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Imagine kissing someone through a pane of glass. What a funny image! Who would do that? We might blow a kiss to someone as they walk away. We might jokingly imitate a kiss to another through a glass window. But no two people would exchange a purposeful kiss through glass, especially when the real thing is available. Kissing someone through a pane of glass creates an illusion of intimacy. Our lips appear to touch but no real contact is actually made. The passion is not…

I generally don’t pay much attention to the ancient church calendar. I’m not sure all the reasons why but the worship circles I frequently populate do not put an emphasis on the church calendar particularly Lent. But something is changing for me. I’ve been awakened to think of these church seasons in a new way — a way that thinks differently about time. Our time and seasons today are driven by consumerism. Before September is over, Thanksgiving decorations appear in the stores. By early October,…

The Bible is a book about holding. Now, this shouldn’t surprise us since we all hold things. Holding on to something is a natural part of life.  We hold in a variety of ways, and with a variety of people. Holding can be an intellectual activity: “I finally got ahold of geometry.” Holding is a physical activity: “I’m holding on to the rope for dear life!” Holding is a relational activity: “Let me hold your hand.” For Christians, holding is something more. God invites us…

Jesus was a retreat leader, and we should follow His example. However, His retreats were different from our idea of a retreat. We picture a luxurious conference center with a meticulously planned schedule and sumptuous meals. Jesus lived a little differently. Matthew records how Jesus emerged from His “retreat” (Matthew 14:13 JBP) — a location described as “desolate” or “deserted.” Time and again Jesus retreated from the crowds to pray and be alone (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). For someone who was always filled with the…

Who takes down a tent and pitches it in a new location in December? My friend Dave Johnson did. When the Apostle Paul speaks of his death, he refers to it as “departing to be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23). This word “depart” pictures striking camp, pulling up the tent pegs to move on. What a wonderful image for death. We are pulling up our tent on this side of eternity and planting it in the presence of our Lord on the other side.  At nearly…

Christmas is a celebration of nostalgia . . . and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of “White Christmas” or “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” bouncing inside my head.  I don’t want to long for the “better” time of the past — a time more imagined than real. Down with nostalgia but up with memories. I’m not the only one with a dose of nostalgia. When troubles hit the Israelites on the route to the promised land they fell back to nostalgia: “And…

Our values are revealed by the words we do not use. I’ve seldom heard a message or participated in a discussion featuring these three words. These three words describe life in God’s Kingdom; they are words and ways that should mark the life of every disciple. These three words are peripheral to our culture’s picture of success. These three words are rooted in the church’s heritage but absent in today’s practice. The words are secret, silence, and small. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other…

Forty years is a big gap to bridge. I met Jim when he was nineteen years old and a freshman in college. Jim is now sitting across from me in restaurant as a late middle-aged man with children in college. What a difference forty years make! When I meet alumni from our former collegiate ministries, I tend to apologize for some of my disciplemaking approaches back then. I’ve learned so much from those early years and I wish I could repeat some of the relationships…

Eternity’s population will look very different from my hometown. My farming community in northern Ohio did not attract African Americans or other people of color. I grew up in a culture where everyone looked like me. College was no better in the late 1960s. There were few African American students on campus and no black students lived in my dorm. My primary exposure to African American culture occurred through music and the media – not always positive portrayals of black people. My first meaningful interaction…

Want to ignite a discussion in a church gathering? Show up with a MAGA hat or a Vote for Harris button and watch people take sides! We live in polarizing times and the up-coming election reflects the divisions in our society and in our churches. While the New Testament is largely silent on politics as we practice it, there’s one passage that steers an alternative strategy to our current debates. It’s a passage that all of us are called to obey regardless of our political…