The Plight of the Christian Faith

Based on the title, you may think I'm about to drop some solid heresy, but I think there are some real issues with a lot of Christian's understanding of faith that need to be addressed. I'm no expert, so this may all be nonsense, but I haven't written in a while and all of my …

How to Love God Through Loving Earth

*This blog was written for a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Leadership Scholar requirement.* With a head of the EPA who seems to be doing the opposite of protecting the environment and a President who seems to advocate for much of the same, how are we to respond, as Christians? Regardless of our political affiliation, the time …

The Danger and Necessity of Contentment

"The unexamined life is not worth living" -Socrates In cornerstone of philosophy is the constant pursuit of the unattained. Whether knowledge in general or answers to questions, the philosopher never quits asking the cliché question, "Why?" I don't claim to be a philosopher or anything close to one, but I did study them in my …

My Grandpa

For those who do not already know, my grandfather Richard Knudsen passed away yesterday at the age of 83 from what seems to be a massive heart attack. If you knew him, you knew he always had a story to tell or some ancient artifact to show you about his life. He loved telling stories …

I Killed a Cactus

This summer, I did the impossible. In a murderous and hatred filled act, I killed a cactus. To be fair, in the words of Agent Orange, "Both sides were to blame." That cactus was kind of asking for it. The way it never asked for anything and looked so quaint and beautiful on the window …

Summer 2017: An Honest Reflection

This summer has been a lot of things. A lot of things unexpected, a lot of things wonderful, a lot of things not so wonderful. At the very least, this summer was enlightening through its many ups and downs and has left me knowing more about myself and where life may be headed. So now, …

The Difficulty of Atonement

**I received the following book from InterVarsity Press (IVP) in exchange for an honest review. The following is my personal review.** Mark Baker and Joel Green's Scandal of the Cross: Atonement in the New Testament and Contemporary Contexts challenges how we look at the cross and how we look at God amid Jesus’s crucifixion. Near the end of …

The Mosaic of Christian Belief

**I received this book from InterVarsity Press (IVP) in exchange for an honest review. The following is my personal review of the book.** Roger Olson's The Mosaic of Christian Belief is an excellent example of an honest and orthodox overview of the main theological concepts within the Christian faith. This book would be an excellent read for …

Have Some Fun

Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am—a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So …

Sick Day Ramblings

Today, was a sick day. In the midst of several consecutive busy weeks, I was glued to the couch for the entirety of the day to do one thing - nothing. Usually, these days come with open arms. Like most of us, I almost never give myself a chance to slow down and have a …