I had a good heart to heart with one of my neighbors yesterday. We were discussing some recent events on our street that are causes for concern. They involve some new tenants in one of the apartment buildings, and the return of two young men from jail after time served for their most recent run… Continue reading Expectation: Things are going to get worse
Category: Church
A time to weep
We just got back from Jennie’s funeral and the kids are in bed for a much-needed rest. I was the eternal optimist who thought that it could be possible to participate in the service managing the two little ones by myself (Doug was helping lead the service so he was seated up on the stage),… Continue reading A time to weep
Quotation of the Week
It’s seven p.m. The living room is cozy. What is USAmerican discipleship like, particularly in suburbia?… We sip our coffee, eat our snacks, and read our “lessons” and fill in the blanks of our cool workbooks, wondering if this will be over before “24” starts. Oh, there’s the urgency. There is more danger and urgency… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Mere Makeover
For the last few months, I have been a contributor to a website called Mere Mission. It has been a great site that gathers and shares posts from various blogs that relate to living missionally. I have met some very cool people through this site, and have found blogs that are now daily reads for… Continue reading Mere Makeover
Remembering Jennie
On Monday of this week, a very dear woman in our congregation passed away. Her death was sudden and unexpected, though her body had been battling a series of health challenges for some time. All of us were devastated at the news and struck by the reality that when it comes to the gift of… Continue reading Remembering Jennie
A lesson from the ants
We have recently started having ants come into our bathroom. I can’t figure out where they are coming from or why, and our bathroom floor is cleaner than ever, so I am at a loss for how to deal with our little intruders. They are starting to drive me crazy. This morning, as Doug was… Continue reading A lesson from the ants
Our debtors
We are doing a preaching series on racial righteousness, and part of my message this Sunday will be on forgiveness. I happened to pick up the latest Thielicke book I am reading last night, “Christ and the Meaning of Life.” One of the chapters I read looked at the story of unmerciful servant: the man… Continue reading Our debtors
Life together
God has very recently brought a few people into my life who are giving me the gift of encouragement. I cannot begin to describe the impact of words that say: “I care for you; I appreciate you; I see your struggles.” It is easy to let life happen around us and to stop taking the… Continue reading Life together
A God of Reversals
Will Willimon has a great post up right now called Divine Wisdom Among ‘Little Old Ladies’ where he responds to a negative comment somebody made about a specific group of churches: “There’s nobody left in the churches except for a few little old ladies.” As always he writes with warm humor and deep conviction, and… Continue reading A God of Reversals
And the winner is…?
Two weeks ago, Kevin Blue (one of our teaching pastors) gave an excellent message at church titled: “Malcolm, Martin, and Messiah.” Part of his message traced the histories and teaching of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus, and asked the question: what, ultimately, was the hope or vision that these leaders pursued? He… Continue reading And the winner is…?