Not What Was Expected
I had two back-to-back meetings at a local Starbucks. But the store computers were down. It wasn't a heart break for me, as I don't go for the coffee. (I have never had a cup of coffee, but I typically order something because I'm meeting in their space.) I ended...
Does He Still Speak?
It is either the height of arrogance or the depth of deception or both for the professed Christian to insist he is directly and personally hearing from God when God spoke directly to less than 100 people during the first 4,000 years of recorded human history, and...
What Jesus Was Trying to Say . . .
Sadly, I have caught myself doing it. When opening up the Bible and discussing a passage with someone I can find myself saying something like: What Jesus was trying to say . . . What God tried to communicate . . . What the Spirit was attempting to convey . . . And...
Don’t Just Sit There . . .
It is the centerpiece of most Sunday church offerings. After the announcements have been made and the opening songs have been sung, attention is turned to the platform—to the podium or the chair or the video screen—and someone preaches. That is how it should be....
If You Could Have Those Hours Back . . .
Do you ever re-think the day? Reflect back on what you did, or did not, do? And have you wondered what it would be like if you could travel back in time, even for just a few hours, to live some moment differently? As I reflected on that, I wondered how amazing it...
Preaching Should Not Be Like a Magician’s Trick
Recently, in conversation with a student, he discovered that I "did magic." That is, over the years I have done everything from simple card tricks to full stage illusions. When I was a college student, my senior project was a full stage show of illusions I built....
Theology Trumping Texts
From time to time I find myself exchanging short posts with someone on-line. Obviously, these are not deep theological discussions; but there can be something instructive in even these minimalistic dialogues. One recent back-and-forth exchange illustrates how, at...
No God Replacement Therapy
With my friends—even with my wife—I sometimes find myself not “listening through.” I pick up on something the other person is saying and rather than listening to the whole of what he or she is saying, I draw my conclusions and form my opinions from only the...
Having A Good Discussion
I read an article about the essential questions that a “disciple maker” should ask his or her disciple. The author sought to provide direction for a typical meeting between a more mature follower of Jesus and one he or she is hoping to encourage in growth. It...
When You Vote: A Biblical Vantage Point
You can’t escape it. Political ads on the radio and television. Broadcast debates and newspaper editorials. Discussions at work and home and disagreements between friends. America is in the midst of the election cycle and the questions come: Will you vote? Who will...