When blessings overflow, thanksgiving is organic and natural. In hard seasons, it takes intentional reflection to see all the ways in which God is loving, faithful, kind, good, and gracious. God is always there with me. Jesus is the friend who carries me through. These truths keep me anchored.⚓

While many Christians can articulate a theologically-informed view of who the Spirit is and what he does, many don't allow him to actually do what he has been sent to do. Much of our power/control issues is rooted in desiring to change & control people and thus usurping the Spirit's role.

Thankful for Moses Lee 's thoughtful piece. He articulates well some important insights for those seeking to better address cultural divides. His integration of the biblical and theological in a culturally intelligent manner is timely. www.khoracollective.com/another-case...

Meritocracy is the subtle poison that prevents many American Christians from fully embracing the depths of grace, mercy, and love. We can discuss these in the abstract & feign wonder, but the way we address sin & treat others tells an uncomfortable truth about a thirst for judgment & condemnation.

A lament: we who are followers of Jesus should be the most in awe of divine grace, mercy, & love. The experience of being shown mercy and given life undeserved ought to form in us profound humility and deep compassion for others who have not yet experienced Jesus's transforming love. 1/2

Dirk Nowitzki played 21 years in the NBA. His teammates in Dallas combined for seven All-Star selections. Zero All-NBA 1st or 2nd Team selections.

Today was one of those worship services when I knew we were in the right place, the right church. Pastor Barry gave a wonderful message on the value & importance of women in Jesus' kingdom. Women are full image bearers with tremendous gifts to offer. #ABeautifulAlliance

Haven't been online much & have not posted much recently. No regrets. It has been good for me as I'm realizing how fragile & heavy-hearted I am these days. It's not one thing, it's so many things. Just hoping all of you find ways to hold to hope in these hard days.💙🕯️

So much heart heaviness. Don't have words these days. Just trying to fix on hope. Evening walks help me breathe.

Encouraged to hear a timely word from the Sermon on the Mount - needed reminder of Jesus' values, teachings, & his call with regard to our life & engagement in a broken world. Matt 5-7 is a good place to go to calibrate the church's true north during these chaotic times.🧂🕯️♥️⚖️ #SaltLightLoveJustice

There is so much to mourn. There is nothing to rejoice over. Lord, be near to the brokenhearted. Lord, bring peace. 💔

Again and again, it is heartbreaking to see that racists, xenophobes, supremacists, & nationalists will harm themselves if it means acting on their hatred of others. It truly is drinking poison hoping it will fuel your hatred of others.

A drive for control and authority in ministry is one indication of a struggle to trust the Spirit in ministry. When someone feels that everything must involve and flow through them, they are not working with the Spirit or yielding to the Spirit. 🕊️

There are Caesar things & there are God things. The empire's money has Caesar's image. Give it to him. You, your identity, & your allegiance/worship are marked by God's image. Give them to him. A good, timely word from Pastor Barry Jones.

As a pharmacist, I've dealt with enough people across a wide socio-cx/political spectrum to know that Americans generally trust their healthcare professionals. The only thing that erodes this trust is politics tied to conspiracy theories. It's irrational & harmful. We must push back.

Got the car fixed/mods done over the long weekend with decent weather for garage time in TX. Sore muscles, some bloody knuckles, and dirt under the nails that can't be cleaned, but also feeling satisfaction and a sense of rest. 🛠️🚗 #wrenchtime #S550Mustang

How do I know I grew up poor? I see all these fun, nostalgia posts about classic toys, video games, electronics, & clothes. I realize I really didn't have the cool stuff, I just knew it was cool stuff. 😂😭 #GenX

There's some wisdom in resting with your mind if you work with your hands and resting with your hands if you work with your mind. In a stressful season of teaching and a busy work schedule, getting some car repairs done has left me with bloody knuckles & a sore body, but also a sense of rest.🛠️

Sermon thoughts on Ruth 2. Truly righteous character doesn't look to simply meet the letter of the law or do the bare minimum. Good isn't obligatory. The righteousness of God fulfills the law generously & mercifully in the details and scope of how we love (hesed) - this brings real flourishing.🌱

America is steeped in the idolatry of gun ownership, the idolatry of welding god-like power in our hands, the idolatry of creating our own little fortresses. These idolatries grow clearer with each mass shooting. So much to grieve, so much to be angry about. These evils are not inevitable.

It's discouraging to see some Xians seeking to justify anger, culture war stances, & condemnation toward others. Did Jesus have boundaries? Yes, and yet his example/teaching centers love, mercy, humility, grace, gentleness, kindness, and peace. Apostolic teaching reflects this.

