“When Jesus opens the table to all, the table begins to tell a new story. But it is a story unlike the story of his contemporaries. The observant person’s table story: You can eat with me if you are clean. If you are unclean, take a bath and come back tomorrow evening. Jesus’ table story:… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Category: Culture
What do you mean?
I made an amusing discovery this past week. Mercy is generally a very good talker. She knows a lot of words and her pronunciation is great (except for blanket which is “biktet”, “bagdhad”, or “biltlek”, or some composite of the three). However, there have been two words that she uses with great frequency that have… Continue reading What do you mean?
Because we live in L.A.
I guess that everyone who lives here has their big star-sighting story to tell. Doug and I laugh because we NEVER see anyone famous and there are very few people we would actually be interested in seeing. But having Jack Bauer walk up to you while you are playing with your daughter at Manhattan Beach… Continue reading Because we live in L.A.
Quotation of the Week
“Most churches ask, ‘How do we get them to come to us?’ The real question is, ‘How do we get us to go to them.’ ” From a sermon preached by my preaching hero, Brenda Salter McNeil, at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan this past week. See for… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Let the little children come
Mercy picked up her pink guitar today and started singing. It was impressive not because of the volume (though I must say the girl’s got some lungs), nor her little performer’s stance, nor the dramatic facial expressions she was making which could have landed her a spot on Idol for sure. What grabbed me were… Continue reading Let the little children come
cartoon houses
A friend of mine has owned a home here in our community for many years. Recently, she and her husband painted their exterior in rich earth tones and enhanced their landscaping. When you drive by, you immediately notice how nice their home looks. This past month, their neighbor also decided to beautify his home. He… Continue reading cartoon houses
Yoda and the Passover
Dick Staub has written a new book, Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters, that explores the question of how my generation has (or in most cases, has not) been mentored by those who have gone before us. He uses the clever comparison of Jedi in desperate need of Yodas who will instruct and guide and… Continue reading Yoda and the Passover
The gospel according to Los Angeles
During a recent lecture in my Early Church History class, our professor was discussing Epicurus and his understanding of reality. According to Epicurus, life happens when a bunch of atoms bump into each other and stick together, and eventually become a complex enough clump to somehow produce life. Death is inevitable, and when it happens,… Continue reading The gospel according to Los Angeles