Wrong side of eternity

What does it feel like to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind?

To love God is not about how it feels, 
it’s about what you do.


A couple of years ago I got this question through Quora. It was...

The Most Neglected Truth about Spiritual Warfare

“…In all things taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16
This verse...

The Story of the Lampstand

The Lampstand is a small thing, but it has its own surprising story that represents a major, recurring theme in Scripture beginning in Genesis and continuing...

What About That Star?

Within the hour from this posting there will appear in the heavens a rare conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, the first in about 800 years....

If Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, why do we call it his birthday?

Just in case you didn’t know—and I hope this doesn’t come as a shock to you—December 25 is not the historical birthday of Jesus.  He was not born “on...

Why didn't Goliath duck? and other random Bible questions

Why didn't Goliath duck when David used a sling to fire a stone at him?
I’m sure they were debating that question on sports talk shows in Gath for...

No, the COVID vaccine is not the Mark of the Beast

Before going any further I want to make it clear that this post is not an argument either for or against taking a (as yet unreleased and unavailable)...

Answers to Questions about Acting

As an actor I sometimes get questions about acting. Here’s a selection of them with my answers. (All have been previously posted on Quora. Some may have...

New Additions to the Serious Christian Website!

Today is a big day for SeriousChristian.org with the Grand Opening of the Media Department, plus the addition of a major paper touching both on the history...

Q: Does the Bible prohibit shaving the head?

This question came up in the website Quora:
Deuteronomy 14:1 forbids the Israelites to "make baldness between their eyes for the dead." What does...

In Defense of "The Star Spangled Banner"

In Defense of “The Star Spangled Banner”
This past week a Facebook friend (whom I’ve never met) posted in favor of ditching “The Star Spangled Banner”...

Tennessee Unionists in the Civil War 4 - A Hazardous Journey

Alvis Duncan Hicks compiled service record
2nd Tennessee Infantry, Volunteer
Sunday, August 11, 1861. Four dozen or more men from Roane County,...

Tennessee Unionists in the Civil War 3 - The Sunday Morning Meeting

Brig. Gen. Robert Anderson
“Hero of Ft. Sumter” appointed commander of a new Federal Army of the Ohio
It took a few months, but the swelling...

Tennessee Unionists in the Civil War 2 - Tennessee vs. East Tennessee

Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Carter
Organizer of Tennessee Unionist volunteer regiments

East Tennessee was an island of Unionism surrounded by...

Tennessee Unionists in the Civil War 1 - "A Choice Forced upon Us"

Pvt. Alvis Hicks, from a ferrotype dated around 1862
A Choice Forced Upon Us
August 1861
Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 20,...

I Did Not Marry My Best Friend

I Didn’t Marry My Best Friend
41 years ago, I made this beautiful woman, Linda Noland, my wife. I will not say that I married my best friend--indeed,...

Old Abraham: Conviction and Compromise, Part 2

Elieazar and Rebekah
Gustave Dore'

In yesterday’s post we saw how Abraham, purchasing a burial plot in land which God had bestowed on...

Old Abraham: Conviction and Compromise, Part 1

The Burial of Sarah
Gustave Dore’
Let’stalk about convictions. Not any particular ones, but the subject of personal convictions in general.

If Jesus' death on the cross covers our sins, do we need to confess them to be forgiven?

The Raising of the Cross
Rembrandt van Rijn
Recently a friend asked me a question I think is most appropriate for Good Friday:
I have...

How could Jesus be buried 3 days and 3 nights if he died Friday and rose Sunday?

Entombment of Christ
Rembrandt van Rijn
For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of...

Is the death and resurrection of Jesus an agrarian allegory?

The Resurrection of Christ
Rembrandt van Rijn
Recently someone posed the following question on Quora:
Could the death and resurrection...

Battle of Mill Springs III

The 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry at
THE BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS
January 19, 1862
[Note: The least known major battle of the Civil War...

Battle of Mill Springs II

Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer
The 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry at
THE BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS
January 19, 1862
[Note: The least...

Battle of Mill Springs I

Brig. Gen. George Thomas

The 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry at
THE BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS
January 19, 1862
[Note: The least...

Happy New Year

Worthy Is the Lord Our God

How did we get Christmas?

How did we get Christmas?
Do you know?
The Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is one thing, and the celebration of that is another.  How and...

Disciplines of the spirit, pt. 4: Thanksgiving

Storm on the Sea of Galilee
Rembrandt van Rijn
It never occurred to the disciples who were crossing the Sea of Galilee with Jesus to give thanks...

