In a global pandemic with disruption, distancing, and isolation, no one who ran to the store was thinking about sweets. They were thinking about sustenance. There’s a lesson here for all of us when it comes to our faith. The temptation in our day is for preachers and teachers, songwriters and artists to try to draw... Continue Reading

God had revealed Himself to His people through Moses. They weren’t strangers to His laws. They were not ignorant of His commands. They knew who He was. They were knowledgeable folks. And this knowledge was meant to guide them when false prophets would attempt to woo them into idolatry through false signs and wonders. Because... Continue Reading

Maybe we’ll get to laugh at the Great Toilet Paper Run of 2020.  Or maybe shake our heads in twenty years time, still aghast at the Great Coronavirus Plague of 2020.  Time will tell. The cracks in our culture are sitting there, the fear of the unknown, the so many “what ifs” that go around... Continue Reading

The traditional process for creating references has its weaknesses. Editors only know what they know. Contributors are not always expert in their field. Often they are young scholars who need lines (publication credits) for their curriculum vitae (their academic resumé). Some contributors may know little about their topic.   In my classroom the quickest way... Continue Reading

Are we, as Christians, looking to politics to deliver something it can’t deliver? How much false hope are we placing in fallen human beings? These are questions we should carefully consider as we enter this tension-filled time, adjusting our passions and hopes appropriately.   The full craziness of election season will soon be upon us.... Continue Reading

We must patiently set aside the need to know every detail of how our loved one is feeling, or what they are thinking, and simply display the compassion of one who is willing to step into the pain with our loved one. Compassion doesn’t demand answers, but watches for opportunities to serve the hurting.  ... Continue Reading

In the current intellectual climate, the best way to bring someone over to your side is not to try to convince them they’re wrong, but convince them they’re irrelevant. “Look, I’m not saying I’m right, I’m just saying I’m open and curious and you’re not.” Who wants to hear that? Ours is the era not... Continue Reading

Diversity survives only as a bureaucratic initiative. It has no more revolutionary thrust; the thrill is gone. It resides in the mouth of the VP of Communications, not in the heart of the disenfranchised. It suits corporate America better than the barrio and the ghetto. When you hear it, a dulling effect sets in.  ... Continue Reading

The pursuit of perfection leads us down some very odd paths indeed. Those multisite churches that insist on piping in the preacher on screens do so on the grounds that we want the very best preacher in the pulpit. But that perfectionist tendency means fewer people are ever given opportunities to train because we can’t... Continue Reading

You, who have been striving after riches, power, fame, and sexual appeal. You, who are striving to increase them. You, who place your hope in keeping them. You, who fear to lose them. You, who find your delight in them. You, whose thoughts are continually upon them. You, whose conversation is always about them. Remember,... Continue Reading