I will be back to the blog soon, but for now just imagine me on the deck of a majestic ship waving good bye
The Heart of the Matter
When your heart hurts, to whom will you turn? When this isn’t working anymore (whatever this is), to whom will your heart lead you?
Did I Hear What I Think I Read?
Do we look at the text, recognize and comprehend the writing, then proceed to vocally proclaim it, modernizing the practice of differentiating how we read the text from how we vocalize it?
For London and Britain
Lord, it’s true you have been our help,
generation after generation.
Before you gave birth to mountains,
to the earth or inhabited world,
The Blessing of Challenge
What opportunities has God put in front of you that would allow you to get outside of your own set of norms, to be challenged in what you think to be true or best?
Haters Gonna Hate
Exploring what the Gospel has to say about the world has caused me to rethink how I view the world, what I expect from the world, and what I should see as my purpose in the world.
Making Disciples Is Not Like Selling Ads, But Still ...
I talk to everybody about Jesus. So sometimes I talk to people who are not interested. But I notice that the more people I share Jesus with, the more disciples I make.
A Post You Will Hate (But Should Really Read)
Let’s assert, for the sake of argument, that our nation was founded to be a Christian nation. What, then, does the Lord expect of such a nation?
Chronic Pain and Unmitigated Joy (or "we just sold our house")
A day will come when the burden will be lifted. In a flash the situation will improve, and I will feel joy. Or perhaps the situation will improve gradually, and I will feel my steps growing lighter and easier.
A Book You Will Hate (But Must Read)
Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks by Walter Brueggemann.
Let's Try That at Home
When an organization faces the normal shifts and changes that accompany any living body, both task and relational efforts are critical.
Church Growth Is Less Predictable Than You Think
Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated, to say the least. By contrast though, predicting success in any church venture is impossible. There simply is no surefire recipe for growth.
The Ballad of Pretty and Ugly
In the world of ancient Israel and the text of the Old Testament we stumble over one name after another that means something (often a clue or insight into the story we are reading).
An Old Dog and a New Trick (YouToo?)
I admit that I am about three or four decades behind; though my children would beg to differ.
Living the Spiritual Life in Real Life
What does it mean to live in the space between when we first come to know God at salvation and today? In other words, what does it mean to live the spiritual life in real life?
I Still Can't Forget (A Prayer)
I miss standing and walking,
no pain screaming profanity;
medicine absorbing memory,
and I still can’t forget.
The Space between Grace and Discipline
Too far is often where we end up, rushing back to the other end of the spectrum lest we be theologically whacked across the shin.
No Room for Snobbery
When we meet together with an attitude of humility, we can come together over our similarities and remember that we ultimately all desire the same things, whether we are rural, urban, or a mixture of both.
The Things that Make for Peace: Getting Off Facebook
Facebook was driving me nuts, I was spending too much time on there, and I desperately wanted to devote my time and energy to other things.
Midweek Musings - Summer in Abilene, Surviving the Heat
What does God think of our tendency to move to a rain forest and pray for the rain to stop? Or move into an arid wilderness and pray for rain?