I just wanted to share a resource with you all. Tim Keller taught a few months ago about the gospel and the poor at a conference and gave a simple, straightforward, and very biblically based case for why word and deed cannot be separated in our ministry as churches. Many churches, incredibly enough, miss all [...]
beyond dating the church?
I had an epiphany the other day. I realized that I feel like I’m dating my church.
I know all communities are messy, including organic little churches like mine that are very community-oriented, but I realized for the first time today that I am dating my church.
I’ve had two exceptional relationships in my life. One was [...]
living the STORY
Our ethics have to start with the Story. Not rules, but the Story.
What is the Story of God? What is our Story as a community? What are we trying to live in? This is where ethics needs to start. Not a list of the rules, but the Story. Instead of searching through Scripture for every [...]
billions
Money makes me sad. Not money in and of itself. It’s really just pieces of paper or metal that we have given a lot of meaning to. But money has huge shaping powers in our lives, in our communities, in our churches, society, and world. We’ve given money the power in how we interact with [...]
confession and repentance
I have been pondering the role of confession and repentance in our lives as an essential part of Christian community. It seems like confession and repentance is not a regular practice or value we have in our Christian communities. We don’t talk about the need for confession. We don’t create atmospheres that are conducive for [...]
Meeting the Neighbors
Sorry for the long blog hiatus. I don’t really have a reason for it, except that lately I have been trying to be more present in the real world, which means the world of blogging has gotten ignored. Sorry, world of blogging.
A few weeks ago one of the leaders at my church, Don, preached on [...]
the 10th commandment
“It’s the 10th commandment that truly kicks us in the ass… it’s the coveting that’s gotten the entire Western world in the mess it is in now…”
-John Goldingay, my Pentateuch professor
producing
Some things in life can be broken down into two categories- consuming and producing. Sometimes we are consumers. Other times we produce things. Sometimes we do both, like when we cook a great meal and then eat it
My busy seminary life often feels like consumption. I sit in lecture, discussions, and read a [...]
a tomato
It’s finals this week, and it has been a very very hard finals for me. The papers and exams aren’t really more difficult, I’m just lacking the motivation and energy to get through them well. Everything in me just wants to rest. To have some fun. To step away from the laptop screen and spend [...]
consumerism (2)
We are a nation of over-consumers. We are caught up in the story of the American Dream, the story advertisers tell us about happiness found at the other end of a purchase… where a good job, a nice house, a new car, and the ability to buy what we want will give us fulfillment.
Our [...]
