A Faithful Steward

       Oftentimes, I have a particular word or phrase in the Scriptures that really sticks out to me. During the past two years, the word "Paraclete" and the phrase "it is finished" have been my favorites. Recently, however, the word "magnify" has been very special to me. As Christmas is approaching and many of my readers have been spending time studying The Magnificat, I was inspired to write about this lovely word.        Psalm 34:3 "Oh, magnify  the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together." [1] (Emphasis mine). The word used for "magnify" in the Hebrew is transliterated "gadal". Davidson defines the Piel verb form as, "to make great; to cause to grow; to make powerful". The Hebrew language has many definitions for "gadal", but this particular verse uses the definition that corresponds with the Greek word used in Luke 1:46.        Luke 1:46 "And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord.

       The world of Christians has been rocked many times throughout the past few decades, as multiple Christian men (and women) in leadership have been rightly accused of sexual sin. The downfall of these Christian leaders has caused intense hurt, disappointment, feelings of betrayal, and falling away from the faith amongst believers, and the mockery of unbelievers by their shouts of "hypocrisy!" Christians have wondered why their heroes gave into those temptations; after all, aren't leaders supposed to be the "perfect Christians?"         It is right to be concerned about the sin of those in leadership, and about the effect that it has on those who look up to them and follow after their teaching. However, if we examine our own lives as individual believers, we should realize that we ourselves are not without sin; indeed, I would imagine that we each even deal with sexual sin in one way or another.        I am not going to look at the reasons that this partic

       During a long day of work last week, I listened to "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. I didn't know what to expect, and honestly it was slightly difficult to get through. But it was not difficult because it was poorly written; indeed, it was well-written as is every Lewis work I have read. It was difficult because it was so honest, so beautiful, and so sadly relatable.        In the introduction by Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham, the comment was made that the article "A" must certainly be included in the title and not be lazily overlooked. Without the "A", the title loses its real value and the description of its contents. Everyone's grief is different, even if someone is experiencing a similar circumstance to that which you are experiencing.        C.S. Lewis wrote "A Grief Observed" when he was in his moments of paralyzing grief after the death of his dear wife, "H." (Helen Joy). When I said that this book is "

       Sometime around the end of June, it is easy for me to start thinking about America and patriotism. Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays, and what isn't to love about it? Red, white, and blue (some of the best colors), fireworks, celebrations with family and friends, and oftentimes, delicious food. But amid the preparations for all of the fun and beauty that comes with this holiday, I remember that many of the original reasons for the celebration of July 4th have been set aside, abandoned in the minds and actions of the American people.        This past Sunday, I was able to sing several "patriotic hymns" at a nursing home, and immediately afterward I attended the funeral of a World War II Veteran. I could not help but wonder what these older men and women think and feel during this time, as they watch the people of their beloved nation proverbially spit on all of their sacrifices, blood, hard work, and tears?         Many of them have fought in literal

       Rejection. A painful reality that I would guess everyone goes through at least once during their lifetime. It can come from almost anyone, sometimes even those who we love the most and would do anything for. It can be senseless and sudden, seemingly coming out of nowhere.        Any kind of rejection — romantic, rejection by a family member or friend, or even rejection by a company you applied to — can leave you with a slew of emotions. Anger, bitterness, loneliness, sorrow, a feeling of worthlessness, and sometimes unexplainable emotions. It can cause you to wonder what you did wrong, what you could have done to keep the rejection from happening. For some, it may even cause despair and the desire to die.        What can be done to stop rejection? Unfortunately, probably nothing. But there is hope and comfort to be found even in the midst of the darkest, most painful moments that come from being rejected.        Our foundational hope is that we have a Savior who is intimately

