“Jesus walked the earth rehumanizing the dehumanized and cleansing the unclean. Why? Because his heart refused to let him sleep in. Sadness confronted him in every town. So wherever he went, whenever he was confronted with pain and longing, he speaks the good contagion of his cleansing mercy.” — Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: TheContinue reading “The heart of Christ”
Tag Archives: Books
Is the point of reading to retain?
A particular article I read recently in Christianity Today isn’t available on the web yet, but it caught my attention. Two pastors were having coffee and one was talking about his reading passion. The other pastor listened, but then said with a lot of frustration he just couldn’t read. He did very little because heContinue reading “Is the point of reading to retain?”
The year in books
There were a few books this year that left me in thought, or challenged me, or inspired me. I read a lot of non-fiction. I listen to a lot of fiction. These are a few that stood out.
Addicted to Success
I think a close cousin of being “addicted to success” is being addicted to relevance. It’s a problem. “It is often believed that President Teddy Roosevelt called social comparison the ‘thief of joy.’ Whether he said it or not, it’s true: researchers have long found that social comparison lowers our happiness. But you hardly needContinue reading “Addicted to Success”
Generosity and “Last Third” living
I write this to my future self (meaning I am putting this entry in at the end of July to be posted September 1). I am still reflecting on the “last third” of my life and how I want that journey to look. One BIG area I want in my life is the ability toContinue reading “Generosity and “Last Third” living”
Not being a fiction reader, I savored this book
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry My rating: 5 of 5 stars I started into the Lonesome Dove series a couple of years back on Audible. They were long and I was driving long trips, so it fit. I was hooked. The story was amazing. The stories of a brutal frontier, the luck of two men,Continue reading “Not being a fiction reader, I savored this book”
No surprises for God
I am beginning a brand new book out called Shaky Ground: What to Do After the Bottom Drops Out by Traci Rhoades. It is an invitation to learn from the broader Church and its history rather than one narrow slice of what we have experienced in our lives.
We tend to think “theology” and it’s really, too often, “white theology”
Theological frameworks have a tendency to get stuck. My own frameworks certainly have gone through that hardening over time. I need to realize my framework is certainly ONE framework, but not the only framework. In the past few years it has led to an expansion of theological voices in my life. Mainly at this pointContinue reading “We tend to think “theology” and it’s really, too often, “white theology””
In the (current) age of deconstruction, a cry of my heart
“Whatever version of Christianity we way we’re over is not the true Christian faith. I still long for a place where God reigns, and I still need the Spirit’s power.” — Mandy Smith, Unfettered
The Pharisee in me
“We don’t usually want to be Pharisees. But we all want to feel like Pharisees — standing on solid statements, having a place from which to argue. Given the choice between knowledge and life we prefer knowledge. It’s how Adam and Eve chose their fruit. We’ve been choosing the same fruit ever since.” — MandyContinue reading “The Pharisee in me”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 