Letter to Future Goers
To whom it may concern, If you believe in God and have given your life to obedience to him, if you love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul, if your heart breaks knowing that there are some people who do not know Him as their savior and lord, then this is for you. There is a great misconception that serving the Lord, dedicating our whole life to him, is for the great Christians. For those who have great amounts of faith, above and beyond the ordinary. It is for the Elliots, the Carmichaels, the Hudsons, and Careys of the world. But it is not. As Nik Ripken wrote in his book, The… Read more >>
Magic of Christmas
(WARNING: There are spoilers about Santa in here. If you are a parent that has small children that believe in Santa, be warned before you read this aloud to people you want to continue believing in him.) Tis the season to be merry and bright. All the channels and streaming programs are advertising Christmas movies. The air is full of the music. It is the most wonderful time of year, full of excitement and magic. According to pop culture what draws to mind when you think of the magic of the season is wrapped around the figure of Santa. Yet growing up, my family never really… Read more >>
Language and Culture
I love studying language. It is frustrating and sometimes feels like there is no progress at all, but it can be such a door into culture. I love especially learning the idiomatic expressions and the different words that are related or build off each other. Usually these expressions take me longer to understand but when I do, it's an ah-ha moment because it just fits. Here's a few examples: -The term for confused is very similar to the term for spin around. I love this because it makes sense. If you spin around a bunch, when you stop you are disoriented and confused. That… Read more >>
Is He Worthy?
A.W. Tozer has said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." It is a pretty great quote and I have heard it quoted often. Mostly because it is so true. What is inside you comes out. Whatever teaching or knowledge or experience. They shape us through our thoughts and how we process things, and thus they shape our actions. Whether consciously or unconsciously, what we believe slips into the way we do things. Take an example from teaching. Before I got into the classroom, the professors always warned us about how we discussed… Read more >>