For the next post share, I actually want to share a video I watched recently. In it, Answers in Genesis Canada's Calvin Smith gives an excellent presentation on why we should trust Scriptures and how those behind science are not neutral towards Scripture or a Biblical worldview. I admit the video is on the longer side, but if it's a choice between that and a 30 minute to an hour show you might watch on TV, consider watching this instead with your family. I believe you'll come

As a person who often deals with anxiety, as well as a sometimes unhealthy introspection on my own failings, it is helpful coming across an article like this from ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) Wanting to simply share an article today, I asked a friend of mine to help in the search. In response this was one of their suggestions. But in reading it I'm glad they did. I do hope that this is something that you'll find helpful; if not for yourself, for someon

Not my photo. Disruptions in life come in a lot of different shapes and sizes, such as a road block or traffic. Of course we're probably more concerned with the ones that happen in our lives. Well it's time again for the clocks to fall back. I find the time changes to be challenging to be honest. Just feels weird that we mess with time like that. It's a bit of a disruption you could say. And we don't like disruption, do we? Recently, and if you've followed the blog at all you

Tomorrow is know in some church circles as Reformation Day, celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to that church door so long ago. What ensued was a major turning point in the history of the church. Many great things came out of the reformation and much of it can be summed up in what we call the five solas. While they themselves weren't developed in the 1500s (I'd argue they developed in Scripture), the summing up of these came some time later. I

It's been a minute since I have been able to take part in helping our with our youth at church. But it's something I enjoy being able to do when able. Sometimes though, it can feel (really any service) like you're just going through the motions. The old question can linger in our minds: "does what I'm doing really matter?" Well to kick our knees out from under us on the front end, God doesn't NEED any of us. Jesus said that if His disciples went quiet, that the stones would c

I feel a little bad sharing posts from only a few sources, but the truth is I'm not much of a reader, and I'm not sure of a lot of different sources. So if you have any suggestions feel free to share with me, I'd love to know. That said, I recently read this post from Tim Challies, and it's a really good one. I have to admit, reading it I cringed a little because I know that I am very guilty of praying for God's will, yet expecting it to just be painful and not anything I re

The early morning light begins to shine across the sky, as a new day begins in Shenandoah National Park. The breeze kept it quite chilly. But, it was a nice morning nonetheless. I can hardly believe that I've now written 50 blog posts. Really it's not a ton but 50 seems like a good memorial, a good number to recognize. But what to say about 50? I'm not sure to be honest. So I think what I will do is point out a few of my personal favorite posts up to this point. Maybe that's

I really do want this website to be of help to people. My thought for tonight is one that I hope is really practical, and that is to share with you some resources I have used in regards to my Bible study and preparation for different teaching opportunities in the past. When I desire to do a deeper study I tend to use study Bibles, commentary, and other resources and so I will share some of those with you below. I tend to start with just the Scriptures themselves, and for that

Stony Man mountain stands majestically in the distance, second only to Hawksbill in height in Shenandoah National Park. The warm sunset light bathes the landscape with a reddish glow as clouds cross the sky. Moments like these last for such a short while. Before you know it, the light is gone and the land sits in silent darkness awaiting the coming dawn. As I sit here in the doctor's office it's hard not to have a mixture of emotions. This isn't the time or place to go into a

It's a fair question, one that many people probably would answer with an emphatic "yes!" But what does Scripture say? Well today is going to be another share-a-post day, and I'm sharing this article from Ligonier Ministries. I hope that you find it helpful as you seek to answer that question not just on emotion, but on what God's Word actually says.

Pride goes before a fall. It's such a true statement, but hard to swallow when it's yourself that it applies to. Yesterday I decided to search for a waterfall well off of trail in a certain location. Where, I will decline to say exactly, for various reasons. I knew there was a vague forecast of rain, but I didn't check the details. The exact path to the falls? I figured I knew enough to be able to plot my own course. I have a GPS app, so I should be good, right? In other word

Montana feels like it was months ago and yet it was just a little over 2 weeks. It's weird how that works. Anticipate something for a long time, it comes, and it's gone before you know it, and then the memory of it so quickly goes. It's kind of like Christmas as a kid. But it's time to start going through some of the many photos and memories from Montana. One of the first evenings out there, we had driven around for quite a while looking for spots to photograph. But the fall

Notation after the fact: Below is a post that I intentionally wrote a little while back, but didn't share. The point was to bring an idea of looking ahead. I hope that comes through as you read this. Mostly that it points you ahead to the future hope we have in Christ. Will it be the final article in this series? I had one other idea that I have yet to write so we will see. I made a couple minor edits for posting now. Also, no photo for this one, though there is no real need

There's always a concern in writing a blog that one can get too personal, and in fact sound a bit on the whiny side. I really hope that that hasn't been the case for me recently, nor with this post. I hope instead that it just comes across as real and relatable. We all deal with ups and downs, pit stops and road blocks, and in some small way, the hope is that you'll find some encouragement and a Christ-ward focus through these. The truth is, coming off of the recent travel ex

A rainstorm blows in over me and my friend as we attempt to shoot a sunset in Yellowstone National Park. I don't rest well. I find that doing absolutely nothing and letting my body, and in my case more importantly my mind rest, is a challenge. So given that I am going on a week of being sick and somewhat laid up at home, I wonder if perhaps being sick was God's way of causing me to rest after a couple weeks of nonstop on the move on travel, photography, and mission work. Ok,

Going on several days being home but unfortunately still a bit under the weather. As such, today is a perfect day to share an article from one of my personal favorite speakers on Youtube. Calvin Smith works with Answers in Genesis as director and speaker for Answers in Genesis Canada, and the videos they put out are quite good and very helpful. For things like geology, to a newbie like me, it's a nice way to get my feet wet into that topic, along with many others that deal wi

The Christian Sabbath is a topic that can be a little, I don't know, confusing maybe, for some people. Some argue that the idea of a Sabbath rest was for the O.T. and we are no longer bound to any such thing in the new covenant. Of the ten commandments, it is the only one that doesn't have a direct restatement in the New Testament (I believe that's the case anyway). Others would say that since God Himself rested on the 7th day, then the idea of the Sabbath precedes the comman

It's been a long day. If that's the right phrase. We. Had a midnight red eye flight, and I am just plain wiped! Perhaps that is as good a reason as any to do something that bloggers do at times, though I personally have been shy to the idea; that is, to not only communicate ones thoughts, but to curate and share the thoughts of others. So today, I am going to share this article by Tim Challies. In it, he shares one of my favorite verses, as well as the very difficult applica

It's the final day, I'm packed and ready, and our flight leaves in under 5 hours (Lord willing). It's still not the time (nor do I have the time) to go into all the details and thoughts of the week, but I think that's ok. Mission trips are life-altering, and you don't write out a 3-5 paragraph blog to cover all of that without taking some time to dwell on it. But as for today, it started out bittersweet. Of course we're all ready to go home. Two of our team is able to do an e

One last night up on the roof in Peru. It's certainly been an interesting and eye opening experience this week, and it will be time til I am able to process it all. Photos as well. I've taken hundreds of photos this week, but the editing process will take some time. But the next step for me will most likely be to process the spiritual and emotional side of it. Coming on trips such as this, in my short experience, results in high emotions, and that takes some time to settle, a