There has been a recent development of a new kind of digital Bible. It is more than just words in digital form, it is also resources and topical guides. After reading and discussing an interview with the creator of this software, it got me really thinking.

The motivation for creating this specific type of software is that it is bringing God’s Word into the technological vernacular of society. After pondering for a while as to whether that is just a justification for this new software, or a legit reason to move the Bible to the digital world I began thinking about what people were thinking when the printing press began printing Scripture on paper so that the Average Joe could afford their own copy.

Of course in that context it was probably healthy because it got people reading God’s Word on their own and away from the tyranny of the brainwashing church at that time. But then I wonder if there were still skeptics out there. Just as bringing the Bible into the digital world takes away the physical presence of the Bible, so does the printing press take away the sociable aspect of reading the Bible.

Think about it, in Jesus’ day there weren’t enough copies of the Torah to be owned by everyone. People would go to the synagogue to hear Scripture. That no longer needs to happen because we all own our own Bible (and if you’re in Bible college you probably have at least three of your own). Sure we have Biblestudies maybe once a week, or biweekly, and then we have church every week...but how often do we really get together with people to open up Scripture?

We’re always told that we need to spend time alone reading Scripture. But is that 100% accurate? Could they even do that in Jesus' or Paul’s time? Where did this concept of “daily devotions” come from? Is it even Scriptural? Or did I miss that passage of Scripture that covered it?

All I do know is that time spent with God daily is necessary. But that can be done in more ways than just reading Scripture alone. It can be done through prayer and worship as well.

I am not trying to put down daily devotions or reading the Bible on your own. There is absolutely nothing wrong with daily reading the Word. In fact it is probably wise. Just be careful. The pharisees were daily in the Bible as well. Afterall I know some people who can read the Bible and never encounter God. And that, my friends, is not achieving the proper goal.

There really was no conclusion I was attempting to come to. I was just mulling over the thought of the Bible only being available in a sociable setting in Jesus’ time. It just got me thinking a little I suppose.

I guess the main conclusion I come to is that we should focus on reading the Bible more in group settings. I don’t think we do it enough. And I don’t know about you but I tend to think more carefully when reading and discussing the Bible with other people. It's certainly not bad to read the Bible on our own, but I think it's also good to read the Bible with other people. When you discuss things you bounce ideas off each other and you tend to share more meaning you tend to learn more.

So my questions that are up for discussion...
Is it better to read the Bible on your own, or with other people?
Would God prefer it one way or the other, or are both equally as glorifying to God?

Every plant has a story. A story of survival. A story of endurance. And a story of flourish. Because in order for a plant to prosper in the harvest, it must endure the winter.

This is a story of a plant who hadn’t blossomed in the summer, nor the summer previous. In fact, this plant had yet to blossom and grow flowers. As the days grew colder, and the wind brought on a chill, this plant was determined to blossom. Clearly, it thought, the warm summer days were not it’s harvest time therefore it should try as hard as it can to blossom in the autumn.

Day after day staying alive became harder and harder. The rain no longer refreshed it’s leaves reaching out for a drink, now it stung as each drop splattered onto the plant. Slowly the plant’s leaves would begin to wither and curl, but by now the rain became softer and gentler. No longer did the rain sting as it fell, now it was numbing as it gently came to a rest as each snowflake landed upon the leaves.

“This must be a sign,” thought the plant “that this is the season for my harvest.”

Despite the cold the plant stretched out it’s leaves to catch sun and snow. Nourishment as difficult to gather as the leaves wanted to retract to stay warm, but the plant was determined. The plant was sure it had flowers to blossom if only it could find the right season to yield them.

But as the bitter days continued the leaves on the plant grew stiff. As it retracted it’s leaves at night to keep warm they began to crack and break. But the plant was determined. It just had to wait longer, for determination is a mark of success.

But week after week it’s leaves grew more and more brittle. One morning the plant found it could not stretch out it’s leaves to gather nutrients. The time had come for the winter to win as the plant withered away. The plant had retreated back to the ground with all it’s half broken leaves. And as soon as it did the sun appeared again. And without hesitation the plant sprung back up.

“This must be my harvest season,” thought the plant.

Now had the plant retreated to the ground before winter, it might have survived this early spring weather. But being badly scorned from the cold snow, the plant with broken and cracked leaves had little left to catch enough nourishment to survive. Within weeks the plant withered away to one last broken leaf. Realizing the pain and failure the plant had endured it decided to give up and retreat once more to the ground.

This time, the plant was determined to stay there. The plant had now attempted to flourish in all seasons, and none of them produced flowers. Maybe the plant was not meant to produce sweet smelling blossoms like the rest. Maybe someday it will come above ground, but for now the plant decided to remain in the dirt of the ground.

