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Why Christians [Should] Have the Best Music

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I’ll make a confession: I do not listen to “Christian” radio. There, I said it. It’s not that I’m against it in principle. I think it’s nice for middle aged soccer moms to listen to music that is “uplifting”, “family-friendly”, and repetitive. So why do I not listen to it? Well, mainly for the same reasons. Most of the Christian radio stations I’ve listened to have a list of ten songs on repeat that sound the same. Christian radio can be predictable and bland. “If you’ve heard one song, you’ve heard them all”. However, I firmly believe that Christians should have the best music available. Music is not inherently Satanic or wrong or anything Christians should shy away from. There are plenty of reasons why Christians should have great music. The Bible’s Writers Were Music Lovers People write music about what they love. Money. Fame. Sex. Life. The people who wrote the Bible loved God. The Book of Psalms is an entire book of songs dedicated to God. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanct

Never Growing Up

Have you ever thought of what it would be like to never grow old? There is something in all of us that yearns for immortality. We remember our childhood and how seemingly innocent and carefree we were. Even if we had less than perfect memories, almost all of us would want to relive our youth. Like Peter Pan in Neverland, we yearn to be children. What happened? As time passed, our parents instructed us to become more “mature” and “responsible”. Schools prepared us for “adulthood” and “productive, meaningful careers”. We felt pressure to conform to standards of what adults should meet. We were told to “grow up”. But that’s not what Jesus told us. Jesus, in fact, told us the exact opposite. Three biblical writers- Matthew, Mark, and Luke- all record that Jesus was held in high esteem by the crowds. People walked for miles to hear him. And people would bring their entire families, including young children, to hear what Jesus would speak about. Parents began to b

How To Get All The Energy You Need

Have you ever felt that you had so many things to accomplish, but did not have the energy to do them all? We live in a busy world. Between work, travel, and play, there seems an endless amount of tasks to do. Many of us feel worn out at the end of the day. We lack the energy to keep up with our schedules. To gain energy, we try a variety of activities, including: Drinking lots of coffee Taking naps Working out at the gym Reading a book called “100 Ways to Re-Energize Your Life!” Reading a sequel to that book, called “100 More Ways to Re-Energize Your Life!” These may all be valid ways to gain energy for what we need to do in our lives. But it is a scientific fact that energy cannot be completed or destroyed; it can be changed from one state or form to another. This is true for all the forms of energy that we can think  of, including Gravitational Heat Chemical Electrical Wind Nuclear Therefore, we can’t truly credit these fo

This Is The One New Year's Resolution You Should Keep

I am excited for 2015! Like many people, there are some things I'd like to  differently for this new year. Here is a list of some of my New Year Resolutions and action plans: Be Healthier Run a Half Marathon in spring Exercise daily through cardio, stretching, or weight lifting Eat full servings of fruits and veggies at every meal Manage Money Better Give more for God’s Kingdom through church Start saving for retirement (not as if I ever will retire, but it doesn't hurt to plan for the worst) Open IRA on one year work anniversary in March Learn More Learn new languages Study Spanish through Duolingo and daily Bible readings Learn major Greek and Hebrew words in biblical texts Learn some self-defense Sign up for local classes Learn to shoot a gun Finish General Education Credits I'm sure that I'll eventually add more. I am an ENFP, after all. But truthfully, I may break some of these resolution

I Let My Friends Write My New Year's Resolutions For Me. Here Is Their List.

It was a slow time at work. There were not as many incoming phone calls in the call center as usual. Although I try to keep my mind focused on work while I'm in the office (after all, that's why I'm there!), my mind drifted to thinking about the new year. What should I write down as my New Year's Resolutions? I was having trouble thinking of good resolutions. Most people write down, "Make more money" or "Lose more weight". But I was satisfied with my paycheck, and if I lost any more weight I would be invisible when I turned sideways. Then I had a brilliant thought: I'll ask my co-workers to write a list for me! I opened up a Google Doc, named it "Tom Dale's New Year's Resolutions", and sent an informal link to some of my co-workers/friends. Within minutes the document was filled with their suggestions. Here is their list. Repent from being reformed and turn to the truth of being an Arminian Grow 2 inches Hike the Grand

Three Things To Remember This Christmas

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Love it or hate it, Christmas is upon us. And I, for one, love it!  It's not the festivals or decorations or food that I necessarily love, but it's the gift-giving. Specifically, the gift of God's presence.  God is, of course, always present with us. There is no place on Earth that is completely devoid of Him. Yet it is this time of year that reminds us of the mind-blowing fact that Jesus Christ, God with skin on , actually visited the Earth over two thousand years ago. The Light of the world "stepped down into darkness". The All Powerful Creator emptied Himself to become one of us, a weak and fragile human. Christmas reminds us that God gave us His presence even after we fled away from it through sin and rebellion.  This is why I love Christmas. It can be easy to forget throughout the year about the good news that God sent His Son into the world to taste death for everyone, so that all who might believe in Him can live forever. Without Christmas,

Why You Can Be A Minister

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Not many people are holy enough to become a priest. Most people don't meet the spiritual qualifications to be a pastor. It takes years and years of praying, reading the Bible, and chanting Latin rhymes in order to be worthy enough to don a man-dress and a big golden cross necklace. Or at least, that is the subtle lie that I've bought over the years. Since becoming a Christian at the age of 14, I wanted to be a minister. I was told that I would first have to go to Bible college for four years, go to seminary for another three years, and then have to wait several months before a denomination could deem me worthy enough to lead a church.  Certainly pastors should be well educated and have a wide variety of life experiences. But sometimes those high standards can discourage a young man like me. I have a two year degree in theology, and when I applied to over thirty churches to work as a youth pastor, I was told I needed at least a master's degree. When I tried to ex