Calling All Christians

Google Wave Invites

2009-12-15T21:04:00.001-08:00

I don't ever post on here... but maybe someone searching for these will find this blog and then message me!If you want a Google Wave invite, I have about 30 that I'm looking to give away to anyone and everyone! Leave a comment or email me with your gmail account and I'll send you one!

Some Clarifications

2008-09-29T22:27:00.001-07:00

Aaron,Thank you for taking the time to write such a lengthy comment on my blog. I appreciate the time that must have gone into that.About asking Jesus into your heart…I am uncomfortable with the phrase "ask Jesus into your heart" because 1) it is never used in scripture to describe what is necessary to be saved and 2) it does not accurately represent what scripture declares is necessary to be

Not Me

2008-09-29T21:50:00.001-07:00

Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? - Proverbs 20:9

Keeping the Message Clear

2008-07-11T03:51:00.001-07:00

To anyone who uses the phrases I am about to warn against (and anyone who might consider using them):I am for the gospel. I am for its spread. I am for its glorious proclamation. I am for making it more fully and clearly known. I am for letting people know that they are enemies of God but can be reconciled to Him through the blood sacrifice of Christ. I am for people becoming genuinely

Resolved – Heaven & Hell

2008-06-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hello my faithful (and if I still have your attention by this point, it's definitely because you're faithful!) readers. My apologies for being so absent for so long. I figured if I were going to leave a blog up for a long time it should be about the gospel, but then I also had the end of school… and frankly it doesn't take long to get out of the habit of blogging. None of that is really an

I Love the Gospel

2008-03-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

We love a lot of things in America. We love TV shows. We love cars. We love sports. We love food. We love other people. We love sleep (well, not me, I took a night off that to write this and do a few other things). We love to use the word love. There is one thing, however, that I especially love, and that is the gospel.The gospel gives me the strength to get through each day. The gospel

Forgiveness: Unconditional?

2008-02-15T12:22:00.001-08:00

Today in order to let you know I haven't died, I direct your attention to Tim Challies' blog, where he has written a provocative article on forgiveness: whether God dispenses it unconditionally and whether we should dispense it unconditionally. Tim Challies is, as far as I know, the most popular Reformed Christian blogger out there. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Thoughts on Racism from Peter

2008-01-24T12:45:00.001-08:00

Do you remember the story of Cornelius in Acts 10-11, where Peter gets this strange vision about animals coming down on a sheet? That's in 10:10-17. I remember the typical interpretation being "Hey, now we can eat whatever we want!" referring to the cancellation (for lack of a better term) of Old Testament dietary laws. That's convenient for us, but it struck me that this is not at all how

Resolutions 4 and 5

2008-01-06T00:48:00.001-08:00

If you're a regular here you'll notice two things that have happened recently on my blog: 1) That nothing has been happening recently on my blog with respect to new posts showing up regularly, and 2) That I added a 4th resolution to me list of Edwards-inspired statements of resolution. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll notice that to the right of this blog is a section on

Nothing New

2007-12-18T23:25:00.001-08:00

"Fire and brimstone" preaching wasn't popular in the Old Testament days either. "'Do not preach' - thus they preach - 'one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.'" (Micah 2:6)Let's just say the prophets weren't shy about warning other nations of God's impending judgment. It doesn't always have to be horrible news, of course. There is much about God's grace for those

Angry with Love

2007-12-18T22:15:00.001-08:00

First off, I want to apologize for recently dropping off the face of the blogging earth. I know I had been doing this daily and then suddenly stopped, but I should be back in business for a while, given that I'm now officially on Christmas break from school. The reason I stopped was due to finals until Friday; since then I've been having so much great fellowship with Christians who are back

Noise in God's Ears

2007-12-12T00:49:00.001-08:00

Some verses in the Bible just scare me plain and simple. I have the privilege of leading worship before Almighty God in High Point, as well as in RUF, the Stanford college fellowship I'm involved with. So when I come across warnings specifically dealing with public assembly and such, like this one from Amos 5, it hits me right between the eyes:21I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no

Amos 3:6

2007-12-11T03:49:00.001-08:00

This verse, I struggle with, because it seems so uncaring towards those who actually have to endure the suffering of the disaster coming to the city. Nevertheless, the Bible is clear:Is a trumpet blown in the city,and the people are not afraid?Does disaster come to a city,unless the LORD has not done it?Now, I don't know about you, but I immediately thought of things like 9-11, the Columbine