One summer’s day the plant decided to reappear. This time accepting the fact that no blossom’s would appear. The plant decided to grow and heal it’s broken leaves instead. It would stretch out it’s luscious green leaves proudly knowing that is all it will ever grow.

But this summer was different. Maybe the sun was brighter. Maybe the rain was fresher. Maybe the air was cleaner. Whatever it was, the plant grew quickly and proudly. Although some remained broken as a reminder of the scorn, most of it’s leaves had healed and flourished.

Along with it’s strengthened leaves a weird addition was growing from the stem. Something the plant never felt before. At first it was scary and the plant wanted to retreat in fear of it being a disease of some sort. But the plant was curious. It didn’t feel painful, it just felt different.

With each day the addition grew taller and rounder and pressure began to build up within it. The plant expected it to hurt and waited for it to cause harm, but it never did. As the growth increased in pressure it simply grew in size to compensate.

And one bright sunny day a layer from the addition peeled back with such grace. The next day another layer on the opposite side of the almond shaped growth curled back. This time the peeled back layer revealed something hidden inside. The plant did not know exactly what it was, or how this was happening, all it knew was that this was good. This was very good.

As each layer day after day peeled back to reveal what was inside, the pressure that was built up seemed to seep out in such a sweet aroma that soared as the wind picked it up. Still unsure as to what it was growing inside this bud, the plant was happy. Not just because it was blossoming something, but because of the beauty the blossom would someday reveal in full bloom. It may not be able to be seen just yet, but it’s there. It just needs time to grow and flourish before it is fully revealed.

This, for sure, was the true season of harvest for the plant.

The first part of this entry was taken from the archives of about 9-10 months ago. The second part is an addition to the same story. The third part is the final conclusion to the story.

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Once upon a time a little girl lived in this beautiful house with a wide open yard and luscious green grass.

Now the neighborhood was full of dogs that would often run around between different open yards; some dogs would stop by and interact with the little girl, while others would just run by and mind their own business. The only thing they all had in common was traipsing through the yard leaving her once tall and untouched grass now worn down and withered.

After a while the young girl decided to build a fence to keep her yard clean and safe. But to ensure she didn’t block out all the friendly dogs, she left a gate in which she could swing open and close.

Now as the girl was walking about around the town there was one particular dog who would follow her and play with her in the park, and soon became a real companion. Occasionally she decided to invite the dog into her yard after it would walk her home, but every time the dog would stop at the gate and go no further.

The little girl wondered why this was and decided the fence must be too terrifying for the dog. So one night the little girl took an axe and demolished the fence surrounding her yard so that she could share her yard with the friendly dog. Still the dog would stop where the gate once was and would not enter into her yard.

The little girl was sad at this and began leaving the dog some treats in hopes that he would one day feel comfortable to join her in her yard. The next morning the little girl awoke to find the dog bowl empty, but still the dog would stop where the gate once was. After several days of leaving out treats and no response from the dog, the dog disappeared.

The little girl was devastated. She did everything she could to let the dog know that it was okay to come in and play in the yard with her, and all he did was leave. So one night the little girl decided to rebuild the fence to at least keep her from expecting the dog to come in and visit.

Finally the dog would appear waiting at the gate for the little girl to come out into the neighborhood. The little girl was so pleasantly surprised and decided to this time break down the swinging gate to leave a forever open whole in the fence for the dog to come in. Once more the dog would not enter the yard, and after many days and weeks disappeared again.

Hurt and confused, the little girl didn’t know what to do. She always thought that this friendly dog wanted to come in and play in her beautiful yard but every time she gave him the chance he refused.

After much thinking, the girl realized a fence wasn’t good enough. She didn’t want to keep the friendly dog out, but somehow she had to stop herself from expecting the dog to come in and play in her yard. She figured the best solution would be to build a tall, thick wall in which she knew no dog could enter past.

The girl knew it may hurt to cut off all the other friendly dogs from ever coming into her yard, but it was much easier than constantly trying and waiting for the dog to do what she now knew he would never do. The protective wall, now built high, would provide her comfort and freedom from rejection and pain.

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Months Later
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That girl once pained by rejection had begun to live comfortably within the tall walls. Somehow being walled off from the world, she felt comfortable and free. Eventually she began hanging artwork on the walls to give them a homey and permanent feel. These walls were not to be destroyed, they were meant to protect her for the rest of her life.

After time went by the little girl broke noticed some cracks in the walls surrounding her. She probably would have gone to repair them, but she liked being able to see the outside world. She simply enjoyed watching the neighborhood dogs play in nearby yards. After all, the cracks were too small for even the smallest of pups to squeeze through, so the wall still protected her from pain.

