By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead  Two upcoming events focus on Christian witness, specifically evangelism and religious diplomacy. These events in the Greater Portland area occur within a few days of one another. Their proximity in time provide us in this blog post with an opportunity to discuss their relationship. Evangelism and religious diplomacy complement rather than contradict one another, when pursued in a straightforward and honest manner. On Thursday, May 30, the Luis Palau Association is putting on... Read more

Jesus’ resurrection does not depend on his disciples’ faith. However, it should deepen our faith and our engagement in this world whereby we descend into greatness by caring for those often despised and marginalized. Again, Jesus’ resurrection does not depend on his followers’ faith, but it should deepen it. Now if Jesus’ resurrection depended on his first followers’ faith, he wouldn’t have risen. They were bewildered and unbelieving. It is worth noting that his first disciples, whose reports serve as... Read more

The film Tolkien is about fellowship—between Tolkien and his close friends from youth—and his teenage sweetheart who later became his wife. Regardless of what one makes of the connections the film develops between Tolkien’s life and The Lord of the Rings book trilogy, the film does highlight the importance of fellowship for Tolkien, who with his younger brother was orphaned in his youth. It is a rare person who has the literary gifting that Tolkien had. Perhaps even more rare,... Read more

Have you ever pondered the significance in Luke 24 of the resurrected Jesus being revealed to his disciples when he broke bread with them? Here’s the text: “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:30-31; ESV). Then and now, the resurrected Jesus breaks through and reveals himself to us when we break bread... Read more

No doubt you have seen hat jugglers perform. They demonstrate great adroitness in juggling hats to the amazement of many. The same thing happens in various other sectors of life, including Christian ministry, where people manifest amazing agility in performing many tasks well, and all at once! Such is the case with Pastor Jay DeBeir. He serves as Executive Vice President and C.O.O. of Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM). Jay also serves on the Board of Bethesda Lutheran Communities. In addition,... Read more

Rev. Dr. Chris Haughee is the chaplain of Intermountain Residential in Helena, Montana, a 32-bed intensive residential care facility for children with severe emotional disturbance. He shares about his work at Intermountain Ministry and has published an 8-week Bible study on trauma informed ministry and outreach to individuals with adversity in childhood. It is titled Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks. It is now available as an e-book. I reached out to Chris to interview him on his work and study.... Read more

No doubt you’ve heard the saying “Thank God it’s Friday.” People can’t wait to get off work and enjoy their weekends. But what if their lives are difficult not simply during the week, but also on the weekend. Thus, it’s not enough to look forward to having a few days off from work. One must look forward with expectation for signs of divine mercy throughout the week, including today, which is Divine Mercy Sunday. Today is the second Sunday of... Read more

Jesus did not come to earth to erect a monument, but to create a missional movement involving healthy relational connections with God and others. A ministry of any size and shape is only as good as its relational connections to God and one another in the ministry before the surrounding world. The Gospel story—the Good News of Jesus Christ—is all about relational connections for now and eternity. We see such connections in Jesus’ prayer offered last Thursday evening—Maundy Thursday—during Passion... Read more

The following blog reflection focuses on whether Jesus’ resurrection was the result of wishful thinking or wish fulfillment on the part of Jesus’ disciples. Let’s begin with brief consideration of C.S. Lewis’ analysis of different ways of viewing Jesus: as lunatic, liar, and Lord, as well as his ensuing engagement of the notion of legend. Whereas Lewis contends that Jesus is not a lunatic, lying demon, or the result of legend, but Lord, so I am arguing that his disciples... Read more

People often associate Lent with giving up some vice for God. It might be cigars or alcohol or sweets, or something a bit more devious. Now if spinach or prunes counted, I think you would find a lot more people claiming to keep the fast. But Lent is not only about giving up vice. It is also about gaining. What do we gain? The virtuous Savior. Just as Jesus went into the wilderness and suffered hunger and thirst for forty... Read more