I've never met a pastor who didn't agree in some measure with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian during WWII. From his cell in the Flossenburg concentration camp, he wrote, "The church is only the church when it exists for others."

Every pastor I know speaks well, stirringly even, of serving and blessing and winning those outside the church ( Read more... )

Recently some huge billboards along major roadways showed black-and-white photos of car wrecks -- gashed and mangled metal, clouds of steam and smoke -- all illumined under the luridness of fire, flares, searchlights and siren lights. The caption beneath the ads was as stark and grim as the photos: "Speed is killing us. Slow down and live."

If this ( Read more... )

"What do I have to do to get saved?"

In my Baptist context, we've heard these thoughts a thousand times. The problem is that we have in our pocket a message in which Jesus himself had a very different answer to regarding the question of salvation.

The Big Question

In reading through Luke, I had discovered that twice (10:25, 18:18) Jesus is asked, " ( Read more... )

Interview with Eugene Peterson ( Read more... )

Headlines....
It's going to be a girl. Her name is picked out but is being kept on the DL till she is born. Back to your reguarly scheduled program. :)

At night, when I get down on my knees beside my bed and lean my head on my folded hands in the posture of prayer I was taught as a child, there's always a moment's hesitation while I fumble for the first word to launch into the cosmos, a name that will find the infinite mystery I want my words to reach ( Read more... )

I"m going to be a Daddy :) Erika is due at the end of May/beginning of June... thought i would pass it on

Hey everyone... there was talk of a visit up to the wonderful state of Michigan. I just want to touch base with everyone and let them know the weekend that would work for us is Friday July 28- Sunday July 30. We can house up to 8 people. You'll need to arrange for your transportation here. We've got room for 4 people in beds, 2 couches, and the ( Read more... )

Thomas is gaunt, his face stark and raw-edged like a Palestinian landscape. Sharpness of bone, hollowness of flesh. And there's something else, something in the eyes: a shrewdness, a wariness, a caginess. He is sparing with words. He watches. He listens. He can unnerve you with his silence, with the depths and layers of it. What is he thinking? His ( Read more... )

I've heard of a little girl that is dying. Her name is Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn's mother, Bonnie, came to pick her up one day, and something was terribly awry. Bonnie wrote this ( Read more... )