What this Blog is About

Like any Work of Art, it's About My Perspective

Allow me to briefly introduce myself so you will have a better idea of what this blog will be about. I consider myself a talmid or "disciple" of Yeshua, but I am not Jewish. I am a Western Christian who has learned to appreciate the Hebrew/Jewish roots of my faith in Yeshua, or Jesus as we Gentiles are fond of calling him. So if I were forced to categorize myself philosophically, I would say that I am more of a Messianic Gentile than anything else. For it is through Yeshua that I call on, worship, and follow HaShem - the Living God.

I am also a scientific researcher. I have a background in Biochemical Engineering (B.S. & M.S.), but I am currently wrapping up a ~5 year Ph.D. in biophysics. Deciding to go to graduate school and learn how to be a scientist is one of the best things I ever did. I count the other two as marrying my wife and choosing to embrace Yeshua and the journey with Him that my life has become. I love science because I love learning. In fact, I believe that the entire purpose of Homo sapiens is to spend our life learning fruitfully. Science is therefore essential; it involves a method of learning driven by verification of claims and constant application of critical thought. But I have also seen that one thing which is important for making a good scientist great is a tendency to not ignore the humanities.

This is why as a scientist, I have zero trouble trusting in Yeshua. Especially after all I have learned about the nature of reality, I am persuaded more than ever that Yeshua is the truth as He claims to be. I have personally found him to be amazingly trustworthy in all matters of life, and he has more than withstood all my sincere scrutiny over the years. I am convinced that He really was HaShem walking among us in human form in all His righteousness and wisdom, and that He . I am also convinced that the apostles remarkable testimony about Him, as contained in the Bible, is very reliable and worth taking seriously. And boy, I have looked into that. Overall, I follow and am committed to Yeshua because I find Him to be real, incomparably worthy, and worthy of my wholehearted devotion. I am also quite certain that Yeshua is the ultimate reason I am able to say all these things. It is ultimately because of him and his love for me that I have been able to learn to love God, people, critical thinking, philosophy, humility, ethics, learning, growing, action, sacrifice, science, and more. I suppose that his values are becoming mine, and it's a good thing, because I am still far from perfect!

In my experience, science and religion as human pursuits can keep each other in balance. Both have important places in the development of a person. When I have time (Ha haaa!), I intend to use this blog to explore both topics in various ways. I tend to be pretty friendly toward people of other perspectives, especially if I find you to also be on a journey of learning and growth like I am. The only fundamentalism I subscribe to is that, for me, Yeshua, His commandments, and His example are fundamental; I let Him do the worrying about everyone else. However, I will definitely push you to question your thinking process, because that's what I am always doing with myself. It's how Yeshua has taught me to be.

It should be obvious by now that I trust in Yeshua as risen from the dead and alive and active in my life. So where I stand on Christian denominations and Christianity is pretty simple. If we are going to try and follow Jesus and profess his name, we should trust him enough to actually follow the real, living Jesus and not some stand-in or facsimile of our own making. That means keeping and treasuring his commandments, not just maintaining a set of beliefs that make us feel good and validate our cultural bias. That also means facing the music and letting go to let him have control. So if you want to show me your faith, show it to le by how you are actually living. Show me what your neighbors and enemies think of you. Following Him is wonderful, but it certainly isn't easy, and talk is cheap!

I think that gives you the idea. Thank you for your interest in my story. If you happen upon my blog posts, my prayer and hope is that it they are useful to you in your own journey toward truth.

—Daniel, TOY