Blog

Sometimes God shows up in unexpected places. It’s not so much that you expressly and instantly recognize God in a particular moment or encounter; rather, you just have a nagging sense during it or soon afterwards that something bigger is going on than meets the eye. Songwriter/guitarist Phil Keaggy captured this phenomenon in his song […]

I’m not a fan of horror movies.  In the few I have seen, I found myself shielding my eyes and even trying to stop my ears.  It is rather embarrassing cowering next to my wife who, although not a fan of the genre either, stares at the screen through every gory detail. A Field Trip […]

Faith and Doubt

I once heard a man say, in the context of contending with his son’s devastating injury, that “faith makes no provision for doubt.” I think I understood what he meant, although I couldn’t understand his decision that he explained with those words. He was a deeply committed Christian, and his earnest prayer was for his […]

Indeed

I have a friend and law partner who is a very smart guy. His academic pedigree is impressive enough, but his insightful brilliance and careful attention to detail have earned him a well-deserved reputation as a top-shelf transactional lawyer. When discussing a deal, or even some deep, spiritual topic, he has a practice of giving […]

Upside Down

In his book The Divine Conspiracy, the late Dallas Willard gives the analogy of a fighter pilot becoming disoriented and flying upside down without realizing it[1]. In that circumstance, even thoughtful and well-intentioned actions can yield catastrophic results. It is a powerful reminder that we as people can become so disoriented in our fundamental conclusions […]

Deaths of Despair

In his classic work Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  It’s a phrase oft-repeated that resonates with many, but the observation, though insightful, has hardly been the stuff of empirical data.  That may be changing.  Nobel-laureate and Princeton Professor of Economics, Sir Angus Deaton, and his […]