One of the prevailing sins of American churches is that we claim God can give security in this life, though we have no right to offer such security.
Declaring My Incompetence
I do not deceive myself into thinking that I have ever met that standard for even a minute out of my best ministerial hour, but I am not willing to lower my standard.
Reclaiming Imagination
We must remove our imaginations from the shelves of our childhood. We must imagine a world driven by kingdom living so that we can work together to let that imagination form tomorrow’s reality.
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: Preserving (not Creating) Unity and the Bond of Peace
Churches of Christ haven’t had a hard time wanting Christian unity, but we have had a difficult time keeping it.
Electing to Follow Jesus: The Gospel of Peter vs. the Gospel of Jesus
You may assume you believe and live the Gospel of Jesus. It would be a bad assumption to make, because we are all so likely to misunderstand and mishandle the gospel that Christ is putting into us.
Is There Anything We Can Do?
Christian community exists when believers connect with each other in authentic and loving ways that encourage growth in Christ.
Not All Problems Are Alike!
Congregational leadership is often comprised of various problems that call for attention—everything from sorting out a new insurance policy to discerning the next step for pursuing God’s mission.
Developing Christlike Character through Self-Denial
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.