As someone with strong tendencies of introversion, I live in my head a lot. And unfortunately – for me at least – that means I’m continually processing and ruminating on things from the perspective of me. Worse, those tendencies are really, habitually embedded. And so this year I’m trying […]
To riff off of the late Eugene Peterson, I think I’m finally starting to understand that life – including discipleship, specifically – requires the committed and faithful act of “showing up”, day after day. As much as I tend to wish otherwise, there aren’t really any shortcuts. Shortcuts tend to come at the expense of […]
I should be working on the slides for the sermon I’m preaching in my pastor’s absence (approximately 38 hours from the time of this writing), but I feel compelled to stop and post a few thoughts on the topic of “Hope”. You see, “Hope” is the topic of my sermon. I discovered today that it’s […]
I realized recently that it’s been a long while since I posted anything here. I think I just haven’t felt compelled to share my thoughts as much. But, perhaps triggered by the reflections brought on by the passing of one year to the next, I’ve been thinking I should start up again. As I get […]
Oswald Chambers, in the early 1900s, pegged what has become a fundamental error of much of the modern church today – particularly the self-described “progressive” wing of the church. Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. The Christian religion bases everything on […]
It’s 22 degrees outside on February 12th. I’m a little behind schedule this year, but it’s time to start the early spring greens, as well as some peppers and onions. I continue to be amazed at the life that can spring forth from a seemingly dead seed, and the abundance that can ensue when properly […]
Every year on Epiphany Sunday, my church hands out gold stars with a word and a scripture verse on the back. Baskets of gold stars are passed with the words facing down, so that people don’t spend time sorting through and picking out a specific word. Somewhat in the spirit of casting lots (in a […]
Nearing the end of 2021, I was looking for a devotional resource to use for 2022. (During 2021 I used Tim & Kathy Keller’s ‘Songs of Jesus’ devotional based on the Psalms, which was great). Somehow in my browsing I stumbled across this updated version of Charles Spurgeon’s classic devotional ‘Morning and Evening’. Some of […]
Cardiphonia, or “Utterance of the Heart” This collection of letters from slave-trader-turned-pastor/priest John Newton is a wonderful look into the pastoral heart of this 18th century believer. I have yet to dive in and read the whole thing, but this excerpt from a series of correspondence to a woman in 1775 shows Newton’s belief in […]