From Africa to Alaska, pt. 1

From Africa to Alaska, pt. 1

I am beginning this blog series as something of a makeshift journal to document what’s promising to be an exciting missions opportunity for me this fall, 2024. Earlier this Spring, I received an invitation to teach God’s Word to a group of pastor trainees who are part of a training center affiliated with The Master’s…

Old Biblical photo

Behind the Scenes

James 5:16 instructs us to confess our sins to one another. So here it goes. Forgive me, for I have sinned. It’s been nearly a month since my last blog post. Indeed, it’s been rather hectic the past several weeks, but with Resurrection Sunday having passed, I’ve finally come to a much needed, albeit short,…

Hand throwing water

PROVIDENCE

“Well…God is sovereign” …an expression someone might toss around to a Christian friend as a throw-away comment as if to say, “Well I guess God was totally disengaged with that hard life event.” Usually, when people quip with a phrase like that, they are emotionally working through something that has happened to them that they…

Young boy holding a Bible with a surprised look

“I Didn’t See That Coming!”

When was the last time you said to yourself, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!” Whether a well-scripted surprise ending in a movie plotline, or an improbable sports comeback, or the complete turning of the tables in some high stakes human conflict scenario, we can all point to unusual times when we marvel at how…

Map of the world with flag markers

Location Matters

My family and I had lived in western Colorado for some of the most formative years of my life. I was nine when we moved there from Virginia, and we spent seven years there…the longest we had ever lived in one place. Life in Colorado was fun as a kid. Our house butted up against…

Dark forest

Lessons from Esther

The Old Testament book of Esther recorded a fascinating story about God’s sovereign and providential care for Israel when they faced an existential threat. The dire scenario emerged during Israel’s exile under the Persian empire when mighty King Xerxes issued a decree to annihilate the Jews (3:9–11). However, God effected a miraculous deliverance through Esther,…

snowy mountains at night

God’s Providence in Everything?

I remember a time when an associate pastor and I were asked the question by a couple of senior Christian women what the difference is between the sovereignty of God and the providence of God.  These are similar terms that definitely overlap but each carry meaningful and specific ideas. The sovereignty of God is defined…