book review: the God i don’t understand
We all ask these questions. It’s okay to admit it… there’s stuff you don’t understand when you read the Bible, right? Why did God order the killing of every living person… man, woman and child in Canaan? Why does a good God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why does He allow so [...]
book review: into the mist
Notably, this book review has a bias. Kathleen Beard has become a good friend. There’s a strong sense of God’s presence when one is around her, and recently she’s become quite an influence in my life. When I agreed to review the book I hoped the writing would sustain itself because I don’t give bad [...]
[god in the yard] woods: invitation
![[god in the yard] woods: invitation](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/IMG_7574-100x100.jpg)
There’s something about nature that makes it a holy place. The quietness. The peacefulness. The freedom that comes from no distractions – no TV, no computer, no phones. Just birds chirping and leaves rustling. Maybe a buzzing bee here and there. In the midst of my crazy world, nature feels like a safe place. The [...]
[god in the yard] introduction
![[god in the yard] introduction](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/reading-under-a-tree-100x100.jpg)
“This is the story of an unusual year, when I did something I never intended to do. But it is also a course in discovery and playing towards God, through spiritual practice, offered with gentle expectations.” ~ L.L. Barkat Some of the best growth we can experience is completely unintended. It comes in those moments [...]
small group resource review: the gospel in life
The Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, a DVD series by Timothy Keller is a must for some groups of individuals, but I would suggest passing over on it for other individuals. The content is great. I am not sure anyone in today’s churches are more qualified and able to do such a series. I [...]
book review: the faithful
In The Faithful, Reverend Jonathan Weyer meets the church, the paranormal, ritualistic murders and magic head on in a haunting, seductive thriller. The Faithful incorporates elements comparable to the religious intrigue of The Da Vinci Code and dark magic of Harry Potter. Through the eyes of the novel’s main character, an assistant pastor of a [...]
your love never fails [movie review]
![your love never fails [movie review]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/YourLoveNeverFails-100x100.jpg)
We all have to make choices. And our decisions impact every aspect of our lives. The choice to put in extra hours at work in order to get ahead may seem positive as it relates to providing for your family, but what’s the cost of more time away from those you love (and who love [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 14: redeeming the story
![[fatherless generation] chapter 14: redeeming the story](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/composition-notebook-100x100.jpg)
If our God is the Father to the fatherless, how can we, who are called to be imitators of him, be any less? As I read Redeeming the Story, I couldn’t help but think of where my husband and I were seven months ago and where we’re at now. Mentoring looks different for a lot [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 13: sustainable communities
![[fatherless generation] chapter 13: sustainable communities](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/community-100x100.jpg)
Do you have somewhere to cry? Do you have somewhere to laugh? Do you have somewhere to play? Do you have somewhere you are loved? Do you have somewhere you are welcome? Do you have somewhere you can learn? Do you have somewhere you can teach? Do you have somewhere you (fill in the blank)? [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 12: in search of a name
![[fatherless generation] chapter 12: in search of a name](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/white-stone-100x100.jpg)
These are sons and daughters who don’t know their true name. They are searching for who they really are. In their search, they bring this question of identity to anyone who will listen. They live with the overwhelming urge to pursue those who will affrim them and give them a name. They are willing to [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 11: anatomy of a mentor
![[fatherless generation] chapter 11: anatomy of a mentor](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/mentoring2-100x100.jpg)
~ I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ – Maya Angelou In July 2010, a new Charter School, called “Mentorship Academy,” opened up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their Core Principles: CONNECT students, teachers, parents, and the [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 10: of musth cycles and mentoring
![[fatherless generation] chapter 10: of musth cycles and mentoring](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/Elephants-100x100.jpg)
After the scientists introduced the elders to the rogue teenagers, they observed an amazing change. Immediately, the teenagers calmed down, and their musth cycle ended within a few days. ˜ John Sowers, Fatherless Generation After reading this chapter and the entire book I can’t help but think about the fatherlessness that is in my family [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 9: father to the fatherless
![[fatherless generation] chapter 9: father to the fatherless](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/photodad-100x100.jpg)
a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families… Psalm 68:5-6 In my teenage years I had many “adopted” sisters. Most of them were around my age and all of them were going through the same struggle – they were unmarried and pregnant. [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 8: belonging to God
![[fatherless generation] chapter 8: belonging to God](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/loved-100x100.jpg)
To belong to God means I am no longer defined by what I do, no longer defined by my performance. I am defined by his love for me. Whatever anyone else says about me doesn’t really mean jack squat. It is only God that matters. To belong to God means I am free to approach [...]
