No one wants to be exposed or found out. There are certain things that we do that we want to keep doing without any interference from others. Some of these things are innocent and not very harmful, others; are detrimental and possibly totally destructive. Being exposed is uncomfortable and can even be painful. However, it’s good for us.

It’s like waking up in the morning and opening the blinds and seeing the first rays of the sunshine. The initial response is pain. It hurts our eyes, its uncomfortable, we are struggling to gather our senses and see through the brilliance of the light. Then, within seconds our eyes begin to adjust. As the pain fades there lays in front of us the beauty of the sun light and the exposure of all of creation.

I’ve recently been reading through a book by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones called, “Why Does God Allow War”. The book was first printed in December of 1939. For you history buffs you may recognize that date. It’s the exact time where the US would engage in WWII and the notorious Adolf Hitler begins his reign of destructive and cruel leadership. It is within this context that Dr. Lloyd Jones preaches a series of sermons which are turned into this small book. The first half of the book deals specifically with prayer. Dr. Lloyd Jones in the very first page states:

“In a time of stress and difficulty men and women turn instinctively to prayer. They are conscious of the fact that their fate, and the fate of those who are dear to them, is in the hands of powers greater than themselves”

As you read those words you may have the same feeling in the pit of your stomach. Its the set up that leads you to conviction. Dr. Lloyd Jones continues:

“Prayer is regarded as a mechanism which is designed to produce certain results”

Exposed. Here I was, literally two pages into this book and I found myself in deep conviction. I began to evaluate my own prayer life and realized while I knew how I should approach prayer I found myself in a dangerous position. I realized that my prayer life exposed how I view God. If I came to God in prayer only when I was in great need and functionally prayer served as a mechanism to meet my needs and goals, God was no more than a genie in a bottle.

God: Genie in a bottle or Sovereign God of the Universe?

It’s offensive. How could someone accuse me of viewing God as some genie in a bottle? Yet, here I was; not only accusing myself but declaring the verdict – guilty. My actions unveiled the condition of my heart and some tendencies I fell into. If I don’t keep preaching the Gospel to myself and the truth about who God is, the sovereign creator, sustainer, and King of the Universe; I am prone to dethrone Him and attempt a feeble insurrection and place myself in that place of kingship. The result is that God functionally becomes someone who has a sole purpose of meeting my needs, wishes, and desires.

The way we approach God in prayer gives us an understanding of our Theology of God. What do we believe about God and do our actions line up with our beliefs? Even worse, and more systematic of not having a right view of God is if the only time we truly pray is in the midst of crisis and despair. Dr. Lloyd Jones states,

“This is why, of course, the prayer life of so many is fitful and spasmodic in normal times, and becomes urgent and regular only in a time of desperate need”.

Course Correction:

It is in these moments I am ever grateful that we have a God who is patient and kind with us. We have two options when we are exposed. First, we can fear the exposure and attempt to burrow ourselves deeper into the darkness in a weak attempt at hiding from our creator. Or Second, we can allow the initial pain of exposure to result in a course correction that is navigated by the truth of the Gospel and results in our eyes and heart refocused on the beauty and brilliance of God.

If we look at the prayer life of Moses, Daniel, Isaiah, and even the Apostles we see a model of prayer that brings into perspective the full nature and character of God. If God is who he says he is we should willingly and in eager fashion approach him in humility declaring his worth and seeking his purposes. Petition has its place and even better, God hears and responds to our petitions, however; we need a balance in our prayer life that is centered by the Gospel.

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Grab your Copy of “Why Does God Allow War” By Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones

P.S – I just launched my first e-book and I’m giving it away for free! Grab your copy of Augustine’s 7 Steps To Wisdom!

The post Exposing Our Prayer Life appeared first on Joel's Travels.

Alas! You complain that your soul is out of tune. Then ask the Master to tune the heart-strings – Charles Spurgeon

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I had the opportunity to spend 14 days in Israel. This was a dream come true and an experience I really cherished. The most important part of the trip for me may have been the desert experience. When we think about the desert our minds typically turn to the challenges and extreme danger associated with a desert.

