“The outer distractions of our interests reflect an inner lack of integration of our own lives. we are trying to be several selves at once, without all our selves being organized by a single, mastering Life within us. Each of us tends to be, not a single self, but a whole committee of selves.” — Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
The love/hate relationship with social media
How many times I’ve tried to quit social media… and failed. I take breaks. I look in less often… and yet, there it is. Do I stay engaged? There are times when it irritates the living daylights out of me because there is far too much lack of discernment about those I thought to be “Christian” and I am too often left with my jaw on the floor.
Yet, there are some things to stay engaged with because there is such a serious lack of discernment. These are wise words:
Read more20 Years
We approach the 20th Anniversary of 9/11. We have, as a nation, not handled this event very well in our collective lives. It is hard to know how a significant anniversary like this will go.
20 years. A lot of change. A lot of shifting. A lot of revealing.
20 years. It is hard to know what lessons have truly been learned and what has gone largely unresolved or ignored.
20 years. We have not mourned. We have not lamented. We have not collectively examined much. We are less for it.
20 years.
Walking with joy into the dark
“But there is a deeper, an internal simplification of the whole of one’s personality, stilled, tranquil, in childlike trust listening ever to Eternity’s whisper, walking with a smile into the dark.” — Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion
Lord, let me move from the age of busyness in my life… the internal struggles and turmoils… into this journey. A journey of deep trust. A journey of peace in your presence. A journey where I have a smile even as I plunge into a part of the trail bathed in darkness. You are there. This I trust.
This I want to trust.
A treasured journey
I have come to Exodus 19 in my walk through the Pentateuch. Every step of the way in this journey has been a sacred walk. A holy walk. Every stop along the way is like I am coming to sacred ground. Exodus 19 is certainly one of those spots.
Read moreAmerican Christianity and the crash and burn style of exalting youthful leaders far too early
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast series took a week away from the Mars Hill story and focused on another aspect of what has happened in the last few decades in white American evangelicalism through the story of Joshua Harris. If you are not familiar with I Kissed Dating Goodbye and that saga, it gets explained in the podcast.
The host also has an interview on the podcast with Joshua Harris and it is a good interaction.
Read moreA grievous loss
When Terri and I were moving from Minnesota to Alabama, part of our trip included an audiobook called The Anglican Way. It was a time in our lives of major shifts. A major move. Moving away from ministry into something that was a complete unknown. And knowing I was moving away from the denomination I was raised in and had been a minister for 30 years.
Read moreThe development of toxic leadership
Scot McKnight, author A Church Called Tov, has a regular column he writes through substack, so this may be behind a paywall. His concern these days revolves around toxic leadership, how churches are blind to it and actually develop it, and how to change church culture to move away from that model when looking for the next leader of their church.
Read moreThe way of nonviolence is through prayer
I am finishing my reading of The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson. In the end, he wraps up his thoughts by helping us understand prayer all over again. It is the language of the Kingdom. It is THE way to follow the WAY.
Read moreWe will be held accountable for the abuse we have heaped on others inside the church
I am working my way through the Christianity Today podcast series: “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” As this podcast unpacks the undoing of Mars Hill Church and Mark Driscoll, we still see the same things playing out in real time… like we just can’t learn anything from examples that have gone before.
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