The Beauty Doctor and Gospel Centered Parenting

My family currently has health insurance through a local Michigan company that operates its own Family Medicine centers. Basically it means that we all (me, my wife, and my two youngins) go to the same place for all of our medical needs. We’ve been with them for over two years and there are a number of things I like about the family-practice model, some things that I don’t but that’s not what this post is about.

Our doctor’s office building is home to a number of different facilities for various medical services, for the most part, it is a one-stop-shop for basic medical needs. In our two years with them, we’ve really only spent time in four areas of the center (listed in order of amount of time spent, greatest to least): the doctor’s offices (including the waiting area), the pharmacy, the play area , and radiology (for various, pregnancy-related ultrasounds).

The Beauty Doctor

...

“But, If Not” My Favorite (lesser known) MLK Speech

Everyone knows Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. At least I hope they do. I remember in grade school spending a lot of time studying Dr. King and his contributions to the Civil Rights movement (I’m particularly happy about this seeing as I went to school in, what was at the time, a rural suburb of Atlanta, GA where racism was very real).

But my favorite — FAVORITE – speech by Dr. King is from a sermon he gave on November 5, 1967 at Ebenezer Baptist Church called “But, If Not” (download MP3 of the sermon).

I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.

...

Who are the Business as Mission leaders? (part 2)

This is the third installment sharing highlights from the BAM Survey 2007 Report. Today we take a closer look at the global leaders of the Business as Mission movement and the beliefs that drive their efforts in spreading the Gospel through global business entrepreneurship.

The BAM Survey 2007 Report is an in-depth assessment of the state of the Business as Mission movement based on survey responses from 497 people in 38 countries. You can purchase an electronic copy of the BAM Survey 2007 Report for $14.99 here.

Embracing the Priesthood of Believers

A Personal Prayer

I wrote this in my journal on January 24, 2009. At the time I had been self-employed for about two months, expecting my second child in less than two month, and scared. Reflecting on the time that has passed between then and now, all I can say is that the year got away from us. Being self-employed, having two children under the age of two, both my wife and I having to deal with major medical issues… it all felt like a dark, dark storm that was disheartening and disorienting.

Triperspectival Prayer

After dropping my kids off at daycare this morning I decided to take a quick walk around my block just to get a little fresh air and spend some quiet time before I dove into my day. As I walked I began praying, which is not something I feel I’m very good at or do nearly enough.

My prayer this morning was something like this:

God, thank you for your perfect love and for the love and life of your son Jesus. Thank you for what you have done for your name’s sake to redeem this world, defeating sin, and restoring us to your holiness.

Father, transform my heart. May the truth of your love wash over me and change me.

Thoughts On Examining Sin and Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods

Tim Keller’s latest blog post gives a personal look into some of Redeemer Presbyterian’s senior pastor’s personal struggles with sin. You can read the post here. In it Keller reveals his struggles with workaholism, particularly in the early years of his career. He recounts how well-meaning friends attempted to help him, some looking at his activities through the lens of the law, others appealed to his self-esteem. Ultimately, Keller searched out his own heart, revealing his idolatry of service, accomplishment, and self-sacrifice.

...

Be Jesus To Me

Be Jesus To Me

I had the thought the other day that as we endeavor to grow, to learn about our faith and explore the mysteries of our relationship with Jesus Christ, we often become isolated from those who have not or do not study the issues of Christianity as much as we do. Everything from the complexity with which we explore issues to the language that we use separates us from others.

In light of this, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to distill the essence of a life of Christian faith and service in such a way that despite any situation I can know if I am appropriately oriented towards others the way that Christ calls me to. How to express how I am suppose to serve others? (more…)...

9/11, 8 years and 1 week later

Loose talk can cost lives.

Last week, at the end of a long day, I wrote about my experiences in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. Writing it was a surreal experience for me, no real goal in mind, it just started coming out me and onto the screen. I didn’t edit it. I didn’t polish it up. I did try and add something prolific at the end, some commentary that would show how profound the feelings I was expressing were.

And though what I wrote was true, I really don’t think September 11th is about me. That’s one of the reasons why I have a hard time thinking about and talking about it. Sure, I feared for my life that day in a way I never had before and never have since, but for me, one of the hard things about September 11th is how I feel distanced from it.

Drawing in the sand

I wanted to share an incredible video that my friend brought to my attention this weekend. It’s a performance from the winner from Ukraine’s version of “America’s Got Talent” (which I believe is America’s version of Britian’s Got Talent).

Kseniya Simonova is a Ukrainian artist who just won Ukraine’s version of “America’s Got Talent.” She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and “sand painting” skills to interpret Germany’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.

The video is 8:31 long but is worth watching.