With the death of George Floyd, another black life has been taken in cold blood. And once again, there is lament and protest, but we must ask whether anything fundamental will change on a systemic level. This article is my urgent appeal to fellow white evangelical Christians. When you hear the phrase “Black lives matter,” … Continued
Recently, I had two painful experiences with friends. One is leaving our church because I am too conservative on an issue, and another threatened to leave because they thought Im too liberal on another subject. Sigh. Both encounters hurt. I lost sleep and a lot of tears over both of these painful experiences when friends leave church. Years ago, […]
This series of articles (Read Part 1) contends that the Bible is set in the land of wild things. That is, the Bible is more fantasticalbeautiful, dangerous and strangethan we give it credit for. What we incorrectly call the natural and the supernatural, as if they are distinct and isolated realms, are actually part of the bible's wild world of powers, where heaven and earth are constantly interacting and alive with all kinds of creatures, forces and powersboth seen and unseen.
It seems to me that many churches operate more in their own ability than they do in Gods power. The evidence, particularly of North American churches, is that were not making much difference in reaching nonbelievers and driving back the darkness. Here are some reasons churches operate in their own power: 1. We dont always […]
How do you respond when you feel dissatisfied?
Summer is here and yet, many of us feel like we have already had summer because our kids have been home from school or daycare for months due to COVID-19 precautions. Now that the school year has finally finished in some form or fashion, how do we make the most of the next few months … Continued
Before you came to Christ, your life aspirations arose from a wrong way of looking at the world, what the apostle Peter calls the desires of your former ignorance (1 Peter 1:14). You thought, for instance, that romance was the key to true contentment. But at some point, you realized it wasnt quite as fulfilling as youd hoped. […]
Maurice Sendaks parents were poor Jewish immigrants to the United States from Poland. Their family that stayed behind were all killed in the Holocaust. The weekly Sunday afternoon gatherings of his extended family in Brooklyn brought in aunts and uncles that Maurice would later describe as all crazycrazy faces and wild eyes. These visits inspired […] the Bible's wild side.
I believe more and more churches are working harder at what most churches call “discipleship” (which I define here as leading believers to obey everything Jesus commanded), but many churches still struggle with this task. Perhaps one of these reasons will help you to understand where/how your own church might work to improve your discipleship … Continued
Over the years of sitting at Jesus feet, Ive found that the more time I spend with him, the more I am connected to his heart. And somehow, in a way that only he understands, I am a better person because my love for people and their plight increases. Mourning with those who mourn is necessary for Christians to […]
