Maybe Not What Was Intended
You've likely experienced it at times in conversation with someone. You say something, thinking that you are clear. The other person responds in a way that makes evident that either they missed what you were saying or they had another agenda in the conversation and...
You Know More Than You Realize
At the heart of the ministry of The River is a commitment to helping people learn to read and understand the Bible for themselves. We seek to awaken the realization that most readers already bring to the Bible nearly everything they need in order to make sense of...
But We Don’t See Him!
Reflections on Easter Throughout Easter Sunday, Christians hear the proclamation: Jesus is risen! The message—whether online or in other ways—shares a fundamental common theme: Jesus is alive! That is the appropriate and true Easter declaration. But what are the...
What If It’s Not About “Good Advice”?
The tendency seems to be quite widespread. In personal conversations, in popular books, and from Sunday pulpits, there's a habit of reading Scripture as if the Bible is a collection of good advice to make our lives work better. Texts are mined to provide "four...
Thinking well as war looms
It can’t be ignored. Even if the tanks haven’t rolled into our backyard, we can’t overlook what is happening on the world stage. We need to think about it–but the challenge will be to think well about what we see unfolding in the world. Three voices can help...
So, you write in your Bible?!?
If you look over my shoulder as I am studying or reading my Bible, you will see that I usually read with a pen in hand. If you attend The River's “Reading Scripture” course, you’ll discover we encourage people to read Scripture with a pencil in hand. And,...
Let’s talk about . . .
Every week I have conversations with friends about the Christian life. Regardless of where the discussions start, we often end up talking about the place of Scripture in this life we live with Jesus. One conversation focused on a regular teacher at a church who...
When the wonder wears off
The Christmas celebration is over, at least with regard to the pre-holiday busy-ness and the family gatherings. We've sung the songs, wrapped the presents, feasted on the special foods, given the gifts, and (hopefully) thought some about the "reason for the...
Should we make Christmas “safe”?
It happens . . . it seems that it's a regular, yearly, occurrence. A lot of people who don't go to church throughout the year or wouldn't sing about Jesus will acquiesce to doing that one day year–they will go to church for Christmas. They'll show up, they'll sing,...
There are no secrets to growing!
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul talks about the growth that comes in the Christian life. He explains that some ministry is like sowing seed, some is like watering plants, but it is God who brings the growth (1 Corinthians 3:5–9). Thus, in one sense, all...
