Snapshots and Synapses

What does it mean to be loved? How can love be found? It’s the subject of movies, books, philosophers and romantics. The pursuit of love has steered history. Why does the human heart crave this even if the essence of love is elusive? I’m reminded of the musical “Oliver” as the main character sings “Where is Love?” A young orphan, his heart yearns to find someone who will love him. Like most musicals this ends happily, but the reality for many is that love remains beyond their grasp.  There are loveless marriages, loveless families, loveless lives. We all have a need to be known and accepted for who we are and not simply for what we do. When dating, we put forth our best image, not just because we desire the admiration of another, but because inwardly we desire to be a that type of person. I’ve often heard the words “He/She brings out the best in me” as a person strives to be better for the sake of the person they love.  What is love? Love is a powerful feeling, but it is more ...

20 years ago today America was attacked. This is not a day of celebration, unless we celebrate the first responders who stepped up to their sworn responsibility. This is not a day to forget either. “Those who fail to remember history are destined to repeat it.”  For me, it’s a day of reflection, remembering where I was as the first plane hit the tower, the call from my wife, the amazing stories of lives that were somehow spared because they didn’t follow their normal routine. And in the days that followed, listening to a liberal pundit turned conservative as he realized that many of his liberal colleagues truly hated America.  We have made mistakes, but I believe the vast majority of Americans have desired good things for our neighbors and tried to do what is right, both domestically and abroad. But I also see the moral decline, increase in selfishness and waning of love. Brother fights against brother and violence increases… and it will continue to increase unless we come bac...

I have been confronted many times with the statement: “everybody needs a god that looks like them”. There’s something appealing about this assertion, like candy for the soul. I like candy, but pleasant sweets are not always a healthy thing. So I have wondered about this statement. Is it an eye-opening realization of what people need or a subtle lure toward what people want? If I draw further on the nutrition analogy, treats like chocolate and honey have benefits in moderation. Likewise, people need a relatable God to have a relationship with God, and it’s true that we were made in the likeness of God. Male and female, we were created in God’s image. And when I look at the splendorous differences of all races, I can understand that God had a purpose in creating racial variety. The diverse nature of mankind is a reflection of the infinitely multifaceted nature of God. I can appreciate the differences in race and gender, and like a Frenchman proclaim: “Viva la difference!” I appreciate th...

America is not specifically called out by name in the Bible,  but there are truths in the Bible we can look towards and say with confidence: "Surely, this applies to America!" Take Ezekiel 14 for example:  12 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 13 “Son of man, suppose a country sins against Me by being unfaithful to Me . I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals. 14 Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves,” declares the Almighty Lord. 15 “Suppose I send wild animals through that country and they make it childless and turn it into such a wasteland that no one travels through it because of the animals. 16 As I live, declares the Almighty Lord, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could rescue their own sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves. And the country would become a wasteland. 17 “ Suppose I bring a wa...

Thirty-five years ago this month, I was commissioned as a naval officer and reported to my first duty station in Pensacola, FL, and today my oldest son reports for active duty as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. My heart swells with pride in his decision to serve, knowing that these are indeed uncertain times. The world has changed dramatically over the past year, and I have no doubt that we will see changes over this next year like no other time in history.  If I could go back to my younger self, there's so much I would try to teach him, things that I have tried to pass on to my children, some of which they've internalized and some things that cause smiles, jokes and eye rolls. I'm glad to have the transparency with my kids and glad to have them challenge my thoughts as they form their own. Even if they disagree on certain things, they know my beliefs and even how to finish my dad-isms that I've learned and repeated through the years: A smart man learns from his mist...

The need for a national day of prayer has never been greater than today. This country has forgotten its foundation as a Christian nation and fallen into division. The enemies of this nation have embedded themselves in the power structures of government, education, media, big tech, and big business. A great economic reset is being planned for the world. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Pandemic 2.0 comes along because fearful people are easily controlled.  But our God is in control and nothing happens that He does not allow. He tells us to draw close to Him, and He will draw close to us. He promises to work everything for good. He reminds us that while this world is not our home, to live in the present as ambassadors of His Kingdom with an eye on our eternal home, as salt and light in this world. And in Psalm 37, He tells us to surrender to His will, waiting patiently, without being preoccupied by the apparent success of evil doers.  Finally, we lean upon Him and His grace to do ...

“It’s all good.” Now there’s a positive outlook for you… the phrase is used to soothe emotions after an awkward, sensitive or disappointing event. But if I stop to consider it, I believe this attitude is more accurate than the traditional “good vs. evil” mindset. It’s not my nature to see circumstances in this context. I can often overlook patches of vegetation, focusing on the barren ground that surrounds it, rather than the fact that there is life with the potential to grow further. I have allowed myself to become discouraged by the changes occurring in the 2020’s, but as long as there is life, there is hope! It's hard to see the world as it is and as it could be Yes, philosophically it truly is all good: evil is the privation of good just as cold is the absence of heat and darkness results from the lack of light. Weakness is the absence of strength. I believe God has given us many natural analogies to help us understand this truth: that evil is not an equally powerful opponent ...

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2 Introduction I have long been fascinated with the life of Daniel and the mysteries in his prophetic book. Daniel and his friends grew up in the ruling class. They likely heard about a religious fanatic who was despised by many of the nobles because he kept predicting the inevitable judgement of God. We know that fanatic as the prophet Jeremiah. I can imagine the parents of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah as devout followers of Yahweh and can picture conversations they may have had about the controversial messages of Jeremiah. We know that Jeremiah was ultimately was proven to be God’s man, but at the time, his behavior was strange even for a prophet, and his message was disturbing. God’s judgement came in the middle of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry as the Babylonian exile began. Daniel and his friends were contemporaries of not just Jeremiah, but possibly had childhood int...

