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The paragraph that broke me
I am far more able to slowly make my way through Eugene Peterson’s biography than most other books because I have to stop and repent so often.
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“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.
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Church as commodity
This morning a thought in prayer was this: The church must always be subversive. It needs to always be in the servant role. Then I continued my meandering through A Burning in My Bones, the biography of Eugene Peterson.
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Dealing with Q Anon and Those Involved
This series has been challenging. It’s about history and current events. It’s about heresy and finding ways to love others. It is not easy stuff to deal with, but it is necessary stuff. This particular episode begins with the background of where Christianity fell first into nationalism and the inherent dangers ever since that time. We need these lessons. This…
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I need more “pain in the mind”
In an age of sound bites and Twitter feeds, many Christian leaders are so busy trying to keep up with current events that few of us take time to stop, to study, and to struggle for the sake of teaching God’s people. All too often, we take a side and stick to it without the discipline of listening or questioning…
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The big lessons in prayer
I continue to meander through Eugene Peterson’s biography, A Burning in My Bones. (I think he would have meandered, so I’m trying not to hurry.)
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I will not cease to call for repentance
A year ago there was hope. The shock of Ahmaud Arbery’s mugging, then Breonna Taylor, and then George Floyd provided a time when there was hope that white evangelical America was actually listening. I loaned out books. I bought books for others. I invited folks into conversation. Then… well, we got tired. White fatigue set back in.
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The toxicity of white space
How hard have we made it, as white evangelicals, for people of color to be in our supposed multi-ethnic spaces? How hard have we made it for black brothers and sisters to voice their concern, their pain, and even their joy in our spaces? Some examples:
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The trauma we place on Black America
Esau McCaulley gets to the core again as he unpacks the trial of Derek Chauvin, convicted yesterday in the murder of George Floyd. The United States demands too much wisdom from Black parents. We must walk that fine line between telling the truth about how cruel America can be toward Black bodies and souls and the hope that our children…
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The Cross, the Spirit, and the Fruit
I was honored to preach at my friend Wayne Anderson’s church this past weekend. Here is the worship service. My message starts around minute 22:30.
