Today I helped a friend clean out the house where she had raised her family. She’s in her 80s now, the kids have their own families, and her husband passed away several years ago. After his death, my friend had moved into a small condo. The family home remained in her name, mostly empty of furniture but not quite ready to be sold.  The kids and grandkids recently decided that it’s time to finish the job – and that meant sorting through remaining papers and knick-knacks and dishes.  Her husband had gone to seminary later in life and was a…

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, the Apostle Paul describes his approach to evangelism. In doing so, he demonstrates his awareness of psychology:  To the Jews I became like a Jew – to win the Jews To those under the law I became like one under the law – so as to win those under the law (Though I myself am not under the law.) To those not having the law I became like one not having the law – so as to win those not having the law (Though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law)…

When I turned 40, I was too poor to pay for a proper mid-life crisis, so no red convertibles for me.  Instead, to prove “I still had it” – whatever “it” was – I signed myself up for the Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon. I had never run 13 miles before at one go, so it was a proper challenge for me. At the time, I could handle 3 miles without too much trouble. So I worked my way up to 6 and then 9. I think I ran and walked 12 miles on a Saturday or two before the race…

The most prominent missionary in Haiti has spent the last two weeks denouncing the Asbury revival as a work of Satan.  You may wonder how she knows with certainty that what happened in a small town in Kentucky was not a movement of God – well, she’s glad you asked: “I prayed for a day & a half begging God for discernment, understanding & a word. He spoke to me Asbury is a counterfeit.”  She’s no fan of the new Jesus Revolution film, either. From today’s post: “Reportedly Collegiate Day of Prayer organizers coordinated w Jesus Revolution producers to release…

I wrote yesterday that I had some news to share … but it isn’t completely settled yet, so I will share the half that IS settled. I am currently interviewing with a small local congregation about the possibility of taking on the role as their pastor. It is a part-time position and I will continue working with Mission Resource regardless of the outcome of the interview process.  Ever since we returned from Haiti, I have had a growing interest in preaching and pastoring. Now we will see if this is God’s direction for me.  I will share more details whichever…

I have some news to share – soon – but I just finished a 4,000 word paper for my class on World Religions and my brain is fried.  It was a tough day. I didn’t really WANT to write this paper.  So to make the day extra challenging, my brain and bladder decided I needed to get out of bed this morning at 2:45 am. I was in the kitchen, cleaning the Keurig, at 4 am. The rest of the morning is a blur. I managed to get back into bed around 10 am for about an hour, but I…

Language evolves over time. In his book Stages of Faith, James Fowler describes how the word “believe” has changed over the centuries – a change which has done great damage to the Church as a result. In our earliest Bible translations, “believe” was the English word of choice to translate the Greek pistuo, as in “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”. Here’s the problem: what we understand by the word “believe” today is a pale shadow of what the word once meant.  The earlier meaning was much closer to what the Bible has in mind when…

As a seasoned youth pastor in the late 90s, I was not terribly surprised at the words floated by the teenage girl as the two of us stood in the church’s foyer after youth group, waiting for her ride to arrive. Raised in our United Methodist church since birth, Emily made an unusual profession of faith: “I have decided I believe in reincarnation.”  Her words were not a teenager’s attempt to get a rise out of an authority figure; she was just making conversation.  I probed a bit: “What exactly appeals to you about the concept of reincarnation?” I was…

We had all three of our college students home for just over 24 hours together starting Saturday noon. With various comings and goings over that time, the six of us managed to sit down for a meal together once: Sunday morning breakfast. Waffles and strawberries and whipped cream and bacon. It was the best – and not because of the waffles. Melissa and I are so blessed. These times are getting increasingly rare. It didn’t cross my mind until just now that I hadn’t take a single photo all weekend. But that’s ok – I was too busy being in…

I have a 4,000 word paper due on Wednesday for my doctorate work and I am reminded once more how much deeper the learning is when one must write about a topic as opposed to when one is simply reading about a topic. I feel like I learn a lot from a good book, but when I am forced to process the information in my own words, the lessons are solidified and new connections are made.  But on this paper, I have found it very difficult to get excited about the topic: the similarities and differences between Judaism, Islam, Hinduism,…