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He is Risen Indeed!
Read more: He is Risen Indeed!It was Easter Sunday in 1972. My grandfather was preparing to sing an Easter cantata with his church choir when he suffered a stroke and collapsed. On the following Sunday, he went to be with the Lord. I never met my grandfather, but I’ve heard countless stories from my mother about what a wonderful man…
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Cabin in the Woods & Good Friday
Read more: Cabin in the Woods & Good FridayI have been waiting to review one of my favorite movies from 2012 for quite some time, Cabin in the Woods. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to blog about it, and more importantly, I knew I needed to review it this week—Holy week. Perhaps you’re thinking, this is totally random;…
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Discipleship Principles
Read more: Discipleship Principles1. Discipleship is about a Relationship Michael Wilkins has defined a disciple of Jesus as one who “has come to Jesus for eternal life, has claimed Jesus as Savior and God, and has embarked upon the life of following Jesus.”[1] His very presence in my life and his promise to never leave nor…
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Shane Claiborne Interview: Ecclesia and Ethics
Read more: Shane Claiborne Interview: Ecclesia and EthicsIn preparation for our Ecclesia and Ethics conference (ecclesiaethics.com), we’re putting together a few video interviews to raise interest and excitement. Check out this short interview we did with Shane Claiborne. For some reason the video didn’t record, but the audio is great. Our future interviews will contain video. Enjoy and please share! Ecclesia and…
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The Paradoxical Gospel
Read more: The Paradoxical GospelI don’t remember ever saying this, but here goes. I’ve never been more confident of my salvation. I’ve never felt so secure. I’ve never been so satisfied in Christ. And yet, at the same time, I’m more aware of my sin, ready to acknowledge it, even willing to tell people about it. Sound like a…
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Going to Heaven with Jesus
Read more: Going to Heaven with JesusAs a student of the New Testament, I am one of those odd characters who enjoys the minutia of grammatical details in the original languages and especially their interpretative significance. Yet what motivates me in working through the details is primarily a genuine application of discipleship to Jesus. Today’s post comes primarily as a review/summary…
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Are We God’s Pawns?
Read more: Are We God’s Pawns?A pastor once told me that God’s people are simply pawns in his ultimate plan to glorify himself. Seriously. He said “pawns.” That would be a great metaphor if chess players actually loved their pawns, but they don’t. The world’s greatest chess player never loved his pawns, much less died for them. So when I…
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On the Incarnation in the New Year
Read more: On the Incarnation in the New YearI am notorious for listening to Christmas music at any time of year. This produces a gamut of responses from utter disparaging of the thought to confessions of similar behavior. My reason is never an attempt to sustain the festivities long past their due. Rather, I am deeply and profoundly encouraged by the gift we…
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The Real War on Christmas
Read more: The Real War on ChristmasWe’ve all heard it before—Bill O’Reilley’s rants over the “War on Christmas”. Bill doesn’t like when people call Christmas trees, “Holiday Trees”. He thinks gender-neutral toy commercials offend the little baby Jesus, and don’t even think about taking the “Christ” out of Christmas. But I am here today to tell you about a different war…
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Jesus and His Father
Read more: Jesus and His FatherAnyone who’s come over for dinner has seen my collection of Peruvian oil paintings of the Virgin Mary. Several years ago, a spending spree and newfound obsession with Catholic art (despite being a Reformed Baptist) landed me with a few too many Marys: three hanging in the hallway and one above my bed. Buyer’s remorse…