        In this conclusion to my brief series on discipleship, I will be combining two questions that are very closely related: "How can we learn how to disciple others?" and "What are some discipleship methods?" At first glance these two questions could be answered in the same ways, but they are different enough that they should be answered separately.        First of all, how can we learn? Since Matthew 28:19 simply commands to "go and make disciples", discipling should be something that's automatic and comes naturally, right? No, not really. Think of the Apollos, who was very fervent about the Scriptures and the way of the Lord, but he did not fully understand the Gospel. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside to explain "the way of God" more accurately so that he could disciple others and teach the Word of God accurately to others. Though some new believers jump right into evangelism and discipleship, it is vital that they understand the Wo

       "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." [1] This is the first verse of what is perhaps the most well-known Psalm; Psalm 23. Like many believers, I read at least one Psalm every day along with my other Bible reading. As I studied this Psalm a few days ago, a few connections were made in my mind that I had never thought of before.        "The Lord is my shepherd..." This implies that the writer of the Psalm was a sheep. This seems a bit unusual, doesn't it? For a human being to call himself a sheep? Another familiar verse, Isaiah 53:6, says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. . ." The natural question which this verse produces is, in what ways are we like sheep?        I have spent some time observing sheep on a friend's farm, and it is pretty easy to see why the Lord would compare us to sheep. Though I will not claim to know much about sheep, I have noticed that they are animals of rather s

       For awhile now, I have considered sharing some of my recipes on my blog. I really enjoy cooking (and sometimes baking) without a recipe, and come up with some fancy dishes at times. I usually keep my recipes top-secret, and hardly ever even let my family in on all the ingredients I use. But I thought that some of my readers might enjoy trying my favorite recipes, so here you go! Top-secret (or, not so top-secret) recipe #1: Chicken salad.  *Disclaimer: the lighting in my kitchen is not at all wonderful, so the pictures are not going to be the most professional you have ever seen.        Start with 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast. (Any boneless chicken will do, but chicken breast meat is my personal favorite).  Cut the chicken up into 1-2" pieces, transfer it to a frying pan, and put the frying pan on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-high. Drizzle 1 Ts. olive oil over the chicken; add 1/4 tsp. each of thyme, rosemary and ginger, and one bay leaf. Saut

       So far in this discipleship series, I have discussed the topics of what discipleship is, and how Jesus demonstrated discipleship while He was on Earth. Today's topic is the consideration of what is required to disciple others. As always, if any of my readers disagree with any of my points, or have anything to add, please let me know!        The foundational necessity in discipleship is having a personal relationship with the Lord. We can not disciple or counsel others without wisdom, and without an understanding of God's Word.        No one can have true wisdom unless he knows the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (NKJV)        Likewise, no one can understand the Word of God unless he has believed in Christ, and as a result, has received the Holy Spirit. We are told in I Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, f

       Last week, I introduced my Discipleship series by answering the question, "What is discipleship?" This week I will be looking at an overview of Jesus's discipleship. This will definitely not be exhaustive, so I would encourage you all to take the time to study it for yourselves!        There are several things that first come to mind when I think of Jesus' discipling. First, He taught by word and by action; second, He taught at all times of the day and in many different situations; and third, He mainly focused on teaching a small group, "the twelve".        The account of Jesus washing His disciple's feet is a perfect example of teaching by word and by action. As strange as it may seem in a culture such as ours, feet-washing was something that a good host would do for his guests. It was a dirty, demeaning job, and the host would assign a Gentile servant to perform the task. It was a sign of unfriendliness if a host did not give water to the gues

       Discipleship is something that has been stressed a lot in my life during the past year or so. During my senior year in Bible School, I was an RA, and I was leading a one-on-one Bible Study on I John for counseling class. The responsibility of those two things, coupled with the enthusiasm my counseling teacher had for discipleship, instilled in me a passion for discipling others, and a desire to become a more fervent disciple of Christ.        Close to a year ago, I began a short study on my own to learn more about discipleship. I wanted to find the answer to the questions, "What is discipleship?"; "How did Jesus disciple others while He was on Earth?"; "What is required to disciple others?"; "How can we learn discipleship?"; and, "What methods can be used in discipling others?"        I plan to do a short blog series on discipleship, hopefully giving answers to these questions and giving my readers a desire to learn more about