• Lack of water
• Extreme heat
• Deadly animals
• Dangerous terrain
• Lack of food and nutrition

The truth is, the desert brings us imagery of hopelessness, loss, and ultimately death. This truth was experienced by the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the desert. As we read through this account and consider their journey it’s easy to take for granted what they experienced and overlook the journey they were on.

Let’s take a moment to take a step back and consider what took place in the desert for them. The journey through the desert positioned the Israelites in the most desperate of situations. They were in a seemingly hopeless situation and they found their only hope of survival by wholly trusting in the provision of the Lord. Probably one of the most important aspects of their wilderness journey is what they learned during the 40 years. Imagine what people were feeling as they wandered. They had such high hopes for the promised land. They could remember the bitterness of slavery and they had hopes for a better future.

Take a moment to pause.

I think this describes us in many ways.

As some of you are reading this you are instantly considering your own life. You may not be in a physical desert, but you are experiencing a “desert season” in your life. You find yourself filling your head with doubts and questioning God’s will for your life. You may have experienced some kind of failure recently. What possible worth could there be in the waiting? In the pain of the desert? Why would a loving God allow us to go through desert seasons?

Theological Framework:

First, lets take a look at Acts 17:24-28. This passage is a source of incredible encouragement for me. My specific boundaries and geographic location were determined by God. Not only our boundaries but even the “allotted periods”. This at the most practical level means that our work, school, families, and homes that we live in are allotted and determined by God for a purpose, namely our good and His glory.

Hope in the desert:

The Israelites experience in the desert was meaningful and not meaningless. They learned how serious God was about his Holiness and his people living according to his laws. They learned humility in being forced to trust God when the had no way to provide for themselves. During the course of 40 very difficult years, they experienced the simple and life giving blessings of the Lord. These experiences caused them to return to the hope they had in God.

Your desert is not meaningless. The job that you have is not meaningless. The neighborhood that you live in is not by accident nor is it meaningless. There is a purpose and God is working in your desert to provide simple blessings to cause you to remember the hope that can only be found in him.

Learning in the desert:

Human nature and our current cultural trends have us focusing on the destination. There is much more focus and drive to achieve and arrive at the goal. In the process we create a tunnel vision that causes us to miss the beauty of the journey. In Israel our tour guide, Boaz; focused on this aspect of our behavior as we walked up to the Mt. of Beatitudes. So many of us were focused on getting there, that we missed the beauty of the sea of Galilee that can only be seen on a certain part of the journey up.

Our hyper focus on getting ourselves out of the desert season we may be in may not be the best for us. Just as the Israelites had to learn important lessons, we must also. The desert just happens to be the means by which God teaches at times. What can you learn in your desert? How is God working to shape and form you in His likeness and image? What are the frustrations that you bring to God and are pleading with him to resolve so you can move on to the bigger and better?

It’s in these questions that we find the grace of God and we begin to see his will and purpose for our life a bit clearer. As we realize what God is teaching us, we can be encouraged to know that he also has a plan for us and is working in a 100 different ways simultaneously to cause us to reflect Him and prepare us for the future.

There is meaning in our desert. There is a value in our waiting. God is actively working and shaping us and uses the desert seasons of our life to accomplish this. Be encouraged, the desert will come to an end. The saddest thing is if the desert comes to an end and we missed out on all that God had desired for us to learn in that season.

The post Finding Hope In The Desert appeared first on Joel's Travels.

On Fathers Day every where we look we see a celebration of fatherhood filled with special food and drinks. Fun activities and basically a day filled with doing whatever dad wants to do. It’s a joyous day! It’s a fun day! Then you wake up Monday morning and that sense of exhilaration is gone only to be replaced with being weary and tired.

You wake up weary, tired, there is a sense of brokenness and anxiety as you roll out of bed and begin your routine. You see, I don’t really want to engage with or talk to the excited and pumped up dad on Fathers day, I want to talk to the dad the morning after.

Why Weary?

It’s hard work and exhausting being dad. From the moment we got married and then had kids, our world turned upside down. The college adolescent days of partying, late nights, and binge watching tv shows or playing games came to an end. If it hasn’t come to an end, it should! We can still have fun and actually, it’s important that we do. However, its a different world filled with constantly thinking about how we are going to provide for our kids, if our families needs are met, how to achieve the next promotion or raise to help create some breathing room for our family in the budget. We wake up thinking about those things and go to bed with them rolling around in our minds.

