The fact-checkers met Jesus at every turn. Fact-checkers are religious people whose goal in life is to ensure that we’re obeying God in precise and pure ways. They help us keep the “i”s dotted and the “t”s crossed. Fact-checkers are driven by obedience and doctrinal purity, good things to be motivated by. Unfortunately, they sometimes get carried away. In Jesus’ time, they fact-checked people’s obedience to the Law. They believed that true obedience could be precisely measured and one standard was applicable to everyone. Fact-checkers…
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Stewards of Eden: What scripture says about the environment and why it matters by Sandra L. Richter Richter’s book will turn the most conservative among us into “tree-huggers.” Like most conservative evangelicals, the environment hasn’t been on my radar. I’ve associated the environmental movement with restrictive policies on the advance of business and development. Richter, along with the author Wendell Berry, has challenged my assumptions by asking me to look at creation through the lens of the Creator. Richter returns us to the garden when…
Read More ⟶I’m a delayed Trekkie fan. I missed all the hype with the original Star Trek series but became a fan of The Next Generation. The captain’s voice-over opening to each show makes me sit up straight in my recliner (my command chair!). Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, it’s five year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before! What a clear and simple…
Read More ⟶You’ve just been hired for your dream job. You can’t wait until the first day of training. Then the text message arrives: “Report to our desert training outpost. Don’t bring any water or food. You’re going to be totally alone.” What kind of training is this? Now you feel a little like Jesus. After experiencing heaven’s opening, the Spirit’s descent, and the Father’s affirmation, He immediately gets a ticket to the dessert to fast and be tempted by Satan (Mark 1:9-13). What’s going on here?…
Read More ⟶The Monday afternoon conversation went downhill fast. “How’s your week starting out Bill?” asked a friend. “I’m overwhelmed already,” I replied. Some weeks are like this. Every Monday morning, I plan my next two weeks of life. I review my calendar, check my priorities, and make my “to do” list — who to email, people to call, tasks to complete, people to see. Writing it down helps me remember. But, this list can overwhelm. Sometimes I feel I’m living in a whirlwind of activities. Jesus…
Read More ⟶The meeting had ended. I didn’t lead the meeting; I was a participant like the others around the table. As we gathered to leave, the leader gave me a compliment. “Bill, do you realize that you led that meeting by the questions you asked?” he said. I had no intention of leading the meeting. I had no desire to set or control the agenda. I was just curious about the issues. My curiosity prompted a lot of questions. The leader’s observation was a compliment and…
Read More ⟶The first time I had the conversation I was a little surprised. September was like a starter’s gun when I ministered to graduate students. School’s start-up was the time to meet in-coming students. Our ministry team would set up a booth at the university’s welcoming events to meet, greet, and engage these eager young professionals in conversation. A conversation with a male student from Virginia was the first time it happened. When discussing his faith background, he made this statement: “I’ve thought about becoming a…
Read More ⟶This is a summer of discontent. We’re experiencing street protests, a divisive election, and the cloud of a pandemic. I say it’s time for a little fun, some whimsy, and a shot of innovation! For our whimsy and innovation boost, let’s return to 1964. It’s Sunday night, February 9, 1964. An entire nation is glued to a Sunday evening television show and I’m no exception. Seventy-three million people are watching one show that night — setting a viewing record. It was reported that crime dropped…
Read More ⟶Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out . . . Proverbs 1:20-21 The noise in our streets is deafening. Daily it seems that another stature or monument is toppled. I have mixed feelings about this. No one likes public destruction. However, the protests pose an uncomfortable question, “What are we honoring through a monument?” In some cases, the statues honored individuals who promoted and supported slavery and segregation. How…
Read More ⟶The Grey Hound bus was packed with rowdy high school students. My senior class was going to Washington D.C. Our rural school was off to the big city. I dozed through most of the first day’s sight-seeing. That night, we hung out at the motel, watched tv, and played pranks on the girls. Hey, we were seniors away from home. When we woke the next morning, the world had changed. Martin Luther King had been assassinated the day before, April 4, 1968. We woke up…
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