STILETTOS TO ARISTOTLE

Because I find etymology fascinating, let’s learn about two key words which will serve as topic for our conversation today. tithe: ma`aser מַעֲשֵׂר (occurs 33 times in 27 verses in the Bible) meaning: tenth part primitive root word: `asar עָשַׂר, to tithe, take the tenth part of, give a tithe, take a tithe firstfruits: bikkuwr בִּכּוּר (occurs 37 times in 15 verses in the Bible) meaning: the first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was gathered, and offered to God according

sin•cere adjective: free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings. synonyms: heartfelt, wholehearted, profound, deep, frank, candid, honest, upfront, open, guileless, straight, earnest. I am, if not anything, sincere. You could say it has been my intentional ambition in life. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment in time or occurrence that made me despise insincerity. Perhaps it is because I most associate it with hypocrisy. It has even been said that I can lack

Have you ever heard God say something to you, and dreaded it? Have you ever known a situation to be inevitable, yet when it comes you are surprised? Well there are at least two instances in my life where I have experienced this. First was the time I fell in love. I was young when God revealed to me the man I would marry. And I wanted to marry him the minute I knew. But there was this “thought” in the back of my head that I would not actually marry until I was twenty-one years

Shootings and bombings. Death and casualties. Sorrow and anger. Confusion and ignorance. These recent years America has seen its share of tragedy. But in perspective, these singular events, though affecting many, seem rather small compared to say the American Revolution or legalized slavery. During the American Revolution, about 7,000 Americans were killed in battle, approximately 8,000 were wounded, and around 10,000 others died in military camps from disease or exposure. Cl

Rice Fields in Mindanao, Philippines “Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” (Oswald Chambers) “The burned hand teaches best.” (J.R.R. Tolkien) I am very aware of the fact that trying times always bring me closer to God. And that understanding is the source of today’s post. I have chose Oswald Chambers and J.R.R. Tolkien as my authors of inspiration for this topic. If we reflect on the statements above, we may discover that while aspiring for holiness we find a tr

Mindanao Island I am convinced that all the things in my life that I eagerly wait for are in some sort of time warp – traveling adventures, my wedding, the holidays – they all seem to take decades to arrive but then vanish so quickly into a wonderful memory treasured deep within my heart. And now I can add my trip to the Philippines to that list. I journal for many reasons, probably the most important reason being that I often forget the valuable details that I long to rememb

With less than thirty days until our big trip, I am finding myself surprisingly calm and collected. This pilot trip to the Philippines will be like no other adventure I have yet experienced. A rush of excitement, fear, anticipation, and apprehension all seem to flood over me, often all at once. Preparing for a trip like this takes much more planning than a vacation, and I am an avid “planner,” there’s no trip or event too big for my ambitions! But a mission trip is a whole ot

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) The dominating topic on last night’s news was certainly President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage. The New York Times headline, “A Watershed Move, Both Risky and Inevitable,” caught my attention this morning. The article went on to say: “A sitting United States president took sides in what many people consider the last civil rights mo

“Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.” (Tozer) There are a few men, past and present, who inspire me to really think. Today it is A.W. Tozer. Spiritual wisdom is, to me, the most valuable kind. So I must clarify then, that I am inspired by God, through men. Take King Solomon for instance, “And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind” (2 Chron.

Originally I began to title this post, “A Faith That Does Not Offend,” but quickly realized that was not at all accurate. The gospel is offensive to many, but I believe it wholeheartedly, nonetheless. I instead decided a more accurate title would be, “A Faith That Is Heard.” Over the last year I have began working very hard at living a life of faith that can be communicated with those on different paths. I want to discuss my beliefs with those of other religions, or those wit