an artist's doxology

"The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life -- they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God -- not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. And art work can be a doxology in itself." - Francis Schaeffer

a continued conversation on evangelism…

I agree that cultural perceptions and priorities are continually changing in our society. I also agree that our methods must be somewhat modified to fit the context of our time. I think it is our duty as ministers of the gospel to make sure that the answers we are giving are relevant to the questions being asked of us. But we can’t expect to simply utilize the latest software, marketing schemes, or innovative tools of technology and expect lives to be changed. We can’t shove our heads in the sand and forget that the gospel is primarily about relationship, however “relevant” to the culture we may perceive ourselves as being. Our message must be coupled with our action and the truth of the gospel must be embodied in order to be identified as genuine. If those in our community are struggling to love others, and they observe us plagued by the same disease, how will they perceive that we are any different? If we are preaching change and living stagnantly, I believe, our message will inescapably fall on deaf ears. The gospel will be rejected on the grounds of the soiled version of Christ that we present. I’m seeing more and more that our character and attitude has to operate as an uninterrupted segue to our presentation of the gospel, not the other way around.

existing to worship

I love old trees. I’m really not sure why. They have a way of causing me to stop and consider their faithfulness, the hundreds, if not thousands, of years they have endured, patiently, resolutely. They exist with their sculpted arms stretching against gravity, towards air and sky, moving at the winds prompting, calling on the earth around it to join in the silent dance.


God, give me the same resolve. Give me the same determination to offer myself, emotions, will, and body, in a concerted gift to my creator.

Shepherding the fields of Obscurity

Sometimes I can’t help but feel like a vagrant. I often experience a strange sense of homelessness when I consider my place in life, a type of drifter’s mentality of sorts. It’s not by my conscious choosing, mind you. I unquestionably want to find my place, the ground that perfectly matches the shape of my feet, the role that was unmistakably written just for me. I wish I knew why that has been so difficult to find. I observe others close to me, happily operating in a place that feels like it was tailor-made for their personality or desires, completely and wholeheartedly engaged with the work of their hands. I see others around me with the same passions and desires and gifts that God has given me, somehow falling backwards into positions that provide for their needs materially and engage their hearts spiritually. For some reason, finding my place has seemed more enigmatic, like a formula that I just can’t get right, or a secret that I haven’t yet been told.

I heard a quote recently that has been especially applicable to life’s events recently. I think it originally referred to a particular occupation (I don’t remember which) but I think it’s especially pertinent to ministry. It goes something like this, ‘Ministry roles don’t create character in individuals; they highlight character.’ This means that whatever character a person has going into a certain ministry position will be illuminated and magnified once that person starts to operate in the position. This was eye-opening for me when I heard it for the first time. I think we assume that places of prominence or significance will evolve us into more holy beings, somehow magically hastening the work of sanctification. I don’t think it works that way. I think God provides periods of obscurity to develop in us the characteristics needed for places of notoriety. Just like David, we are seasoned in the fields of anonymity, sometimes for a season, sometimes for a lifetime, all to make our hearts pure and our spirits holy.

God give me a holy confidence in Your intentions for my life. Keep my eyes fixed on the fields of obscurity in which you’ve placed me. Keep me from foolish fears of worldly insignificance. Breathe humility deep inside my spirit. Keep my eyes fixed on exalting my King wherever I’m lead.

Father’s Day Thoughts

I’m completely amazed by this holiday. I feel so privileged to be known as Jonah’s dad, so fortunate to be able to closely witness his life, yet I am the one who is celebrated today.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Savoring the Moment

It’s strange how this little guy has completely captured my attention. I could stare at him for hours. His little movements are so astonishing to me- his limbs moving involuntarily, his eyes shifting from one object to another, his little smile that starts with his eyes lighting up and then turns into an expansive dimpled grin. I love every little moment I get to spend with him.

All of a sudden, one of my greatest joys in life is seeing him smile…

abandoning distrust

Sometimes I get this overwhelming sense of frustration. Maybe frustration isn’t the right word. It’s more of an anti-faith, a groundswell of anxiety that causes me to question who I am. This is an old wound I’ve revisited countless times. I can recognize the moment the feeling starts. My wife can see it in my eyes when the sting arrives. A wave of anguish washes over the faith of my spirit, tearing at the stitches of a wound that the Great Physician has tended to so many times. I suddenly get discouraged by my place in life, my personality, my reality, the timing of circumstances…so completely consumed by what is summed up as “me”. I get discouraged by God’s timing, by his seemingly slow, unhurried unfolding of what He has deposited in me.

I long to rest in the identity God has bestowed on me, yet I so often try to craft the definition myself. I let myself get completely encased in my own barometer of self-worth, my classification of value. I want to let go and rest, “to just simply be a thing in Your presence” as Rilke said in one of his Book of Hours verses. I was communicating by email a few years ago with a mentor of mine and describing to him these very circumstances. He wrote back about “the gap that often exists between our swift and elegant version of how events should unfold and God's seemingly clumsy, foot-dragging, labyrinthine choreography”. How well this describes my perspective of things. I fail to rest in God all too often. I lack the trust that the spiritual life requires; the confidence in His perfect schedule. I choose, instead, to calculate my self-worth by my own graph. Oh God, release me from my delusion. Strip me of my selfishness. Breathe your truth into my life and let it settle inside me, deep and slow.