FAITH. By the grace of God, I am a Christian. I don't mean the superficial, thanking-God-after-winning-an-award-type Christian either. This is real to me. I was a mess of an individual (by God's standards) whose only hope was redemption through Jesus Christ. Currently, I am a faithful member in good standing at a local church.
FAMILY. I'm a husband and father by God's grace. I have the greatest wife on the planet and a daughter whom I adore. This doesn't mean we always get along, but I know I've been given far more than I deserve as it relates to them.
EDUCATION. I have an undergraduate degree in business management and a graduate degree in theological studies. Jesus, theology, evangelism, ministry, and apologetics are passions of mine, so the blog generally centers around those topics. Writing is a way for me to formulate my thoughts as not to drive my family insane since I probably border somewhere between an over-thinker and contemplative.
So, there's a little bit about me, a little background that I hope will provide insight into blog posts. Just another flawed individual seeking to be used by God.
-Van Barrett (pseudonym)
Before dissecting the above tweet, I believe it’s necessary to mention two things: (1) This is merely one example of a godless, secular worldview that pervades modern thought, yet many agree with it and shared this post. (2) I don’t know the author personally, and I’m not sure he is a real individual. Regardless, this is not meant to be a personal attack on the author. What I do know is...
The words of Jesus in John 15:1-11 have been on my heart the last couple of days. This should come as no surprise—it’s a profound text. Regarding the passage, I thought about the all-important concept of “abiding.” This refrain is mentioned an astonishing 10 times in this passage! Its Greek word, μεινατε (meinate), means “remain, abide, stay,” and, in addition to...
If, as a Christian, you’ve ever encountered Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs), you know they can be somewhat challenging to reach. The good news is that we never have to worry about the results of such an encounter (rf. 1 Cor. 3:6-7); we just have to be faithful. Yet, if we’re concerned with their salvation and the truth, then we do want to understand their position. What better...
The other day, it dawned on me that there are several Scriptures that Christians use in their daily lives which are misused, misapplied, and stripped of their context, and I figured this would be a good topic to address in a series on About This Life Blog. Please note, I have no intention of addressing these in a condescending or snarky way, which is often the lofty position of those who seek to...
—OBJECTION: Life's not about right or wrong; it's more about cause and effect. In fact, it's really about balancing energy and maintaining one's karma.
A conversation with a friend, one I believe to be a brother in the Lord, caused me to further consider an element of God’s nature. It was regarding a concept that I’d accepted and taught as biblical truth: God being Triune (or God in Trinity). Triune is a combination of two words or two ideas: three-ness and oneness (etymology: from Latin tri- and unus, one). Of course, it would be a...