But what the little girl did not foresee was that as these unrepaired cracks allowed her to see the dogs outside her walls, they also allowed the dogs to see her. Maybe it didn’t cross her mind because she assumed no dog would bother looking at a yard when next door was an open yard with well kept grass to play in. But she was wrong.

One day she noticed a dog peering back at her through the cracks. Quickly she turned around to go back into her house and shut the blinds. The dog must have been lost or confused. Why else would it sit and look through the cracks in the wall? Or maybe this dog was just curious. Eventually the little girl got used to the dog peering curiously through the cracks. But as soon as she got her hopes up, she remembered what happened with the last dog and shrugged it off. As soon as his curiosity was fed, he too would abandon her. It was just a matter of time.

But day after day the dog returned contentedly peering through the cracks. He didn’t seem to want to play in the neighboring yards, rather he wanted to sit and watch her yard from a far. After a time the little girl began looking out through the cracks in her wall, not at the other yards full of friendly dogs, but at the one dog sitting happily outside her wall.

As weeks went on the cracks in her wall began to grow. Noticing this tragedy she grabbed her tools to begin repairing the wall, but she couldn’t lift a hammer when she noticed that dog looking at her through the wall. The little girl realized that to repair the wall would be to cut off this nice dog that she knew little about. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Time and time she tried. She would grab her tools and get them all the ay out to the wall, but as she started to left her arm with the hammer it dropped back down.

One day after failing at repairing the wall she dropped the hammer and quickly grabbed the sledgehammer. For the first time in months her wall was more of a cage than a protector. She still wanted the wall’s protection, but somehow she felt trapped. Her wall could still protect her even if she installed a big window in it...right? Or did she ultimately have to choose between wall and canine?

Day after day the girl would go out to the edge of her wall where her window was located and sit enjoying the company of this new dog. And with each day the cracks continued to grow larger and larger. In order to protect her wall, instead of repairing it she began installing windows all over. The dog may not be able to get in yet, but with each day he was able to see her and her yard all the more.

As she sat and enjoyed her time spent with the dog, the more she began to realize that a choice would have to be made. It was either the dog, or the wall. One could stay, but one would have to go. She tried her best to keep both, but as she did so she felt disconnected and caged. It became painful to have both around. Either she had to repair her wall so she could not see the dog at all and would soon feel safe and free within her walls again, or she had to start taking the wall down so she could let the dog in (as she so longingly wanted to).

With each day the little girl took a piece of the wall away; some small, some large. Some days she would feel unsafe and vulnerable, other days she felt peace and comfort. The little girl had become dependent upon the walls to support and protect her. She forgot that she could find that protection within herself. And maybe, just maybe this dog would not give her a reason to be protected.

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Freedom
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One fateful day, it was down. What once was a tall thick wall, was merely a small hurdle for a friendly dog. She was free. The size of the wall was now only tall enough to keep the pesky rats out. The rest was diminished. It was scary, but it was freeing. It felt great.

But as she looked around the dog just sat there. Peering, as he did when the wall was still there, and not moving. What was merely a small leap for him, he didn't make the effort. He just sat there. And just like the previous dog, he soon vanished.

Maybe he saw all he wanted to see. Maybe he saw something he didn't want to see. Maybe he just didn't want to make that small leap of effort. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. It doesn't matter now. He was gone.

But the girl. She stood there. At first, confused, abandoned (again), and used (again). And her wall was no longer there as protection. But then. Oh yes, and then. She spun around, looking at the world around her. And for the first time in a long time...she truly smiled.

It was never about the wall. The wall was a disguise. She used to be so unhappy and needed something to blame, so she built a wall and blamed it. But as the wall came down...nothing changed. She was only ever looking for happiness.

It was never about the dog. The dog served his purpose. He simply made her happy enough to give her a reason to take down the wall. And when the wall disappeared, so did the dog. Sometimes she thinks the dog was just a figment of her imagination, but he wasn't. He was there...for a brief, curious moment he was there.

But once he disappeared, she realized something. He was not the source of her happiness, he merely reminded her that happiness can exist. And by abandoning her, he reminded her that happiness cannot be found in others, it has to be found in yourself. Relying on others for happiness only leaves you disappointed and in the dust eventually (whether you hope otherwise or not). But despite all the abandonment and disappointment, there is still happiness to be found.


This time, where she found happiness was in herself and in her Creator. No longer does she rely on people or circumstance to be the source of that smile, lit up from true happiness. And where that smile comes from...no one can take that away!

Now there is no wall.
Now there is no dog.
But there is a little girl with the biggest, brightest smile on her face. And it’s there to stay!



And that’s an even better happy ending for this story than she ever planned on having. But wait, this isn’t an ending at all, this is simply a new beginning.
A very happy new beginning...

