Finding God

Over the past week I have been thinking obsessively over buying a pair of road bike shoes for my bike. I currently only have cheap plastic commuter pedals with toe straps, and it can be extremely inefficient to ride long distances in a pair of flimsy tennis shoes. I already have clipless pedals, but I need road bike shoes in order to use them. A pair of road shoes can cost anywhere from $80 to $350, but I was strongly considering simply charging them to my credit card, despite the fact that I don’t have cash to cover the cost. Every time I ride, I think about how much better it would be if I had a pair of brand new, Specialized carbon-fiber-soled road shoes; or if I had a carbon fork and seatpost from Easton or Bontrager, a pro-grade Echelon helmet, a hand-built Rōl wheelset, Swissstop engineered brake pads, a new Specialized Body Geometry saddle, or a custom bike-fitting from the local Trek store so I could ride more comfortably and with more efficiency – and I’ve only had my newest b...

You step into the sanctuary of a church. The five-piece band is playing; bar chords from the electric guitar pierce the air, vocalists sway to the music under the primary colors of the stage lighting, and quarter notes pulse in metronomic fashion from the bass drum and through the sub-woofers. Two coffee makers and a tray of doughnuts sit atop a table draped in a black tablecloth, offering boxes sit near the doors, and rows of comfortably plush seating line the sanctuary floor. Everything seems to be in perfect order. But one thing is missing. No one is worshiping. Sure, members of the congregation are singing. Some of them may even be tapping their feet, clapping, or raising their hands. What most of us would describe as modern-day worship is currently taking place, but has our understanding of what is means to truly worship become so narrowly defined as to only include the practice of singing along with a well-rehearsed band in the comfort of million-dollar church structur...

Lately I have come to understand the relationship between myself and my Father in more detail through the simple analogy of love. Though the love we understand may be complex in many ways, as some of you may have experienced in previous relationships, the Love of the Father is so beautifully simple and even more incredible. We, as humans, often consider the love we know on this earth to be wrought with nearly as much pain as joy. This is due to our imperfect and sinful disposition, which can never seem to be fully satisfied short of a supernatural interference. I think that this is one important detail that may explain why it is so difficult for us to understand the full beauty of the Love of Christ. Because we so often feel the need to prove ourselves to other humans, we feel the same urge to attempt to prove ourselves to the One who sculpted every edge of the universe and knit our flesh together. We believe that we can make ourselves look better or have a better chance at salvat...

Over the past several weeks I have been exposed to many endearing notions of the Love and Grace of God. This past Saturday, I helped to lead worship for an all-day conference at a local church in which the speakers spoke of the beauty and the continual Grace of our Father. One speaker explained that "grace is opposed to earning, but it is not opposed to effort". In other words, we cannot "earn" our faith or the redemption that comes along with grace. It is only by the Love of our Father that we can be made brand new. We are nothing without Him. We were all given a few books to help us in further understanding what it means to live with an understanding of God's Grace, one of which was The Practice of the Presence of God , by brother Lawrence. It is a short book, but it is packed full of such beautifully simple language that describes the joys and fulfillment that comes along with the presence of God. Brother Lawrence explains that it is essential to spend eve...

I recently finished the book "Radical" by David Platt, and want to challenge you to take up the challenge of The Radical Experiment. (Read the book first, obviously). I have a hard time passing up a challenge, and even though I am somewhat nervous about what will be in store for me since I know that my life will change and will likely become significantly less comfortable, I am willing to change my life for the sake of the Kingdom. I know where He wants me, and I am willing to go. I am currently on Day 5 of the challenge, and am looking forward to what this year holds. Over the course of the next year, I challenge you to: Pray for the entire world. Using a prayer guide, such as Operation World, pray for the entire world over the course of a year.  Read through the entire word. Using a chronological Bible Reading plan, read through the entire Bible.  Commit your life to multiplying community. Commit yourself wholeheartedly to the local church. But...

“Do you believe in God?” I was in the process of cleaning a few dirty porcelain-white dishes in a tiny three-compartment stainless-steel sink. “What?” I said. “Do you believe in God?” “Yeah,” I said as I nodded my head, up to my elbows in soapy water. “He’s sure got a sense of humor, don’t He?” I feigned a quick chuckle as Master Chef pointed to his fairly average-looking bearded face. He had just explained that he was essentially allergic to everything, even the drug doctors often give to patients who are having an allergic reaction. Bummer, I thought. He wasn’t a bad looking guy though; I’m not sure why he thought he was so unattractive. It bothered me that he disliked himself so much. He had been going on for a few minutes, listing all the foods he was allergic to. He had turned down a hot dish we had prepared that had pork in it. I offered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but he couldn’t have that either. Sorry, I said. We call him Master Chef at Norlin, the l...

Life lately for me has been quite tedious and uninteresting. My days are dull and uneventful, and I’ve noticed that moments of true happiness are rare and few. I feel like I have been simply pushing my way through life – through the thirteen-hour workdays and hardly restful nights; through the long, lonely, and boring days at my apartment, and through the notions of apathy that seem to so frequently invade my thoughts. I’ve tried, rather unsuccessfully, to combat the problems currently facing me, but I’ve come to realize that I am in a spiritual rut. I’ve fallen again into the strange comfort of convenient Christianity. I simply go through the motions and choose to believe in a God who is only there for me to get what I want. I never choose to sacrifice anything lest I be robbed of the few comforts I have and choose to hold onto. I find it odd, that though I know that being a follower of Christ is about more than a simple transaction between man and a Deity, I still so of...