Apprentice 2 Jesus

Discipleship/Spiritual Formation

  • The Astonishing Reality of Christ

    The issue we need to face in our lives is not getting the answers “right” in our Christianity. It’s not about a test we take to see if we have the right answers about Jesus. When someone comes to a college, I shouldn’t give them instructions just so they have right answers. If I am… Read more

  • The Absence of God

    “Any understanding of God that doesn’t take into account God’s silence is a half truth — in effect, a cruel distortion — and leaves us vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation by leaders who are quite willing to fill in the biblical blanks with what the Holy Spirit never tells us.” — Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in… Read more

  • When Things Go Wrong — Constructing a Moralism

    I have picked up Eugene Peterson’s work Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places again. I have picked at it for the past several years and find myself drawn to his words again. In the chapter “Christ Plays in History” Peterson deals with the threat of “moralism” in our lives. His contention is we have a tough time… Read more

  • The Kingdom and the Power

    We can seek KINGDOM power, or settle for this world’s power. People who know power think can tend to think it’s only a matter of money. You can negotiate a price, plug in a few things, and get a crowd. You may get a crowd, but you may sacrifice in the process is the Kingdom. Read more

  • There Are No Ordinary People

    Last night I went to see The Screwtape Letters performed at a theater in Minneapolis. It was a wonderful show. They had C.S. Lewis’s books for sale in the lobby, so I picked up a copy of The Weight of Glory, which is a series of addresses he gave in different venues in England. The message, The Weight of… Read more

  • Richard Foster Reflects on Dallas Willard

    I am sure I will soon stop posting on the passing of Dallas Willard, but indulge me these next few days. Richard Foster reflects on the friendship he had with Dallas in this piece. Here is how Dallas Willard described Kingdom life. Talk about making every word count! “The aim of God in history is… Read more

  • John Ortberg on the passing of Dallas Willard

    Such a beautiful tribute by one of Dallas Willard’s very good friends, and another man who has deeply impacted my own spiritual formation. Think on this: Many of us in the church have been impacted by Dallas through his teachings and writings that are often categorized as being about ‘spiritual formation,’ although his real preoccupation… Read more

  • The Passing of a Hero

    When I first picked up The Divine Conspiracy to read, I was totally lost. I didn’t know Dallas Willard, but had noticed the book as an award winner. Willard made every word count. Usually I can skim a book because people put filler words in. Willard never wasted a word. I decided the best way to understand… Read more

  • Quote of the Day

    Here is some more “radical” thought from a real heretic: C S Lewis. Read more

  • Working without margins

    Regulating the stock market is always a tough deal, but last week things got a little dicier. A hoax Twitter post made an audacious claim about President Obama. The market then sank 150 points almost immediately. This isn’t about regulations. It’s about creating margin in our lives. When everyone believes a hoax Twitter, it shows… Read more