This leaves us weary and tired. However, there is good news. The scriptures give us hope and as fathers we can hold on to these four truths.

God is sovereign regardless of circumstance:

Let’s speak candid. We are not the kings of our castle. If we were, there is plenty of reason to not only be weary but terrified. Everything will crumble around us as we realize how unable we are to handle all that is on our shoulders. The good news is that God is ultimately and sufficiently sovereign. That means he rules everything and everything is subject to his Kingship. All we have to do is turn to John 1:1-3 to see this tremendous truth. Since this is true, our circumstances don’t shake God. The details and concerns that keep us up at night don’t stress God out. He is in control of all of it and is working those things together for our good and His glory. God is King of our circumstances and in an almost mysterious way he works through our circumstances to cause us to grow in our love and affections for Him.

If there is doubt that is creeping into your heart about this truth take a moment to read John 1:1-7 and the book of Job. John 1:1-7 gives us the theological framework for this truth. The book of Job shows us how this plays out in the life of one of God’s faithful servants.

P.S – If you are a wife reading this take a moment in the day to remind your husband of this truth. Encourage him and pray this over him.

God is sovereign regardless of circumstance:
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We are not on our own:

Now that we know that God is sovereign there is a tremendous implication to this truth. We are not on our own. We have a tendency to walk through our day, make plans, and take actions with the mindset that we are on our own. Sometimes we keep things from our wives or loved ones fearing that they will stress out so we take this tremendous burden on by ourselves. If God is sovereign, and we know he is; we also know that he is active in our lives. He didn’t create the world by speaking and then walk away like an absentee father. Some of you may have experienced that growing up. An absentee father physical or even emotional is painful. God did not walk away, rather after creation he stepped into humanity and remained active. God is empathetic and truly cares for the people he created in his likeness and image.

For the weary father, this truth is like holding your breath under water to the point of passing out and then coming out of the water and getting that first breath of fresh air. It is life giving. Literally life giving. Knowing God is with us, and that he walks alongside us should fill us with hope and joy. It’s like going into a pick up basketball game with the 95’96 Michael Jordan walking next to you (Yea, I went there) Unstoppable!

P.S – Wives, if your reading this take a moment to pray for your husband. He may not show it, but some degree he is weary.

We are not on our own:
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We have the perfect Father to turn to:

One of the most important characteristics of God is that he is our Father. The imagery of God that we see throughout the entire Bible is of a loving, caring, and perfect Father (2nd Sam7:13-14, Mt 7:7-11, Rom 8:15-17). Keep in mind, the fact that he is loving and caring also means that like any good and Godly father he brings correction and discipline (Prov 3:11-12, Prov 13:24). When we feel hopeless, weary, and exhausted, we can and should turn to our heavenly Father. He comforts us in the midst of our pain and tragedy, he sings over us with delight in the midst of our joy and praise (Zeph 3:17).

We have the perfect Father to turn to:
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We have the hope of the Gospel:

To the weary father, live in light of the hope that the Gospel gives us.The hope we have is found in the finished work of Christ. We could never accomplish what he did, and our striving to accomplish what he has already done will only leave us weary and tired. Continue to preach the Gospel to yourself. Remember the hope that you have in Christ and take joy in our adoption as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ. Rest assured in these simple and fundamental truths:

1. God is sovereign regardless of our circumstance
2. We are not on our own
3. We have the perfect Father to turn to
4. Live in light of the hope of the Gospel

We have the hope of the Gospel:
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I could really use your help. Would you take a few minutes to answer these 10 really quick questions for me? I’d love to know more about you and write posts that are helpful. This survey will also be huge for me as I prepare and figure out what I am going to do in 2017!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer these questions. I know how limited our time is and the fact that you would carve out a few minutes to fill out this survey for me is so appreciated!

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Help @Muddamalle out and answer this quick survey!
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Thanks for filling out the post! I’d love to give you my free 7 day devotional through the faithfulness of Psalms as a “Thank You” for free when I release it in the next few weeks.

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My week typically includes an Uber ride to the airport, jumping on a United flight to some part of the country, checking into a hotel, and then racing to a conference center or church to get a sound check in. I then wait a day or so to get on a stage and communicate the power of Logos Bible Software and attempt to encourage people to dig deeper into the scriptures and study their Bible.

One of the skills that I am constantly working on and trying to develop is public speaking and communication. My ability to be successful in my job goes hand in hand with my ability to communicate, and hopefully doing it with excellence. The truth is, we all need to be concerned with our ability to communicate. This isn’t just for teachers or public speakers but for everyone! The next time you go in to a team meeting you will be, communicating. The next time you make a pitch for a salary increase, promotion, or job change you will be – communicating. So, how can we strive towards excellence in our communication? The following are three things I go back to consistently for my preparation.

Know your Stuff:

Nothing is worse than listening to someone who fumbles through their information or even worse, gives the wrong information! The best thing that you can do for yourself is to take time to really know the content you will be communicating. I had a seminary professor once tell me that for every minute I teach or preach I should have had at least an hour of research in. That means, if I get on a stage for 30-45 minutes I should have spent 30-45 hours in preparation and research! This may be unrealistic in some ways but the principle here is incredibly valuable – know your stuff!

The benefit of being informed and taking time to really understand the content you will be communicating is tremendous. While you may not use all the information you learned or studied, you will have it as ammo for questions and if you decide to go a different direction based on the response of the audience

Pro-Tip – You know a great communicator when they have the ability to adapt based on the response of the audience.

Practice to the Point of Exhaustion:

Many of us fall into two categories. First, we think to much of ourselves and our abilities. Second, we don’t have confidence in ourselves at all. We think less of ourselves which causes us to miss opportunities and positions ourselves for defeat. We need to be somewhere in the middle and in humility we should subject ourselves to practice. Really practicing, to the point of exhaustion!

When I first started at Logos my mentor, Scott; commented that I should be so good at my presentation that I could jump into it and deliver it in the car driving. I should be able to hit every joke, timing, and emotional focus point, while driving! No notes, computer screen for visual representation, just me and my voice. What did I do? I logged countless hours of practice time in rental cars on the way to the hotel, airport, and conference center. Guess what, it worked! This obsessive quality is what separates the “good” from the “great”, and take you from “average” to “excellent”. In fact, if you dig into biographies of influential and accomplished individuals you will find something similar that ties them all together. Practice is key.

Pro-Tip – Evaluate your schedule and redeem wasted time for practice. For me it was car rides and commutes. Take a look at wasted time in your schedule and be intentional about filling it to practice!

Always Have a Back Up Plan:

Knowing your stuff and practicing are both pre-requisites for this next step. After my sound check at conference centers or churches regardless of it being a 10,000 person arena or a 150 seat church I alway recognize that something can go wrong. In fact, I prepare for the worst happening and make sure that I have a back up plan. One of my greatest presentation aids is Logos Bible Software on my Mac. I always plug it onto stage and display it on the big screen to give people a visual of exactly what they can expect. The result is usually audible gasps and aaawwws, pretty cool to think about that in the context of Bible Software and a technology demo! I can’t tell you how many times I get on stage, plug in, and it doesn’t work! All the tests were great. It worked perfect less than an hour ago! However, now I’m on stage with hundreds of eyes staring at me waiting. This is where having a back up plan is so important!

I have a presentation that I developed for this situation. I have another one if Logos crashes or stops working half way through. I took the time to create a back up plan and then practice that back up plan to the point of exhaustion so nothing can take me by surprise to the point where I’m helpless. On a practical note, this includes having all my adapters and extra adapters and technology gadgets that I travel with just in case.

For some of you this involves thinking about the numbers and business data. Considering organizational shifts and management or organizational structures. Be prepared and have a back up plan in your arsenal as a ready response for any variable you may encounter.

Pro-Tip – Take a moment and jot down everything that could go wrong. Now, create a back up plan or response for that. Practice it and be prepared for it!

Bonus: Be You and Execute

The worst thing you can do is try to be someone else. Don’t fall into that trap. It’s filled with misery, inadequacy, and constantly questioning yourself. Feel free to take principles from people you admire and then do the hard work of contextualizing it into your voice! Be you, be genuine, and execute!

In the words of the famous Nike slogan – Just Do It!

P.S

Recommended Reading – If you want some resources to check out, the following books have been incredibly helpful for me.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently

Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds

The post 3 Steps To Excellence in Communicating appeared first on Joel's Travels.

One of the theologians I took special interest in during seminary was Augustine. Augustine, was Bishop of Hippo and his life was a journey marked by his pursuit of selfish pleasures in his youth to a conversion experience that caused him to be placed by “force” as a priest in Hippo. In just 5 short years, he became Bishop of Hippo and remained in that position for the next 35 years. As I look at the life of Augustine I am filled with conviction, hope, and encouragement. Augustine’s priority was ministry and his writing and scholarship came as a result of his experiences serving the people of God placed under his care.

Both in Augustine’s day and in ours, humanity is seeking after wisdom. They look for wisdom in a variety of places hoping that the acquisition of wisdom will save them from hardship and provide a benefit for their future. Augustine took great care to write about wisdom in a way that would be of use for those that God called to his care. Even more important, Augustine points us to pursue wisdom through the context of the Gospel and in light of the scriptures. He breaks down the pursuit of wisdom into seven steps in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: First Series, Volume II St. Augustine: City of God, Christian Doctrine

First, Fear:

It is necessary that we should be led by the fear of God to seek the knowledge of His will – Augustin

In many ways wisdom begins with humility. Our understanding of who God is and who we are should produce a holy fear. Augustine helps us see that this holy fear should cause us to seek the knowledge of God. As we understand the knowledge of God we are able to align our desires with those of God. As we come into alignment with the will of God, our choices, motivations, and actions will begin to reflect the wisdom of God.

Another key aspect of fear is the recollection of who we truly are apart from Christ. Our mortality and fragile nature will come to the forefront causing us to run into the embrace of the Creator and lay down our prideful notions of idolatrous self worth.

we should be led by the fear of God to seek the knowledge of His will – #Augustin
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Second, Piety:

It is necessary to have our hearts subdued by piety – Augustine

Augustine is asking that we allow our hearts to be subject to properly honor and respect the Word of God. It can be easy for us to neglect or even run away from Scripture. The Word of God is both life giving and offensive as it exposes our sin. Our response to scripture however should be filled with humility and a willingness to allow God’s Word to direct and change our life. Augustine also encourages us in our inability to understand Scripture at times. Rather than thinking we should be able to understand and beating ourselves up over our inadequacy, we should rest in the truth and sufficiency of God’s Word. Whatever is written, even if it is hidden, is better and more true than anything we could conjure up with our own wisdom.

It is necessary to have our hearts subdued by piety – #Augustine
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Third, Knowledge:

God is to be loved for his own sake, and our neighbor for God’s sake – Augustine

As we jump into the Scriptures to gain knowledge we will find the truth of the human condition apart from God. We have been entangled in the love of this world and taken in fleeting and momentary pleasures only to find our selves more broken and hurting. Therefore, the fear of the Lord and our pious approach to the scriptures give us a renewed sense of hope and we see the truth. As we become captivated by the beauty of the Gospel we see that God is to be loved for his own sake and that in grace he saves and restores fallen humanity to enjoy Him. The more we understand and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures we have a greater sense of the despair we were in but for Christ. So we become humble and not boastful, meek and not proud, and seek to serve not to rule.

God is to be loved for his own sake, and our neighbor for God’s sake – #Augustine
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Fourth, Strength and Resolution:

He extricates himself from every form of fatal joy in transitory things – Augustine

As you may notice, Augustine seems to be building on each of these points. As we have gained knowledge and understand the truths of scripture there is a need for response. The heart that has been redeemed and restored turns from the fatal and fleeting pleasures of this world to fix our eyes and gaze upon Christ. We fix our affections on eternal things that stir up our love and joy in Christ.

There is also a sense of resolution that takes place. A commitment to submit ourselves to the Gospel and in humility subject ourselves to the Kingship of Christ in all areas of life.

