Veritas Magazine

This summer, the bible study I’m part of has been reading through Galatians. We’ve been learning about how the Galatians were following some false teachings—believing that somehow their good works were what saved them and not solely the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

I can kind of understand why the Galatians were led to believe they were saved through their works. If it was anything like it is today, it was probably a rewards-based culture. You do good works, you get rewarded for it, plain and simple.

This week, as we were studying...
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As I was perusing CNN.com this morning, a headline caught my eye: “Are laid-off workers ‘untouchables’?”

The article outlines how, while trying to secure a job in the worst economic downfall since the Great Depression is tricky enough as it is, being labeled unemployed brings additional obstacles.

According to the article, “Some recruiters interviewed say companies perceive the unemployed as weak performers or fickle workers. Or they worry that a person without a job has rusty work skills, especially if they haven't worked for more than six months. Or that an unemployed...
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There’s no question that all of us will face bad news, trials, and pain at some point in our lives. The real question is how will we respond?
 
I’ve been reading in Acts about how the Apostles were beaten and imprisoned for teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. In Acts 5:41, it says the Apostles were “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Then in Acts 7, as Stephen is getting stoned to death for teaching about the Lord, it says “he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,’ and falling...
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Lately I’ve felt like I’m in a constant state of preparation: preparing to get married, planning a wedding, finding a job, moving, making plans for our bible study for the summer, and so on.

Sometimes the plans succeed, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I try really hard, and things still don’t go the way I had planned. And when I think about everything that needs to get done in the next few months or when another job rejection letter comes in the mail, sometimes I get discouraged.

The other day, I read John 14...
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Proverbs 27:23-27
Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.

The approach of summer means that the bible study I co-led with another guy has...
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Most Monday mornings, I painfully hit the snooze button on my alarm clock about five times before I roll out of bed and stumble to the shower in order to get ready for the start of another week of work.

This morning wasn’t like that.

I woke up before my alarm clock, wide awake and ready to start the day. But the only problem was that I didn’t have anywhere to go. A little over a week ago, after surviving about a year’s worth of cuts at the company I was working for, I...
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Lately, I’ve been asking myself sort of a strange question—but a question I’m sure many of us ask ourselves at some point: When did I become an adult?

I don’t think adulthood has ever been as real to me as it has in the last couple weeks. Since 10 days ago, I got engaged to a great girl and fellow Veritas staffer Sara Bouska, started planning a wedding, made a detailed budget, and began house hunting. (Yes, for those of you who don't know, a secret love story...
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It’s about that time of year when people start losing steam on their New Year’s resolutions to get in shape. (Which is true, of course, until April rolls around and everyone realizes a bit too late that bathing suit season is around the corner.) For me, I was so tired from holiday feasting that I skipped the resolutions entirely and kept on with hibernation mode, hoping to keep as warm as possible during this beastly winter.

The truth is, I know I would benefit much more if I did exercise. My problem is that I’m...
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As I read the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac today, I was once again amazed by the profound faith and obedience of Abraham.

In case you don’t know how the story goes, I’ll give you a brief synopsis:

1. God asks Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.
2. Abraham rises early the next morning, saddles his donkey, takes Isaac, and goes to the place where God told him.
3. Abraham builds an altar, bounds Isaac, lays him on the altar, and pulls out a knife.Read More

Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

We’ve probably all heard the expression, “You’ll reap what you sow.” In other words, if we sow to please our sinful desires, we will reap destruction and miss out on the relationship God wants with us; if we sow to please the Holy Spirit who lives inside us, we will reap joy and blessings from our Father.

...
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Hebrews 9:16-17
For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.

I’ve been thinking a lot about those verses ever since I read them a couple days ago. Read in context, it’s clear that the death referred to is the death that Christ died to redeem us, cleanse us of our sins, and stand before God on our behalf.
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In case you don't know, one of the voices of Veritas got married last week. Congratulations, Matt and Allie.

I was very honored to be chosen to stand up for Matt as his best man, and the experience gave me some insight into our relationship with the Lord.

At the reception, I sat beside Matt at the head table. At one point, I told him that this must be what it feels like to be royalty. Later on, I gave a toast in which I shared a little about Matt and what a...
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Ever since I was a child, I had trouble admitting that I was sick or injured. I remember one time in third grade I threw up before school, didn’t tell my parents, and went to school anyway—only to throw up in a garbage can when I got there.

I don’t know why exactly it was hard for me to admit I was sick. I think it was mainly a pride thing, and a fear that I would miss out on something really important if I spent the whole day sleeping or watching TV.

...
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In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul encourages the people of Corinth to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith so they don’t fail to meet the test. Unsettling words, to say the least.

For most Christians, I think, those words are most unsettling when we’re struggling with a certain area of sin we can’t seem to overcome. It’s during those times that doubt can start to creep in and we can even begin to question our faith.

