Spiritual Formation
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The boldness I can have in prayer, and in my life, comes from the understanding that ALL THINGS have been handed to Jesus… and he then invites me to come to him! Read more
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It is a shame when we separate out the “God of the Old Testament” from the “God of the New Testament,” like they’re two differing beings, or two different acts of a show or something. The call to follow hasn’t changed. What God calls out to Israel is, in essence, what Jesus calls out to… Read more
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We treat God like HE is the One on trial. As skeptics, we come and demand something of God. We ASK of God. “If you’re such a ‘good God,’ why then…” But our arrogance is a problem. We forget something key: God has some questions for us. We just don’t like this impolite God, so… Read more
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N.T. Wright leaves us with a powerful reminder of our call as the Church in his book, Surprised by Scripture. The mission of the church is to drag people into buildings or to run raffles or issues statements. At some point having a place to worship, having funding, and stating beliefs do matter, but it’s not… Read more
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In all of our disagreements about “wedge issues,” we continually allow arguments to be reduced to sets of verses. If an argument can be reduced to particular verses, theology then fits on a bumper sticker. God, and what he is communicating through Scripture, is far more complex and beautiful than reducing theological arguments to a… Read more
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Three thoughts for day from my message: 1. Practice stillness 2. Practice spiritual reading 3. Practice Lectio Divina Do I hold his presence PRECIOUS? Worship is not just about the song we sing. It is about our listening to his words to us. Read more
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You know why it’s easy to get hits on a blog post? Headlines and hashtags. Content rarely matters. But I strive for both because I like “hits,” and the illusion of people actually reading this stuff. So, this post really IS about the “next culture war.” David Brooks has written a very challenging column for… Read more
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The second part of basic discipleship I will be dealing with at my church today is loving the neighbor. I am preaching a series through Luke 10-11 on four basic principles of discipleship. This week is about the parable of the Good Samaritan. There are three basic principles (and I think they are adapted in… Read more
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As I have tried to limit my Facebook exposure over the last day or so, I’ve read the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding the Supreme Court decision to allow gay marriage in all 50 states. To those who did a lot of hand wringing waiting for this decision and are now decrying the… Read more
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It is still amazing to me how the powerful forgiveness demonstrated by the families of the Emanuel AME members who were slain a week ago. Some reactions are very real with emotion. They can’t forgive. That makes sense. There are atrocities that hit and we think, “I just can’t do it.” It’s an emotional response that is… Read more
Apprentice 2 Jesus 