He extricates himself from every form of fatal joy in transitory things – #Augustine
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Fifth, Counsel Of Compassion:

He exercises himself diligently in the love of his neighbor – Augustine

In the most basic manner our pursuit of Godly Wisdom will result on our reflecting the character and nature of Christ. As Christ loved us so we love our neighbor. Even more so, we begin to show compassion and love towards our enemies and those that mistreat us. Our story becomes one that is defined by the love of Christ.

Our affections are so stirred up for Christ that we can not help but become agents of his mercy and love. We carry out our mission as ambassadors of Christ and the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, our love of our neighbor and enemy produces a Godly wisdom.

He exercises himself diligently in the love of his neighbor – #Augustine
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Sixth, Purification Of Heart:

For men see Him just as far as they die to this world; and so far as they live to it they see Him not – Augustine

The process of our purification forms us into the image of Christ. As we live in light of the Gospel we will be so pure in heart that we can’t step aside from truth for any reason. The thought of pleasing man or even our own desires fade in comparison to the brilliant and beautiful light of Christ. Our purification of heart and mind cause us to see this world for what it is, a temporary living place until the return of the King who will create and form the new heavens and earth.

Our purification will also allow us to see God. As we die to this world and live for the Kingdom our clarity of the King becomes clearer. Sadly, those that live for this world are unable to see the King or His Kingdom.

Seventh, Ascend To Wisdom:

For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom – Augustine

Peace and tranquility is found by the person who processes these six steps and finds it’s culmination in Godly wisdom. It is a full circle as we are brought back to the truth that the fear of God is in fact the very beginning of wisdom.

“From that beginning, then, till we reach wisdom itself, our way is by the steps now described” – Augustine

For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom – #Augustine
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P.S – If you would like a copy to read I recommend the following edition. Click the link and grab your copy!

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^[1] Augustine of Hippo, “On Christian Doctrine,” in St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J. F. Shaw, vol. 2, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 538.

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In 2013 I set out to earn a second Master’s Degree. I had just completed a Master of Science in Organizational Psychology and was faced with an opportunity to earn a Masters Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Knox Theological Seminary. The offer was too good to pass up and I love being a student so I embarked on a 2.5 year journey. Recently, I finished all course requirements and finished my degree. As I’ve been reflecting on my time in Seminary I’ve come to realize that much of what I learned and will take away with me are the intangibles. The following are five of the most important skills that Seminary taught me aside from the standard academic goals of proficiency and aptitude in the area of theological and biblical studies.

Pursuing Excellence in the Area of Time/Calendar Management:

Throughout my seminary journey I balanced a full time job at Faithlife which had me traveling over 100K miles a year around the world. I did my best to be a faithful husband and loving father to my three sons. I also attempted to be apart of the local church and serve to the best of my ability. Somewhere in that mix was serious study time for seminary which included lots of reading and writing. Oh, I also had to fit in fantasy football and watching and playing basketball! I’ve been constantly asked, “How do you manage it all”. I typically responded with, “It’s really just the way God wired me”. As I reflect on that season of my life I agree that God has definitely wired me in a way to enjoy balancing multiple projects, however; I think an overlooked skill that was forcibly developed was pursuing excellence in my time and calendar management. The most important part of this for me was redeeming possibly wasted time. For instance:

• Get all my reading and as much of my writing done during airplane rides instead of falling asleep (which sadly I did to often!).
• Create blocks of time that was dedicated to school, work, family, and fun/activities. I built this in my iCal and shared it with my wife so we had visibility in my schedule.
• Evaluate my calendar and how successful I had been the previous week – I learned quickly how much I could manage and had to make some difficult decisions in different seasons on things that I had to lay down in order to get my priorities done. For instance, I took a 4 month break on this blog to finish seminary strong and achieve the grade point average I needed to have a competitive application for a PhD program

Ultimately, this allowed me to finish my goals without having to many things slip. If they did slip, it would be taken care of in the evaluation of my previous week. Learning this has been vital and really has overflowed into every area of my life.

Think Critically about Literature and Scripture:

Until I got into Seminary I didn’t realize how much of my reading was on auto pilot. I took almost everything I read to be fact without really engaging and thinking critically about what was being said, why it was being said in that way, and if I even agreed with what was written. This showed up specifically in engaging with commentaries, modern surveys, and biographical research and study on influential people such as Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, and Augustine. It is easy to just assume what they have to say is correct because of the great platform they have in the development of theology and doctrine. However, I was forced to come to terms with parts of their writings I didn’t agree with or where they missed the point or were simply negligent in. This is not isolated just to writing but the life that was lived. For instance, for all the good that Edwards has done for the church the fact is he was also a slave owner. Some how in his study, this was a blind area of his life.

Thinking critically about literature and scripture caused my mind to work in ways that it hadn’t previously. I found my self asking different questions which led me to a deeper and better understanding of scripture and theology.

Funnel my Scholarly Pursuit Through the Lens of Ministry:

One of my honest fears of Seminary was that I would turn into a snobbish academic elitist with little time for ministry and people. I didn’t want to become a modern Pharisee who was so caught up in the details of the scripture that I missed the heart and mission of God. This fear actually served as a lens that I funneled my academic pursuits through. I made it a habit of asking the simple questions, “How and why would this relate to my church or the body of Christ?”. Crossing the bridge of application between the scholarly and ministry worlds is so important. I think its when we neglect this bridge that we lose our way. Again, I am greatly influenced by Augustine who spent 35 years as Bishop of Hippo preaching up to two times a day and still accomplished academic excellence. It took Augustine 16 years to write his influential work on the Trinity in his “spare time”! Possibly my favorite Augustine quote is:

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Better is it that scholars find fault with us, than that the people understand us not – #Augustine
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Being an Academic and Still Have a Relationship with Christ:

Another fear going into seminary was that my heart would turn cold towards God and that the scriptures would become a textbook filled with information that needed to be studied and researched. Again, this fear propelled me to engage with the Lord personally through seminary. I made a commitment to read books that were more devotional in nature and caused me to realign my heart with the creator of the universe. Dr. John Piper’s Desiring God was monumental for me in seasons where I felt myself slipping.

While this is a serious danger, especially as I consider further academic pursuits; I am encouraged that there are those out there that have also been down that road and are more in love with Christ than ever before as a result of their academic journey.

Being a Perpetual Student of the Word of God: There is no “Arriving”

Just because you graduate with a diploma and have the ability to add a few letters after your signature doesn’t mean you have “arrived”. Throughout my entire seminary process what became more and more evident is how little I am and how much there is to learn and grow in. This goes for both the academic and spiritual parts of our life. We will ever be servants of Christ and it bodes us well to position our selves in humility before the creator of the universe. That he reveals himself to us through his Word is evidence of his grace and love for the people whom He created. This sense of humility allows us to approach the scriptures with an eager mind and humble heart.

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I love reading. At any given time you will see a combination of theology, history, systematic theology, or biography books on my nightstand (or loaded on my ipad). Another genre I love reading is science fiction. I love The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Eragon series. Recently, I started reading (actually, i’ve been listening via audible) the Farseer Trilogy. This series is not “christian” in nature and I began to think whether or not I should be reading this series. In fact, over the years I’ve seen the debate take place on various forums on whether Christians should read non christian literature. As I’ve considered this questions I’ve come to the conclusion that like most things, this is a more complex discussion. In fact, the most important realization I made is that it is in fact a “discussion” and that there is not a blanket statement or answer. In fact, I think as Christians we should be aware of and educated on whats happening in the secular arts community in order to effectively share the Gospel. So, instead of stating whether or not Christians should read secular books, I’d rather point out some principles to consider in the process of deciding what you read.

Does It Hinder Your Relationship With Christ?

In other words, do you find yourself in a compromising place that causes you to be distant from Christ rather than drawn closer to Him. The challenge here is that this line and question is different for each individual person. Our story, background, experiences, sin issues, and so much more play into how we answer this question. Therefore, it is important to ask it and be honest with ourselves with our answer. If your married, your spouse is a great sounding board. Otherwise, it’s always good to have a few trusted friends to reach out too. If you find that what you are reading hinders your relationship, stop. There is nothing worth reading if it compromises our relationship with Christ.

