningful, careful, and charitable disagreements online. So much of what is done in the name of Christian ministry in the virtual space is aimed at polemics, the method…...
Read MoreAs this is the last week of classes, my attention is taken again to final words I want to leave with my students. For them it's just the end of another semester. For me, as their professor, I see it as something more decisive. Since I mostly teach one course in our Bible minor, an introduction to theology, I likely…...
Read More“When it comes to life," G.K. Chesterton once said, "the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.†Surprisingly, it is often those things that are taken either for granted or with gratitude that point us to God. The Apostle Paul once made this the basis for a talk he gave about evidence for…...
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