The Christian Life

 
The Christian Life
Thoughts on Matthew 16:21-28; Romans 12:9-21
Peter has to be one of my favorite characters in all of scripture.  I can relate to Peter at almost every turn – perhaps you can as well.    Like Peter, I have experienced many a day where I feel blessed and cursed within moments of each other.  There [...]

Miller Prays at DNC

Been away for a few days for some R&R at Duck, NC so I haven’t been able to be around here much.   I did, however, watch each night of the DNC and have to say I am quite impressed with what I see so far.   Between the Clinton speeches which were dynamite and Obama’s closing [...]

Surprised by Hope, Chapter 12: Rethinking Salvation

Surprised by Hope, Chapter 12: Rethinking Salvation
By now we may be asking ourselves, so what?   What does a proper understanding of resurrection mean for me today?  Does it really matter?
Wright argues in the remaining chapters that it matters a great deal. Easter, while it can serve to prove that God is going to offer us [...]

NOOMA 21: She

I just learned that the online premiere of She, the latest Nooma, will air on Monday, Aug. 18th at noon until noon on Wed. Aug. 20th.  You can find it on Facebook.   Copies of the DVD begin shipping to stores on Aug. 18th.  Below is a description.  I think this will make for some very [...]

Prayer Request

Friday morning (tomorrow) Amy and I will be taking Maddox to the Children’s Hospital in Durham.  A few months ago at his dental appointment they discovered a few cavities as well as some other things going on with his teeth that they want to get fixed before they get out of hand.   Since the work [...]

Adoption Testimony

Some weeks ago I shared HERE about a grant we received for our adoption from Steven Curtis Chapman’s foundation, Shaohannah’s Hope.   They have asked us to send them a testimony and pictures that they might share with other families to give them hope as they try to decide whether or not adoption is for them.  There are many readers [...]

Christian Perfection

Bouncing around from blog to blog I have found evidence to confirm a suspicion I have long held:  Very few Christians understand the doctrine of sanctification, and even less still, the Wesleyan understanding of Christian Perfection.    I hear time and time again that sactification is somehow tied to works (as if it is something we can [...]

Insisting on Easter

Thoughts from Matthew 15:21-28
Matthew records a story about an interaction Jesus had with a Canaanite woman that sounds shocking – even racist.  This woman from the other side of the tracks is following Jesus and his disciples around, shouting, begging for pity to be shown her demon-possessed daughter.   Jesus ignores her.  The woman is not [...]

Acts 15: A Paradigm for the Way of Jesus

The fall semester is fast approaching and to gear up for it I was reading over papers I wrote for classes from last year.  I am posting the following one here because I know some of you enjoy this sort of reading.
After spending a semester exegeting the book of Acts with one of the brightest [...]

Through The Waters

My very good friend, Cleve May, is baptizing a friend tomorrow.  We usually share our sermons with each other and I value his wisdom and handling of the text immensely.   Below is the sermon he will be preaching and as I told him, it is one of the best I have read.  I asked his [...]

Vacation Bible School

The picture above is worth a thousand words.   These past few days I have been busy with Vacation Bible School and the group you see here are our kids.   I hope they had a good time.  I know that I and the other adults who helped had fun although, truth be told, we are glad [...]

Picnic Fun

Yesterday we had a picnic on the porch and played in the backyard.  A fun day.    Everytime I see pictures of the kids together I am amazed at how far we have come.   When I see Sophie and Eli early on and then see them now, only 3 months later after coming to America, I can’t [...]

Life, Or Death, From Thee Is Best

Through writing about adoption and children I have received a number of comments and emails from fathers and mothers who have lost a child.  When I hear these heart-breaking stories I find myself at a loss for words, often sitting still with tears filling my eyes while offering up a prayer for them and their loved [...]

Our budding Artist/Jack Hannah

My 3 year old son, Maddox, LOVES animals.  He has been talking about animals since he could utter a word and collects every kind, knows every type, knows what type of environment they live in, what they eat and what they like to do.   Recently he has even started drawing them.   Below are some of [...]

A Divine Hug

I am guessing that most everyone has seen this Free Hugs video by now.  It came out a couple years ago.  I was reminded of it when I watched the Where the Hell is Matt? video I just posted because it stirred in me some of the same feelings of hope, faith and love.  
Two years [...]

Where the Hell is Matt?

I stole this from my friend Jeromy (if you haven’t yet visited his blog, do so…after watching this.  You will be blessed). 
Watching the “tribes of all nations” dance together in joy, peace, harmony and of course, laughter, puts in me a renewed longing for that glorious day when every tear will be wiped dry and [...]

Surprised by Hope, Chapter 10

Surprised by Hope , N.T. Wright
Chapter 10: The Redemption of our Bodies
 What this chapter is about:  In this chapter Wright seeks to answer the question What will our resurrected bodies be like?  Do not expect to get a cookie cutter answer.  There are some things we can know with some certainty based on the signposts [...]

Funny Faces

Here are some fun pics we took tonight.  The pics where Amy and I are both in them (a rarity) were taken by Maddox or Sophie (and yes, Amy did Sophie’s hair style tonight.  Doesn’t it look great?).    The first one of Maddox with his thumb in the air could be an impression of his [...]

A Chance Encounter

The following encounter occurred at 2:47pm EST, August 2, 2008 in Raleigh, NC.  
It was just an innocent stroll to the public restroom.  I saw her sitting at a desk in the lobby, head in a book.  I took note that it was a Bible.  She looked up and saw me approaching.   She gave me the look- [...]