Category: Practical Theology
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Keeping Focus on Family through Self-Indulgent Summer
Read more: Keeping Focus on Family through Self-Indulgent SummerWhatever family friendly sit-com you grow up watching- whether the I Love Lucy, Full House, or Home Improvement, the source of the laughs and the heart-tugs are the same- family can be rough sometimes. We can all see the elements of dysfunction, and fortunately, all share a laugh of emphathy when we see it acted out before…
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Birthday Resolutions
Read more: Birthday ResolutionsToday is my birthday. I’ve always considered it my own personal New Year. Billions of people celebrate new beginnings on January 1st, but on June 20th that number drops to mere millions. (Two worth noting: fellow blogger Caleb Johnson and my dad.) So, in honor of another year, here are some of my birthday resolutions:…
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I Hate the Church but Love Jesus
Read more: I Hate the Church but Love JesusI HATE the church, but I LOVE Jesus I hear this so much. Stay with me, I’m probably going to get a little offensive. This strange separation of faith and community is all over the place. I have gone to the same church my entire life. It isn’t a perfect church, but it’s the family…
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Choosing to Purr in the Stress of a Dog-Eat-Dog World”
Read more: Choosing to Purr in the Stress of a Dog-Eat-Dog World”Life offers us a lot to worry about. To jump to the chase, I can unload a couple of examples from my own past 2-3 weeks: -Pressing through the late nights (1-2 AM nights) finishing study preparation for finals, completing final projects, and otherwise, officially concluding the semester with performance quality that I not only…
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A Freedom That Lasts
Read more: A Freedom That LastsIf you’ve ever been to Arlington National Cemetery, you’ve seen row after sobering row of marble headstones that mark the final resting place of nearly 400,000 men and women who lived for our nation’s freedom—and many who died for it. If we resolved to visit one grave each day, it would take more than a…
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Guest Post: Marketing Divorce or Losing Your Job? Four Things I Learned When Faced With an Ethical Dilemma
Read more: Guest Post: Marketing Divorce or Losing Your Job? Four Things I Learned When Faced With an Ethical DilemmaDisclaimer: I haven’t lost my job, and the company I work for isn’t evil in any way shape or form… In my role I get the chance to work with many unique organizations and dynamic leaders. It’s been an opportunity that has taken me through many industries from insurance, retail, manufacturing, and many more. It’s…
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The Strength of Storying…
Read more: The Strength of Storying…Ministry isn’t easy. Those who serve, whether as pastors of churches, or who minister in other ways, can certainly resonate with that fact. And, it’s tough in different ways for different people. Although I’ve come to grow substantially in this area, for years, vulnerability was one of my most difficult hurdles. To share with another……
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The Dark Night of the Soul
Read more: The Dark Night of the Soul3 years ago, Dr. John Coe of Biola’s Institute for Spiritual Formation preached at a Biola University chapel and it rocked my world. He preached on something that I have become all too familiar with: the dark night of the soul. Now it is true that God is always present. This new covenant reality, bought…
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A Sonnet for Adam
Read more: A Sonnet for AdamThose must have been the sweetest nights, to meet your sons around the fire and tell firsthand the greatest bedtime stories in the land. When serpents walked (before they lost their feet) and how you named each bird and beast. And when you fell asleep alone but woke up wed, with one less rib and…
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That Time I Almost Became a Muslim
Read more: That Time I Almost Became a MuslimMy friend, Aaron, and I walked into a Mosque on a Sunday afternoon looking for a fight. Or at least I was. Aaron was just being nice by going with me. I was in a class that required me to dialogue with Muslims about their faith and my faith with a slant towards apologetics. As…