The college semester is back in session, and our church is seeking to minister to the flood of students who descended upon the liberal arts college a couple of blocks down the road. At 30, I am already beginning to feel that drift, as the gulf of experience between me and these young men andContinue reading “I Was a Lost Pinky Toe in College”
Category Archives: Personal Favorites
Cloudy Confessions: “I’m Struggling With…”
We’ve all been in this situation, whether in an accountability group or care group time. We are all going around and asking for prayer, and inevitably someone mentions something that they are “struggling with.” It might be that they are “struggling with having patience with the kids at home.” It might be that they areContinue reading “Cloudy Confessions: “I’m Struggling With…””
Retweets, Reposts, and Links: Gimme Something Original!
A large portion of our online interaction these days deals with sharing discoveries, pages, videos, and memes not original to ourselves. Some of this stems from the fact that we as social creatures enjoy things more when we share them with someone; God did declare in Genesis 2 that it was not good for manContinue reading “Retweets, Reposts, and Links: Gimme Something Original!”
The Bible: What Is Lost in Translation, Too?
Being a pastor in the South means that I have come into contact with the KJV-only crowd, and thoughts about translation method frequently bounce about in the potluck-addled brain of mine. This is a continuation of a discussion begun in the post where I compared translation to baking. My friend Patrick Schreiner posted a table thatContinue reading “The Bible: What Is Lost in Translation, Too?”
The. Death. of. Nuance. in. the. English. Language.
Nuance. is. like. the. deadest. ever. Question: Are we in the business of communicating in sentences anymore, or is everyone just practicing for a pointillism art project? I believe our culture is witnessing the death of nuance. Nothing is worth saying unless it is “the best ever”. We end our stories with the punctuation, “ItContinue reading “The. Death. of. Nuance. in. the. English. Language.”
The Pastoral “Three-Year Glitch”: Ecclesiological Divorce
As I prepare this week to preach from Matthew 5:21-32, I have been thinking about divorce. Having only pastored for five months, other pastors always say to me, “Oh, you’re still in the honeymoon phase!” They mean well, and they’re being honest. A pastor’s ministry in a church is quite similar to a marriage inContinue reading “The Pastoral “Three-Year Glitch”: Ecclesiological Divorce”
Stop Studying Your Bible All the Time…
(photo credit) “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day…how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” -Psalm 119:97,103 Take a second and think. In the past week, has there been a time when you can identify with these words? If not, chances areContinue reading “Stop Studying Your Bible All the Time…”