What is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? You may think you know the answer to this question. The lesson we have been taught in (most) churches, and have seen proudly proclaimed by the protestors of Westboro Baptist is this: sexual perversion. No doubt God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was finally provoked by a … Continue reading
I’m beginning to gather thoughts on “success in ministry,” and would love to hear some unfiltered, raw, honest responses to the question “What is success in Christian Church ministry?” I’d love to hear the perspectives of regular church-goers, pastors, professors, unchurched, non-Christians and anyone who might be interested in responding. What are you waiting for? … Continue reading
In a post from October 2012, I suggested that “being always flows from doing.” I stand corrected. I had the chance to learn under Dr. Richard Langer this week in what is my last residency for my D.Min at Biola University. In an article from the ‘Journal for Spiritual Formation’ he writes a few “Points … Continue reading
Metaphors are pictures that help us to take a closer look at realities embedded in a concept through a tangible analogy. I want to describe 7 metaphors (or pictures) of community given to us in Scripture. This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it will paint a broad and ideal picture of the … Continue reading
Community would be much easier if people weren’t involved. I meant what I said in my last post that God values community and that the community we experience in the church should mirror the oneness of the Trinity. I would even go so far as to say that the community we experience with God and … Continue reading
Americans value individualism. We love our freedom of self-expression, independence and fiercely defend our individual rights. Dutch researcher Geert Hofstede developed what is known as the “cultural dimensions theory” which seeks to express the values of particular cultures. On a scale from 1-120, America scored the highest in individualism with a 91. So, what is … Continue reading
November 1st is my anniversary (the day I posted this marks 9 years). One of the greatest privileges in my life is to call myself Laura’s husband. Laura is sweet, compassionate, brilliant, and beautiful inside and out. When I married her, there is no question that I married WAY out of my league. For our … Continue reading
Life would be much easier if people were all good or all evil, wouldn’t it? We could place people comfortably in one category or the other and respond to them accordingly. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Lance Armstrong, I am reminded of just how messy people (all people; you and me included) truly … Continue reading
Before we jump into this question, we need to define miracles. In some ways, childbirth, the sun rising, and various other events in nature are “miraculous” in one sense or another. However, for the sake of this discussion, we want to define miracles as “an interference with Nature by supernatural power” (C.S. Lewis, Miracles). Or, … Continue reading
Drowning. This racist man is not only metaphorically sinking down because of the weight of his guilt, but literally submerged by the torrent of the sea. His soul gasps for grace while his body gasps for air. All pretension and posturing of ethnic pride is washed away by the certainty of death which makes every … Continue reading
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