For Lacan, the Real [or God] is that which breaks into our Imaginary and Symbolic constellations. The Real is a rupture. The Real cannot be imagined or symbolized, it does not occupy a place, and yet it takes place. The Real is a crack within our existing political, religious and cultural configurations, a resistance that…
This past Friday (July 11), the sports world received something far greater than free Slurpees (7/11 day) with the much anticipated announcement from LeBron James. Instead of returning to Miami in an attempt to continue the Heat’s near monopoly on the Eastern Conference, LeBron decided to return to Cleveland. I’d guess that most of you…
Brueggemann, Walter. Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2014. 165 pages. Softcover. Retail: $15.00. In Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks, Walter Brueggemann suggests that the ancient Israelite ideological crisis caused by the destruction of Jerusalem can act as an analogy for the modern American ideological crisis caused by…
The other day I stumbled across Aristotle’s types of friendship. Aristotle noted that there are three forms of friendship: utility, pleasure, and virtue. A friendship based on utility is one in which both parties benefit or gain something from the relationship, like business partners. A friendship based on pleasure is one in which both parties…
Wilkin, Robert N., Thomas R. Schreiner, James D. G. Dunn, Michael P. Barber, and Alan P. Stanley.Four Views On the Role of Works at the Final Judgment. Edited by Alan P. Stanley. Counterpoints. Bible and Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. 234 pages. Softcover. Retail: $17.99. ISBN: 9780310490333 “The Role of Works at the Final Judgement,”…
“A leader’s greatest fear is not something that might happen to us, is it something that might happen in us.” (John Ortberg, Willow Creek Leadership Summit 2007) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their…
I’m currently studying the book of Ruth with a small group at my church. I have to honestly admit that after finishing my seminary degree last year, that I hadn’t really studied the Bible in-depth until we started studying this book together. Studying the Bible in community really does bring a freshness to the text,…
Many of us may be familiar with the presidential impersonations of Steve Bridges (George W Bush) and Barack Obama (Reggie Brown), and have probably shared a good laugh at the uncanny likeness with which comedians of today are able to dissect our nation’s chief of state. Perhaps more readers might consumer regular helpings of…
When I first came to the mission field I spoke with a teammate who told me about a man named Mamadou who I would meet shortly. He told me, “Mamadou is a Muslim background believer from Africa. And just so you know, he fasts more than he eats.” When my teammate relayed this information to…
I recently faced a Dad-moment that I had been dreading for a while. It’s one of those times where your son faces his first major disappointment in life. So far my oldest son Ethan had led a somewhat charmed existence. He’s the one that: wins the giant Lego set in the church raffle, gets picked…