I came across a fascinating, and disturbing, retelling of the 1993 Waco debacle written by best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell. Remember Waco? The FBI fatally stormed a compound occupied by a religious cult called the Branch Davidians led by a crazy man named David Koresh. Gladwell based his article in The New Yorker on a recent memoir by one of the survivors. I remember being mesmerized by the lengthy standoff between the FBI and the Davidians, disgusted by reports of David... Read more

Just finished Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. It’s the story of young boy’s coming of age after his mother dies tragically and he finds himself in possession of a masterpiece–an obsession not unlike that induced by “the precious” in the Lord of the Rings. Tartt’s writing is vivid and flourishing, at times over the top, especially given that it’s presented as the narrative of the young boy-to-drug addict who’s tripped out for most of the book. I want to identify with somebody... Read more

Silence has long been considered an invaluable and sacred spiritual discipline—especially during Lent. To be still makes space for the Spirit to stir. Silence consents to the Lord’s presence and acknowledges his providential hand. “Be still and know that I am God,” we hear in the Psalms. Silence before God is silence with God, a communion of faith too deep for words. If you’ve ever practiced intentional silence, then you know while sitting for a minute in silence can feel... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Tracy Kennedy, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. Imagine if Oprah aired a special show depicting a miracle pill that could produce the energy within one person to do that of thousands.  And even more impressive is that the side effects of this pill were: Sudden urges to SMILE. Feelings of JOY. Prolong states of PEACE. A Persistent state of THANKSGIVING lasting over 4... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Eric Morgan, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. Do we even have time for vocation?  My daughter has honors math, literature, and chemistry.  She plays in the orchestra and runs track.  Our factory education system is training her to leap the hurdles of achievement so she can position herself into a successful—economic & social—American life.  This lifestyle will require constant work to continue moving... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Mona Lee, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. It seems that there is this tendency that Christians somehow learn to separate the work of God and regular everyday work. Personally I am unsure of where we learned this; maybe from past pastors and elders, fellow Christians, or maybe Satan is playing a mind game with us so that we feel we are not doing... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Abbie Borchers, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. NPR reported a story out of Japan a recently: sixty years ago two boys–one born to a rich family, the other to a poor family–were switched at birth. One boy grew up to be the president of a real estate company and the other grew up to be a truck driver. The truck driver born to... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Bonnie Kristian, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. There’s a meme I enjoy called “Old Economy Steve.” It’s a high school photo of a kid from the 70s with a zitty face and a future marked by an affordable college education, a fulfilling job, and a manageable mortgage. Steve has been dubbed the official meme of embittered Millenials, expressing young people’s frustrations with a... Read more

Today’s guest post comes from Reggie Robinson, one of an excellent class of students from Bethel Seminary who recently studied the intersection between faith, vocation and work. What does it mean to be human? Is a human being a soul imprisoned in a body (Plato), an isolated thinking thing (Descartes), consumers that are moved and shaped by an invisible hand (Smith), a being-for-the-other (Lèvinas), or perhaps something else? The answer to this question, for the Christian, must stem from the religious ground motive... Read more