Christmas in the City '07

2007-12-09T18:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Christmas in the City for High Point. We had a good time singing carols to some elderly folks, passing out cookies, and then spending time at Pier 39, Union Square, and Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Here are a couple things that popped up as favorites in addition to the obvious hanging-out-with-friends aspect of the event: talking to the elderly people after singing and

Thrice Holy

2007-12-08T03:13:00.001-08:00

This Christmas time I have been burdened about a way to communicate the majesty of the incarnation. I want to do this not only for the benefit of others, but also because I am so susceptible to just saying, "Yea, I get it. Can we talk about something new?" I was convicted of this as I was reading the four sections in my daily reading. I got through the last passage and thought to myself, "

Those Whom I Love

2007-12-07T01:17:00.001-08:00

I think it is always vital to keep in mind this precious saying of Christ when dealing with what can at times feel like the "harsh" message of repentance found all over the Bible: "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline" (Rev. 3:19). That's one for the noggin right there. In Christ's zeal for purity and hatred of hypocrisy, He comes through with this precious line of hope. In his

This Sermon Wouldn't Preach

2007-12-05T22:02:00.001-08:00

Not these days, anyways. It's too… extremist. It's a sermon on wisdom. Here's the central passage from Job:Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding. (Job 28:28)Trying to figure out what it means to fear God? I'll let this supporting passage give you a subtle hint:But when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was

Assurance

2007-12-04T21:35:00.001-08:00

This topic has been on my mind a significant amount lately. Yesterday I read through a website article that seeks to give those who have "invited Jesus into their lives" the assurance that they really are saved. Other articles on the website seem so much more solid that it really confuses me how they could drop the ball on a subject like this. I also watched a sermon from a church that, from

Revelation 2:1-17

2007-12-04T01:21:00.001-08:00

The next section of reading I had in Revelation was of the first 3 letters to the seven churches. These are the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. I picked up on a few themes that resonated with me and they are as follows:The Lord loves pure doctrine. He praises Ephesus for theirs and rebukes Pergamum for their lack. This is because right doctrine leads to right conduct (orthodoxy

Morning Cloud

2007-12-02T23:55:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I roll out of bed to go to my morning classes, look up at the sky as I walk out the door toward my bike, and see that it is completely overcast. An hour later I walk out of the classroom and it is completely sunny out, with hardly a trace of cloud anywhere! Sometimes it's frustrating because I can't figure out what the day is going to give me. Once I start mentally preparing for

Job and Revelation

2007-12-01T23:29:00.001-08:00

Today's reading presented quite a lot to write about. There's Job who loves the word of God and wants to appear before Him to argue his case, that he is righteous, yet admits near the end of the chapter that God does whatever He wants and this fact terrifies him. Then we have Hosea, whom God commands to marry a prostitute. So far Hosea has had three children by this woman and God gets to

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

2007-11-30T13:00:00.001-08:00

I read the very last section of Jude today which is subtitled in the ESV "A Call to Persevere." I think it would behoove us to consider the delicate tension between human responsibility and Divine ordinance with respect to the perseverance of the saints. The title of this post comes from the first part of Jude 21. Jude clearly presents this keeping as a part of our responsibility. Notice

A Typo in the Bible?!

2007-11-29T16:22:00.001-08:00

What's wrong with this sentence?"One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus" (John 13:24).Mickey has already written on this topic here, but I thought I'd mention it to you since it was in my reading for today as well. He seems to think it is deliberate. I might agree, given that it happens with the same Greek word in two different books (Mickey notes the

Eager to Write to You

2007-11-29T03:25:00.001-08:00

Today's installment comes from the short book of Jude, verse 3: "Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."It's important to note that Jude is motivated by good news. In verse 2, he says to his readers, "May mercy, peace, and love be

Wash Your Feet

2007-11-27T16:19:00.001-08:00

Continuing my daily reading through John, I came across this verse. It's nothing new, but I think it is a good and necessary reminder: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean" (John 13:10). Jesus is washing the disciples feet and has moved from talking about physical washing to a spiritual cleanliness. As Christians, we are totally clean. No

