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ASBURY ALUM
Before moving on to the new week, I wanted to give a shout out to my Alma Mater, Asbury Theological Seminary. Last November Asbury sent an email and I perused it to see what was new on campus. A blurb about “renewal retreats” for alumni caught my eye. This was around the same time that Tim, Jamie, and I were talking about how long it had been since we were all together in one place. (2018!) So gathering back on campus just seemed ideal. We planned our retreat for January and the alumni office was on top of it, offering…
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25 YEARS ON
Friday morning I found myself in a chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky sitting in the back row between two of the best friends I could ask for. Tim now lives in Illinois and Jamie in Georgia but we first met over 25 years ago when all three of us were students at Asbury Theological Seminary, just across the street. Here we are now as old guys. I’m on the left, Tim is in the middle, and Jamie is on the right. (And John Wesley insisted on being in the picture, too.)
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WHERE FEAR LIVES
Over the last few days, I met with two old seminary friends to catch up, plan, and pray. We were back on the campus of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky where we all met over 25 years ago. It was an incredible three days and I plan to reflect on it here soon. But for now I am back home in Indiana and thinking about how frequently our conversations referenced fears of various types … Fear of unknown futures, fear of failure, fear of misspending time. As I was driving home, this thought struck home with force: Fear lives…
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DR. JOHN LENNOX
If you’re not already familiar with Dr. John Lennox, you will not regret looking him up. Lennox is a world-renowned mathematician and bioethicist. As a professor at Oxford, he has written books and given speeches on everything from Christian apologetics to the future of Artificial Intelligence and has debated the most renowned atheists. He knows his stuff! Plus, he’s an 80 year old Irishman, so you will find him a delight to listen to! And, any time you do, you will learn something profound. Here is a small sampling of John Lennox’s speeches and interviews on YouTube: Fair warning! –…
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DOUBLE-MINDED
James 1:5-8 is another famous passage where reading “imagination” for “mind” might bring insight: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. In the past, verse 6 has caused…
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RENEWAL
As I have been pondering the role of imagination in life and faith – coming to the conclusion that we live primarily in our imagination and only secondarily in reality – it occurred to me that one of my favorite verses might speak to the issue. In Romans 12:2 Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” It seems fairly obvious to me that “renewing your mind” does not mean “learn…
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VALENTINES DAY, 1980
Here’s what I mean when I say we live in our imaginations: It was Valentines Day, 1980. I was in Mr. Benson’s 6th grade class. And so was Amber. She was sweet and pretty and had straight blond hair reaching half way down her back. Unfortunately, she was about as shy and quiet as I was. My crush on her was top secret. The exchange of Valentines made me super nervous and just a little hopeful. Each student had decorated a shoebox and cut a slit in the top. There was a party at the end of the day and…
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IMAGINATION
You and I tend to believe that we have a pretty good grip on reality. Reality is for grown-ups. Imagination is for children. But even as adults, we don’t actually live in reality. We live in our imaginations. I think we don’t notice it because our imaginations have grown blander, flatter, and – too often – more cynical. Our imaginations fill in all the missing information of the present moment: We “know” it all – but we seldom recognize how much of what we “know” is merely our imagination. This matters when it comes to faith. How many of the…
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24 HOURS
24 hours ago, my alarm went off: 3:00 AM. 4:10 AM – Call time for Sarah and the rest of the show choir at the high school. 4:40 AM – Three busses roll out toward Anderson High School, 90 minutes away. I am driving the equipment truck. Melissa is by my side. 8:30 AM – Sarah’s first performance. They did great. 3:30 PM – Sarah’s second performance. From here on out, it is a blur. I try several times to find a quiet, comfortable place to nap. The floor of a classroom is only intermittently quiet and not comfortable at…
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RAIN AND SNOW
Isaiah 55:10-11 offers a fascinating metaphor comparing God’s word to rain and snow: 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,and do not return to it without watering the earthand making it bud and flourish,so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desireand achieve the purpose for which I sent it. The rain comes down from heaven and waters the ground which then enables it to bloom and makes it productive. Likewise…