Easter is not my favorite holiday. It makes me uncomfortable. There, I’ve said it. For those who know me and that I do love Jesus, that statement may come as a surprise. It’s not the sort of thing that someone with my background is supposed to say. But it’s the truth, though I’ve just recently […]
Jesus
What’s the Point? The Power of What You Think
What’s the point? This, and similar questions, rotated through my mind for months with varying levels of prominence like an insidious playlist of earworms. The enemy waged a subtle war in my heart and mind for several years, using disbelief and discouragement to wear my hope away. He loves to take our circumstances and whisper […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part Five: Take Your Stand
Sometimes, when I stand at the edge of the mat at karate and watch the higher ranks perform a kata, I can’t escape the humor in it all. Here we are, a bunch of people with bare feet, glaring down invisible bad guys as we kick and punch and make weird yells and whistling noises […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part Four: Badge of Honor
Thwack, thwack, thwack. Thwack, thwack, thwack. The dull sound of flesh hitting flesh as forearms collide in waltz time pulses through the karate dojo, accompanied by low conversation. Nearby I hear a faster tempo as two of the guys with muscular arms go at it twice as fast as everyone else. Next we go to […]
Karate and the Kingdom Part 1: Girl in Black
My coworker approached me where I sat at one of the computers at work. “Next month, I get to bring a friend to karate for free, and I’m inviting you,” she said. “You can come two times a week for the whole month, or you can come to one class and if you don’t like […]
He Didn’t Come As a Royal King Should Have
He didn’t come as a royal king should have The High King of Heaven come down to earth Unwelcomed by fanfare or clamoring crowds Quietly humble, His miraculous birth Curled up inside of a womb He’d created No guards to protect this valuable life Only to outcasts His birth was announced By angels and a […]