Apprentice 2 Jesus

  • Personal rules for the political season

    A few rules I have for the political season: Read more

  • Knowledge isn’t enough

    A great problem in Christian education is we stop at doctrine. We stop at knowledge. It is embarrassing to watch church leaders tout knowledge and correct doctrine… and then use it as a hammer in the lives of other people. It becomes their source of pride and the root of their action. Their action, however,… Read more

  • The difficulty is FOLLOWING Jesus

    I am re-reading some Dallas Willard books to refresh my spirit right now and one that is a compilation of interviews and shorter articles is my current project: Renewing the Christian Mind, edited by Gary Black, Jr. There is an interview where Dallas is asked: Read more

  • Let music and praise fill your heart

    Paul doesn’t see these hymns and songs as simply decorative, a pleasant aural embroidery around Christian faith and practice. Singing, whether aloud or in your heart, was, he thought, an excellent way of actually practising the faith. If you don’t want your garden to grow weeds, one of the best ways is to keep it… Read more

  • The failure

    Dallas Willard left a pastorate in the late 1950s because, he says, “I became so convinced of my ignorance about God and the soul that I thought I was a public hazard.” (Renewing the Christian Mind, Dallas Willard) I feel that deeply. I look back on lessons I wish I had learned more quickly… Read more

  • We need to know each other

    When a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another. How can they know one another if they have forgotten or have never learned one another’s stories? If they do not know one another’s stories, how can they know whether or not they trust one another? People who do not trust one… Read more

  • We need more than information

    Some thoughts from David Brooks on making careful decisions and adding in emotional intelligence: For thousands of years, it was common in Western thought to imagine that there was an eternal war between reason and our emotions. In this way of thinking, reason is cool, rational and sophisticated. Emotions are primitive, impulsive and likely to… Read more

  • Hopefulness is not a neutral position

    Begin at 20:00 if it doesn’t start there automatically. It is a beautiful response to the question of hope. Read more

  • What do the children of light look like? Pt 5

    Part OnePart TwoPart ThreePart Four Their relationships are different. Children of light are able to walk in transparency because they walk in goodness. They deal with darkness in their own lives and are able to achieve true connectedness with others, especially those who are followers of Christ.  Read more

  • What do the children of light look like? Pt 4

    Part OnePart TwoPart Three Their bodies are trained to do good and be ready to respond when needed.  They respond almost without thinking because “muscle memory” has been ingrained. The body doesn’t dictate what is next. The mind and the will are the guides for the body. What is no longer true of the child… Read more