But, as the following illustration demonstrates, the fact that we’re even struggling to have...
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While trying to decide the subject of this blog post, I was distracted by Zeke, my new pet fish, splashing at the top of the Lipton Sun Tea jar he now calls home. A friend gave Zeke to me because he said things just weren’t working out between Zeke and his aquarium-mates. Apparently Zeke would chase the other fish and gnaw on their fins, resulting in several casualties.

As I watched Zeke swim around alone in his tank, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little guy.

Earlier tonight, I read an article...
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This evening, I went for a walk around my neighborhood. As I passed by the various modest, middle-class homes down my street, I began to think about how little I actually know about the lives of the people inside.

Sure, my roommates and I have tried to do neighborly things. Once, we hosted a chili cookoff and had a great time getting to know our neighbors while tasting chili and casting our votes. The winner even went home with a prized golden spoon.

But when Paul talks about hospitality in the New Testament,...
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I was surprised to read in the news yesterday morning that the decision to include a butter sculpture of Michael Jackson in the Iowa State Fair this year was going to a public vote. So, of course, I did my civil duty and went to iowastatefair.org to mark my ballot.

But it’s really no surprise that something as minor as butter art has churned such debate. In our postmodern culture, it seems everything’s up for debate—things as fundamental to our society as marriage. Many churches, the very institutions we rely on to uphold a biblical view of...
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Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God is the Beginning. He is the starting line; he is where the gun goes off. Christ enrolled you in the race of real life with his death. Life begins only with Jesus. You can’t start your life and add Jesus later—your life only begins when you surrender all to Christ. He was the one who simply is, and who is no slave and space, but invented both.

God is the End. He is the finish line, the over-arching aim of...
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It’s no secret that a lot of celebrities have been dying lately. The latest one to kick the bucket is Billy Mays, the enthusiastic television pitchman for OxiClean and Orange Glo household cleaners.

I was a little surprised by the publicity that Billy Mays’ untimely death drew (although it didn’t even come close to the overproduction that was made of the “king of pop’s” passing). But the more I thought about it, I realized that the OxiClean guy had become quite an icon of American infomercial culture. I think just about everyone would recognize his boisterous voice...
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I think all people, men and women alike, struggle with emotions. I’ll admit, some things—such as abortion, bad drivers, and a McDonald’s that runs out of shakes—really get my blood boiling. (I only mention McDonald’s shakes because it just happened to me last night after walking a mile to get one.) Other times, I find myself getting sad, jealous, worried, stressed, excited, cheerful, optimistic—you name it.

Writing to Timothy, Paul describes the qualities of a Christian leader this way: “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able...
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Take a moment to look back on your life. Is there anyone in your past who you wish you would’ve treated better? Maybe it’s that kid who always ate lunch by himself back in elementary school. Or your high school classmate you were jealous of because she was popular and good at everything.

When I look back on my growing up years, there are definitely some things I would do differently if I had the chance. I think back to all the times I chose to do something for myself—something to improve my image, my popularity, my...
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I tend to have selective memory about my education, but one thing I do remember from years of studying journalism: Pictures have tremendous impact.

One picture that stays with me is “Tank Man,” from Tiananmen Square. I was only three when the Chinese government forcefully silenced pro-democracy demonstrators twenty years ago. I have no memory of that day. But that picture of the lone man in a white t-shirt standing before a tank evokes strong emotion in me every time I see it. Not just emotion about democracy and justice, but a very personal emotion: perplexity.
...
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I had a good day at work today. I’d give it a good, solid 6 I’d say. Why the seemingly random rating? Because I checked six things off my to-do list.

I don’t know about you, but I rely on lists a lot. At work, at home, while working on Veritas, when shopping for groceries... the list could go on. Sometimes, I even add something to a list after I’ve already completed the task, just to experience the satisfaction of crossing another thing off.

Is it just me, or does life sometimes feel...
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I’m about to reveal an embarrassing secret:

To this day, I sleep on the top bunk of a red metal bunk bed that was probably designed for 10-year-olds.

I’ve always been pretty careful to keep that little fact about myself on the DL—probably because I didn’t want to do anything to hurt my macho reputation—but here I find myself posting it online for the world to see. The only reason I’m comfortable talking about it now is because in just a few days, I’ll be graduating to a big-kid bed. Seriously, folks. This is...
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Psalm 90:10
The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

I’ll admit it: Some days, I just don’t feel like being joyful. Maybe someone said or did something that hurt or upset me. Maybe it’s been a really long day at work. Maybe I’m just tired. Whatever it is, my sinful nature wants to be in a bad mood—or, rather, tells me I deserve to be in a bad mood.

...
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Several times at work today, I heard the same thing I hear every Thursday: “At least it’s Friday tomorrow,” or something of that nature. And, I’ll admit, I’m guilty of making a celebratory remark or two about the impending weekend.

The other day, a friend shared some verses with me that I’ve been thinking a lot about:

“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God...
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