Category: Church Life

  • A prayer for renewal

    Two statements showed up on my timeline back to back from different sources and they call me to prayer.

  • All Souls Day

    Nov. 2 is All Souls Day. We remember those who have gone before. Hebrews 12:1–2 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus,…

  • All Saints Day

    Hebrews 12:1–3 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he…

  • The generosity of life I seek

    Dorothy Day had in incredibly influential man in her life, challenging her to the work she carried among the poor. His life had a profound impact on her. His name was Peter Maurin. She would describe him in her book, The Long Loneliness, as one who sought the common good. He was grounded in his Roman Catholic faith, but broad…

  • Walking with God

    My journey has me in the Pentateuch right now and I am doing a subset study I call “they walked with God” based on a sermon I had three years ago. I knew I was just scratching the surface, so I am back to it now. I am looking at Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. I am currently deep in…

  • From fishermen to shepherds

    When I first came into ministry it was the days of leadership development under guys like John Maxwell. There was the mantra: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

  • This deep love for the Church

    And he is the head of the body, the church… (Col. 1:18) There are little snippets from Colossians and Ephesians that cause my heart to leap out of my love for the Church. They give me life and hope all over again. While I am hard on what I see in the white conservative American Church, it doesn’t mean I…

  • “Build another building”

    Reading in Eugene Peterson’s biography (and remembering this story from his memoir), there was the time in beginning Christ Our King church that they finally built their building. It was a glorious time. Then, people began to disappear.

  • The beauty of the Body of Christ

    There is no doubt so many expressions of the American Church have caused a lot of pain and turmoil. Through the ages, the Body of Christ has struggled with the humanity of the institution called the Church.

  • The weekend wrap up

    Thoughts for the week ahead: