This Christian Life

The Screen
Photos are a big part of our family and we often have photos to share with each other. Typically, there are a combination of formats that we show photos in. Some are prints, some on...

Laughing
I like this picture. I first saw it in the house of one of my pastors growing up. It was the first time I had ever seen a depiction of Jesus laughing. I didn't grow...

What Came First?
Have you ever been listening to NPR and noticed that most of the announcers, when referring to the "conservative right" sort of say it with a bit of a demeaning tone? Okay, maybe not "most,"...

Normal, Everyday People
I remember as a kid going into the local 7-11 convenience store and buying candy. At a certain age, when life started becoming more understandable, I became philosophical in a 11 year old kind of...

Don't Judge a Website by its Homepage
These people actually advertised their site on Google: Bible 14...

"I Should Make a Website"
Ever utter those words? Ever have anyone tell you to do it? I say that phrase a lot. I always wanted to start a website called thisisaforwardslash.com and have a huge "/" right in the...

God
Have you ever bought a new car and suddenly started noticing the other cars out there just like yours? Or have you learned a new word and now you feel like everyone's using it? Sometimes...

New York Contrast
Busy, big, and glamorous are the words I would use to describe New York. It's fast-paced. It's crowded. It's huge on every scale. That's not my regular life. Daily life for me would be described...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
It has been snowing most of the day today. It just keeps coming down. As I was hastily shoveling 7 inches of snow off the walk tonight, I was thinking about how I am leaving...

Interruptions are Normal
Have you ever been right in the middle of a sentence, and you hear a distant phone ringing? The person to whom you're talking freezes, says, "Mine" and quickly swipes at their side or digs...

The Power of a Spoken Word
There is a co-worker of mine that is here every day by 7:30--or earlier--without fail. I usually show up by 8:30, so she is always at her desk as I walk by it on the...

Material Obsession
I love to obsess. I do it all the time without realizing it. I find it easy to obsess about things like sci-fi movies and books, photography, techy gadgets... Sometimes I wonder if I should...

It's Debatable
This is something that has been at the forefront of my thinking this year as I take responsibility for making a decision on who to vote for--Bush or Kerry. I have found myself not putting...

How to Save on Energy Costs
I've heard a few reports on the news that warn of the high cost of natural gas prices this year. They say homes in this area will be spending an additional $75-200 per month on...

Convenience is Normal
Yesterday I needed to buy lunch because I was out and so I stopped in Subway. I stood at the beginning of the line and hastily made my decision for a 6" Cold Cut combo...

Graduation
Yesterday, my sister-in-law graduated from Calvin College along with 900 other graduates. Last weekend, my brother graduated from Princeton Seminary. Sitting through graduation ceremonies is long and sometimes boring. But when it's for your brother...

Choice is Normal
As I was driving through town on my way to church the other day, I noticed a Burger King restaurant. Just then, I had this freaky intersection of thoughts in a flash of a moment....

Confrontation is Necessary
(But I still don't like to do it.) "I think if we took a survey of the things we don't like to do, confrontation would come out somewhere near the top.   Whether on the...

Modern-era T.V. in a Postmodern World
In a postmodern world, I find it interesting how many shows on regular-old broadcast TV are mystery, courtroom, or detective related. If I were to guess what types of shows would be more popular in...

Change is Normal
Saturday I was working on my computer at home and popped up iTunes to listen to the radio. As I was strolling through the stations looking for something to listen to that would fit my...

May Your Dreams Be Realized
God, we bless you for the foundation Martin Luther King, Jr. laid to bring our country closer to breaking down the walls of racism and white supremacy. Make his work flourish in our every day...

Revealing Revelation
When I went to Turkey I learned something that helped me understand Revelation better. It made me see the culture to which Revelation was first written to and what kind of persecution believers of that...

CS Lewis
I found out for the first time that CS Lewis died the same day as President Kennedy. Here's a quote from a Lewis website: Lewis died at 5:30 p.m. at The Kilns, one week before...

Living Without Despair in the Kingdom of God
The following was taken from Tribe18, the site of a friend of mine. The author of the article, Kent Dobson, is from Grand Rapids, but is now studying in Jerusalem. The letter was too powerful...

Our "Interface" to God
I was driving to work today and had this thought that might get me in trouble, but I'm going to post it here anyway. I'm posting it on the possibility that someone out there knows...