This Adamic nature, our innate sinfulness and rebelliousness, is a result of the curse of the Fall of Adam that has plagued the human family since the “original sin”.
Universal Call for Self-Denial
A dividing wall between cultures and worlds and worldviews stands so high that it seems insurmountable. So we shout our slogans, and defend whatever positions of power we might hold.
Electing to Follow Jesus: Claiming Our Baggage
We never come to a conversation without baggage. Name it and claim it--you have baggage, too. We're always dragging our stuff with us, and that’s expected, but revealing it saves trouble along the way.
Clean and Unclean: A Contemporary Christian Conversation
Richard Beck explains the often-irrational reactions to things (and people) we perceive as "unclean."
Preaching When Words Are Cheap
We are now utterly inundated by insincere, dollar-faced words, to such an extent that we can’t always distinguish between words of authenticity and the words of a sales pitch.
How to Be Pastoral in a Rancorous Political Season
In the current election season I have felt a pressing need to address the people of God and urge them to speak and act in a way that represents Jesus.
Evangelism by Fearlessness
“Practical” isn’t the way we make decisions in the Kingdom of God. We follow a Lord who did the impractical and died on our behalf. And he tells us to take up our cross and follow him.
You Mean I Have to Go Back Next Week Too?
It is--and always has been--a problem. But I do think we can be more intentional with our new disciples in order to help them understand what God expects of them.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Gone are the days of civil conversation. Discussion for the sake of learning from others’ perspectives seems to be a thing of the past. Now everyone talks, but no one listens.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 3: Terminal
Consistently, Christians experience the various blessings of God, such as salvation in Christ, a loving family in his church, and physical provisions.
White-Colored Glasses
Stop talking and listen. And God willing, we will give a better answer than Cain: “Here they are, I see and I hear my brother and sisters.”
World without Me
Still, I can somewhat imagine the world before I was born, and I somehow can contemplate the world many years after I have died, but I falter at imaging it tomorrow, or even next week, without me.
Why Did You Do That?
We, the humans, make immediate assumptions about why people do things constantly, and it happens so quickly, it leads to a bad character judgment in the blink of an eye.
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: How to Stop Playing Tennis with Yourself
”Your system is perfectly designed to get the results you are now getting!” Something is going to have to change in the system to produce a change in the outcomes.
Five Keys to Reviving a Dying Church
Some churches have to die, allowing its members to use their talents and resources elsewhere. Many churches, however, still have life in them.
Baggage
It is tempting to pretend that your baggage isn’t heavy or that you just don’t have any. It feels too vulnerable to expose our personal pain when people are trusting us to have the answers.
Warnings and Prescriptions from a Christian Intellectual
we are often a thinking people. Rarely are we accused of being overly emotional. Personally, as a working minister, I sometime wish our congregations would do a bit more thinking
Looking for Millennials, Part Two
Not all young adults are the same, but Sachs and Bos identify major trends, encouraging churches to realign in several ways.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 2: Sailboat
God may send his people to minister to a certain group or in a certain section of town that some do not want to go. He might call his people to bring a message that some don’t want to give.
Unclean Hands, Bodies Intact
Let God cleanse you now. Yes, it will be painful. Yes, it will get messy. But your life will be better for it. Remember that all faithful believers must beat their bodies into submission, like an athlete.