In the midst of tireless teaching that diversity should be celebrated and cherished, I came to believe that my gender and the color of my skin were incurable shortcomings.  Being white and a man were my greatest socio-economic crimes.  They were crimes committed without choice or consent.  The penalty was lifelong and guilt never alleviated.  It wasn’t until adulthood that I became aware of the inconsistent consequence of such teaching and concluded that no racial education which forces someone to apologize for the factors beyond control shall ever achieve its intended purpose.  There can be no equality when one race is held with higher regard than another.  This remains true no matter which century it’s applied and no matter which race it refers.  To have equality, all diversity much be championed, even if such diversity looks like a plain white...

In a puzzle filled with thousands of uniquely different pieces, could any one piece be considered imperfect?  Could any one piece be labelled as “ill-suited” for the rest of the puzzle?  Overlooking the rare exception which is an improperly cut piece, no single piece is ever anything less than perfect.  In fact, in terms of puzzles, perfection is solely dependent on the complementary nature between that piece and the pieces surrounding it.  It is this use of “perfection” that I am leveraging today.   My wife is perfect.   She is perfect in several ways.  The first of which is done by the imputed righteousness of Christ, in which her imperfections and sin were replaced by his holy perfection and infinite righteousness.   The second way is that her uniqueness was divinely crafted for the purposes and good pleasure of a mighty God.  She is perfect because, when in submission to her heavenly Father, she is what he intended.  Perfection on such terms can be defined by God’s intended purpose.  Her unique gifts and talents were designed by a deeply artistic and compassionate God and his character is revealed whenever she lives out his perfect intention.  She is a...

We are a deeply deceived people, enraptured by our political ambitions and ideas that the actions of others can be modified or corrected through social activism, moral law, and informative dialogue. Yet, it is made abundantly clear in books such as the letter of Paul to the Romans, that the justness and importance of any given activism is subjective to the activist. Moral law reveals only the depth of our corruption.  Informative dialogue is ultimately useless in  doing anything to rectify our perpetual bankruptcy.   All political battles, and the compulsion to take a strong stance therein, are reactionary towards the multitude of actions and ideologies of a sinful world. This political reactionism is not only ineffective at bringing about meaningful and lasting change in the hearts and souls of those around you, it is also deeply dividing between you and those who could have otherwise been your allies. It projects the image that you are extreme, unrelatable, and contemptuous to those not holding a compatible ideology. No matter the political affiliation, those who think differently will be unable to see you as anything other than an uninformed, ignorant, and arrogant antagonist.   Our world is so entrenched in...

My first, eternal love, has given me a heart and, within it, a will capable of submission.  He has given me his Spirit and filled me that I am not overcome with my broken desires for rebellion, but rather that I may become submitted in all things, to Him and to all human institutions.  For my savior was an example for me, that through his great submission I might see life and see the restoration of my soul.  As my brother and fellow follower of Christ, Peter, once said of the Christ, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”   1 Peter...

To the field beneath the mountains That stand between the sea and endless forests Which keeps the sweeping desert From breaking past it’s divinely chosen boundaries, I saw her running with laughter on her lips And summer flowers placed within her hair Given to her by the holder of heaven’s pillars As He professed, in adoration, their sacred love affair.   She, who is heaven’s daughter, who dances in the rain While singing all the ballads he’s whispered in her ear Since the day she was brought into this world as a gift to all others blessed to walk it’s breadth, the woman who’s face radiates such vibrant colors Surpassing sunsets, with all the brilliance the sun can offer, and who’s spirit overflows with love and hope and life and whom He calls his own, has grafted herself to me To, for life, hold close and be held close Bound together by the hands of the Servant King That I may call her my greatest love Given me by her first great lover, the Founder of...

Bitterness is a bitter taste, especially when you realize that you’ve forgotten it’s still there. It’s quiet, but pulsating underneath the surface and accentuating everything you think. It subtly crafts your perspective and shapes your outlook on life, while leaving unaware of its presence. Only when faced head on does bitterness reveal itself and you can see clearly its which have grown under the foundation of the building of you mind and begun to crack it. Only upon such revelation can you become informed to the sear extent of the damage. Such damage may require a complete restructuring of your mind. It is not an easy task nor is it one that can be done swiftly. The painstaking process much be done with great care as each root must be dug up and removed. Following in this line of thinking, the house must be torn down, the ground deeply dug away and the roots torn out. Only then can the ground be restored, a new foundation laid, and a new home constructed. This is not a taste for a single person, but a task for a team of skilled professionals.   Bitterness is a bitter taste. It’s destructive and...

Though this life seems long and full of pain,Though the trials rage as if without endToday is but a flash and moment of timeand like a droplet of water in a vast ocean. Sorrow will have its end, and in the end, even death will dieBut you, from whom all eternity flows,You will restore light to the darknessAnd heat to those standing in the cold. Father open our eyes to your futureOpen our eyes to the eternity spread beyond today.Change our minds, retrain our thoughtsto see beyond this limited human point of view. Teach our hearts to see today for what it isThat by your great Mercy,You have given us new life and living hopeAnd a future, without end, beside you May we celebrate hope in knowingThat though we struggle for a little while,We have gained the salvation of our souls and Tomorrow we will gain forever. To you, Father, to you from whom all good come,who sent Jesus Christ to be our saviorAnd granted us to be filled with your SpiritTo you belongs all glory and honor and praise. Forever and ever....

