Bold Is an Understatement

Have you ever heard of Polycarp of Smyrna? If you have a quizzical look on your face right now, do not fret. I was in the same position as you just a few months ago.

But over the past few weeks, through my dad and a History of Christianity class, I have had the pleasure of being exposed to his incredible story, especially the last few hours of his life.

Instead of rehashing the story for you, I will instead set up the scene for the last scene of his life. Polycarp was born around 69 a.d. He became the Bishop of Smyrna (a major city in the Roman Empire) and defended the Orthodox faith against Marcionism. Around 155 a.d., Christians began to be persecuted by the Emperors of Rome.

The following true story unfolds as Polycarp is 86 years old. Roman officials are on hot pursuit to arrest and kill Christian leaders. You can read the rest of the story here. If you do not desire to read it all, start at verse five and work through verse 19. The last few statements that Polycarp make are insanely bold.

You can find more information on Polycarp here.

It Is Coming...

If you have not heard about the ESV Study Bible, check out more information on it here. I am blown away at the amount of people I look up to who have endorsed the Bible.

The Understanding That I Have Nothing To Give of My Own

A few weeks ago, I was writing a chapter evaluation for my Missions class, specifically addressing the financial shortage in supporting missionaries. But the problem is not a lack of monetary funds, especially in the United States. More so, many people just to do not give (or give generously). As a generalization, it seems like people are very protective of their money, and are hesitant to give their money to anyone or anything else (because it is their money).

Oddly though, one of the richest men in the world seemed to understand reality. Not only did he have monetary wealth, but he had power, influence, and success in every aspect. Towards the end of his life, he prayed to God in the presence of the nation he ruled and said, "Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand" (1 Chronicles 29:14).

What would change if the reality that all things you supposedly "possess" (e.g. time, money, intelligence, skills, resources, etc.) were actually God's and he was allowing you to be a steward of it?

The Consistency of the Gospel in Personal Uncertainty

The last four months have been extremely difficult. My thoughts about the future, vocation, and seminaries caused great concern and uncertainty. There were days I would wake up feeling certain of what to do, but going to bed thinking something completely different. One verse has continued to encourage me in this season, Psalm 119:92: "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction."

Yes, this may seem to be an odd verse. Why would anyone delight in the law (Bible)? For me, this set my mind in a tumultuous time on the one thing that is consistent, the Gospel. The question then is, what is the Gospel?

Simply, the Gospel is the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. But there is more. Our sin has a real consequence, eternal separation from God. Without Christ, there is no way (e.g. good works) we can overcome the great gulf our sin creates between God and us. But there is no strength, confidence or security in intellectually knowing these things. We must each receive Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Truly then, my hope in uncertainty is not in myself, but in my relationship with Jesus Christ and His unexplainable love, compassion, and truth.

Discipline Leads to Freedom?

A friend shared a great quote on his blog on Discipline. Check it out here.

Don't Waste Your Life by Lecrae

I just heard the song "Don't Waste Your Life" by Lecrae this morning. Once again, the lyrics are inspired by Scripture with an obvious passion for the Gospel and seeking Christ as our treasure. Check it out here.

You can preorder the entire Rebel album here.

Apple Pie...Eaten by Appachen

This is what an apple pie looks like after my Appachen (grandpa) gets a hold of it. He seems to like the middle a bit more than the crust (he says that others enjoy the crust so he was saving it for them).

The funny part is when he is confronted with the evidence, he cannot help but break out laughing. That is the beauty of being old or really young, you can get away with things that would usually cause people to be upset with a simple chuckle.

So you know what he looks like, here is my grandpa with his great grand daughter Meghan.



I do not want to be unfair, so here is my Ammachy (grandma) with Meghan too (I apologize for the glare)...


Ok...one more. This is Josiah, my brother Justin, Meghan, and my sister-in-law Lisa (not Josiah/Meghan's parents).

This is not a small parfait...it is a baby

Kyle was sad.

New Macbook and Macbook Pros?

According to this it seems like new Macs could be coming as soon as September. I'm hoping it is true.

Binil's Testimony and Funeral Video/Slideshow

The following video is Binil's testimony of his journey with Christ. I plead with you, reading these words, to take a few minutes and watch the clips.



The next video is similar to the one above but to music (in an incredible way). In addition, there are a good amount of pictures and a humbling quote at the end.