in the practice of stopping
Why didn’t they stop? I wondered that years ago when my world crumbled like old Roman architecture. Business meetings continued; church continued; chores wouldn’t wait; and the world continued fast and furious, in a hurry, always late, and I wanted to throw up my hands and yell, “I”m in pain. Why don’t you care?” I [...]
the pastor and the secular job
I am a paid minister. Ever since I became an ordained minister back in February of 2002 most of my income has been supplied from a local church or parish. Getting paid to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a blessing and a privilege and something I certainly do not take lightly or for [...]
how should a christian watch a movie?
Should a Christian watch a movie for entertainment purposes only? Or does a Christian need to question and critique every aspect of the movie thus taking away its entertainment value? I would suggest that movie watching for Christians should be both entertainment and critical interaction. It seems to me that entertainment is not an evil. [...]
what’s wrong with movies?
It seems to me that nothing is inherently wrong with movies. Movies are a good medium to learn about history, literature, culture, science, etc. However, the movie ratings system would suggest that some (or most) movies contain some form of objectionable content. So begins the great debate – Is it OK for a Christian to [...]
book review: christ among the dragons
When I first started reading Christ Among the Dragons: Finding Our Way Through Cultural Challenges (James Emery White, InterVarsity Press), I thought it was going to be some massive nay saying of modern church contextualization methods. Being familiar with detractors who have serious issues with most contemporary expressions of Christianity, I did not want to [...]
wholly jesus [an interview with mark foreman]
![wholly jesus [an interview with mark foreman]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/wholly-jesus-100x100.jpg)
Some guys just seem to get it. But let me back up a little bit first… When studying Bible history it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) take long to pick up on some cultural differences between the ancient Eastern culture of the Hebrews and the modern Western culture that we now live in. Yet so many people [...]
5 current google trends [and the church]
![5 current google trends [and the church]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/Dolly-the-sheep-100x100.jpg)
One of my favorite things to do is to check out Google Trends. It’s not only interesting to see what other people are searching, but sometimes this stuff actually gives me ideas on things to write! The amazing thing about tools like Google Trends (and Twitter’s trending topics) is that there are few ways to get [...]
[the africa diaries] day fifteen: headed home
![[the africa diaries] day fifteen: headed home](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/welcome-home-100x100.jpg)
Waking up this morning I couldn’t wait to get home! While I tried to enjoy my last few hours with the team, my mind was already wandering home. At breakfast we all talked about how wonderful this experience was, while I (as the team chaplain) challenged them to not let it end here. What would we [...]
[the africa diaries] day fourteen: back to kampala
![[the africa diaries] day fourteen: back to kampala](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/uganda-water-carts-100x100.png)
Mission accomplished. Our work is done, and we now begin our journeys home. First the long drive across Uganda from Kasese to Kampala. Then after our last night our team flies together from Kampala to Nairobi to London where we part ways and I board my flight from London to Miami then on to Tampa. [...]
[the africa diaries] day thirteen: our last classes
![[the africa diaries] day thirteen: our last classes](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/uganda-woman-on-lawn-with-kids-100x100.jpg)
Our last day of teaching ended up being one of the hardest days for me on this trip for several reasons. Some of it was related to the obvious realization that our time was nearly up on this incredible journey. While I was anxious to get home to my family, there was part of me [...]
[the africa diaries] day twelve: teaching in uganda
![[the africa diaries] day twelve: teaching in uganda](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/african-community-meeting-100x100.jpg)
You’ve probably never heard of Rwesande. In fact, you won’t even find it on a Google Map. It’s in the area of Kasese up in the Rwenzori Mountains. Based on the roads that we took to get out there, I’m not surprised that I can’t find this place on a Google Map. But after a very [...]
[the africa diaries] day eleven: a walk in the clouds
![[the africa diaries] day eleven: a walk in the clouds](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/dan-with-kids-rwenzori-mountains-100x100.jpg)
Her story rocked me, and still hits me hard today. But more than her story, it was her attitude and resilience that stood out most. Getting out to meet the clients is exciting because we get to meet them where they work. This part of the trip in Kenya was pretty eye opening for me, [...]