Isaiah: True Witness of True God

2007-11-26T23:07:00.001-08:00

I've been continuing to engage in regular dialogue with a Jehovah's Witness, and now more recently his wife as well. They come visit my house at 10am on various Saturdays, sometimes by appointment, other times just to see if I'm home. The focus of our conversation is generally focused on the Trinity, as I am more concerned about their view of Christ than of anything else. The gospel, after all

Velvet Elvis Discussion with David Wilson

2007-11-03T20:17:00.001-07:00

This is my response to a short book (and I'm only half kidding!) sent to me by David Wilson, a personal friend of mine, in response to my critique of Velvet Elvis. Thanks, David, for giving me permission to post this publicly. Disclaimer:I do not speak for Rob Bell. This Critique is also not to convince Evan of the quality of the book. Neither is this an attack on Evan's personage, Evan is a

Velvet Elvis Conversation

2007-11-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

I've had the privilege of having a more extended discussion with one Amanda K on the topic of Velvet Elvis. The comments preceding this post can be found at the original Velvet Elvis review.I appreciate that you put [out there] what your personal qualms were regarding the book. My point was just that if you couldn't hold them in and present the book as objectively as possible, then I wondered

California Christian Apologetics Conference (IX)

2007-10-31T09:48:00.001-07:00

Well we've made it! I actually got through a whole series! I hope you didn't get too sick of these and that they were encouraging to you and your walk as you seek to obey 1 Pet 3:15. The last session was, as with most conferences, a Q&A session with the all the speakers. For this one I think I'll just post my raw notes and insert some comments here and there. Do enjoy! Since there will be

Natural Desires

2007-10-22T01:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight has been a strange night for me. Generally I come up with an idea that I fancy as fairly relevant and useful for people to hear, but quickly forget about it as I am too busy to seriously consider letting anyone know what I'm thinking. Tonight, however, I have actually been taking the time to write down my thoughts, and I thought this one was blog appropriate.I was pondering an encounter

California Christian Apologetics Conference (VIII)

2007-10-14T00:13:00.001-07:00

For the fifth and final plenary session of the California Christian Apologetics Conference we had William Lane Craig. For an introduction, let's just say he's smart. Really, really smart. His workshops were like blow your mind complicated, according to my mom, who attended his session on "The Argument for God's Existence from the Beginning of the Universe" aka "The Cosmological Argument for

California Christian Apologetics Conference (VII)

2007-10-06T01:32:00.001-07:00

For my third and final elective I opted for "The Case for Pro-Life" with Sean McDowell. Sean is quite skilled at doing presentations in a straightforward, understandable, and logically sound manner. And this one was no different. For those who don't know me, abortion is my pet social issue. There are a lot of things that are noble to fight for, like to end poverty in America or something, but

California Christian Apologetics Conference (VI)

2007-09-27T22:28:00.001-07:00

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason was the speaker for Plenary Session 4. I really respect him as a clear thinking person who is fair minded and wary of bad arguments all around, not just those bad arguments promoting things he doesn't believe in. If you present to him a bad argument for the truth, he will not gently pat you on the back and say "Good job, buddy. Way to reach the right conclusions."

California Christian Apologetics Conference (V)

2007-09-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

For elective number two, I opted to attend the seminar titled “A Compassionate Response to Homosexuality” led by Neil Mammen, a local apologist, and Kevin Patao, a former homosexual and friend of Neil. Because of the nature of the seminar, they actually asked us not to give the information we received to homosexuals, so I won’t be publishing it in this public context, for fear of unnecessarily

California Christian Apologetics Conference (IV)

2007-09-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

For my first elective session I had the privilege of hearing from Pastor Harold C Felder. There were five different options to choose from at each session, but I opted for the Jehovah’s Witness (JW) seminar because I’d been meeting with one Witness in particular rather regularly. Harold is co-pastor of the Journey Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not a very famous guy (at least I’ve

Where does it end?

