Resurrection People

In a crazy world professional golfer Bernhard Langer got tangled in a voter fraud story with President Donald Trump. It was a short news flash in all the campaign dirt and the President called Langer to clear the air. It reminded me of the shock waves the German golfer made after winning the 1993 Masters… Continue reading Resurrection People

The Baby Boomerang Thing

It was a lament of the baby boomer generation, the 1961 British parody song My Boomerang Won’t Come Back. Controversy followed it from England to Australia to the United States in an early version of political correctness. Evidently the aboriginal references were distasteful to some people. But, the frustration expressed in the lyrics was more… Continue reading The Baby Boomerang Thing

Traveling in Fast, Heavy Traffic

Harvard theologian Harvey Cox predicted a secular world on the move. In his book The Secular City (MacMillan Company, New York: 1965) he suggested the new secular world would be defined by anonymity and mobility. Track the daily path of most Americans and you’ll be caught in the traffic of this high velocity world. Leonard… Continue reading Traveling in Fast, Heavy Traffic

The Mission Field Down the Street

The missional checklist: Lottie Moon Christmas offering Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions Prayer for church plant In Central Asia Support for the local association Prayer for the church plant in Central Asia Prayer for the church plant in New York Mission to the local community

Then, again, there are the nails

Harriet’s mother taught public school for forty years. When a student did something extraordinary Lib Thomas would present that seventh grader with a rusty nail. She wasn’t a pessimist or dooms-dayer but told the teens that Jesus gave the best he had and, on earth, what he got was rusty nails. So, they should expect… Continue reading Then, again, there are the nails

The Incarnation of All In

It’s a gambling term that gives me pause every time I hear or speak it. But, “all in” is the buzz phrase for passion today. It’s confidence in the strength of your cards to the point of risking everything. Using poker table language as a metaphor of faith commitment troubles me greatly. But, it is… Continue reading The Incarnation of All In

Preparing the Generations

 So, the complicated and fast intersections of life have plenty of under age travelers too. They are the youth and children who will need to navigate the times. And, while their interests rank high on our priority scales, there’s always the danger that blazing speed and complex engineering will inhibit our teaching them faithfully, To… Continue reading Preparing the Generations

The Confusion of Church Dialect

A few years ago church leaders were challenged to learn the new language of pop culture and permit many old and worn church terms to fade into obscurity. You know, the church of what’s happening now wasn’t your grandmother’s church. So, we marked terms like “invitation”, “come down front”, “ask Jesus into your heart”, “amen”,… Continue reading The Confusion of Church Dialect

Joseph and the Great Commission

Joseph is a less visible figure in our re-living the Christmas story each year. He’s only mentioned a few times in Scripture, and I don’t recall singing many Christmas carols about him. When I wanted to understand his role in the birth narratives and the appearance of Jesus, I misread one of the important verses… Continue reading Joseph and the Great Commission

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