A Most Unusual Commencement Speech
Over the last few days, reports have come out about a commencement speech given in early June by Chief Justice John Roberts at Cardigan Mountain School, an elite middle-school for boys in northern New Hampshire. Justice Roberts addressed the ninth grade class in which his son was graduating.
T-Shirts 2017
Last year about this time we had a blog about T-shirts. Summer truly brings them out in force – on vacation, at the beach, going shopping, etc. Many advertise loyalties to schools, sports teams, businesses, clothing brands, or musical groups. And like we saw last time, some advertise human characteristics that are not exactly virtuous (sarcasm, self-exaltation, argumentativeness, etc.).
How Did “Pollyanna” Get Such a Bad Rap?
The real world does contain unfair treatment, difficult circumstances, and people who do evil. But the Scriptures are quite clear that even these things cannot cause us to lose hope or take away the supernatural joy we can have even when things are not going well, humanly speaking.
“Why We Lie”
This is the title of the lead article in the June 2017 issue of National Geographic, featured on the cover of the magazine. The full title is “Why We Lie – the Science Behind Our Complicated Relationship with the Truth.” I don’t usually read National Geographic, but I had to read this article because lying has been so much a part of human behavior from time immemorial. And the conclusion, based on the Word of God, differs from that of the author – explaining why we lie is not all that complicated.
The Sound Technician (and other jobs you only know about when things go wrong)
Serving in obscurity is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate Whom we serve. While we seek opportunities to encourage others (and are commanded to do so), we do not need to let our peace and joy depend on whether we receive praise or encouragement ourselves.
The Miracle and Meaning of DNA, Part 3
We ended Part 2 by recognizing that, while cultures may have long-established prejudices, God says that believers are all part of the same spiritual family. No ancestry, nationality, race, gender, or age stands in the way of our having fellowship with the Lord and with one another, and the church should be the ultimate example of this principle in action.
What About So-Called “Inherited Problems?”
The Coptic Christian Church Bombings and the Message of Easter
I heard a remarkable interview on the way into work this morning. Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, we were horrified to hear of the bombings of two Coptic Christian Churches in two different Egyptian cities, killing almost 50 people and injuring dozens more.
The Miracle and Meaning of DNA, Part 2
In the last blog we began looking at the implications of DNA testing for us in society, as believers. We provided some background on DNA and introduced three aspects of DNA for which to explore biblical truths: health, ancestry, and stewardship. We covered health last time, will address the first part of ancestry in this blog, and the remainder next time.
The Miracle and Meaning of DNA
In this blog and the next, we’ll be exploring some of the implications of DNA and how we should be thinking about it as believers, based on the Scriptures. This includes biblical truths as they pertain to health, ancestry, and stewardship. We’ll talk about health in this blog and finish the other two next time. In each case we’ll see where our hope should be placed.
Pressure Situations: Lessons from the Oscars
If you have managed children’s programs, are a teacher, have been responsible for groups where recognition is made, or perhaps have been on the receiving end of omitted recognitions or errant announcements, you understand the kind of things that can happen. The Oscar incident provides a good opportunity to consider how we, as Christians, should think about the whole area of awards, recognition, and honoring of others’ accomplishments.