This is another short piece taken from the archive. I'm guessing it was written around four to five years ago:


I can see it playing clearly on the movie screen inside my head.

My head is leaning on his warm upper chest as we stroll arm in arm down the abandoned street, taking in every moment that swiftly passes us by. The warmth of the sun is decreasing as it begins to meet with the horizon, which blends astonishing pinks and purples across the cloudless sky as a brisk wind starts to pick up. Conversing over our memorable past and our hopeful future, he pulls me in closer to his chest like a one-sided hug and looks down towards me where our eyes meet in a long breathtaking gaze. Our voices seem to fade off into the distance and the houses outlining the street vanish, all I see, feel, and smell; is him. The smell of his cologne fills my nostrils with such a soothing aroma that makes me forget where I am, his right arm stretches across my shoulders with his fingers wrapped around my arm so he can firmly squeeze me closer towards him, and his captivating blue eyes bewitch mine so I can’t even blink, in fear that our gaze will come to an unfortunate resolution.
Looking back on the years proceeding the day I met him, I realize that all the hardships I experienced prepared me for this.

I remember growing up and being told "everyone has an opinion, and everyone has a voice." Well here's my online voice expressing my opinion and vision.

As I go through the process of applying to another school, the question of "what are your career goals" comes up time and time again, though often it is heard in the "what do you want to do with your life" cliche question. I get it from family, friends, mentors, admissions workers, and so on. And the problem is I don't really have an answer.

The only thing that begins to resemble an answer to that question is the vision I have for churches in America. But let me first state why this has become such a strong vision of mine...

I get so frustrated when I look at most churches in America because one of two things seem to happen in regards to using media:
1) They don't even bother using media as a resource because that's too much of a slippery slope. They'd rather avoid using it than having to be intentional about where their focus is.
OR
2) They bring media into the church, it works so well that they use it even more, and they get to the point where they couldn't function without it. Sadly I see some churches getting to the point where they could easily do without Scripture before they could do without media. And that breaks my heart even more.

This saddens me. I really do not think media and Scripture contradict each other at all. So why is it that churches can't seem to have both? Media happens to be the way our future generations are inspired, communicated to, and entertained. Whether you agree with it or not, you cannot hide the fact that our society is becoming (if not there already) dependent upon visual and social media. My question is...why on earth isn't the church capitalizing on that?!

There is so much *junk* out there in media form and it's spreading because visual media intrigues our society! Why don't we have the churches seeing this as a problem and doing something to counteract it? Sorry folks, banning media is not counteracting it. That's just ignoring the problem. It's existence is there either way. Wouldn't it be in the church's best interest to use this powerful communication tool to showcase God's glory?

I just have this vision that a Bible centered church can actually exist with media as a huge form of communication/illustration without getting trapped into focusing on the result rather than the message. (I know, I'm crazy for having such a preposterous vision...but I do.)

So far I haven't been shown that my vision is even remotely possible. Actually, I've mostly been shown how my vision seems to be impossible. But I don't see why.

I want to show the world that media can coexist with a God centered church. Because, believe it or not, media can actually be used to glorify God without having to go overboard. Maybe someday it will just come down to the "if you want it done properly, do it yourself" approach. And if I have to be a part of pioneering a church that has that mindset in order for one to exist...I would be okay with that.

I often wonder if that's one of the reasons I somehow ended up at PBU. Coming to PBU has most importantly given me this need for a Scripture-centered church. I absolutely cannot be satisfied with a church that simply adds Scripture to a message. I need something deeper and more focused than that. I need a church that looks at Scripture and goes "Here's God's message!" rather than the church that knows what they want to say and simply goes "Okay, what Scripture backs up my point?"

But at the same time, God has so clearly given me this love and talent (somewhat mediocre, but talent nonetheless) for media, film, graphic design, and all the digital world has to offer. I see the importance and the influence of it as a communication tool. I see the huge impact it can have on our world. And yet I sit in wonder at why Christians aren't using it.

When you combine that love for media and that foundation of Scripture together, what you get is my vision. My vision of a God-centered church recognizing the influence media can have when used for the true purpose and intent of glorifying God.

Be in the world and use the resource of media, but don't focus on the media itself. Rather, focus on glorifying God through the media.

So what do I actually want do do for a career? I have no idea. All I know is my vision and what I want to see happen. And what I want to see is a church that is using media in a powerful and yet appropriate way. Maybe that means creating my vision will be my career, maybe not. All I know is what I want to see happen, not necessarily what I actually want to pursue as a career.

That is my vision, and this is my voice sharing that vision with you.

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Sidenote: if you know of any churches that are living out my vision, please let me know. It truly would encourage me.