Recent Posts

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  the God-questions

  for reflection, PRAY 8 comments

  “It’s not brave to have answers. It’s brave to watch them get erased, obliterated, rubbed out with a half-chewed cheap eraser on the end of a #2 pencil, the kind that leaves black nasty smudges in the wake of that math formula that should have contained, as promised, a solvable [...]

   
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  book review: good idea. now what? [how to move ideas to execution]

  book reviews, media, READ, the latest 0 comments

  I wake up in the morning dragging. I search for that first dose of caffeine that’ll get me going through the day. My wife tells me that I really need to go to bed earlier. But that would mean I’d have to stop what I’m working on in the evenings, and [...]

   
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  i am terrified

  activist faith, engaged in culture, SERVE 12 comments

  Three months ago my outlook on life completely changed. I had no idea becoming a parent would make me reconsider so many things I held to be true. In particular, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how Jesus lived his life. On the streets. Hanging out with the rejects. [...]

   
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  moving versus resting

  creativity and art, life of worship, PRAY 2 comments

  I’m frozen in time. Actually, frozen on my couch somewhere between working on a series of paintings and climbing on my elliptical. I was thinking about inertia—that stuff smart people say when they’re explaining that an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest. [...]

   
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  why do bad things happen to good people?

  for reflection, PRAY 12 comments

  The rain splashes against the window like tears. The past creeps in like flickering shadows and I am thinking of it again. I no longer ask why bad things happen. In retrospect, I can see how God turned what others meant for evil to good and my sin into something [...]

   
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  giving away mother’s day

  activist faith, SERVE 3 comments

  This year, I will celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a Mom. As the day approaches, I can’t help but think about how lucky I am. I am healthy, loved, and my every need is provided for. But not all mothers can say the same thing. There’s the young mom [...]

   
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  words that bring division

  authentic christianity, READ, theology, worldviews 2 comments

  We use words to compartmentalize, categorize, and define. For example, I would define my Christian theology (or spirituality) as a Protestant Evangelical Reformed Charismatic Episcopal/Anglican Christian.  Each of these words brings a certain characteristic or understanding to what kind of Christian I am. Historians and sociologists use stereotypes to categorize [...]

   
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  the artist’s rule

  creativity and art, for reflection, PRAY 1 comment

  “As you make art or write, the process is a container for awareness. Everything that rises up—judgments, blocks, insights—is a reflection of the whole of your life.” Christine Valters Paintner in The Artist’s Rule I sat in the corner of my kitchen yesterday morning and spent the early hour reading, [...]

   
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  movers for moms

  activist faith, engaged in culture, media, ministry, SERVE 0 comments

  For me, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m trying to be more intentional about giving (and dealing with my excess). As I write this, it’s possessions month in [the 7 project]. And that means we need to give some things away. More importantly, we need to be intentional about [...]

   
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  church = life together?

  engaged in culture, ministry, SERVE, the latest 5 comments

  Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 I grew up in the church. Sunday school, [...]

   
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  book review: evangelical truth [a personal plea for unity, integrity and faithfulness]

  book reviews, READ, the latest, theology 1 comment

  Evangelical Truth: A Personal Plea for Unity, Integrity & Faithfulness (Christian Doctrine in Global Perspective) is an easy-reading theological book that defines the contours of Evangelical belief. The late John Stott had a great ability of explaining complicated ideas in practical everyday language.  This book is a necessary primer for understanding [...]