Reflections

A Deconstruction Observed — Pt. 22 My Dark Moment When I was studying the craft of fiction, hoping someday to write suspense/thriller novels, I learned about an essential part of this type of story: the dark moment. The dark moment is that part of a story or novel where everything looks hopeless and the protagonist is on the verge of giving up. It’s the proverbial darkest before the dawn part of the story. I guess you could call this part of my story my dark moment. As with most of my story I can’t pin down a precise chronology or …

How I Entered the Dark Forest of Deconstruction (A Deconstruction Observed, Pt. 17) I had a problem. As I wrote previously, I had concluded that the universe and the earth were not only old; they were ancient. It went against everything I’d been taught, everything I’d believed, indeed everything I’d taught others. But it was the only thing that made sense. The problem was: how could I reconcile an ancient universe with what I had previously believed: that the universe had been created in six twenty-four-hour days and was less than 10,000 years old? I began searching for a solution, …

A Deconstruction Observed, Pt. 16 I started this series on deconstruction around August of 2022, and it’s progressed in fits and starts since then. That’s partly because I always have a bunch of different irons in the fire and I tend to chase shiny objects. But that’s not the only reason. Another reason is that even now I’m still processing things. The main reason I’ve dragged this out for so long is because I really didn’t want to write about some of the elements of my story that would be more controversial. I dreaded the inevitable pushback I’d get online. …

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Hatred abounds in today’s world; much of it I can do nothing about. I don’t have the ability to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. I don’t have the ability to end the war in Ukraine. I don’t have the ability to ease tensions with China. I don’t have the ability to solve the humanitarian crisis at our southern border. And I don’t have the ability to calm our turbulent political waters in this election year. That’s what I can’t do. So what …

As I stood outside the door of the room where my daughter and her bridesmaids had just finished dressing, the wedding coordinator cautioned me, “Don’t cry.” She opened the door. I cried. When I saw my daughter in her wedding dress for the first time, I lost it. Charlene looked at the ceiling and fanned her face to keep her makeup from running. The bridesmaids sang silly songs to distract us. I somehow managed to pull myself together and we made it down the aisle with no more tears, although we both had to tell each other, “We don’t need …

The post that follows is a repost from August 12, 2020. I am reposting with commentary all the posts I made leading up to the 2020 presidential election and through the insurrection of January 6, 2021. My commentary follows this post. (For background on why I am re-running these posts, see: https://www.jamespence.com/reflections-on-january-6th/) So, I kicked a hornet’s nest last night.  Not literally, of course.  I made a post on Facebook, congratulating Mr. Biden on his choice of running mates. I thought it was a savvy political choice that gives him the best chance of winning in November.  My post was …

Lessons from My Heart Attack: Every Day is a Gift  “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands;” — Psalm 31:14-15a, NIV On January 27th at around 5:00 a.m. I suffered a massive near-fatal heart attack. I have no memory of the heart attack that almost took my life. Indeed, I can’t recall anything from the entire previous day or for the following week. I’m told that I came about as close to death as it’s possible to come without dying. Humanly speaking, I shouldn’t even be here. Best-case scenario, I …

“[God] rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven” (Psalm 78:24 NIV). Sheer panic is an apt description for what I felt. Laurel and I moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in January of 1984, to begin working with a small Christian ministry. There was only one hitch. We had to raise our own support. After sending letters to everyone we knew (and a few people we didn’t), we had raised about $500 a month in income. We needed to cover at least three times that in expenses. I was a bit cocky at …

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV). Is God faithful? Will he really provide for my needs? Or are those just words that sound good but have no anchor in reality? I can’t speak for others; I can only tell my story. Laurel and I began a journey of learning about God’s faithfulness in January of 1984. I had accepted the position of administrator for a small Christian ministry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We were excited about our move to Baton Rouge, but it included a …

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay When I think of contentment, I realize that God has provided everything I need, and quite a bit more. Contentment reminds me of the song “Let it go.” To be content really means to let it go. To unclasp our hands from our possessions and realize that whatever we have is ultimately a gift.  Paul says to Timothy that “we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out, therefore having food and clothing, let us be content.” He said “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” The mindset of contentment is expressed in …