This guest post is by my friend Josh Kelley, speaker and the author of Radically Normal: You Don’t Have to Live Crazy to Follow Jesus (Harvest House). You can learn more about him and his family’s trip around the country at www.RadicallyNormal.com. [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen I was a college freshman in southern California, I got a job selling overpriced memorabilia at a local mall. I felt like I’d entered a different world – my manager was African American and the assistant manager... Read more
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matt. 7:22–33 I recently published a post entitled Olly Olly Oxen Free: What if God Will Use Anyone!? The gist of the post (which I’d encourage you to check out) is that God doesn’t... Read more
My friend Amy* shared this on Facebook yesterday, “I became a Christian just after midnight on my 22nd birthday, the summer after I graduated from college, selling books door to door in Emporia, Kansas. It was nighttime and a man was following me in his car so I sought refuge in the home of a family who happened to be in the midst of a prayer meeting. And well, the rest is history. Except for the fact that the people... Read more
One of life’s tragic comedies is that when you’re a teen, everyone’s a moron but you. You have it all figured out, and there’s no reason to listen to people twice your age. As you crest 40, you realize how little you know, and the things you have learned, you’ve had to learn the hard way. You’d love to pass that wisdom on to your children . . . but they think you’re an idiot. By the time they figure... Read more
“Sometimes I lie awake, night after night Coming apart at the seams Eager to please, ready to fight Why do I go to extremes?”—Billy Joel As I wrote in an earlier post, reading Runaway Radical was a profound experience. It moved me as a father, challenged me as a follower of Christ, and taunted me someone whose pendulum tends to swing pretty wide. The book is Jonathan Hollingsworth’s personal testimony about Christian radicalism’s devastating effect on his personal journey and faith. At the same time,... Read more
“Mystics without study are only spiritual romantics who want relationship without effort.”—Calvin Miller [dropcap]I[/dropcap] live in a quaint American town—a Norman Rockwellian picture of small-town USA. There’s a church on almost every corner and a palpable sense of nostalgia down every street. It’s a farm town full of old Dutch families who still resort to their mother tongue when certain feelings need expression. Inevitably, someone is going to tell you that they’re “benouwd” when they’re feeling anxious, depressed, crammed into an stuffy room.... Read more
Sometimes people will say to me, “One of my favorite things about Christmas is how everywhere I go, I get to hear songs about Jesus. It’s like the mall is full of Christian music for a whole month.” But what if the only thing you knew about the gospel story was based on the Christmas songs you had heard. You’d be prone to all sorts of questionable facts and superstitions like: 1. Jesus’ divinity made him a super baby One... Read more
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ometimes I’ll stumble across someone promoting my blog and they’ll say something like, “I don’t agree with everything this guy says, but his blog is pretty thought provoking.” I’m often left wondering, “who do you always agree with?” I’m forever curious why people feel the need to disavow everything they disagree with. What would be lost to the person who said, “Hey, check this blog out. It’s pretty thought provoking.” I have a hard time thinking something is thought provoking if it’s full of thoughts I already... Read more
I can’t get away from the daily terrible and heartbreaking news that gets plastered all over social media. But more than that, I’m dismayed by the fractured, combative nature of the dialogue that surrounds all these social, religious, and political issues. I had a friend recently say that she was withdrawing from Facebook through the Christmas season because she just couldn’t take it. She wasn’t going to let the constant vitriol ruin her Christmas spirit. I totally understood her point, but... Read more
Our little town puts on a lighted Christmas parade every year. It’s basically tractors with Christmas lights, but my wife seems to love it. It’s sort of like a living Garrison Keillor story complete with hypothermia. So we loaded up our camping chairs, stopped for some Chinese food, and headed down to Front St. to scope out some ideal real estate. Most of the town empties onto the boulevard and if you’re late to the party, you’re going to miss out... Read more
Honest to God
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