Does praying help you find God, or vice-versa? I’ve been reading a book lately by A.J. Jacobs called “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.” Jacobs grew up as an essentially non-practicing Jew in New York, though many in his family embraced any number of diverse faith traditions. Having already penned a successful autobiographical book called “The Know-it-All,” wherein he chronicled the experience of reading the entire encyclopedia, Jacobs was... Read more

Church and politics not so different, really I took part in my precinct’s caucus on Tuesday, which was a first for me. It was crowded, brimming with energy, and sometimes bordering on chaotic. Some might say it was a “raucous caucus.” But enough bad wordplay from me. As many have read by now, there was an eclectic blend of seasoned veterans and newbies, all trying to learn how to work a pretty confusing political system together. In a lot of... Read more

The church of ‘Come and see’ or ‘Go and do?’ I just got back from a three-day summit in Kansas City, Mo., focused on the place of young adults within the church. I talked myself blue about a number of topics, including the growing ineffectiveness of the old “attractional church” model. Several decades ago, the church benefited from several social dynamics. People moved less often, divorced less, kept the same job forever and generally stayed close to home. The concept... Read more

Following is my most recent column in Disciples World Magazine: Love knows no bounds…or does it? According to a report from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, by the year 2025, five out of six current clergy leaders will have retired. Meanwhile, the average tenure of a clergy person is at least a decade less than in other “first career” professions. Aside from these age and attrition issues, there is also the matter of representation within church leadership. Although most churches are... Read more

Culture “war” lies just beneath the surface In general, most of us would like to think that the church is finding ways to coexist with the contemporary culture. It’s a common sentiment to believe that the church can be in the world, yet not of it, and that we can serve an imperfect world, insomuch as we are an imperfect church made up of imperfect people. Unfortunately, there are those who see the church’s role as one of waging war... Read more

Fear is fine, but just walk with some common sense On a clear day in 1953, a bookkeeper from New Zealand and his small team of adventurers embarked on the final stage of a historic climb. Without the benefit of oxygen or many modern tools available to climbers today, Edmund Hillary and his crew reached the south peak of Mount Everest. Exhausted and short of breath in the thin mountain air, most of Hillary’s group could not continue to the... Read more

Media affect preachers and politicians alike When I pulled up the news online Tuesday evening and saw blurbs about Hillary Clinton getting choked up during a community meeting, I let out a resigned sigh. “Just watch,” I said to my wife, Amy. “Tomorrow morning’s headline will be about her emotions.” Sure enough, the first sentence of the top story talked about her choking back tears as she spoke. My first reaction is annoyance, assuming that this sort of publicity is... Read more

Any promise of peace is stained with blood The new year reminds us that human beings have an unimaginable capacity for evil, particularly against one another. The recent elections in Kenya stirred controversy about the results that spiraled into violence, ethnic strife and greater potential for civil war. Crying foul, hordes of dissenters crowded around a church where hundreds of others were taking refuge. With torches and machetes in hand, they proceeded to butcher men, women and children, leaving the... Read more

Year’s end a time for candid reflections Another year over, full of gratitude and regret. With the new year come subtle and obvious reminders of all the promises we made ourselves last year, but somehow have not kept. Reflection upon the past 12 months can lead to a sense of satisfaction, combined with wonderment about the insistent march of time. Worst case, ask for a do-over, hoping to reclaim a year we didn’t use to its fullest. I’ve had my... Read more

I wanted to let you know about my new web-based service I’ve developed at www.mywordtree.com. It’s a very affordable marketing tool that’s appealing especially to people involved in sales and others who maintain significant database of contacts. I thought you might like to look it over, and please pass this along to any other sales folks you know who try to keep contact with a database of contacts. At MyWordTree.com, we help small businesses stay connected with their clients at... Read more