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Martin Luther King, Jr. the Prophet
“Unfortunately, King is known more today as a poetic patron saint of racial harmony than a provocative prophet of social justice, someone who by the end of his life had managed to get on just about everyone’s last nerve.” (Edward Gilbreath, Birmingham Revolution: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Epic Challenge to the Church)
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Rebelling against the plaid
When I think of how church is “done” today, all I can see is plaid. The fad is fading (one can hope) but it comes from watching some video coming from some “cutting edge” pastors … excuse me… leaders conference… and 99 percent of the people on the video who were on stage or being interviewed or were doing the interviewing wore plaid in…
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When the pressure mounts, the answer usually is…
When the pressure mounts in our lives the assumed answer, or the “default” answer, might be: “Do something!” or “Fix it!” or “Worry more!” But generally, when the pressure mounts, the answer is probably… pray. Ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.
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Greed isn’t about being rich
Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” (Luke 12:15) If we could easily identify “greed” as just a dollar amount, it would be so much easier. We often try to put a dollar amount on greed… and then tax it. The…
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Withdrawal is not the same as retreat
Several years ago I was sharing with a historian in our denomination my work on the monks of the 4th Century in Egypt and what I was learning about their “Pentecostal” experience. He dismissed it quickly, saying that he wasn’t interested in people who retreated from culture and the world instead of engaging it. We really need to give up…
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The Prayer Problem
Over the years I have worked hard to maintain a commitment to study of the Scriptures. I will visit passages over and over. I find different ways to make my way methodically through Scripture, trying hard not to “skim over” places. I know it happens, so I’ve tried to dedicate my life to continually plowing through so I can make…
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It’s not a “harvest” problem, it’s a “worker” problem
When Jesus commissioned the 72 to go proclaim the Kingdom, he made an interesting observation. The harvest is huge. “It’s bigger than you can imagine.” His command isn’t to go “find” harvest. It’s to pray for more workers. This isn’t such a hard thing for believers in other countries to understand. In many countries where their faith puts a spotlight on…
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Jesus may NOT “want you”
I have been walking through Luke 9 the past few days. It is a roller coaster ride of the disciples “getting it,” then NOT “getting it.” They can’t transfer the power of one day to the next. They wake up and it’s like their minds are erased! I am not trying to be too hard on them because I know…
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Merton and “Conversion”
What has attracted me to Seven Storey Mountain over the years is the process of coming to faith. Merton sees his life in process and even when he “comes to faith,” it’s a process. The passage of his confession and baptism into the Catholic Church is still one of the most moving passages I have ever read. He details the weight that is lifted off…
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Living “in the moment” is like having ADHD Christianity
In my particular “tribe” of Christianity, there are good things about the experiential. We really do believe, or want to believe, that we can pray for healing (for example) and healing is possible. A particular “downside” is we tend to live for the “event.” We live for that powerful moment in a church service, a powerful worship song… something that…
