Category: Family
High Praise for My Brother
“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29). My youngest brother Greg is finishing up his final semester at Oklahoma State University as he completes a well-earned and hard-fought degree in architecture. He recently applied to graduate schools. Although he hasn’t yet decided where … More High Praise for My Brother
St. Louis, Missouri (2)
After a full day on Saturday, Cindi and I awoke on Sunday with a full day planned. We headed out the door and drove two miles through downtown toward the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. This park is crowned by the 63-story St. Louis Arch which stands on the western bank of the Mississippi as the welcoming gatekeeper … More St. Louis, Missouri (2)
What Your Mom Was Trying to Tell You (in Three Minutes)
After 7.8 million views, I’m sure that many of you have seen this before. But for all you mom’s out there who haven’t yet, Anita Renfroe has summarized in three minutes what you’ve been trying to say every day for all these years. And for all of us who are old enough to appreciate all that our moms … More What Your Mom Was Trying to Tell You (in Three Minutes)
Starting and Finishing: How You Can Pray for Us
Our life is full of transitions right now. At times we feel a bit like Doctor Doolittle’s Pushmi-Pullyu, though in the same breath I must say that we also feel uniquely blessed by the multiplicity of opportunities the Lord has given us. With everything going on, we would be grateful if you would pray that the Lord … More Starting and Finishing: How You Can Pray for Us
2008 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors: Greg Livingstone
I just returned from the 2008 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors in Minneapolis. The title of the conference was “The Pastor as Father and Son.” My dad graciously paid my way and we enjoyed three intense days of biblical preaching, singing, and fellowship. D. A. Carson was the keynote speaker and spoke three times on biblical themes of fatherhood and … More 2008 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors: Greg Livingstone
Wildfires in Southern California
Some may be wondering about the wildfires in Southern California and if Santa Clarita and TMC have been affected. The strong Santa Ana winds are driving numerous fires out of control as they often do in SoCal. As I write this on Sunday at 10:30pm PST, the closest fires to TMC and our extension-campus dorm are in Canyon … More Wildfires in Southern California
New York, New York
Cindi and I are on the third day of our eight-day East Coast trip to New York and Boston. It’s been a refreshing few days together, which was the goal — to spend some good quality time together after four years of seminary, to celebrate Cindi’s first Mother’s Day, and to enjoy each other during … More New York, New York
In Praise of My Wife
Cindi and I were going to spend some time together at 9:00 tonight after I finished my reading for tomorrow morning’s seminary class (Apologetics & Evangelism). I was pretty baked, though, after a long week and an hour and a half of Cornelius Van Til and other philosophically-oriented writers. She could tell, so she asked me … More In Praise of My Wife
You Can Know a Lot about a Man…
My brother Mike and I spent some good time together today. We went to the X-Games, which have been held here in Los Angeles for the past few years. Most of you probably know what the X-Games are, but in case you don’t, they’re basically the Olympics of extreme sports (in case you don’t give … More You Can Know a Lot about a Man…
Happy Birthday to Cindi
Today was Cindi’s 26th birthday. She celebrated by going down to San Fernando for the second straight day and waiting to see if she would be picked for a jury. She wasn’t. But at least she knew by the end of the day, which means that she doesn’t have to go back in tomorrow. She … More Happy Birthday to Cindi
One-Year Anniversary of Lynda Varner’s Death
For those of you who know Dr. Varner and his wife, their 26-year-old daughter Lynda was killed in a car accident on July 4, 2005. I think the Varners were notified about the accident late on July 3 and Lynda was pronounced dead on July 4. The funeral was on July 9. So there are a … More One-Year Anniversary of Lynda Varner’s Death
“See”
Yesterday was Father's Day. Tomorrow is Judah's six-month birthday. So today has a lot of meaning for me. This new poem called "See" is what I've been thinking lately, as best as I can express it and as best as I can make the 11×17" double-column print version look on a blog. This is also my new … More “See”
From Oklahoma
Cindi and I are in Oklahoma right now with our parents, relaxing, which I've been realizing is a novel idea to me. I once wrote a twenty-two page seminary paper on the biblical concept of rest, but I haven't learned to apply what I learned yet. Learning how to rest biblically can be hard work. But … More From Oklahoma
Five Observations from the Zoo
Cindi and I decided to go to the L.A. Zoo today. It was a wonderful experience, as anything in creation usually is. I thought I'd mention five observations from the zoo, in no particular order: 1. As Cindi put it, “God must have a lot of fun.” How can you argue with that when (1) you … More Five Observations from the Zoo
Fathers and Sons
I'm in the midst of RD Exit Week and a two-week seminary summer class. RD Exit Week is a week of debriefing the year, sharing what we've learned, talking strategically about how to apply what we've learned for next year, finishing up administrative tasks, and (a first for this year) sitting in on a biblical counseling class … More Fathers and Sons