May we recognize that our futures are in God’s hands, being reminded that God has been there in the past, is here now, and will be there in the future.
All in Discipleship
A Lenten Prayer
Lord, we want to hear: “Peace, prosperity, security.”
Standing in your spotlight: “Favored, chosen, beloved.”
A Revelation of Atonement
This is the story of Jesus offering himself as a sacrifice to overthrow evil, and we would be wise to remember that the passion of the Christ was the dénouement of a cosmic battle.
What If Happiness Actually IS the Truth?
His work here is a great service to the universal church in showing the true meaning of happiness and how the pursuit of Jesus can illuminate that search.
One Wild and Precious Life
Most of us don’t live as if our lives are precious. We certainly don’t live as if our lives are wild. Instead we typically live as if life is a series of mundane work days.
The Devil's in the Details: To Serve, Not to Be Served
We began exploring how “the devil is in the details,” as his deceptions are designed to sound appealing, and maybe even right, until we examine them more closely.
Can These Bones Live?
As God breathed the breath of life into the man in Genesis 2, God puts the ruach into these lifeless human forms and they come to life.
Untamable
I talk when I shouldn't. I'm quiet when I should talk. When I do talk, I often say the wrong things. I pray that God will tame what I find untamable.
Crazy
To me, a mother’s love is like seeing through the keyhole of God’s fathomless desire to be in relationship with us, despite the obvious reality that it would have been simpler for him to choose another option.
The Labor of Longing
The suffering of Paul, of Julian, and of a mother carrying an unborn child are all sufferings that can “effect by labor” deep spiritual longing. And this labor of longing gives birth to hope.
The Things that Make for Peace: Generosity
There’s one problem for some Christians: When I’m stingy, I don’t trust God. Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God to his people – and in that Kingdom, there is always enough.
Discovering Jesus in Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is the place where I have rediscovered faith to be alive and active, Jesus to be fully human, and God to be faithful.
A Heart Aflame: On Piety and the Glory of God
The goal of piety is to recognize and praise the glory of God—glory that shines in God’s attributes, in the structure of the world, and in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Interpretive Leadership: Seeking God’s Preferred Future
As the church—as God’s people—the big question is not, “Where are we headed?” but “Where is God headed?”
Faithful Disappointment
It is in these seasons of distress that we can experience quite a bit of theological disorientation. We start to question God’s involvement in our lives. We wonder if God has forgotten us.
The Distraction Condition
Who wants to welcome the suffering and silence necessary to quiet life’s distractions, peel back the layers insulating our hearts, and expose our truest self to God for the sake of the world around us?
Love Them More
With one act of love, an ISIS cell that was responsible for the deaths of fourteen Christians changed their behavior from hatred to respect. The choice to love his enemies brought peace to that village.
The Devil's in the Details: The Purpose of Our Privilege
The devil tempts us in this same way. He entices us with luxury, or causes us to fixate on our needs until we forget that God put us here to do more than eat and drink.
Back in the Saddle Again (Part 2)
In this installment I’m tempted to follow my own advice and write a little more about God’s love.
The Things that Make for Peace
Against a national backdrop of division and a focus on the things that tear us apart - week after week we were met with Jesus’s radical message of inclusive love.