James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." How crazy are we to take joy in trials? But we truly learn only from our failures and our trials.  How can you truly appreciate food unless you've been hungry?  Can you really value money if you've always had more then you ever needed? Love if you never felt rejected? Friendship if you've never felt alone? Think of the virtues of our moral landscape. No Courage without Danger No Patience without Tribulation No Gain with Pain No Character without Adversity No Forgiveness without Sin These virtues are only considered virtuous because of the sacrifice  necessary to achieve them.  Why else do we cheer the hero through blood, pain, and insurmountable odds, as they fight for the good of all?...

Hello friends!  In Philosophy, logic rules the day as the foundation of  proper  reasoning and right thinking.  If you're unable to identify logical inconsistencies in arguments, ideas, concepts, and principles, it can leave you susceptible to false ideologies and teaching.  There are tens, if not hundreds of formal and informal logical fallacies within the philosophical discipline, but some are more prevalent than others.  In this post, we will explore the four most common informal fallacies in our culture today and  how to combat them. 1. Ad Hominem Ad hominem  is Latin for "against the man".  This is one of the most prevalent logical fallacies deployed in today's society in all areas of social discord.  Why?  Because it's easy and people enjoy tearing another person down.  This logical fallacy is when; rather than attacking the argument of your opponent , you attack the person themselves or the person's character instead. A ...

Hello Friends!  This is my inaugural post on my blog, I felt it proper to start out with a bit of encouragement.  In today's environment of stress, depression, trials, and struggles, a small amount of heartening of the spirit can go a long way to strengthening the masses. I love providing a sound word that can uplift someone in their current moment of need.  That the Holy Spirit might work through one of these messages is more than enough to encourage me to write it.  I won't lead these posts off in this manner going forward, but I wanted to give some context to this process. Each week's post will have a title, will generally be centered around scripture, and will at times reference sources of input other than myself (commentaries and other references). I pray they inspire you to lean into the Holy Spirit and trust the goodness of God.  To know that He is with you always, and He is worthy of that trust.  And if you don't know Him personally as your Lord and...