2007-09-21T00:34:00.001-07:00

I appreciate the motivation (kill disease), but not only are they aborting babies, they are transplanting them into COW EGGS?? This is no joke.Check out this disturbing report. Even more troublesome are the comments at the end...The fact is that animals are fundamentally different from human beings in thatwe are made in the image of Almighty God (Gen 1:26). Mixing them up is not an option!!I

California Christian Apologetics Conference (III)

2007-09-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

We had to wait for Saturday to roll around (and cough up 40 big ones!) to enjoy the third session of the Apologetics Conference. There were significantly less people there on Saturday unfortunately, but hopefully many were ministered to and challenged by the first two sessions on Friday. For the third session, we had the privilege of hearing once more as a group from Sean McDowell, who

California Christian Apologetics Conference (II)

2007-09-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Lee Strobel (author of The Case for series, the newest of which is The Case for the Real Jesus) kicked off the second session of Friday night by telling us how much he loves evangelism. (And you know what that means – I love him!) He loves evangelism because he finds it simply amazing that God can use us to draw His own to Himself, and he gets to use apologetics too! Lee let us know about a

California Christian Apologetics Conference (I)

2007-09-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

For the first group session on Friday night we heard from Sean McDowell. Sean is the head of the Bible department at Capastrano Valley Christian high and has two master’s degrees from Talbot. I remember him as the really smart guy who won’t talk over your head like the other really smart guys! Josh McDowell is his father, for those who are wondering.The title of his talk was Truth or Tragedy, in

On Hate

2007-09-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

This was a question presented to me by my friend based on concerns about some of the verses we had been memorizing. The latter part is my response. I hope this helps anyone struggling with these verses. If you have anything to add (or correct!) please do. So, I have some questions. How do these verses make sense together? “I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my

Search Me, O God

2007-08-29T00:54:00.000-07:00

Psalm 139 is one of those chapters that I've always known about but never really studied. I've been making an attempt at memorizing it lately, but alas, I have been lazy about the last 8 verses or so.... and I'm due to be done tomorrow! Well, I think I'll get it done, but first I needed to mention something that a good friend of mine and I realized as we were memorizing these verses. The most

Book Review: Velvet Elvis (Part II)

2007-08-25T02:23:00.000-07:00

Serious ConcernsNow that I have explained my personal quibbles with his style, I would like to speak to his substance. On the back cover of the book, Rob invites everyone to test his book. That is what I'm doing today. I make no apologies about the following statement: Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis is dangerous, poisonous, and ungodly.* Is there some truth? Yes. Would I ever recommend it to anyone?

Book Review: Velvet Elvis (Part I)

2007-08-25T01:56:00.000-07:00

Rob Bell's first book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith has become quite a popular read in various Christian circles. So popular, in fact, that I thought I'd take time to read this Emergent pastor's book and see what he has to say that's grabbing people's attention so vigorously. Quite honestly, it was difficult to find reasons why I personally should be attracted to this man's writing

Kanakuk

2007-06-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well... It's almost 10 and I'm still packing for a month of the super crazy sports camp that is Kanakuk. I'm looking forward to an exciting time of growth and opportunities to make a difference in the lives of a few of these guys. So pray for me, because I can only do so by the grace of God!!!I'll be back in a month... for a day... then I'm off again!!! Crazy summer. Hopefully I'll remember to

Women in the Church (1 Cor 11:3-16)

2007-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Some of my more faithful readers might remember how I started this blog - as a summary/overview of First Corinthians. At first I attempted to do a chapter at a time, but I quickly became acquainted with the fact that sometimes chapter breaks make no sense whatsoever, and other times, I simply have too much to write. For example, the last two entries I've given have been on 1 verse each!My entry

Some Abortion Facts

2007-05-21T17:04:00.001-07:00

This is to put to rest the worries of people who are afraid of women getting killed in "back alley" abortions should legal abortions not be made available to them. In 1972 a total of 39 women died due to these illegal abortions. In 1985, just 1 person died because of them. I think it's safe to say that since more abortions are done prevalently, less mothers die because of bad

Absurdity 2: No Evidence

2007-04-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to my apologetic series concerning the absurdity of the Bible. Last time I talked about why miracles cannot be proof that the Bible is absurd. The second major objection that Mr. Darrow brings up is the claim that there is no evidence to support many events in the Bible. For this article I'm just going to focus on the virgin birth. He also mentions an afterlife, but it basically

GoodSearch

2007-04-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Social justice is a topic I've been pondering a lot recently. So often we hear the gospel getting confused with giving your money to the poor or feeding the hungry. My first reaction to people who mention the poor and such has been rather judgmental in that I instantly accuse them in my mind of compromising the gospel, which most certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with your quality of life

Absurdity 1: Miracles

2007-04-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that the primary objection of people who deny the authority of scripture is the fact that it records miracles or otherwise seemingly impossible events.Mr. Darrow in particular cites the creation of woman, the tower of Babel, Balaam's talking donkey, the wise men's star, the resurrection of the dead, and many others. I'll go through a few of these to point out the logical flaws in