Who looks to you and thinks himself mightyWho listens to your voice and declares it silent Who sees you face to face and is not turned to dust Who knows your name and does not tremble?   For none can hear the thunder and shout louder None can, with their breath, change the direction of the winds No one can stand when the earth shudders and say, “No more!” For no storm or earth quake will listen to that voice.   So I ask again, who can stand in your presence? There is no arrogance that will not be broken There is no confidence that will not be shaken There is no pride that will not crumble and fall away.   For we, such beings made from dust and divine breath, Will be compelled, by our very bones, to fall before you. It will be in fear, in awe, in wonder, and in adoration, That in that moment, we all raise our voices upwards.   “You alone are King. There is no other. You alone are worthy. There is none greater. You alone are Lord, Master, Creator, and Owner of all. You alone are God. Have mercy on...

Just because a person, who condemns your sins, is caught in sin, it doesn’t negate yours nor does it make sin any less detestable to God. The only thing that changes is your perception. Your condemner can now be clearly seen as a fellow sinner. This is the truth for all man. Each man condemns the sins he does not commit, yet distains other men for exposing the ones he does. You cheer at the folly of the other because, in your eyes, your sin is now somehow less grave than his. Yet you and he are the same, you just sin differently. As Christ said, “No one is good except God...

Nothing is pure and nothing is sacred and nothing is holy anymore… Nothing is safe and nothing is protected and nothing is peaceful anymore… Nothing is divine and nothing is special and nothing is godly anymore… Nothing is fearless and nothing is bold and nothing is unashamed anymore… Nothing is kind and nothing is gentle and nothing is loving anymore… Nothing, no nothing, except all that You...

Without scars you restored my shattered heart.  Not bound with glue or with repair, but as whole though no damage had ever come upon it.  The pieces you took in your hands, and with your magnificent grace, you drew them part by part, each to each other.  This was you act or mercy upon me. This was your pursuit of me.  This is your act of compassion on me. Not deserved, but granted, you gave life’s blood to my crumbled chest and with the metronome of your love and mighty power you set its beating time. You called me yours and clothed me in white and declared my name new and unashamed.  You granted me rights and authority in heaven and on earth to go and be your voice. For your mercies enduring and love everlasting have been visited upon me. Therefore, built by your hands, restored by your grace, beating with the song of your love, and flowing ever more with the blood of the Son, my heart is yours and yours alone, my Beloved, Immortal, and Magnificent Savior.  My God and my King, I am...

It was easy for you, the salvation of all mankind. But for one man, to save only himself, that is impossible. For the glory of eternity, redemption of all the earth and the cosmos above… only you could do it. And then you did it.  You endured the cross, it’s shame and disgrace, for the joy of the sacrifice set before you. Consider the animal. Consider the instinct. It does what it does because it can know nothing else. I was that animal. I was that slave. Therefore the cross is not my sorrow, it’s my freedom. It is my salvation. Above all, the cross is your glory and majesty displayed for the universe in all of its infinite expanse to see that you alone are God! You alone are perfect! You alone are life and hope and peace. The cross is your Name imbued upon all this is, that was, and that ever will be....

You’re looking for the story right? It’s in the title of this page. Yet this all appears like disjointed thoughts and chaotic meanderings. I smile at that description because there’s a little voice in me that remarks with a smirk, “What kind of story were you looking for?” The story is mine. It’s my life. It’s my thoughts. It’s my walk beneath the covering grace of my savior. More often than not, it follows the same pattern as this story. Have a conversation with me lasting more than a few minutes and you’ll discover that each disjointed note written on this site is exactly how my mind actually works. Each thought is just a catalyst to usher in another one of no relation. This does not mean, however, that these are without purpose or without direction. Rather, the contrary is true. Each word I write comes with another step towards my Father. Each day of this journey I learn more about Him through communing with him and my world is profoundly altered by the encounter. What you see are snap shots. Each post is a snap shot, like a camera recording random events by capturing it in that instance....

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this city. Four years since I walked these cold streets in the shadow of these towers. You still hold the stone silence behind those bricks and steel while keeping watch over the water from your mighty citadel. There are voices in your heart calling back to you. They are from the mighty God on high, calling your people to himself. No black tower can strike fear. No lights of the night will lead them astray, for they are divined to conquer the darkness. Years ago you held my broken heart with your frozen and lifeless fingers so void of all emotion and compassion, yet here I am, standing again at your gates. For you see, you cannot take life from me for you cannot conquer the source who, by his will, breathed his spirit into all mankind. I walk your heart as a man owned by the Almighty and King of kings. When I speak, I do so with the full authority of the Master who numbers your days. When I pray, the light draws battle lines and wicked withdraw. When I walk in obedience to the great Power, you...

The gates of glory come ever nearer Drawing closer the day that death will die. Fear not of life’s dark companion With its power ever waning. What harsh dominion, almost over Strikes fear in the hearts of man. Yet its might is an empty tomb Its confidence, a crumbling headstone. Death, its conqueror reigns, Where can it flee? No, death cannot kill me, No cage of dread can bind me to its fate. Those clutches have lost their grip I’ve forever been set free No longer enslaved to plague and torment And bound to endless suffering. No, death, it cannot kill me, For it has been overcome. Hastening ever closer is that day When even death will...