Bedhead Theology

I have been in software engineering for over a decade. It always amazes me how much my theology influences my work. Lately, I have been contemplating whether any aspect of my computer science training could apply to ministry. In the same fashion that Paul employed classical rhetoric in a sanctified way, so too could we apply modern secular principles to the church. One thing I have considered about church evangelism is the necessity for a balance between intentionality and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. We can learn a lot about intentionality through applying the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) principles to local church evangelism. It might sound a bit corporate or tech-heavy at first, but it is actually a brilliant way to approach outreach. At its core, the SDLC is just a structured framework for taking an idea from a vague concept to a fully functioning, sustainable reality. When applied to church evangelism, it shifts the focus from haphazardly hosting random events and hop...

  Often in this life, we find ourselves walking in the shadow of tragedy. Whether loss of a job, diagnosis of illness, or the death of a loved one, one thing remains true. No matter the catalyst of the suffering, the pain is acute and personal. In fact, we sometimes find ourselves feeling isolated and alone amid our trials. As sincere as people around us might be in helping us, at the end of the day, we are left alone in our own heads and hearts to process the tragedy. One comfort I would like to draw your attention to is the hope the gospel offers in suffering. Hope of Christ’s Nearness The call of the gospel promises that we are never alone. Truly, our hearts are given the only hope that can sustain us. While suffering often whispers in our hearts of abandonment, the gospel speaks of the incarnation and nearness of Christ. Christ did not save us from afar. Rather, he stepped into our pain, carried our sorrows, and remains present by His Spirit. Zephaniah 3:17 asserts, “The Lo...

The prophet Ezekiel declared the word of the Lord, “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself” (Ez 3:18-19). The call from Ezekiel pierces to the heart of the urgency of the task of evangelism. There is a sense of spiritual urgency to reach the lost before it’s too late. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, so we must live with intentionality today. The challenge lies in keeping an eternal perspective amid the deadlines and demands of life. This perspective can only be maintained through continual renewal of faith. Scarborough stated, “Faith in God through Jesus Christ is not only the initial factor in obtaining life for the soul, but is also the ...

  Circumstances in life are volatile and frequently shift like sand. If our joy is tied to them, our joy will be just as unstable. There is this concept called the arrival fallacy. Essentially, the arrival fallacy is the belief that satisfaction is found in the culmination of something: that sought-after promotion, one’s relationship, or the end of a trial. The reality is, true satisfaction isn’t the absence of suffering or the presence of abundance, but gospel hope of the presence of Jesus Christ, who remains constant. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. True joy lies in tethering our hearts and anchoring our souls to Jesus. Here are three thoughts to encourage and uplift our weary souls that God is enough. The Sufficiency of Grace Paul helpfully shows that “[God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for [His] power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul is helpfully showing us that we have weakness and through that God’s grace sustains us, and his power is ...