The Lord has risen indeed, hallelujah!  Easter and Christmas are my favorite holidays, and I wrote a short story available on Kindle for both Christmas and Easter. It is called  The Shepherd's Letter  and is available for free download from Saturday, April 3, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT to Monday, April 5, 2021, 11:59 PM PDT.  Or select from below if you want to read some of my previous posts for Easter:  Who Is This Person, Jesus? Easter Presents Easter: An Absurd Celebration Why Easter?

Easter and Christmas are my favorite holidays, and I wrote a short story available on Kindle for both Christmas and Easter. It is called The Shepherd's Letter and is available for free download from Saturday, April 3, 2021, 12:00 AM PDT to Monday, April 5, 2021, 11:59 PM PDT.  Or select from below if you want to read some of my previous posts for Good Friday:  Prayer for Revival on Good Friday Contextual Friday Good Friday 2020

Holy Week precedes Easter, but it’s up to us to make it a holy week. But what is “holiness”? It’s simply setting something apart for God. For example, the Sabbath is holy, dedicated and set apart for God’s purposes. Holy Days are likewise set apart for God. And then there’s Easter, which is set apart from all other days of the year to recall Jesus’ triumph over the grave. Next Sunday, we will celebrate Easter and proclaim that He has risen, a demonstration of His power over sin and death! Yet Holy Week is just another week if we fail to make it holy! Sure, it still shows up on the liturgical calendar and churches will do some special things. Easter eggs will be hidden and found; families will get together to feast in celebration! The week starts with Palm Sunday, remembered by some as the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Some evangelical pastors will use Palm Sunday as a last chance reminder for people to invite others to next week’s Sunday service. After all, it’s one of ...

Who is called by His Name? Christians receive their name from Christ and we are anointed with His Name. Y’srael (Israel) was the name God gave to Jacob and it has been the name of God’s people since before Jesus’ birth. Yahweh gave Jacob (meaning “deceiver”) a new name that means “struggles with Yahweh”, and that is the story of God’s people ever since. Like Israel, we struggle with our own rebellion against God and His ways. We struggle against our SELF as we learn to love, learning that love is a decision to give rather than lust which vainly seeks to feed the SELF. Yet how many of our prayers reflect our lust rather than our love? Our typical prayer is for SELF: deliverance from our circumstances, provision, protection. Yes, we should always turn to God as our Provider and Protector, yet we often we look to other constructs like employers or governments as our provider or protector in place of God. When we put our faith in these things, it is idolatry. Perhaps they aren’t made of wo...

This is a vision for America’s future and not a lingering tour on its past, expanding upon America in the End Times  - Part 1 and America in the End Times  - Part 2 .    In the 19th century, a phrase was used to describe a vision United States had to encompass the North American continent, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. The people saw it so clearly, believed it so vividly, that it became a reality. The phrase was “Manifest Destiny”.  Writing this, I realize that some people could be offended. The title alone may offend Americans in Canada or Mexico, and I don’t mean U.S. citizens residing in Canada or Mexico. I was reminded years ago by a Canadian friend that people in both those countries are also American and that the U.S. still claim the title “American” as a holdout to the days of Manifest Destiny.  Other readers may be offended by the way the U.S. claimed the North American continent for its own without respect to the indigenous pe...

Continued from America in the End Times  - Part 1 . This is not a political post, so bear with me for a paragraph or two.  A new administration has taken office and globalists have assumed executive power and essentially taken the House as well as the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. There is too much happening to describe it all, but the globalists are securing their power base in America… or so they think. I write this not as a reactionary far-right extremist but as a law-abiding citizen, naval veteran, and Bible-believing Christian. The media and far-left would paint me as the former, and some have even accused me being a Trump-lover.  The truth is that I didn’t vote Trump into office, and I often cringed at some of his behavior. Yet the way mainstream media twisted his words and attacked him actually led me to look at his words and actions more closely to discover that his policies reflected my desire as a Christian. That didn’t make him a perfect president or a perfe...

Continued from The 70th Week and 2021  - Part 1  As Jesus explained the End Times to His disciples in Matthew 24, He referenced chapter 9 of the prophet Daniel. Looking to that book, we find Daniel in a prayer forgiveness for his people, basing his petition upon God’s name and not anything that Israel deserved. Israel had sinned and was deserving of God’s judgement, and the historical tendency of Israel to turn away from God and His ways burdened Daniel just as our own tendency toward selfishness should bother us. In today’s environment, we would do well to imitate Daniel’s prayer for Israel  and apply it to the Church and to our country. Take a look at Daniel 9:3-20 and consider how to imitate Daniel’s example in prayer and supplication.  So Daniel prayed, and as he did, he was visited a second time by the angel Gabriel ( v21 ), who told him: 24 “Seventy sets of seven time periods have been assigned for your people and your holy city. These time periods will serve t...

Although the details are still not clear, what happened today at our nation’s capital was tragic, and it has both complected and further delayed closure to the 2020 presidential election. Our system has stalled and is in serious jeopardy of breaking down completely. We have been agitated by the endless name-calling, deceptive half-truths, and repetitive vilification of those with opposing viewpoints. Our leaders on both sides of the isle have not led well, and yet we have followed their example as a culturally-divided society.  I look at the paragraph I just wrote and wonder if anything else needs to be said. With tensions high, it’s our weakness as humans to jump to conclusions, to look for a guilty party, and to bring them to swift justice.  Many people are blaming the president for this tragedy. He is neither a saint nor the demon people make him out to be. I heard a news report that immediately following the protest, President Trump tweeted a video asking for protesters to...