Dramatic Apology

“Choose joy.” You have seen it. It is on coffee mugs, throw pillows, and at least one wooden sign in every farmhouse-style kitchen in America. Depending on when you hear it, it is either good advice or the two most irritating words in the English language. Said by someone who has been through real hardship and come out the other side still grateful, it can sound like wisdom. Said to someone standing at a graveside, three weeks into a depression, or the day after a layoff, it can sound more like, “Could you please be sad somewhere else?” So here is the question: Is joy something Christians actually choose? Or is “choose joy” just a polite way of telling hurting people to get over it? Neither answer quite works. Scripture does call believers to rejoice. It even commands it. But Scripture also describes joy as something God gives, and it makes a surprising amount of room for grief, lament, anger, and the honest recognition that the world is badly broken. If we are going to say anything us...

At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...

The difference between holiness and perfection is often blurred in modern theology, yet both Scripture and classical philosophy treat them as distinct concepts that answer fundamentally different questions. At its core, perfection concerns completeness or fulfillment. In the classical tradition associated with Aristotle and later Aquinas, perfection is teleological, meaning it is end-directed. A thing is perfect when it fully actualizes what it is meant to be. Perfection is therefore comparative and measurable relative to a standard, and it answers a specific question. Is anything missing? A perfect circle lacks none of the properties required to be a circle. A perfect knife fulfills its cutting purpose without deficiency. This understanding aligns closely with the New Testament’s use of the Greek word teleios (τέλειος), which means complete, mature, or brought to its intended end. Jesus uses this term in Matthew 5:48 (NIV), which says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father...

Psalm 51 stands as one of the most penetrating reflections on sin, repentance, mercy, and consequence in all of Scripture. It arises directly from one of the darkest episodes in Israel’s history, the sin of King David with Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. Together, the narrative and the psalm reveal a God who forgives fully yet allows consequences to unfold, and a king who is restored relationally while still bearing the earthly cost of his actions. While David’s army was away at war, he remained in Jerusalem. From the roof of his palace, he saw Bathsheba bathing. Despite knowing that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his elite soldiers, David summoned her and slept with her. When Bathsheba became pregnant, David attempted to conceal his sin by recalling Uriah from the battlefield, hoping he would sleep with his wife and assume the child was his own. Uriah refused, demonstrating integrity and solidarity with his fellow soldiers. In desperation, David...

 "Who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;" Psalms 15:4b In Psalms 15, David essentially asks, "who can dwell with God?" and describes the character of a righteous man. The righteous list is overwhelming. I have fallen short on every point. I could never meet the criteria. Without the blood of Jesus Christ washing away the sin, I could never occupy a space in His presence. Under His mercy, I strive to understand and take action to become a servant who is a little more worthy today than yesterday. I dwell on the implications of David's words and apply my flawed understanding, praying for the grace to cover my ignorance and character in progress. The second part of the 4th verse is especially salient. The statement does not violate Leviticus 5:4, which condemns thoughtless oaths, but considers the complete description of righteousness which compounds blamelessness, truthfulness, honesty, humbleness, generosity, and carefully considered...

The Bible offers nuanced guidance regarding trust in people, balancing the wisdom of cautious discernment with the commandment to love and serve others. Wisdom and Discernment: The Bible advises using wisdom and discernment in whom we trust. Proverbs 14:15 says, "The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps." This suggests that while it's not wrong to trust, one should be thoughtful and discerning about it. The use of the word steps implies an observational component to trust. We should walk but pay attention to the outcomes of our actions and their impact on others. Trust in God Above All: The Bible strongly emphasizes trusting God above humans. Psalm 118:8-9 states, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." This highlights the idea that ultimate trust should be placed in God, not in fallible people. The misunderstanding here is not that we shou...