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.
Family Time
No matter how serious the content of our worship, Family Time leads us to end our services aware of one another. When people are hurting, we know it if they are only willing to speak it out
Musings and a Basset Hound
I don’t know how dogs made the journey from a derogatory slur in the Old Testament to becoming more than just a pet.
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 Emotional Brain, Romantic Idealism, and Church-Planting
The answer might be surprisingly boring. If the priority is the growth of God’s Kingdom, however, then this kind of redirection should be welcome.
UFOs and April Fools
Taking great liberties with the abbreviation, a UFO is an Unexpected Finding in the Old Testament.
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.
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.