I have been struggling to re-establish my daily writing routine, not because of a lack of material to think about, but because of a lack of energy. Especially in the evenings. I am feeling the need to rework two very important routines: Morning and Night. My mornings are a mess. I am not sleeping well and that leaves me groggy in the morning and prone to wasting time on my phone. I rarely need to set an alarm. I am too often awake between 3:30 and 4:30, unable to fall back to sleep. This would be great … if I…

I haven’t watched much of the World Cup over the last several weeks. I am just not a sports guy in general and not a soccer fan in particular.  But I do recognize the value in sports and in this case, I believe FIFA’s tagline has proven true: soccer has brought the world together.  And it has been of great benefit to the U.S. – as soccer fans from all over the world have converged on the U.S. for the games, they have gained a firsthand knowledge of this country. It seems that a common result has been a greater appreciation…

I came across a story in Austin Kleon’s book, Don’t Call It Art, that is going to stick with me into the future. (Maybe it will even motivate me to get going on a YouTube channel.) The story concerns one Mr. Charles Jones who was a serial entrepreneur with a long record of failed business ventures.  Each time he would launch a new business, his first step was to order high-quality stationery, pens, and pencils with the new company name. And each time a company went under, this man would gather all these supplies, bring them home, and hand them…

Benjamin Franklin once wrote in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University: “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see… “But I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself…

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.2 Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge.3 There is no speech, nor are there words,whose voice is not heard.4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4) Some people argue that God is too hidden from human senses to be real. Others – like the poet king David – maintain that we walk daily through God’s handiwork. In fact, we are so surrounded by miraculous beauty, that it has grown common to…

Isaiah 30:18 says: “The Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Who is waiting for whom here? Both God and humans are depicted as “waiting”. You might be tempted to picture God as sitting on the sidelines waiting for you to finally get your act together. But the sense of the word “wait” is closer to longing than merely passing time. (For both God and humans.) So it’s more like “the Lord longs to…

Isaiah 30:1 says, “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin.” These words describe the starting point for every one of us. We are all carrying out a plan for our lives. We have plans for our days, our careers, our relationships, our retirement, our future. The problem is not that we have a plan. The problem is that our plan is often not God’s plan. Isaiah says we also make alliances, but not with the Spirit.…

I have a fascination with watching YouTube videos about theology.  Sometimes the hosts have years of study and expertise and sometimes the hosts are average believers who believe themselves to be experts.  These days, about 10% of the time I am listening to learn something new. The other 90% is “hate listening” – where I am just critiquing the arguments, the biblical interpretations, and, most of all, the attitude. From expert to amateur, there is little epistemological humility to be found on Christian YouTube.  Almost EVERYONE is certain their doctrine is right and that the other side, if not outright…

One of my questions for Free Grace people – and anyone else firmly in the “once saved, always saved” camp – is this: How LONG does a person need to experience “faith” in order to get their irrevocable ticket to heaven stamped? As soon as you claim that faith instantly guarantees a person eternal life from that moment it is expressed, you are implying that faith can be genuinely salvific even if it proves to be a passing thing. So what is the minimum amount of time a person would need to “believe in Jesus”?  A day? An hour? A…

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  This verse is foundational to my way of thinking about faith and to my way of preaching. My working assumption is that most every believer desires a stronger faith, a closer walk with God.  We read about miracles – of olden times and in our own age – and we long to see God at work in our own lives in a dramatic,…