One of the most beautiful concepts put forth in the book of Genesis is that of the imago dei, that God created each person in His image. It distinguishes human beings from the animals and forms the basis for the injunction against murder. In the Ancient Near East, a king would set up an image of himself in the town square of each city in his domain so that people might recognize His presence there despite his physical absence. Theologians over the centuries have suggested many human traits that best embody the image of God: intellect, dominion, social interaction, spirituality, and others. However, it appears that God's image is less about powers or capacities a human might claim and more about God making Himself known in the world. Unlike the rest of creation, men and women show us who God is in a special, intimate way.

A lot of books have been written on World War II, and especially the Nazi regime and the Holocaust. Though large, memorial museums exist in Houston, Washington, and other cities, anecdotal evidence from teachers reveals that many students today have no idea what the Holocaust was. So, it is useful to revisit the sins of the past so as to remember that in our humanness we are not so far removed from them. What is striking about reading the philosophical debates held in Germany preceding the “Final Solution” is the leaders' disregard for God's image present in each individual. These misconceptions about humanity led to the rounding up of millions of people to be tortured, starved, and killed, all in the name of “cleansing” the country of people deemed unworthy of life.Read more

Bloodshed is not really a pretty subject. Sure, we see it pretty often on CSI and the shoot-em-up action of our movies and even video games. Still, bloodshed is a somber topic because it is not only about the loss of blood but also the loss of life. Yet in the Baptist churches of my youth I must have sung on the subject at least a hundred times:

What can wash away my sin?
 Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again? 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Why all the talk about blood? I must admit the college-educated, more urbane side of me squirms a little at the mention of the blood. I worry about what a thoroughly secular friend of mine would think about the song. In his mind, such a song would prove his point that Christian folk are strange people obsessed with strange ideas. What good is there in such bloodshed?

The rough streets of Houston provided the answer.Read more

Though we may think otherwise from time to time, the heart of the medical profession is very much a mission of sacrifice and service for the sick. And medical school, at least for me, has provided opportunities to explore creative ways to serve the poor and forgotten. Recently, I joined a medical team offering a free Saturday clinic in Laredo, Texas and got a glimpse of what this calling might look like in my life. The organization was called “Hands and Feet” reflecting the fact that as we go out in Christian service, we become representatives for Jesus. In fact, each Christian is a hand, foot (or ear, eye, etc.) in the body Christ (1 Cor. 12), so it makes since that these members been seen out in the world. So, with these feet we walked the streets of Laredo, going door to door inviting neighbors to come get a free check-up or to get something done about that cough.Read more

The summer after my senior year in high school, I went on Young Life's Wilderness Ranch backpacking trip. At each meal on each day of that week-long adventure in Colorado's backcountry a member of our group would share his or her “Life Story.” The solitude of the immense forest provided a safe environment for talking about things that wouldn't be said in the crowded city. Finally at the end of the meal and the conversation, one of the leaders, with a little ceremony, would ask a question asked of all the backpackers that come through the gates at Wilderness Ranch. Imagine there's a horse coming up the trail, and there's a saddlebag on his back. If anything you want could be in that saddlebag, then what would it be? I remember distinctly what I said as the brand new world of attending college loomed over me at the time. I answered, the blueprint for my life.Read more

I went to the Houston Symphony's performance of Handel'sMessiah last month. I had never heard the oratorio all the way through--most of us only hear 2 of the 53 mini-songs that make up Messiah. I took a peek at the lyrics page in the concert program and to my surprise found two full pages of text made up entirely of Scripture. We might give credit to G.F. Handel for skillfully weaving the tapestry of singers and instruments, but this declaration in song wholly originates in God's Word. Which made me wonder: who in this chorus sings these words from the heart, with belief? They are perhaps the most powerful words put to song. Many of the singers were about to explode with the energy they were putting into each word. Others carefully uttered the lyrics with more dispassionate looks on their faces. How many confess--not just sing--those words? I wanted to bump into one of the choristers after the performance and say, “So, what's it like to sing that song?”
 
I often mouth Christian verbiage with a less than believing heart. How can I do this? As I step back and look at the story told by my Christian faith, how can I help but bow my head in reverence and humility? Our hearts are to be directly tied to the words we confess (Luke 6:45). How can we make our tune a true song that springs from the heart?Read more

I've always like the term man-hours. It sounds so solid, so real. It's not just time spent, it is time invested by a real, live person (man or woman). It only seems logical to mention the person who spent those hours turning out that product. Someone logged the time to do the work to produce the end results. He or she ought to be mentioned.

I've been flipping through a novel that describes human interactions against a backdrop of spiritual warfare. And I mean warfare, complete with angels and demons brandishing swords and such. While it's questionable whether some of the story's depictions reflect good theology, the story paints a vivid picture of a world with a spiritual realm that is activated and propelled by prayer. Events are not so much determined by human planning and action as by God's sovereign hand at work amongst the pleas of believers and the schemes of His evil opponents. The reader can see characters sink or swim based on whether they are undergirded by prayer or are forgotten.

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Yesterday was noteworthy for two reasons. First, I joined a bunch of 20-somethings many years my juniors in taking the first exam of our medical school careers. It was certainly a unique event for this author who last took Anatomy and Physiology fifteen years ago. However, just as noteworthy was the sight after the test: a sea of humanity spread out from those lecture halls buzzing about those mean questions from those mean professors. We were all, suddenly, the best of friends. A guy I had never seen before smiled and said, “Hey, man, how'd ya do?” That lab mate who I thought had forgotten my name all of sudden wanted to run down the answers with me. We had been through the fire, but we had been through the fire together, and that made all of difference.Read more

Holidays can be rough for graduate students who live a thousand miles from home. One family decided that at Easter no one in the body of Christ should be alone. I had never met this family before arriving for lunch—they had just extended the invitation to anyone who didn't have anywhere to go. After being cooped up in a residence hall all semester, entering their house was like being set free. A bookshelf spread across one wall, inviting guests to spot a volume and then use is it as a conversation starter. The deviled eggs and Romanian sweet bread far outdid the campus cafeteria. But it was the afternoon of sharing our hearts for ministry, ideas, family, and community that made the trip worth it. For me, their home that day became a temporary shelter from the things that burdened me.

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Early on in my Galveston relief trip with a group of graduate students from the Midwest, I found that dramatic (and miraculous) stories of Hurricane Ike were numerous. Stories of waiting on a home's second story for a dump truck to come to the rescue.Read more

Have you ever been a part of a campaign, a part of a cause? Perhaps some of you helped get out the vote for Election Day '08. Perhaps others of you have raised funds for the The Komen Foundation or a group helping the people of Darfur. Some friends of mine are in the business of campaigning against the rise of human slavery in the world and in the process of working this past weekend tangibly represented the Body of Christ in Chicago. This group set out to distribute 1,000 flyers and build awareness; and, as a result, the Church was displayed for the city to see. It is important to note that in all this social activism, addressing the deeper spiritual needs of both faraway victims and those passing on the street was at the heart of this Christian mission.

November can be cold in the Windy City, and human trafficking and slavery can be far removed from people's minds on a Saturday. However, this group of graduate students descended on Michigan Avenue and began to engage pedestrians. They fanned out in all directions …Read more