Absurdities of the Bible

2007-04-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

A Response to Clarence Darrow’s Article Absurdities of the Bibleby Evan Winslow I am writing this because I found a link from the Stand to Reason website (Christian apologist Greg Koukl's ministry), which encouraged me to visit some sites with arguments opposing Christianity, so I could get used to hearing arguments from opponents of Christianity. I have done this several times

JW 4: Practical Tips

2007-03-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a great article I found with a very humble, gentle, and practical way to witness to a Jehovah's Witness. I remember stressing this idea at the beginning of my JW series: They are not nuisances, they are chances for you to evangelize that God has placed quite literally at your doorstep.Happy fishing.

JW 3: Discerning Truth from Error

2007-03-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Time flies way too fast! If you people actually want information from me on a more regular basis, someone will have to jump on my back about it. …Ok well let’s not resort to physical violence, but I think you get my meaning. I figure I might as well address a few more issues I have with the Watchtower organization, so that we can be done with that segment of my blog. Bear in mind, however, that

JW 2: Discerning Truth from Error

2007-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is my rebuttal of Jehovah's Witnesses' most troubling false doctrines, found in the booklet/tract Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life. The numbers in parentheses are page numbers.Knocking on the door of works-salvation-"God accepts as his worshipers people from all nations, but only those who conform to his righteous ways - Acts 10:34,35" (30)-"if we do God's will and avoid activities

Resolved

2007-02-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

By far the highlight of my year thus far (and for a long time to come, I’m sure!) is the Resolved conference which I had the privilege to attend this year with 13 other people from Christian fellowships on campus. It was an awesome experience hearing the word of God (Ps 119:103) and letting it do its work in my heart (Heb 4:12).The theme this year was "the gospel." I ask you: could there be a

Examine Yourself

2007-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Are you a Christian? Then do what the Bible says and MAKE SURE! Here is a sermon to help you do just that. The video should play automatically. If that gives you some trouble, go here. Scroll down and look for the green video boxes. The first is a 4 minute sample clip. The second is the full sermon.I pray this is edifying for you.Evan

Jehovah's Witnesses

2007-01-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

Why You Should Never Tell a JW, "No thanks!"That might seem like a strange intro for a post, but I really do have a reason for wording it that way. You see, I've realized that when we get people like Jehovah's Witnesses coming to our door to spread their false doctrine, telling them to go away is like saying, "No thanks, I don't have the time or concern to deal with your soul right now, please

Home for the Holidays

2006-12-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

So I'm home for the holidays! Three precious weeks of freedom. I need to use them well, so I figured I'd spend a little while writing a blog - something I don't do enough. This one is not a really focused blog, just a few little musings about some things that have recently come to my attention.1) On looking forward to better daysWe all know those days we can't wait for. Especially this year

Continuing an Old Tradition

2006-11-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

I thought about writing a blog about everything I'm thankful for (and believe me, there is a lot), but I just thought I'd do something a little different. For all you old-timers, you might remember that I started this blog as a commentary on 1 Corinthians , but got "sidetracked" at chapter 11, verse 1. Quite honestly, there are some verses there that I didn't know what to do with, and I was

Giving an Answer

2006-10-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

I once was talking to this dude named Blakey who told me that there's no excuse for going a month without blogging. Well, today is day 31, and I don't want the CBC to take away my blog, so I better get crackin'!Lately the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to have many spiritual conversations that I didn't even actively seek for. The Lord sent them to me, much like he did with Christian.

Act with Knowledge

2006-09-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

I fear there is a myth going around in Christian circles that Christians are not supposed to be intellectual. We aren’t supposed to question what we believe, because then God won’t like us, or something along those lines. We can’t be critical of the Bible, because for some things the answers are difficult. Well, besides the obvious verse 1 Pet 3:15, which says to “always be ready to give an

An Encouraging Witnessing Experience

2006-09-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading more of Mark Cahill’s book One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven. The great thing about this book is that it is almost hard to read even though there are so many awesome stories, because it compels you to get out there and witness to lost people right away! There is even a line in the book that says: “Go means ‘do not stay.’ It means put this book down, get up, and go bring the

