The Background Dream interpretation is definitely a more charismatic topic in Christianity. Most of the churches I have been to have ignored the subject entirely, perhaps tacitly admitting that God spoke to people in the Bible through dreams, but largely ignoring the possibility that God still does this. For less than a year now I’ve […]
The Missionary House
At one of my previous churches, there was an older couple who owned a million+ dollar mansion in a rich area of Parker. This was years before house prices began to skyrocket in Colorado. It had several floors, an enormous atrium, an elevator, a spa, a half-court for basketball, some cool outdoor seating areas with […]
Thoughts on Travel
It’s travel season. I know this because my Facebook newsfeed has been blowing up with pictures for the past month. I have mixed feelings about travel. Which is why I’m writing this. Travel and I go back a ways and have a bit of a dark history. Part 1: The Past When […]
The PlayStation Hunt: A Case Study in Consumerism
Some of my favorite memories from my previous church involve the game nights we used to have. At the time, I was pretty terrible at first-person shooters but managed to learn enough to get into the games and play decently, which helped to make things fun. By far the coolest game “night” was the 10 […]
Comfortable in Your Own Shoes
“What this is really about is learning to be comfortable in your own shoes,” the pastor said across the desk. These words would stick with me through the years. You see, early in my twenties, some of my greatest fears and anxieties collided in the same semester. It was a nightmare. There were too many […]
The Feasibility of Financial Independence for Missions Work
Several years ago, the thought occurred to me that it might be possible to replace my salary with income from investment dividends. I was excited by this thought, but the sheer numbers required to do this made the task seem impossible. I had also not done any investing at the time, so I quickly surrendered […]
The Unpopularity of Financial Independence
I don’t have any friends who are interested in financial independence. A few friends have encountered Mr. Money Mustache’s blog through the course of their financial searches, but I don’t know anybody else personally who is pursuing FI. Largely, I don’t think anybody knows it is an option. I certainly didn’t. I once had the […]
The Pernicious Lie
“It will always be tough.” Several years ago, I experienced a significant pay raise at my job and found that my money was melting away and I wasn’t sure where to. I was living with my parents to avoid paying rent and was using a large part of my paycheck to pay off my student […]
Assessing the True Cost of Things
One of my pet economic theories is that all items you can purchase can be analyzed from three cost perspectives: the initial cost, the inherent cost, and the extended cost. I’m certain I’ve picked this up subconsciously from real economists or economics classes, but it has proven quite useful in my purchasing decisions. Initial […]
Fear and Keeping the Things We Hate
Most of us have a possession or two of which we think, “Ugh, I hate this thing.” It can be anything: clothing, books, kitchen utensils, tools, appliances, decorations, gifts. This past year I’ve reduced my collection of shirts from around 60 to 36. It required a significant amount of mental effort, but I frequently came […]