Lent is a season that the christian church has historically used as a time to examine itself, to intentionally undergo fasts, and to take time to seek greater union with God. There are few guides that I have found more wise and valuable in understanding these values of Lent then Saint John of the Cross. His work is profoundly powerful and also sheds a great deal of light on the profitability of those times that we today often describe as… Read more

 Read more

After watching the video below I think it’s very odd that Mark Driscoll is the pastor of a church called Mars Hill. For those of you who don’t know Mars Hill is the place where the book of Acts records the Apostle Paul’s sermon to the Athenians. In it the apostle Paul introduces the Gospel to the Greeks by proclaiming one of the God’s they serve is really the God of Israel. He then uses a pagan work Phenomena by… Read more

Today marks the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the Evangelical Covenant Church! The Covenant Church is the denomination I am seeking ordination in after I finish seminary. I thought today would be a good day to tell you a little bit about it! Since my relocated to Chicago to study at North Park Theological Seminary many people have asked me why I decided to move. Some wonder why I left at all. Others have questioned why I would choose… Read more

Have a blessed Saint Valentines Day!I thought today I would share an article written by the German Reformer Martin Luther. My wife and I recently read through this together, and we both found a good deal of life in it. I hope you enjoy it, and can take to heart the depth of God’s call to love one another!The Estate of Marriage (selections) by Martin Luthertr. Brandt, from “luther’s works, volume 45.” (Fortress Press, 1962)The world says of marriage, “Brief… Read more

We are all communicators, we can’t avoid it. Our daily interactions at even the most menial level are transmitting messages to others around us. For many people, myself included, this process goes on often without a great deal of thought or concise involvement. I, for one, know that so often I’m not cognizant of the rules that guide the positions and mediums I employ every day to communicate.I have been reading Charles H. Kraft’s Communication theory for the Christian Witness… Read more

A reader and friend recently asked me a question relating to my decision to go to seminary at North Park Theological Seminary. North Park is connected to the Evangelical Covenant Church. Which is a branch off the Pietist movement within the Lutheran Church. I will be posting a lot more about the Covenant Church in the months to come. I would love to here other Covenenaters thoughts on this question!Got a question for you, as a Lutheran now studying at… Read more

I have always liked this. Thought you might too[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71H3wDWBNbw] Read more

Martin Luther King Jr is remembered today. For many people it’s a difficult holiday to celebrate since there are few established rituals. For me as a Christian, as king was, I like to take time and go to a prayer service for peace and racial reconciliation. It’s important to recognize that the work King gave his life for is still in great need of great men and women to fight against the injustice built in our systems, attitudes and even… Read more

The Gospel reading last Sunday was “the wedding at Cana.” A powerful story about Jesus’ miraculous transformation of water into wine at a wedding feast. You can read the whole thing in John 2:1-11. The icon associated with this story has had a special place in my heart. I bought this icon for my wife just after we got engaged. It has had a place on honor in our home everywhere we’ve lived. I see it every day. The version… Read more