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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
It was “deja vu all over again.” I had the same conversation on two successive days with two different pastors on two different continents! Both pastors were making the same assumption and I could predict the outcome of their actions. What was the assumption? They assumed that if you provided the right instruction (on disciplemaking) you would get the…
Covid changed Peggys and my television viewing habits. I’m not sure why or how it happened but we’re now fans of HGTV, the Food Channel, and almost anything British on the Acorn channel. We’re drawn to the British detective shows. One show was a favorite until they featured a murder in an elderly residence home….
Television runs on the tracks of trends. One current trend is a variation of the ballroom dance. We love to watch minor celebrities, athletes, or politicians learn the intricacies of ballroom dancing. A fundamental rule of ballroom dancing is that someone must lead. Teaching is like ballroom dancing where the teacher leads, and the learner…
I slid into the seat opposite my friend Chris. Chris is one of the most provocative friends I have. We’ve known each other for over twenty years. Some years we rarely see each other but when we do, we quickly go to the heart of our lives. We typically end up preaching to one another….