Considering the Prodigal God

Read a brief interview with Tim Keller about his upcoming book, The Prodigal God.  They talked about the title (the subtitle has been changed).  A commenter found the use of prodigal in reference to God to be blasphemous.  Richard Pratt used the dictum that “meaning is use.”  Words have a range of meaning, so you [...]

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Considering Hope

“Keep hope alive.”  Martin Luther King, Jr. knew that hope was a fragile thing.  And there is nothing Evil wants to do as much as kill hope that we might be overcome with despair.
Hope is one of those words that is easily misunderstood.  Often we think of it as a wish.  I hope the Red [...]

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Considering a Wonderful Wedding Weekend

This weekend I had the privilege of officiating the wedding ceremony of a great friend who was marrying a great woman.  They are … a great couple.
Since it was nearly 2 hours away drive-time, and CavGirl was the flower girl, we ended up staying in a Residence Inn about 30 minutes away from the wedding [...]

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Considering Faith and Doubt

The struggle between faith and doubt takes place in every Christian’s heart.  Our circumstances can foster doubts.  These doubts will either drive the roots of faith deeper, or expose that our faith is misplaced such we “lose our faith.”
Dan Allender addresses this in The Wager of Faith, part of The Healing Path.  Here are some [...]

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Here, There and Everything

The last few weeks have been just that.  It has been good that I am not working because I feel like I’ve been all around central Florida.  I have taken CavSon for doctor’s appointments and testing in Lakeland and Orlando.  I’ve gone to meetings about job openings in Tampa.  Lunch with pastors in Avon Park, [...]

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Considering the End of Bachelorhood

One of my good friends is about to be married.  He has lots of changes going on: graduated from seminary, starting a new job in a new town, and taking a bride.  We met when he rented a room from me the summer before my own marriage.  He’s lived with us 2 times since then [...]

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Today’s Strange and Sad News

I’ve been focused on the serious side lately.  We all need distractions.  These are stories I ran across today between CavSon’s hearing evaluation and speech therapy.
God sold cocaine.  In nearby Tampa, God Lucky Howard was arrested for selling cocaine to undercover officers.  He did this within 1,000 feet of a church and public housing, so his [...]

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Considering Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

I’ve already considered the first 6 chapters of Paul Tripp’s Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.  That provides a theological foundation for one another, or personal, ministry.  The rest of the book is Tripp’s model for personal ministry.
He does not lay out steps, but rather simultaneous practices: love, know, speak, do.  He explains how personal ministry is [...]

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Considering Powerlessness and Hope

Dan Allender’s The Healing Path is just what the doctor ordered for me.  I am finding my own current struggles being played out in its pages.  After a huge disappointment you often can’t put words or labels on things.  So this has been helpful for me to understand all that is churning in my heart [...]

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Considering a Job Search

It has been a topsy-turvy week for the Cavman.  I thought I was quite close to a new position, and it ended up not happening.  So while trying to regroup I also have to rev up a job search.
This brings up some big questions for me.  Do I just “buy time” with a job that [...]

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How Sweet It Is

It only took 22 years, which is nothing compared to 86 years.  But that is still a long time when you are a life-long Celtics’ fan.  In the 80’s we had a sense of entitlement.  The Celtics were champions or contenders nearly every year that decade thanks to Larry Joe Bird, the Chief, McHale and [...]

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Considering the Myth of Monolithic Complementarianism

One of the interesting things I’ve been observing lately is how complementariansim can be misrepresented by both advesaries and advocates.  Both can view the complementarian “movement”  as monolithic- all of them believe the same thing.  The have some basic foundational tenents which make them complementarian.  But some people think THEIR understanding is the only view [...]

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Considering Who He is and Who I am

The aftermath of disappointment is very interesting.  I’ve found my default mode to be fear, rather than faith.  I’m trying to “feed faith”.  Not a blind faith, but one that is grounded in who God is.  Real faith returns to the Cross to see that God loves me and is for me.  So, I’m prayerfully [...]

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Considering Expectations

I was communicating with a denominational leader recently.  Here’s what he said:
I am aware of forty Ministers who are seeking a change, and some of them are quite surprising. In contrast there are several churches in need of Ministers but they seem to be very hesitant to take the plunge, and so there is a weird [...]

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Re-adopted, and It Feels So Good

Yesterday was not a completely sad day.  We had our court hearing for the re-adoption of CavSon.  Since only CavWife went to China, he was her legal son.  He wasn’t mine.  Great thing we weren’t divorced in the last few months .  So we had the court date to finalize the re-adoption.
The judge [...]

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And the Answer Is

Some of you have been checking to see what became of my trip to PA to meet with a search committee there.  It was my 2nd trip up there, and this time CavWife went with me.
The committee met last night and had a long talk about me and whether or not I was the right [...]

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Considering Gods and Generals

The rather lengthy Gods and Generals (216 minutes) is part of an even lengthier trilogy of films about the Civil War (aka the War Between the States and the War of Northern Aggression, depending on where you went to school).  This first installment focuses on the life and role of Stonewall Jackson.  It concludes 2 months [...]

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From Small Consolation to Big Shocker

In the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals I was discouraged and disappointed.  I figured we still had a shot at Game 5, but the Lakers were going to win Game 4.  Afterall, Lamar Odom showed up and the Celtics were playing no defense.
They sort of gave me a glimmer of hope as [...]

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Considering Circle Slide and John Wayne

I had to head into Lakeland today, so I borrowed CavWife’s car so I could listen to CDs.  I chose Circle Slide by the Choir and John Wayne by Terry Scott Taylor.
Circle Slide is the Choir at their moody, atmospheric best.  Derri plays lots of moody guitar, and Steve plays some very cool drum beats.  [...]

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Considering Calls

While reading some this afternoon, I got to thinking about how pastors look at new calls.  I agree there should be alignment- basic agreement on how to do ministry.  But there are temptations that pastors experience when considering a new call.  Basically, they are tempted to think mostly of themselves.
What does this look like?  If [...]

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