Does it Stir Up Your Imagination?

This almost deals more with the creative brilliance of the author. As I think about J.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis I marvel at their ability to stir up imagination in both adults in children. We are instantly drawn into Narnia and Middle Earth and experience the challenges and goodness of these places as we turn each page. Our imagination is important to Christians. There is so much that is not black and white in the scriptures and to some degree we are called upon to utilize our imagination as we unpack the depth of God’s Word. What does heaven look like? What does God look like? Will we work in Heaven? These questions require a healthy imagination that is framed by the Word of God.

Is It Fun To Read?

Finally, is it fun? Do you enjoy reading it? Does it bring a sense of satisfaction to you? Does it cause you to mourn the end of the novel and anticipate the next book in the series or another book by the author? God gave us creativity as a gift to both exercise and enjoy. While the author of the narrative exercises their creative gift, we the consumer, get to enjoy it!

Question – What are some of your favorite books? What would you add to this list of considerations?

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“I just wish I could be like everyone else”

“Why do people stare at me when I walk into a store? I wish I could just fit in..”

“I hate my hair…it’s so different…why can’t it look like other kids?”

These are just a few comments I’ve heard from ethnic children growing up. In all honesty, I’ve asked these questions to myself, my parents, and to God many times growing up. My ethnicity for a long time was something that made me different from other people. It wasn’t until college that I realized that my perspective on my ethnicity was hurting me, not helping me. The reality was, my ethnicity was what made me unique. My ethnic story intertwined within an American cultural context made me so incredibly unique and provided an ability to develop a certain skill set that others may never have. Sadly, one of the realities of our society is that there are children today that are asking these questions and not seeing the immense blessing that their ethnicity is. Our perspective change in this particular matter is incredibly important. Not just for ourselves, but also for how we will parent our children. Especially, if you have biracial children like I have. My three handsome half Indian half caucasian boys typically comment on their skin color. The other night my oldest son Liam said, “Daddy, I’m brown like you AND White like mommy!”. I sat there amazed and so proud of my son. I love that he doesn’t despise his ethnicity but takes pride in it and sees how it is a reflection of his parents.

Despising Your Ethnicity Causes Problem

Putting it very simply, wishing you were something or someone else than who God created you to be will only cause problems, hurt, and heart break. The same energy that you put into creating doubt and insecurity in your life could be spent identifying and growing in the skill’s that God has given you. The problems that are associated with despising your ethnicity are not only vast, but can cause serious life altering problem.

• It can create a low self-esteem

• It can warp what your reality is

• It will steal time and effort that can be better utilized in developing the skills God has given you

• It will distract you from who you are in Christ

Your Ethnicity is A Gift

While we live in a world that is filled with racial tension, it is more important today to see the gift that our ethnicity is. Our ethnicity allows us to reflect Christ as an ambassador of the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). Christ, who was fully divine humbled himself to become human and live alongside us to bring us rescue. I love that Hebrews describes him as our great high priest who can empathize and relate to us because he walked, lived, loved, and died on this very same earth only to conquer sin and death to return to His rightful place next to the Father. In the same way that Christ can relate, our ethnicity provides us a unique opportunity to relate and minister to people around us. Growing up my group of friends were hispanic, asian, african american, and caucasian. We learned very quickly the similarities of our families which served as a bridge for me to relate to their lives. This bridge is a gift that God have us to engage our community with the goodness of the Gospel!

Learn Your Ethnic History

Our ethnic story serves as a means of motivation. As I learned about the British missionaries that came to India to share the gospel with my grandparents I was filled with a mix of emotions. If it wasn’t for this missionary couple, the Slaters, who came to villages surrounding Hyderabad, India to share Jesus to children, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I am amazed that such a huge part of my ethnic story involves a Caucasian missionary couple who not only lived in India but retired and died in the same village that they served the Lord for decades. Our ethnic story is important. For some of us it gives us a clearer picture of our own trajectory and journey. For others, it points to the saving grace of God. Who steps in, intervenes, and rescues us from a path of destruction and places us on a journey to His Kingdom (Col 1:13). Learn your ethnic story, and rejoice in the God who saves.

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