reflection, #1000gifts, and #fatherlessgeneration: [march 2011 top content]
![reflection, #1000gifts, and #fatherlessgeneration: [march 2011 top content]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/traffic-100x100.jpg)
First of all, thank you for helping make March a record month for traffic for us here at BibleDude.net! We’ve been shifting our approach a little bit, and it seems to be resonating with old and new readers alike. The biggest shift has been to more of a multi-blogger format. We’ve always hosted lots of [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 7: returning the favor
![[fatherless generation] chapter 7: returning the favor](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/feeling-alone-100x100.jpg)
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ~A.W. Tozer During my college summers, I worked at a day camp in Tulsa. While it was considered a “Christian” camp, it was mostly about enjoying the outdoors with activities like canoeing, archery, nature hikes and a ropes [...]
book review: the inklings of oxford
I won The Inklings of Oxford: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Their Friends earlier this year (in the @bibledude giveaway marathon), and finally made time to review this facinating book from Harry Lee Poe (yes, distant relative of Edgar Allan.) This is both a photo book and a story book, and the [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 6: running to stand still
![[fatherless generation] chapter 6: running to stand still](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/banksy_always_hope-100x100.jpg)
The fatherless generation embraces pain to escape the anguish of a missing father. They believe and live the lies of rejection until the lie becomes the truth. Like Legion, they isolate themselves to escape the pain through drugs or self-injury – sometimes even suicide. They have forgotten their own names and have become hell-bent on [...]
open letter to @annvoskamp [a review of #1000gifts]
![open letter to @annvoskamp [a review of #1000gifts]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/100_19661-100x100.jpg)
Dear Ann, I’ve been reading your new book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, and I wanted to share a few things that’ve been on my heart since I’ve started reading it. Your life humbles me. I read your words and find myself struggling to wrap my mind around [...]
movie review: the third testament
What would the world be like if a new ‘third’ testament was added to the Canon of the Scriptures? What if that third testament included gnostic gospels such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip (the document that inspired The Davinci Code)? Then throw in the so-called ‘missing pages’ of the Gospel [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 5: forgotten fairy tales
![[fatherless generation] chapter 5: forgotten fairy tales](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/fairytales-1-100x100.jpg)
Fatherlessness wilts the dream of being daddy’s little girl. Not having a father is so significant and damaging to a girl. All little girls want to be held in their daddy’s arms. Unfortunately, this longing for something she will never have often leads “daddy’s little girl” into the cold arms of a young man who [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 4: the fatherless gang
![[fatherless generation] chapter 4: the fatherless gang](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/virginmary-100x100.jpg)
As I read through this chapter, I couldn’t help but to revisit my adolescence. Growing up, most gang members I knew and befriended were cool, quite funny, and often even sentimental. Definitely different than the picture you see painted in music videos, on the news, or in violent “street” movies. My friends were hustlers by [...]
book review: the accidental anglican
Bishop Todd Hunter’s new book, The Accidental Anglican: The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church, is both informative and fun to read. His book has two purposes. First, he shares his own story of how he went from converting to Christianity during the Jesus movement to national leadership in the Vineyard Churches to becoming a [...]
[fatherless generation] chapter 3: midnight sons and daughters
![[fatherless generation] chapter 3: midnight sons and daughters](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/chapter-3-100x100.jpg)
The fallout from fatherlessness is more than an individual tragedy. It impacts more than the fractured family, the single mother and her children. Fatherlessness is a catastrophic wreck that is poisoning our families, communities, and nation. No one remains unaffected. It’s easy for me not to acknowledge this issue of fatherlessness. I can simply shrug [...]