Another Encounter with the Mormons

2006-08-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I went on a crazy adventure. Jose and I piled into my car at about 9:30 am and trekked two and a half hours to Sacramento where a brand new Mormon Temple was being opened. For those who know nothing about mormon temples, they are completely off limits to the public, only after they're dedicated. So for two weeks they have an open house where they show off a bunch of the rooms

Baptism

2006-07-23T02:34:00.000-07:00

Well… in my usual inconsiderate form I have written a book on baptism. This post is 3.5 pages long, single-spaced, 12 Point Times in Word with 1 inch margins (not including the list of verses at the end). That’s not for bragging purposes, but just to warn you: if you are the kind of person that can’t stop once they’ve started, make sure you have a little bit of time set aside! Otherwise, I

Soul Support

2006-07-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

An article in Stanford caught my eye today. It made it as cover story and is titled "Soul Support." It is about the spiritual discussions that have become so much more frequent on the Stanford campus lately. One student said it seems like they've "doubled." Diane Rogers says that "Students are speaking up about their religious beliefs, as many on campus work to replace polite silence with

Misquoting Jesus

2006-07-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

The following is an email I wrote recently. It requires some background knowledge to understand better, so I'll give that to you before you read this monster. I went on a cruise to Alaska to kick off my summer, and while I was there I did a lot of reading. I stopped by a bookstore in one of our ports and replenished my reading supply with a couple books, both unfavorable to the Christian

Where Home Is

2006-07-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of rearranging lately concerning where friends’ homes are. Many have moved down to the OC, and it has been extremely difficult to see them go. Soon I myself will have a new home, moving into the dorms on campus at Stanford. It has caused and will cause separation between friends when it is time to go home.The Bible says that a Christian’s home is not in the world; rather,

Ephesians 5:15-20

2006-06-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

Paul is writing the second half of his epistle to the church in Ephesus about Godly and holy living. He has switched from theology in his first half to practical Christian living.In these verses Paul encourages us to walk “circumspectly,” or heedfully, being aware of the consequences of ouractions. He realizes that days are running low and time flies and often the time that does pass is not

Ephesians 5:8-14

2006-06-21T00:11:00.000-07:00

These are some long overdue Bible journals that I had ready to post but never did. I kept telling myself it was because I hadn't typed up verses 1-7, but do you care? I didn't think so.Ephesians 5:8-14Paul is writing the second half of his epistle to the church in Ephesus about Godly and holy living. He has switched from theology in his first half to practical Christian living.These verses talk

Cautiously Carefree

2006-06-01T14:28:00.001-07:00

Consider this part 2 in the series of paradoxes in the Christian faith. The last one was Swimming in Time, where we refuse to delay in completing what God has for us to do, yet always wait for His timing on all matters. This one has to do with worrying.In the Bible we are commanted to "not be anxious about anything" but instead "present our requests to God" (Phil. 4:6) and trust him for all our

Mr. Stanford

2006-04-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

That's what Bobby Blakey called me the first time he IMed me after finding out I would be going to Stanford in the fall. It was not an easy decision for me, but I am totally confident that this is the plan God has for me. I'll miss my friends, but God will always be by my side.Throughout this college process, my parents would incessantly inquire as to which colleges I was leaning towards and

Swimming in Time

2006-04-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to lunch at Taco Bell with a good friend of mine before school had to start (it was SAT's and seniors didnt have to be there until 1pm). Some of you may know us as Kevan. We were just finishing up our lunch and I asked what time it was. It turned out to be only 12:30, to which she exclaimed, we're swimming in time! That immediately made me want to write a blog about

Mexico

2006-04-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

I havent been on this site for a long time, and I truly have a lot to say, and have been thinking about a lot, but have preferred to simply discuss it with people - in person. That has been a blessing unlike any other, and I highly recommend it. There isnt anything like close personal relationships with fellow Christians, so for whoever doesn't know what that is like, well, get to know what

The True Gospel of Christ

2006-03-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." - Galatians 1:8That's harsh. With a promise like that, it becomes severely important that we get our facts straight. Recently I had the chance to talk to a Mormon about his beliefs. He opened up with "Yes I'm LDS. We're Christian." I have a serious problem with that,

God's Gift of Life

2006-02-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

This has been a hot topic of conversation/blogging lately with the long-awaited arrival of a brand new baby boy, Tyler Christian Blakey. I got the privilege of visiting him and even holding him for a few minutes. For a few pictures, you can visit www.godsongmusic.com and read Bobby's blog about his new baby! I'd like to brag that I'm a natural at handling babies after that experience, but he

