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.
Musings and a Blessing for Nurses
I wrote the following prayer a couple of years ago when asked to give a blessing over students entering the final program years of their degree at ACU.
Soul Care in the Wilderness: A Preacher’s Journey
I learned how to take care of my soul in the wilderness of small town and small church ministry.
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?”
For Those We Cannot See - A Prayer
So today we pray that you help us see the people, the needs, beyond our vision;
blinded by privilege we cannot see, protected by the sheer grace of birth.
The Discipline of Friendship
Friendship requires trust, openness, and time, which can be difficult for ministers to achieve. People with whom you can be real, open, vulnerable, honest, and forthright with.
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.
Preaching against the Clock?
If I were to preach again I would never preach longer than twenty-five minutes and would not worry about speaking for twenty minutes or less.
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?
Prophetic Preaching
If I had it to do over I would stop worrying about what everyone thought about me, quit playing it safe, and dare to be the prophet speaking the word of God.
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 3)
Thou shalt let the toddlers toddle and infants be make all their baby noises. And unless absolutely necessary, thou shalt not whisk them out of the worship assembly.
Shepherding When Sin Strikes
Every church leader has witnessed it: one of the members of their church community gets caught it sin. They were caught in their sin and are desperately seeking your advice and counsel.
Timeless: Ancient Psalms for the Church Today
This project is to produce a new translation with notes and a short commentary for each of the 150 psalms along with the composition of two to three new songs for each psalm.
How I'm Changing As a Minister
I'm still a work in progress and have come to believe that I will always be changing as a minister. I thought it might be helpful to someone to consider my path as a preacher.
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.
Not on Sunday
On Sunday, we have a schedule to follow, are probably dressed up, and conditioned to be quiet. Friends don’t schedule activities where they sit in lines and look at the backs of other people’s heads.