light giver
It is easy to get caught up in dark moments. I know I have. Sometimes you just want to cry and be alone. Lately, free time has been scarce. Like many people, I have been so busy, perhaps too busy. I have also been contemplating on what to write this week. Then I came across this psalm that [...]
[reverend fun] just a gag
![[reverend fun] just a gag](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/reverend-fun-08292011-150x150.jpg)
I thought this one was pretty funny. I’m the kind of guy that likes to cut-up just as much as the next guy. And while this made me laugh, it also made me think about how seriously we take our own actions. What do you think about joking around, having fun, and not taking things [...]
[god in the yard] rules: the way
![[god in the yard] rules: the way](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/baby-birds-100x100.jpg)
Welcome to the world, he says, when I carefully part the branches for him to see. There are only three and so we know. One of the hatchlings did not make it. But this somber knowledge gives way to joy as the babies detect our presence and, mistaking us for mother, open mouths wide for [...]
the designer
Life begins with a single cell. The zygote. A derivative of the Greek word ζυγοῦν, which means “to yoke” or “to join”. That’s what the scientist called the cell the first time they viewed this first stage of life through their 17th century microscopes. Imagine the impact that single moment was on their lives; being [...]
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 [...]
[epistle of james] chapter 4
![[epistle of james] chapter 4](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/point-100x100.jpg)
Read James 4 (NASB, ESV, MSG) Like any good sermon, James starts out with a glowing introduction; terms like ‘brothers,’ ‘dear brothers,’ and ‘dearly loved brothers,’ dominate every line of thought for the first chapter. Further into the book, however, the terms ‘dear’ and ‘beloved’ are dropped, and the triumphant phrasing of the well-known opening… [...]
i’m a killer too
I stand, leaned against the counter tops in the kitchen, and read my Bible as I wait for the coffee maker to emit that last large sputter signaling its finish. I slide my finger along the smooth edges of my Nook, as I read the beautiful poetry of David, in digital form. I marvel time [...]
[epistle of james] chapter 2
![[epistle of james] chapter 2](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/reserved-seating-100x100.jpg)
Read James 2 (NASB, ESV, MSG) when i was kid growing up in the church, the ushers to me were like the royal guard. they were the gate keepers and they were definitely intimidating. all except the one who handed out tootsie rolls to the kids. he was awesome! he never gave me a stern [...]
the apartment people
Breaking news: The one and only apartment complex in town is getting a new roof. With interest, I noticed this as I stared out my living room window. Two Ford F350 trucks pulled into the parking lot; that is if you could even call it a parking lot. It’s more of a street, one that [...]
called to be a light
Easter is over. Christ is Risen! The darkness of Lent is behind us. It’s time to rejoice and celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior! Or is it? Homelessness continues. Hunger abounds. Natural disasters destroy communities. Poverty cripples societies around the world. Divorce and abuse rips families apart. The day after Easter, the Washington Times published [...]
[epistle of james] chapter 1
![[epistle of james] chapter 1](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/lava-wave-machine-100x100.jpg)
Read James 1 (NASB, ESV, MSG) OK…so sue me!!! So, I like the little wave machines. You know the ones that I’m talking about. The little rectangular glass enclosures with the blue fluid on the bottom and the clear fluid on top that do nothing other than slowly tilt from side to side allowing the [...]
jesus and my hot pink gloves
I sit in the confines of my car, hearing nothing but the muffled sound of cars whizzing by on the highway and the faint cheers of parents. The ball park lights flicker in the dimming sky. It’s getting chilly. I start the car and turn the heater all the way up to the bake-your-husband setting [...]
who are you and what are you doing here?
There once was a rabbi who roamed the countryside meditating on scripture. From morning to night he would walk aimlessly through the wilderness inquiring of the Lord. As he walked he would tap his finger on his forehead as if to pound the truth direclty into his mind. One morning he set off into the wilderness pondering [...]
moving on [thoughts on jesus's last days]
![moving on [thoughts on jesus's last days]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/last-supper-100x100.jpg)
Today is Maundy Thursday. We begin what many consider to be the most holy days of any year. We remember, solemnly, Jesus’s final days on Earth. As I have been reflecting on Jesus’s last days on earth, I can’t help but think about what it must have been like. How did he know his work [...]
[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 [...]
making the 5th quarter [an interview with rick bieber]
![making the 5th quarter [an interview with rick bieber]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/rick-bieber-100x100.jpg)
There’s a new movie out called The 5th Quarter. If you enjoy movies about faith and football (like I do), then this in one that you’ll definitely want to check out. It’s a movie about the real-life story of the Abbate family and the tragic loss of their son/brother Luke Abbate. More importantly, it’s a [...]
still in the storm
Cloudy with a chance of sunshine was the forecast. And for once, the weatherman was right. Clouds, wind, and cool temperatures in the early morning made me doubt his judgment, but by late morning, clouds began to part and warm rays of sunshine began to shine on my neck and shoulders. I began shredding outer [...]
[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)? [...]
created with character
You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the [...]
[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 [...]
selling a spiderman kite
They were literally everywhere! One thing that certainly stands out as we drove through Santo Domingo (and other cities in the Dominican Republic) was the massive amount of street vendors. And no, I don’t mean sidewalk vendors. I mean street vendors. These are dudes that walk around on the street selling things to people stopped [...]
immovable me
“Your mother-in-law has terminal brain cancer.” “Uncle Ted died.” “Your father-in-law had a heart attack.” “Honey, I got in a wreck. I’m ok, but the car doesn’t look so good.” These are all things that have been said to me in the last year and a half or so. Each time I heard these life-altering phrases, [...]
[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 [...]
i’m gonna be sick
I’m starting to feel sick. I’ve only started this post once or twice already, praying and hoping that some gamma ray of inspiration will zap my fingers into tap-tap-tapping their way across the screen of this iPhone. I don’t normally write on my phone, but I’m on my way to town because the software I [...]