Doubled Up

2006-01-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever heard the same message twice and said to themselves, "Ugh, not this again. What is the deal with the Pastor, doesnt he realize he just taught this 6 months ago?!" Has anyone ever wanted to say something, but then thought to themselves, "What's the point? It's all been said before, they don't need to hear it again." Has anyone ever heard the same message twice and said to

Treasures of Wickedness

2006-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest. I get so caught up sometimes in what is going to benefit me on earth, and base moral decisions with that as the most weighty factor. I recently wrestled at a wrestling tournament in which I had to forfeit first round to a girl, because the computer randomly paired her up with me, and we aren't allowed to wrestle girls at King's. This is based on the moral principle that men

A Christian According to John

2005-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well, technically according to the Holy Spirit who led John to write these words, but for simplicity we'll avoid technicalities as much as possible. As many of you may know, there is a problem at The King's Academy. Committed Christians are few and far between, and sin is often overlooked as 'no big deal.' I do sincerely apologize for every and any way I have contributed to this. There is a

Ephesians 4:29-32

2005-12-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Paul in these verses lays down a few guidelines for directing our speech. The first is the goal, edification; then the result, imparting grace; then a few no’s: do not grieve the Holy Spirit, put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and malice; and on a positive note, be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. From the context I truly to think he is referring mostly to our speech.I think if

Ephesians 4:25-28

2005-12-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

Paul continues from his previous section by echorting us with specfic examples of how we can live as we were called. Namely, by putting aside lying and instead speaking in truth, having a righteous anger and/or putting unrighteous anger aside before it is too alte, working for what we need rather than stealing it, and also giving up what we earn to "him who has need" (v.28). Paul makes

Ephesians 4:20-24

2005-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Here’s my next journal from Ephesians! I hope it challenges you to truly live as you were called!Paul basically confronts the Ephesians here, saying they do not know the truth, even though they have heard His words and essentially been taught by Him. If they had learned Christ, who is the truth, they would know this truth: that they have been renewed by God into a new man, no longer their old

Ephesians 4:17-19

2005-12-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with

The Sin That so Easily Entangles

2005-11-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

What a perfect way to describe the sin that we get ourselves into. I wanted to write about this because it's been popping up in my head lately as I've been wondering what to write about next, and I really feel the Lord has put it on my heart not only to say, but to carry out in my own life. The title is a reference to Hebrews 12:1, which goes like this: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded

A Harmony of the Easter Accounts

2005-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

I've come across challenges before concerning the validity of the Bible, especially since it seems to disagree so much concerning the accounts of the events surrounding Christ's burial, resurrection, and ascension. Well, basically here is my answer. It's three pages long single space 12pt Times font in Word, so if its not of a particularly high concern in your mind, you don't have to read it,

Ephesians 4:14-16

2005-11-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Into: Paul is in the second half of his letter to the Ephesians addressing practical Christian living.Through: Paul continues mid-sentence, stating his goal for the church - maturity. He wants the church to be firm in their beliefs, not easily shaken or swayed by trickery and deceitfulness. He wants to be sure that we speak the truth in love so that we can grow up to be mature in Christ. He

Ephesians 4:7-13

2005-10-31T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here’s another one from Ephesians. Did I ever mention how much I love this book? It’s so amazingly full of truth and insight. It’s just amazing. Into: Paul is in the second half of his letter to the Ephesians, switching from theology and doctrine to practical application and Christian living. Through: Paul makes a transition in verse 7 that I wouldn’t have caught without the help of

Ephesians 4:1-6

2005-10-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

Another installment in the recent slew of Ephesians passages that I've been posting in order to keep up with my journaling pace. There was a point at which I kept forgetting to print my typed journal entries from my parents' computer (mine wasnt connected correctly or something), so I decided to just write them instead. Well, I got tired of not being able to print anything from my computer and

Ephesians 3:20-21

2005-10-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

It is truly amazing how much one can get out of just two verses in the Bible. I enjoyed reading these so much and I often have to remind myself of their implications in my everyday life.Into: Paul is finishing up his first section in Ephesians, which focuses on Christian doctrine.Through: In this section, Paul praises God as powerful, "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think."

