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Two Kinds of Brokenness
Yesterday I began meditating on brokenness. My thoughts have taken me to this point: there are two kinds of brokenness. There is the brokenness that sin brings. It can be a brokenness like, “Oh, I got caught. I’m sorry.” It could be a feeling. “I’ve done wrong. I feel bad about that.” Sin can bring a certain kind of brokenness,…
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The Great Consolidation
Just as a quick aside, I am noticing the alarming trend of the “Wal-martization” of the theological blogosphere! I notice a few weeks back that my friend Mark Stevens has joined the conglomerate of Near Emmaus and now Craig Benno as joined Unsettled Christianity. Where is the independent thought going to come from? 😉
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Mourning into Dancing
Psalm 30 The journey to Resurrection Sunday helps me reflect on where I have been. There are times I need to be reminded of the pit from which God delivered me. I grew up in church. It wasn’t a very deep pit. More of a rut, really. Yet, I was lost. Without Jesus, I was lost. On Wednesday nights we…
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The Grace of God Appears
Part of the reading today was Titus 2. The last part of the chapter refers to the grace of God appearing. He offers salvation to all people. The power of grace is that we learn to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Grace, ironically, disciplines us to live self-controlled lives. Lent isn’t about making the “no” some practice or…
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Lent Isn’t Just “Giving Up”
Growing up and not celebrating Lent I had the impression it was a time where Catholics gave up meat or sweets. They could live like the world every other time of the year, but for Lent they had to “give up” something. It was just about the “giving up.” The more I’ve grown in disciplines like fasting the more I…
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Ash Wednesday — Psalm 32
This is a journey of examination. Psalm 32 starts the journey with tough questions.Without acknowledging sin in my own life I cannot move forward. The journey must begin with confession. The journey is one that is led of the Spirit. Our Scripture for Sunday focuses on Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Psalm 32 is a call…
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Purposes of Lent
In The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister, there are some helpful insights into the purposes of Lent. This year I want to be more purposeful in my walk through Lent and invite my church to do the same. There is something the Spirit is speaking to us as a body, and I desire for us to hear that word to…
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What the Spirit Explicitly Says to the Church
I am walking my way through 1 Timothy in my prayer time and came to Chapter 4 verse 1 the other day. As I’ve been on the road a little bit (traveling to see family and celebrate my grandmother’s 95th birthday), I’ve tossed this verse over in my mind. This morning I am guest preaching in a church. One of…
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Mile Markers
This week and weekend is a mix of celebrations. Our middle son, Josiah, is 18 today. Time is flying. He is in his senior year of high school, finishing the spring play and his high school career in drama, and then this fall will be off to college. This weekend will also mark a celebration for my grandmother. She is…
