-
BEST 3 MINUTES OF PREACHING?
Several people across social media have recently linked to this sermon clip by Alistair Begg claiming it is “the best 3 minutes of preaching you will ever hear”: I beg to differ. (No pun intended) The main thrust of this clip is the preacher’s concern that anybody might mistakenly takes “works” to have anything to do with the “ground of our salvation”. Yes, we must guard against thinking obedience to Christ plays any role in salvation, for heaven’s sake! Begg asks “the old question”, “If you were to die tonight and you were getting entry into heaven, what would you…
-
TRIP ANTICIPATION
Last year at this time, I started making plans for an anniversary trip to Scotland. The anticipation put a joyful spin on every passing week. Working out the details and making reservations – and even making payments along the way – were all a joy, because each step brought the reality closer. The promise of that trip energized me on a weekly basis. It was never absent from my consciousness. And when July finally arrived, the whole thing came together even better than I had hoped. This year I am feeling a similar excitement about planning a very different trip.…
-
A CHILDISH THING?
Our youngest turned 19 last Friday. A few weeks ago, Sarah had almost decided that it was time to leave behind the days of birthday parties with elaborate themes and decorations. Ready to embark on her final year as a teenager, maybe this year she should just invite some friends over for a quiet dinner and some cake. Melissa assured her that parties were fun, not childish, and the next thing you know, Amazon boxes full of party favors, crafts and decorations were arriving on our front step daily, and Sarah was spending hours in her room making colorful chains…
-
WHAT ARE WE SAVED FROM?
When we speak of “salvation”, what do we mean exactly? What are we saved from? Even non-Christians know this much: Jesus saves people from hell. Right? Even though I know the Bible never uses the phrase “saved from hell”, I wondered what AI would say if I asked, “Does the Bible ever say we are saved from hell?” Considering the AI is simply regurgitating what actual human beings have written, the incredibly weak reasoning on the part of online Christian “apologists” is quite evident: 4 key verses to demonstrate salvation from hell and not a single one mentions hell. These…
-
FASTING AND STRENGTH – DATA
Since I posted about my weight loss with my 7-day water fast, I thought I would also share one other relevant data set: my ability to perform push-ups. And this is kind of nerdy, but it does prove a point about fasting. When I started my fast, Melissa assumed that I would feel weak and tired immediately, and that each day I would drag a little bit more. She also feared that I would lose muscle mass. Those seem like solid assumptions, right? In reality, though, if my general energy level saw any change, it was only for the better.…
-
POST-FAST BOUNCE – THE DATA
The church season of Lent is quickly approaching – it begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18th. Lent is the one time of year when the spiritual discipline of fasting gets at least a bit of attention. (But still only a fraction of what it deserves.) I started January with a full-on water fast for seven days and it was an incredible experience. The number one thing it taught me was that I look to food far more often for entertainment than nutrition. (I still haven’t figured out a good substitute for snacking when I get bored. Grabbing some chips or…
-
READY TO FAIL
“If you meet someone who says they’ve never failed, it means they’ve never tried to do something new, difficult, or outside their comfort zone. And that means they cannot be wise.” – Jonny Thomson* Like most human beings I know, I have a natural aversion to failure. To me, failure is the unforgiveable sin. I don’t want to look foolish. I don’t want to be reminded of my imperfections. Maybe most of all, I don’t want the world to be made conscious of my imperfections. After Christmas, inspired by artwork from my daughter, Hannah, I decided I wanted to try…
-
A GREAT BOOK WITH A BAD TITLE
In 2019, Scott Adams published Loserthink: How Untrained Brains are Ruining the World. I don’t think it ever really took off. He even mentioned his disappointment in the book’s performance in his final statement to the world upon his death! I think the problem was the title. A book like this should spread through word of mouth, but it’s difficult to recommend a book called Loserthink to someone you care about. Plus, Adams was incessantly optimistic and the book reflects that optimism, but the subtitle comes across so negative. It’s a shame, because the book is insightful. I found it…
-
SCOTT ADAMS HAS PASSED AND THE WORLD IS POORER
Even though I knew it was coming, it hit me harder than expected to hear of Scott Adams’ death today. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Adams was best known for creating Dilbert, the comic strip famous for mocking corporate cubicle life. In recent years, though, he had taken on additional roles – as an author, a political and cultural commentator, and an “internet dad”. He was also a trained hypnotist and a world class pot-stirrer. Among secular writers, there is no contemporary non-fiction author who has had a bigger impact on shaping my own understanding of human nature. It…
-
BOUNCING BACK
I knew my weight would bounce back up a few pounds once I ended my fast. There are at least three reasons: On the final day of my fast, I weighed 192 in the morning. The next day – after having eaten a single meal – I was up to 194.2. That’s the water weight coming back strong. On the following day I was at 196, then 196.8 the next day, and this morning reached 198! Who knows where I would be if I wasn’t trying to stick to Melissa’s sugar fast? I have been snacking up a storm the…