Ephesians 3:14-19

2005-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Into: Paul is closing the first half his letter which focuses on Christian theology. He is writing to the Ephesians.Through: Verse 14 is one of complete submission to God and Christ. Paul subsequently explains that God is essentially the Father because He created everything on earth and in heaven. Paul does however seem to be speaking more specifically than that, though, probably about the

Passion

2005-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I've recently been pondering a word - its meaning as well as its relevance to my life. That word is, yes, you guessed it - passion! I suppose I'm going to be Captain Obvious here and say that we should turn to the dictionary for a meaning (definition) and the Word for its relevance. It seems that this noun can be affected in two directions. It can be a sinful one, such as "lustful passion,"

Ephesians 3:7-13

2005-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God

The Good Life

2005-10-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

This entry shouldn't be too long, but then I sometimes have a tendency to ramble (my last bible journal I accidentally wrote until 3 pages written - i still have to post that online).I just wanted to post about something I'll be talking to people at King's this Thursday. My theme is that "God's life is the good life." It seems like that is something people just don't get. They kind of

James

2005-10-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had my first King's Academy Bible study this morning at 7 am. Thank God for the chance to get together with some of the guys at school... and thank God it's only once a week! I must admit, the 7am part is hard, but we had a great discussion the first time around. We're going through the book of James, and getting neck deep in each and every word.And the first word is: James.Honestly, we

Ephesians 3:1-6

2005-09-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another Ephesians entry for you all to chew on.INTOPaul is writing the final chapter on theology to the Ephesians.THROUGHThis selection also happens to be one long sentence, and doesn't even end at chapter six. He begins by introducing himself as a prisoner, and introducing a reason for why he is that way (v.1). Explaining that God "dispensed" His good grace on Paul for the sake of the

Ephesians 2:19-22

2005-09-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

Here’s another section of Ephesians for you all. And I know there is a “you all!” Hope you find this encouraging.INTOPaul is writing to the Ephesian church in the first half of his letter about theology.THROUGHPaul continues in verse 19 by reiterating that no believer can be a stranger to God or the rest of the saints; Christ has closed that gap. We are all now resting on the same foundation,

Putting Principle Into Practice

2005-09-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

6 days? Far too long. It's time to start putting principle into practice. What I mean by that is this: I have this idea that I am obligated to not only pray and read for the Scripture but also to ponder and meditate on it. Furthermore, this new found and renewed knowledge is to be shared with others. That is my opinion. That is what I believe. And that is what I'll do. I was talking to my mom the

Ephesians 2:14-18

2005-09-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Heh… I wrote the body of this blog and I must laugh. It’s amusing to me how much I can come up with on a few short verses when I “let the Spirit loose” (This could also be interpreted as ranting). Here’s Ephesians 2:14-18.INTOPaul is writing a (circular) letter to the Ephesians. The first half of the letter focuses on Christian theology.THROUGHIn this excerpt, Paul makes it explicitly clear

Guilty but Free

2005-09-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm going to attempt an amazing feat: start and finish this blog in 30 minutes. Going to SAT practice today reminded me that I dont get very much time to write that essay they ask for. Perhaps this can be practice... bleh. I don't really want to think about it.Last night I got to watch a scary movie with a few good friends of mine: Kelsey, Julie, Spenser, and Justin. I saw the previews on TV,

Ephesians 2:1-10

2005-09-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted, and I am required to work on these Bible journals about Ephesians, so I’m posting one of them like I said I would. I hope to get back to 1 Corinthians 11 soon, but forgive me if I’m having a harder time finding an application for the beginning of that chapter…INTOPaul is writing a (circular) letter to the Ephesians. The first half of the letter focuses on

May the Name of the Lord be Praised

2005-09-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a little bit of Job lately, and let me tell you - this dude's reaction to loss was amazing. I had always heard of Job's story, but never actually read it, so I decided to do a little bit of that, and what I found was amazing. It certainly cut deeper than the song based on it. This guy is described as a blameless man, righteous before God. If you read further in the book, he

Ephesians 1:15-23

2005-09-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here’s another journal entry! I hope it’s encouraging. Forgive the repetition of INTO… It’s just that way because sometimes passages change (the author might change, audience might change, or purpose might change – obviously in a letter this is not the case, but we are still required to do this section just for it’s own sake). INTOThe book of Ephesians was most definitely written by the apostle