Sometimes our discontentment reminds us that we are actually practicing a form of idolatry. We are putting ourselves in the place of God.
From Itchy Dresses to Funeral Homes: Growing up with Easter
I learned about Easter as I watched people emerge from the shadows of the darkest nights of their lives, into another day.
He Is Risen!
Raised in a traditional Church of Christ, with all the benefits I gained with that heritage, I had a long journey to make from discrediting the Christian calendar to embracing it.
Getting Warmer
The strength of the congregation’s intra-warmth is actually the cause of the congregation’s weak inter-warmth. Warmth makes churches grow, they conclude. Especially when it comes to young people.
But Who Will Pick Up the Pieces?
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.
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.
Nowhere to Hide
Before I walked through the death of my marriage I thought that church would be a place of comfort for a person in grief.
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.
You Cannot Grow a Family Without New Births
Church growth is about telling outsiders about the good news of Jesus and inviting them to become part of his story.
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.
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.