Disciplines of the spirit, pt. 5: Waiting

Simeon with the Christ Child in the Temple
Rembrandt van Rijn
The story of Simeon is told in the Gospel of Luke 2:25-35. “It had been revealed...

Disciplines of the spirit, pt. 3: Forgiving

Return of the Prodigal Son
Rembrandt van Rijn
Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son portrays the love of God for his straying children, but it...

Disciplines of the spirit, pt. 2: Self-humbling

Old Man at PrayerRembrandt van Rijn
By the phrase disciplines of the spirit I am referring to a response to a given situation in life in which the...

What are disciplines of the spirit?

Ephesians 3:14-21 (KJV)14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is...

Could you explain Marxism to a 6th grader?

How would you explain Marxism to 6th graders?
A ways back I had an opportunity to give an impromptu lecture on the Russian Revolution to a department...

What Is "The Fear of God"?

What is the Fear of God?
Easton’s Bible Dictionary records a fairly standard definition of the fear of God, or more specifically “the fear of the...

The Importance of Amen

THE IMPORTANCE OF “AMEN"
Years ago I heard the legendary preacher Dr. S. M. Lockeridge preach an entire sermon on the subject, “Amen.” When the...

Polycarp's Legacy to Me

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Postscript 2*
Thursday, August 15, 2013 - It was still daylight when I rounded the corner to my house. The drive took two...

Polycarp's Teachers

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Postscript 1*
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 - Today is day one of my journey home. Polycarp is a wrap for me, but major photography...

Polycarp's Last and Fullest Day

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 20*
Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - Call time 3:00 p.m. Today is best described as... full.
We began at the end, with...

Not Ready to Wrap

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 19*
Monday, August 12, 2013 - I’m trying to come to grips with the fact that this is the next to last day of filming...

Polycarp's Longest Day

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 18*
Saturday, August 10, 2013 - Yesterday was a day off (my second). I got a good night’s sleep, and since my call...

When Things Get Heated

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 16*
Thursday, August 8, 2013 - As part of the preparation for playing Polycarp I did my own research into that ancient...

Table Talk

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 15*
Wednesday, August 7, 2013: Day Fifteen. The early shots I was in today were filled with detail but not too much...

Movement

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 14*
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 - Today was a long day of work, and rewarding. The unifying theme was movement, both physical...

The Challenge of Continuity

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 13*

Monday, August 5, 2013: Day Thirteen. This day was long and full of waits and tedious repetitions - and I...

The Day of Trial

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day 12*
My Polycarp Movie Diary: Saturday, August 3, 2013. This is Day Twelve of filming--yesterday I had the day off....

A Motto for Polycarp

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Ten*
Thursday, August 1, 2013 -  Today I had a later call time. With the early wrap last night and an extra hour before...

Polycarp's Amazing Leading Lady

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Eight*
Wednesday, July 31, 2013 - This would be a short day for me, but somewhat longer for lead actress Eliya Hurt....

A Star or a Servant?

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Eight*
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 -  Today’s shooting schedule was ambitious. Eleven scenes were already on the docket,...

Meeting My Nemesis

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Seven*
Monday, July 29, 2013. With Sunday as a day of rest, we returned to work Monday for another 3 p.m. to 3 a.m....

Two of My Favorite People

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Five*
Saturday, July 27, 2013 - Day 6 of shooting, Day 5 for me, was one of my favorite days of the shoot because I...

A Joyous, Grueling, & Rewarding Day My Polycarp Movie Diary Fifth Day

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Five*
Friday, July 26, 2013 - My call time today was 3 pm. I had gotten a good rest last night (rather, this morning)...

Polycarp Teaches

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Four*
Thursday, July 25, 2013 - Today we began on the schedule we would follow basically for the rest of the film shoot—3...

Polycarp Speaks

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Three*
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - The first couple of days our shooting schedule was a “regular” daytime schedule:...

Polycarp Arrives

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day Two*
Tuesday, July 23, 2013. With a call time of 7:30 a.m., I finally shot my first scene--a short action sequence,...

Hurry Up and Wait

My Polycarp Movie Diary, Day One
Note: This is the fifth anniversary of the filming of the award winning Christian film Polycarp in which I play...

Out of the Present, Into the Past

Saturday, July 20 was Day Zero in the shooting schedule for a feature film with the working title, Polycarp: Destroyer of Gods, a historical drama based...

Twenty-five Days that changed my life

Five years ago today (August 19, 2013), after a leisurely four-day road trip with my lovely wife Linda, I stepped into a project that would unfold into...