Daring to be Restless

“In twenty years, the only thing that will be different about you is the books you’ve read and the people you’ve met …” – Dave Ramsey This thought has been rolling around on the inside of me lately as I look at the books on the shelves of the store, at the books that top the best sellers, at the books that people state are “SO good – you just HAVE to read” them … It’s been rolling around on the inside of me as I ponder why so many people look at me like I’m some kind of “radical,” like I’m making them uncomfortable with my faith, like I’m somehow off the deep end in the way I read the Scriptures and the discontent I have with the way we do life as Christians in America.  Am I really that radical?  I haven’t raised anybody from the dead, haven’t overturned the tables and driven out the lukewarm with a zeal that cannot be contained (though I’ve certainly thought about it).  I haven’t seen miracles performed as I pray the Word over people … To be honest, my life is the last...

Though separated from the rest of the world by an ocean and an intensely private culture, the young people of Japan are suffering from an isolation far greater than their position on the map – hikikomori.  Definined by the BBC article cited below, hikikomori “translates as ‘withdrawal’ and refers to a person sequestered in his room for six months or longer with no social life beyond his home.”  This withdrawal is completely voluntary (rather like an eating disorder, in that regard); affects mostly young men (most of whom are oldest sons under a lot of pressure to succeed); and from all accounts, usually occurs after a traumatic failure of some kind – social or academic. Some hikikomori do not leave their homes for years or only leave in the middle of the night when they are most assured of privacy; some cut themselves or punch the walls in frustration.  In an MSNBC article, one hikikomori stated that she became like the family pet.  This problem, though it sounds str...

“Don’t you dare sacrifice your son or daughter in the fire.  Don’t practice divination, sorcery, fortunetelling, witchery, casting spells, holding séances, or channeling with the dead.  People who do these things are an abomination to God.  It’s because of such abominable practices that God, your God, is driving these nations out before you.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Message Though people laughingly identify Romania as the legendary home of “Count Dracula,” the occult in that nation is far from a laughing matter.  People take it very seriously.  So seriously, in fact, that in 2006, witchcraft was legally identified as a career.  Furthermore, when it was suggested that witches should pay taxes and be held liable for false predictions, legislators quickly abandoned the idea due to threats of curses from registered witches.  The Bible doesn’t laugh at this kind of behavior either.  It is very clear on such issues – that witchcraft, sorcery, and other...