2NDTREEARTICLES

Ok, so for the record, the "selfie" was not responsible for single-handedly destroying joy.  And please don't start telling people that I said taking selfies are bad.  I'm more interested in talking about the selfie that we take with our heart, not with our phone cameras. What do I mean?  What I mean is that we have become focused on ourselves too much. And with our newly found obsession, we have lost the concern for everything outside ourselves, including other people and God Himself. Here is the reality: the less you focus on upward and outward things, the more you focus inwardly. Sounds simple and obvious, right? It is. The problem is the effect of that focus shift.  The flip-side is when we are focused on the concern for others and the work of the Lord, there is naturally less time to focus on self-pity and all its sinister degrees, which obviously affects your joy.  In other words, the less you pay attention to your troubles, your diffic...

Most of us drive daily. Usually, before we leave our parking spaces, we do two things: (1) decide where to go; (2) and see if we have enough gas to get there. As you might have guessed, this is about our Christian life. But, this is not a reminder that we need fuel for our journey. (Although that’s true). This is for us to realize God is both our destination and our fuel. Let me develop that for you (in less than a minute). God is our destination because to please, worship, and enjoy Him should be what drives our passions and disciplines. If there’s something else, then our pursuit is in error. But that’s not a new concept. God as our fuel is more abstract. Here’s how we usually approach Christian life. We realize our goal is God, but we think it’s up to us to find fuel for our journey. So we “knuckle down” in hopes we make it to the end. We should realize we don’t impress God with our attempts at self-sufficiency. We can actually ask Him for the tools for the journ...

How do you do anything well? Answer: Practice! Here’s a helpful phrase: "your first time should not be your first time ". In other words, the first time that it really counts, should not be the first time you've ever done it. That's true for sports, speeches, performances, and even responding Biblically. If you’re honest, there are questions that you feel unprepared for, and you hope no one will ever ask you. Whether it's about salvation,   political and moral perspectives, or theological interpretations – all these big topics can be very intimidating. So what shall we do? Avoid them all altogether?   Stay away from anyone who might ask them? Or… get ready now so we can be prepared to answer "in season and out of season “? I would advise we get ready now. Here are 3 simple steps: 1. Make a list of questions and subjects you are uncomfortable addressing. 2. From that list, start writing down how to answer them. Remember, answer the way you woul...

I'm not a musician, but I’m always around them. And among things I’ve observed, there seems to be two equal opposites against good music: Silence and Noise. Silence, meaning the absence of sound; and Noise , as in a purposeless, disorganized racket. Paul says “knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men...”(2 Corinthians 5:11) . In that vein – as we engage the surrounding culture – The Bible calls all believers to be effective and persuasive. Like music, these same polarities of Silence and Noise are the surest ways for any believer to be irrelevant. First, Silence refers to the lack of sound. Our damnable need to be liked, accepted, and belong, cause us to silently tolerate things we shouldn’t. But by the world’s assumption, silence means consent. So by putting our hands over our mouths, we have forfeited our ability to persuade. At the other end of the orchestra, is Noise . The only thing worse than Silence , is a reckless cymbal, unrelentingly crashing against i...

As we grow, and if we care, we run into the crossroads of ambition versus contentment. On one hand, we realize that we should not be satisfied where we are. We must strive to grow, mature, and move forward. This is true in our spiritual lives, as well as our physical and practical lives.  On the other hand, we are also  taught in scripture that we should be content. The apostle Paul himself says "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am"   (Philippians 4:11)  And he says it, purposefully, as a virtue. So now, we might find ourselves in a troubling spot. How do we reconcile these two seemingly opposite points? Well, if our joy, identity, priority, and satisfaction is rooted in God-in other words, we find our ultimate satisfaction in God alone, which is the product of true contentment- then to desire to improve, move forward, and change in other areas-which is the essence of ambition- is not evil, but instead it ...

Protests against God’s violence are fairly common. And these complaints are used to deny His existence. But usually, these gripe statements lack an anchor to the reality of God’s character. As those who know God, we are not repelled by His character. Rather, we  are more and more attracted to it.   I wonder if one of these protestors of God’s violence went on a foreign vacation with his family. And suppose after they split up to see more of the foreign sites, his wife and daughter were taken by mal-intended men wishing to rob them of their material and bodily possessions.   Now the man is hopeless and powerless, so he calls out his government to rescue his family from their captors. In response, special military units were sent to save his loved ones. And in the efforts to rescue the captured family, it became necessary for these elite warriors to pour out violence and cruelty on the men who held this protestor’s family.  Do you think this same man who co...