I managed baseball teams for years and one of the fun games was coming up with signs that you motioned to players from the 3d base coaching box. I once had a spurt where I went through all kinds of mannerisms with my hands and hat and face, but the sign was simply how many claps I had with my hands when I was done with all my gesticulations. Here are Casey Stengel’s signs: |inline Read more
On Fridays we are conversing our way through Darryl Tippens’ Pilgrim Heart, a book that explores the spiritual disciplines that impinge upon our corporate life together. The topic this week is one familiar to this blog: befriending. I want to begin with a beautiful quotation: |inline Read more
Yep, my Spring Break this week was a 7-4 Spring Break. When my students were wallowing in sand in Florida or some place more exotic, I was at home. In Chicago. The snow melted early in the week with temps in the 70s, and now we’ve turned north in our weather. It feels like Minnie-sooooooda. It’s 35 degrees as I write this. Sure, it’s sunny and we’ve got a blue sky, but it’s 35 degrees. Spring Break. So, what does... Read more
The focal point of this psalmist, a fella who has his back against the wall and is surrounded by those who want to do him in, is this: |inline Read more
Dear Holly, What a fascinating question. You are taking a sociology class, your professor says what people fear the most tells you most about them, and you and your friend begin to discuss what fear drives the “Liberal churches, the Evangelical churches, and the Emerging churches.” And you want me to weigh in the greatest fear of each. |inline Read more
I just finished a deeply moving book by Edward Gilbreath, Reconciliation Blues. There is nothing in this book that makes you think Gilbreath, an editor at CT, thinks the end of racialization is imminent. Instead of repeating well-worn figures, Gilbreath introduces his readers to the scene — what it is like to be African American and evangelical. |inline Read more
The Story of the Eikons and The Story of the Gospel. Read more
As with vv. 153, 154, the psalmist’s plea is very simple and clear. We find it in vv. 156 and 159: |inline Read more
After teaching Genesis 1–3, I’m persuaded that this narrative of the primal pair teaches that God made them for mutuality. I see no indicators of hierarchy — whether in creation order or in the so-called “curse” after the fall. I present today seven theses of mutuality. |inline Read more
Last week we began looking at Pete Greig’s fine book, God on Mute. The book deals with the reality and struggle of the Christian when dealing with “unanswered” prayer — however you might want to define “unanswered.” I think one of the highlights of the book are the listing of reasons he gives for why our prayers are not answered as we’d like. Last week I gave the first four. Here are some more: |inline Read more
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