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2 Timothy 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (KJV)

I came upon this familiar verse this morning in Starbucks. It got my mind rolling. “The affairs of this life…” What does that mean? Does it mean we ought to shun the reality of existing in an actual world in favor of some esoteric hermitage? For cloistered living? Impossible; in this passage, Paul exhorts Timothy to act like a soldier in his life and ministry under his Commander, Christ. Can one be a good soldier and never set foot on the battle field? Can one be a good soldier by refusing to confront the Enemy? (more…)

My Pastor’s mission recently sent out this note in response to those wishing to donate relief to tsunami victims through a reliable agency. I thought I’d share the opportunity with you:

To the Baptist Mid-Missions Mission family and supporters:

The following information is concerning the needs in Asia due to the recent tsunami disaster. We have received numerous inquiries about our intended response. This is an official and urgent communication that we ask you to forward to your supporters and churches. (more…)

Mark 10:27: 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Some of you know that my younger brother John is a huge burden on my heart. Not only do I worry over his daily safety and happiness, but I worry over his soul. Because of his Down’s Syndrome and other issues, it is very hard to know just how much he understands about what you are saying to him, even where only mildly complex concepts are concerned. As such, it is difficult to know what he understands about the Lord.

Now, John used to hate going to church, in the way that he hated going to most public places. Think “sensory overload.” The people, the background noise, and, especially, the organ, were likely sources of real physical pain to him. It became easier to leave him home with my father on Sunday mornings, which scenario has been the norm for years. My mom has, however, taken him to her church on occasions when my father is unavailable. So much has changed in how John deals with social venues, and we’re delighted that he now enjoys going to family gatherings, restaurants, and, when necessary, church. But old habits die hard, and it’s still been easier to leave him home with my dad on Sundays.

But I’ve recently grown dissatisfied with such a senseless routine. Does it follow that, simply because John might not fully grasp all of the concepts preached in a given sermon, that he should therefore be cut off from the entire fellowship and influence of the spiritual family? No. And why do we hope, in doing more of the same, to reep different results? (more…)

What does one say to the idea–no, to the fact–of 50,000* dead in a moment? When one’s own biggest grief lately has been when to find the time to make holiday returns? Or how to squeeze in an extra half-hour of sleep in the morning? Or the fact that Starbucks has yet to install a drive-through along Route 9 to facilitate the morning commute?

I sicken myself. In my holiday “stress” (please), I hadn’t taken the time to stay abreast of world events. I was late to church Sunday morning, and caught the tail-end of my Pastor’s reminder that, as we closed our first portion of worship with prayer, we ought to pray for this situation in which “these thousands have died.” What thousands? I wondered. I assumed the calamity was Iraq-related. Another offensive. A rebel attack gone awry. Another mistake. “The greatest natural disaster of the millenium” hadn’t crossed my mind. I felt a slight pang of tragedy and prayed quickly and silently for people I didn’t know so as to get back to work preparing the bulletins… (more…)

Well, hi. It’s been a while since I’ve had two seconds together to do anything correspondence-related, including blog. I have yet to mail out Christmas gifts to some very deserving people (sorry Tomania, Katherine, and Quen… If it’s any consolation, the gifts were bought and wrapped before the 25th… That’s the best I can offer!)

Does anyone else feel guilty for feeling happy that Christmas is officially over? Every year I say that THIS is the year that I will relax and get things done ahead of schedule so that I can enjoy this most wonderful of holidays in all proper respects; it seems, however, that THIS year I failed most miserably in doing just that. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the holiday. On the contrary. It’s just that I never quite got the feeling that there was any ground beneath my feet. A flying carpet, maybe. Or one of those moving floors like they have in big airports. Or quicksand. In any case, I had no desire to be flying, gliding, or sinking; I wanted to stroll at a liesurely pace, stop and smell the pine trees, and just…be. No such luck. Not much, anyway, but I can take the blame for that. In any case, the ground is stabilizing, slowly but surely, and hopefully things will be solid by…spring? Maybe? Just in time for an Easter thaw? Here’s hoping. (more…)