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The Monster We Have Created
An interesting article on high school students wanting to get into colleges where they have been waitlisted. We really have created a generation where kids think they DO deserve everything, and are shocked, SHOCKED, when they get rejected or waitlisted. Plus, there are some parents who are shocked, SHOCKED! as well and pester the admissions offices. One particular comment from…
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The Kingdom and the Power
We can seek KINGDOM power, or settle for this world’s power. People who know power think can tend to think it’s only a matter of money. You can negotiate a price, plug in a few things, and get a crowd. You may get a crowd, but you may sacrifice in the process is the Kingdom.
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There Are No Ordinary People
Last night I went to see The Screwtape Letters performed at a theater in Minneapolis. It was a wonderful show. They had C.S. Lewis’s books for sale in the lobby, so I picked up a copy of The Weight of Glory, which is a series of addresses he gave in different venues in England. The message, The Weight of Glory, has one of my…
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Am I Joining What God is Doing?
The growth and expansion of the Church is never tied to our comfort. The first expansion of the church in Acts came in a time of persecution. Philip found himself in Samaria (Acts 8) as a result of the persecution in Jerusalem. But persecution wasn’t a reason to quit. They kept proclaiming. Philip was one of the “minor” characters of…
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Richard Foster Reflects on Dallas Willard
I am sure I will soon stop posting on the passing of Dallas Willard, but indulge me these next few days. Richard Foster reflects on the friendship he had with Dallas in this piece. Here is how Dallas Willard described Kingdom life. Talk about making every word count! “The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive…
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John Ortberg on the passing of Dallas Willard
Such a beautiful tribute by one of Dallas Willard’s very good friends, and another man who has deeply impacted my own spiritual formation. Think on this: Many of us in the church have been impacted by Dallas through his teachings and writings that are often categorized as being about ‘spiritual formation,’ although his real preoccupation and concern was focused on…
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What is the Church?
From NT Wright’s book, Simply Jesus. The church is not supposed to be a society of perfect people doing great work. It’s a society of forgiven sinners repaying their unpayable debt of love by working for Jesus’s kingdom in every way they can, knowing themselves to be unworthy of the task. And this: Jesus has all kinds of projects up…
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The Passing of a Hero
When I first picked up The Divine Conspiracy to read, I was totally lost. I didn’t know Dallas Willard, but had noticed the book as an award winner. Willard made every word count. Usually I can skim a book because people put filler words in. Willard never wasted a word. I decided the best way to understand Willard’s work was to teach…
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Shouldn’t it be DIFFERENT?
N T Wright in Simply Jesus leaves me with all kinds of crazy questions. If Jesus IS King… why are in such a mess? What has gone wrong? Or, what IS going wrong? One of the tough questions he poses: What is the use of announcing love and peace if you make angry, violent war to achieve it? The message…
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Abortion, Gun Rights, and Zealousness
This article has as its title that abortion rights “has become” the NRA of the left. I think it’s been that way for a very long time. The issue with Kermit Gosnell is despicable and the silence from any part of any Christian community other than “pro lifers” has been appalling. We have a rabid allegiance on the left to…