Scripture speaks to our Xian cultural moment: "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings." - James 3:13 NET Godly wisdom and understanding are characterized by *action and gentleness* 🧵 1/

In a season full of challenges & hardships, Hanna has been and is my rock. She keeps things steady when I am wobbling. So thankful for her. Happy birthday to Hanna, truly a gift from the Lord. 💐🎁

Encouraged after this year's faculty workshop. Good to connect with colleagues & start a new year with focus. Challenging year ahead but thankful to be part of a good team. 🏫 📚 #perspective #seminarylife

In hard seasons, pausing to take in moments of beauty means more. 🌄 #sunsets #scenesfromawalk

To be conservative means that you value the preservation of certain institutions, values, beliefs, philosophies, etc. Being conservative is not a virtue unto itself. "Conserving" something that is toxic or harmful is actually wrong. We're in a crisis of uncritical thinking.

Struggling. There's so much going on in life - feels like I'm just trying to keep my head above water while waves keep breaking over me. Lord, I need you. 🌊

A nice moonrise greeted us as we finished our evening walk.🌕

It's Donut Day 🍩 once again. I have a little tradition in which I bring in donuts on the last day of summer OT classes. It's a nice reward for taking a Hebrew intensive during the summer. Well done!📜📚 #seminarylife

There are two major crises regarding Christian Nationalism and American Christianity. Either churches/Christians are essentially Xian Nationalists but deny it, or they are in the CN movement and think it's a legitimate expression of Christian faith.

This is big for the Korean community in SoCal, but this will be cool for Koreans everywhere. Good move for Sonny - he'll do well in MLS and in LA. 🇰🇷⚽

For many modern Christians, one of the most detrimental dynamics is a reliance on meritocracy as a way of ordering social structures & institutions and explaining reality. It's especially harmful when seen as an impartial, objective force that is divinely approved. What is grace?

A dawn-dusk diptych of today's eastern sky.🌄 #longday #TexasSkies

In the midst of a lot, it can be hard to celebrate special moments, but I am so thankful today for 31 years with @hk1won.bsky.social I love being part of a journey and a friendship beyond what I could have imagined. Happy anniversary! 💐

This is the greatest thing I've seen in a while. Dying. 🤣💀 Thanks, @jbgraeber.bsky.social I needed this.

Love this shirt. Love that Pastor Michael Oyedokun takes youth on an annual tour of HBCUs so they can know and remember these important institutions.🏫🎓 #HBCUs #RespectedRememberedRelevant

The church lives in tension between a Kingdom to come & this world where we live & move among the nations. Our loyalty to Christ must be primary - we are in the world, never of it. No worldly national or political agenda or identity can ever override who we are, what we do in Christ.

Law & order is not the same as justice. Law & order can be used to further an agenda, oppress a group, advantage others, and protect corruption. Justice is to insure that all wrongs are addressed with repair and restoration. They may coincide, but they are not the same.⚖️

Loved today's OT class. Enjoyed the topic, the students' engagement, and interest. Great group. I've also had a rich week of internship exit interviews. It's not either or for me. I love working with students in both field education and in OT studies. 📚📜🌱 #seminarylife #thankful

Philippians 2, the description of Jesus' character, and the call to love one another in humility is about as clear a teaching as there is in Scripture. Yet so many who claim the name of Christ fail to heed this call. 💔

A toxic effect of greed & materialism is the inability to be gracious and merciful as Jesus is. No matter how well some can pontificate about grace & mercy, they cannot fathom care & support for people who are not "worthy." They cannot let go of meritocracy.

Had one of those days you just love as a teacher - students asking good questions, showing that they've grown in their knowledge and understanding, and striving to take what is learned and move toward serving the Lord and others well.📚📜🌱💚 #OTStudies #Hebrew #Seminarylife

I had heard a Korean student had graduated from DTS in the 30s. I had wondered who this was and what his story was. Thanks to Autumn Yoo for this piece honoring Pastor Kim Seung Lak, (ThD class of 1931) and his legacy in Korean theological education. 🏫 voice.dts.edu/digitalartic...

The Word series is a big deal. When Chris and I were back in seminary, I know young Chris would've been over the moon if he knew that he would one day author a volume in these familiar colors. Congratulations, my brother! Love seeing this.📚 #NTStudies #WordSeries

You don't have to be apologetic or qualify things if you cried during Superman. There were some beautiful, human, hopeful moments and tears are just fine. Soft hearts are not a sign of weakness. #LookUp

Excellent description of agape: Love is the unconditional commitment to seek the good of the other, even at personal cost. Today, one way to love is to lay aside our schedules & agendas. Love others in the interruptions. Good, timely word today. Thank you, Barry Jones.

James Gunn gets the source material and handles it well. He knows his comicbook source materials & lore. This Superman is faithful to the spirit of the comicbook Supes and the movie captures the comicbook visuals/action well. #LookUp #Superman

Saying some piece of art is political is lazy critique. It's usually code for "I don't like the politics in this piece of art." Those folks usually don't say anything when they like the politics infused in a piece of art.

MAGA has been so deceived they are incapable of understanding why their conspiracies are not validated in the real world. Climate change is real? Tariffs raise prices for us? Vaccines prevent outbreaks? Immigration enforcement isn't about criminals?

Still hard to believe I get to teach here. Seems like yesterday I was sitting in this classroom as a student. 📚📜💚