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I’m Finished with Prayer
It’s been a few months, but I’ve decided I am finished with prayer. The weak prayers I had been praying, the weak effort I had made… none of it was working. Thankfully, God invited me to ask in a different way. He began inviting me to see HIS agenda and then ask for those things. Since then, I’ve decided I’m finished with…
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We have to get MORE serious about the Great Commission
I’ve grown up always thinking about the Great Commission. It’s only over the past few years I’ve realized how incomplete my thinking was on that goal. “Great Commission” Christians meant missions. It meant going overseas or sending people to go overseas. We were focused on the “all nations” part. What we need to recapture is the “obey everything” part. THAT…
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The CEB Study Bible
Since the arrival of the Common English Bible, I have been intrigued by the simple approach to translation. It is designed to make the Bible clear. For lifelong Christians, that isn’t easy. I have trouble still with calling Jesus “the Human One,” and calling the ark a box. But where I see how the CEB excels is in the Apocrypha.…
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Why We are Failing in American Evangelicalism
Gary Black Jr.’s book, The Theology of Dallas Willard: Discovering Protoevangelical Faith is a fresh reminder of the writings and theology of Dallas Willard. It is refreshing to be reminded of the influence of Willard over the past several years in my own life. One of the great critiques Willard makes is how we, as the evangelical church, have put ourselves…
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Discipleship — The Vision of What is Possible
I am currently working my way through the book, The Theology of Dallas Willard: Discovering Protoevangelical Faith by Gary Black, Jr. It is refreshing me on the thoughts and theology of Dallas Willard. The quotes Black gives plunge me back into the thoughts of Dallas Willard, reminding me of what I read over the years. I am also reminded I need…
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Ah, the joys of teaching the Old Testament!
I am not the Old Testament scholar by a long shot, but I thoroughly enjoy teaching the Old Testament to college freshmen. In my setting I teach to students in a Christian college, many of whom probably grew up in church. Yet… they don’t know the Old Testament. Where I have the most fun (besides Song of Songs) is Judges.…
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Thankful for the promises
The past few weeks have been powerful as I’ve prepared to time away in a prayer retreat, then asked God for messages for our leadership retreat. Now… it’s the work of fulfilling those promises. It’s the work of prayer. As I prayed tonight I once again pulled out Isaiah 61. I was using my Olive Tree Reader, so I had some notes…
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Jesus and Healthcare
One common claim I hear from some liberal theologians, thinkers, and politicians is Jesus supported universal healthcare. Somehow, Jesus healing people gets equated with universal healthcare insurance. I’m never sure how that leap is made. If those liberals actually believed in Jesus’ healthcare methods and practiced them, I might be more convinced of their arguments. As it is, even if I grant…
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Understanding Prayer
I’ve related to readers before Dallas Willard’s take on the Lord’s Prayer. As I think about how we can talk about prayer when it relates to the Sermon on the Mount, I began to think about my own prayer life. I walk when I pray. I love pacing the sanctuary when I pray. I love being a bit outward and…
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Pursuing Perfection
The call is clear: “Be perfect as your Father in heaven in perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) That isn’t an impossible command. That isn’t something given by Jesus for the “sweet by and by.” It is an expectation given to us as we also receive all power to get it done. Jesus leaves us with HUGE challenges in Matthew 5. Your righteousness…
