Apprentice 2 Jesus

  • The risk of the gospel

    Recently I preached on the passage in Matthew 10:16-25. The focus was on the RISK of sharing the Gospel. Our “risk” here in the U.S. is anxiety that people may not like us. They may not respond the way WE want… Read more

  • How to Inhabit Time

    How to Inhabit Time by James K A Smith is a wonderful surprise. His voice in this book is different from his other works. It comes out of brokenness. These are lessons learned in the hardest parts of his life and this voice is quite refreshing. One aspect of time I’m reading about now is… Read more

  • Two surprising reads

    Two books I recently finished on Audible were very pleasant surprises for me Read more

  • The transforming work of prayer

    I finished up another trip through Richard Foster’s book, Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer. What a refreshing read! The reminders at the end of his book are well worth repeating and soaking in. Read more

  • Worth the time to watch and listen/read

    I just finished “Class of ’09” on Hulu. It’s a mash up of “Minority Report” meets “Person of Interest” meets “I, Robot.” It is supposed to be a limited series and I hope they keep it that way. It’s just right without having to add a second season. Read more

  • The “good ol’ days” myth

    “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.”—Marcel Proust Here is the thing about pining for the “good ol’ days”: Read more

  • Quit embracing distraction

    The fact of the matter is this: we like noise. We complain about it… but do we remove it? Technology is not the core problem. Social media is not the core problem. Distraction is our core spiritual problem. Read more

  • Keeping sanity in another crazy election cycle

    Up until about 7-8 years ago I was eternal optimist. There were simple things I still believed in and could still hold in tension the flaws and blunders of life and people. That was almost squeezed out of me completely. And still, here we are in another election cycle that will probably prove to be… Read more

  • The dangers of fundamentalism

    There is a new documentary on Amazon about fundamentalism, the Duggar family, and the draw of rigid rules called “Shiny Happy People.” I truly hesitated to watch it because there has been a lot coming out lately about deeply flawed church organizations and I’m close to an overdose level. Read more

  • Feast of St. Barnabas

    Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor, and went forth courageously in mission for the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our… Read more