Fight Climate Change: Educate Yourself

The pork shoulder on the grill was completely engulfed in flames. I rushed into my brother’s kitchen to get baking soda to put the fire out. But I was ignorant of this kitchen. I opened cabinet after cabinet, but could not find any baking soda. Desperate, I grabbed the closest thing to baking soda I […]

Five Things Christians Can Do to Fight Climate Change

Climate change terrifies me. Climate change is the biggest threat life on our planet has ever faced, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me because I have two young daughters whom I love tremendously. I’m terrified the world they’ll live in will be mostly uninhabitable. Climate change terrifies me because I have seen the destruction […]

Climate Change and Christian Tribalism

I’ve been called a Liberal. I’ve been called a Conservative. People have assumed I’m a Republican, and people have assumed I’m a Democrat. It’s no secret that we are living in an incredibly divided society. The biggest lines of division seem to fall along political party lines, and a vitriolic tribalism is rampant in our […]

When Christians Dominate

Last year, our dog, Sonny, was put down. It was not an easy choice to make. Ever since, my kids have been asking for a new pet. Some days they want a new dog, other days a cat. They’ve asked for pet birds, pet bunnies, even a pet turtle. I can understand that; when I […]

How Christians Should Eat Meat

“You may eat meat whenever you have the desire.” Deuteronomy 12:20b Yep, that’s in the Bible. You may eat meat whenever you have the desire. After my last blog post, my father and brother were shocked and appalled. “Jarrod has gone vegetarian!” their text messages lamented. But let me set the record […]

Should Christians Eat Meat?

“We should start doing meatless Mondays,” my wife said. “No,” I responded. “We should. You know it’s better for our health. Plus, they say cutting back on meat and dairy is the best thing to do for the environment,” she continued. “You’re the food and creation guy, you need to take this seriously. […]

Happy Earth Day

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too. Because God is the one who established it on the seas; God set it firmly on the waters.” -Psalm 24: 1-2 (CEB) Happy Earth Day! The first Earth Day was the brainchild of […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Holy Saturday

Luke 23:50-56 Joseph of Arimathea gets very little mention in the Bible. We know he was a member of the council that plotted against Jesus and ultimately put him to death. Joseph, however, voted against this plot. After Jesus died, Joseph asked Pilate for the body, and had it placed in his own tomb. […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Good Friday

Luke 23:44-49 The centurion had marched onto battle fields, and had a hand in the slaughter and execution of countless men. He was a man familiar with death, a conqueror. He knew what it meant to be victorious, and he knew that there was no victory in dying. Yet as he gazed on […]

A Crumbling of Faith: Maundy Thursday

Luke 22:31-34 Simply by his boldness and loud mouth, Peter seems to be the de facto leader of the disciples. He plays a prominent role in many of the stories of Jesus’ ministry, and obviously made an impression on the Gospel writers. It is likely that he saw himself as the leader, too. I […]