living the Gospel in an everyday world
Titus lived in a decadent culture, Crete. Paul’s description of the people who lived in this society may sound familiar to us. There are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers . . . . They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach and that…
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This quote grabbed my attention as the news broadcasts seem to continually bring word of major catastrophes, deaths, wars, and economic losses—amidst the US Presidential Inauguration. God allows the props to be knocked out from beneath our feet in order that we might rest our weight fully upon Him. And this is true for nations…
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Like millions of other Americans, I tuned in to hear President Obama’s second inaugural address on Monday. The President is rightly admired for his strong oratory skills and ability to use communication as an effective leadership skill. That’s why I was so disappointed in the speech. While there were parts of the speech that resonated…
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Yesterday I left my hairdresser with a feeling of cloudiness surrounding me—more than the cold grey skies outside. I realized our entire conversation was about the tragedies in our world. Her final statement, “I think the next generation is without hope,” stuck like glue in my thoughts. If you want to get a take on…
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After hearing of yet another horrific shooting in Connecticut—and witnessing another mindless act of evil much closer to home at Clackamas Town Center, the news will have its usual stories, interviews with eye-witnesses, and ultimately search for some explanation. We will hear words of grief and shock. People will say that Jacob Roberts was a…
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Coming to the end of Fall term, I get to reverse roles and learn from the students. It is always (well, almost always) quite stimulating. My students in leadership class come back to report on a leader they have studied and assessed. Students in a course in worship return with field reports, sharing what they…
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Tomorrow I will lecture on the glorious and inglorious sides of ministry. There’s great glory in watching over souls, of tending to the deepest aspects of a person’s life; glory in ministry’s hiddenness (e.g. the unseen work of prayer); glory in the challenge (what else tests your will, emotions, intellect, tact, patience, imagination, etc. like…
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There’s a wonderful Puritan prayer I love that goes like this: “Father, You have given us so much. We ask for one thing more—a thankful heart.” There are so many things about the Lord that we can be thankful for, aren’t there? For life and breath, for all his goodnesses and blessings in our lives….If…
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Recently my daughter sent me a link to a 1+ minute You Tube, “The First World Problems Rap.” She said her pastor showed it in church on Sunday. Initially the rap was just fun. And then I began to hear the message. The message went even deeper with the second review. The impressionable expressions of…
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Karen tells us that ministering to women with same-sex attraction is not as complicated as you might think. As you begin to build friendships with these women you will discover how much you have in common with them. There are three primary things you can do to help: Keep the focus on a relationship with…
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