[the africa diaries] day ten: the road to kasese
![[the africa diaries] day ten: the road to kasese](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/road-to-kasese-100x100.jpg)
It was a beautiful morning waking up in Kampala! Wow… It feels weird saying that even now. It was (and still is) hard to believe that I was there. The day was fresh, and I was anticipating some cool experiences as we made a few stops and hit the road for our ultimate destination of Kasese. Our [...]
blogging with @thehighcalling
A couple of years ago I joined a startup network of Christian bloggers. I wasn’t sure if I would get anything out of this thing, or if I’d be able to add any value to it either. As it turns out, it was one of the best things that I’ve ever done as a blogger. [...]
[the africa diaries] day nine: headed to kampala
![[the africa diaries] day nine: headed to kampala](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/sunrise-over-kampala-100x100.jpg)
Leaving Kenya and flying to Uganda was the biggest thing on our agenda for this day. I have to admit that it was tough leaving my new friends in Kenya. Because of the great distance, I knew that it wasn’t likely that I’d see most (if any) of them again. Yet, their impact on my life is etched on [...]
[12 days of awesomeness] day three: not so fast
![[12 days of awesomeness] day three: not so fast](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/notsofast-thumb.png)
This one is a fairly new friend that I’ve made online, but… DUDE, I like that way she thinks! I love it when I see people who challenge the status quo, and not simply cave in to popular culture because it’s just easier that way. And this is exactly what Not So Fast is all [...]
[12 days of awesomeness] day one: paper bridges
![[12 days of awesomeness] day one: paper bridges](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/paper-bridges-thumb.png)
Monica Brand is a rebel with a cause. She blogs at at Paper Bridges where she calls herself “just another Jesus freak, homeschooling mom with a blog.” The web is full of homeschooling moms who have taken up blogging, but one thing that I really appreciate about this one is that she seems to love to [...]
[photo journal] everyday life in uganda
![[photo journal] everyday life in uganda](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/getting-water-thumb.png)
[the africa diaries]. You can also check out the complete set of everyday life in Uganda on Flickr.
[photo journal] everyday life in kenya
![[photo journal] everyday life in kenya](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/kenya-women-thumb.png)
[the africa diaries]. You can also check out the complete set of everyday life in Kenya on Flickr.
[the africa diaries] day eight: a retreat to remember
![[the africa diaries] day eight: a retreat to remember](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/lion-thumb.png)
Good morning Mount Kenya! The picture above was the view through the front door of my tent as I woke up in the morning. As the sun was rising enough to light up the sky, it still had not risen enough to creep over the top of Africa’s second highest peak. We got up early so that we [...]
[the africa diaries] day seven: wrapping up business in kenya
![[the africa diaries] day seven: wrapping up business in kenya](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/alice-kairi.png)
She walked up to me as I was setting up for my morning session, shook my hand, and simply stated, “I am Alice.” We laughed about that for a moment, but I never realized that this was about to be one of the most powerful moments of this trip for me. In order to understand [...]
[the africa diaries] day six: starting with the next group
![[the africa diaries] day six: starting with the next group](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/africa-day6-thumb.png)
I was finally an accomplished missionary! Well, at least in my mind I was. After all, I had just finished my first full sessions with one of the churches in Kenya, and now I was off to another. I knew that this next group that we were about to work with would be different, I just [...]
[the africa diaries] day five: finishing with our first group
![[the africa diaries] day five: finishing with our first group](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/teaching-makogeni-thumb.png)
Finally! Today is my day to teach! Well, at least for half of it… Day two of our lesson plan calls for two important subjects. First up was the financial session. In this session we covered such basic, yet critically important, topics like keeping your business and personal money separate, and how to create a budget. [...]
[the africa diaries] day four: first day of teaching
![[the africa diaries] day four: first day of teaching](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/makogeni-thumb.png)
Here we go… This is what we came for! Our first day of teaching has arrived! And one of the first things that I learned today was that schedules (time) in Africa are very different than they are back in the States. I think that our start time was supposed to be 9:00 AM, but it [...]
