Maybe you’ve heard about the book or read an article on the concept of “When Helping Hurts.” There’s no doubt this is a real phenomenon.  Basically, picture this:  A natural disaster happens such as the earthquake in Haiti a few years back and people start sending in donations.  USAID uses the money donated to buy millions … More When Helping Actually Helps

The Wise Men or Magi are major players in the Christmas Narrative.  In every production we present these men with certain qualities and it just became common knowledge (despite just being made-up).  But what do we actually know?  What educated guess and inferences can we make?  Here is every fact I can pull out of … More Everything You Never Wanted to Know about the Wise Men

If you are unsure if Jesus is THE King, go ahead and read this first.  It’s okay.  I’ll wait.  It’s fine.  Go, go, I have nothing else to do. Seriously, read it. Good.  Gosh you’re a slow reader.  Are you done yet?  Done?  Finally.  Ok, so now you are convinced that Jesus is the King, the question … More Is Jesus Your King?

It has felt more complicated to comment on politics lately.  You are either for separating children from their parents; or you are for all of Central America coming to the US and potentially destroying our economy.  You are either for destroying this planet with greenhouse gases, or you are for crippling the 3rd world by preventing … More Christian Politics

UPDATED (updates at bottom) Well, I’ve settled on it.  I’m going to embark on one of the tougher challenges of my life.  I’ve hiked 100 miles in 10 days.  This will be harder.  I completed a Doctoral Program in less than 24 months with 2 jobs, a wife, and a kid.  This will be harder. … More My 1 Corinthians 6:12 Challenge (or Joe’s 7 Deadly Sins)

Have you ever felt like God isn’t listening?  Like He was distant?  Your head tells you that He’s always there or at least right around the corner, but your heart is screaming, “Where the heck is God?”  I’m going to call this a desert – a spiritual desert. Now there are several possibilities here for why … More Growing in a Desert

While in Greece this past summer, I remembered something I forgot.  (I tell my children often that I have forgotten more than they will ever know.)  Athens had 12 gods they worshipped and a temple set-up for each one.  But they also had one additional place of worship established to an Unknown God.  Let me … More Shadows in Pagan Lands

Some funerals are harder to speak at than others.  I don’t think this is any huge revelation, but maybe you had a hard time putting your finger on why it was so difficult.  The key thing to remember is that no death exactly matches another death.  The severity can even change between family members.  It’s … More Not All Funerals Are Created Equal

Well, the Boy Scouts are no longer going to be Boy Scouts.  The official title I believe is now Scouts of the BSA which Definitely Doesn’t Stand for Boy Scouts of America (or something like that.) This is a little outside the normal social issues I tackle but I think there’s crossover.  First, Boy Scouts does … More The Scouts – this Eagle Scout’s Opinion on the Good, the Bad, and the Neutral of Admitting Girls into the BSA