No, Jesus didn’t bleed rainbow blood. But I am certain that his story is one of solidarity with those who are labeled, marginalized and persecuted because of who or what they are. It was one thing for the religious to oppose Jesus. But once they marshaled the corroboration of the government, then they could successfully exterminate him. This is happening to gays now in Russia. As happened to Jews in Europe. As happened to people of color in the USA.... Read more
Some churches lose members while others gain the same ones. This is a familiar phenomenon. True organic church growth is preferred but rare. Trading members is the norm. Is even Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church no longer publishing its numbers because it doesn’t want others to know of its decline and to be no longer recognized as in the top ten? I am aware that my own online community The Lasting Supper could be interpreted as just another show in... Read more
How frustrating it is to talk with someone who is not in touch with their sins and their sufferings, their weaknesses or their wrestlings. One of the most difficult parts of my job as a pastor was helping people get real enough to admit and embrace their humanness. If you can’t admit that you have a shadow, your depth disappears. There’s so much I appreciate about positive thinking and the self-help industry. But if it lacks the honesty that there... Read more
For some twisted reason I find this funny. Right in the middle of a man’s defiance against God, he’s struck by lightening. Most people would see a connection. Our minds demand cause-and-effect relationships between events. This is not necessarily true. CHECK OUT MY ART! Read more
I wouldn’t always interpret failure as a sign of success. I wouldn’t always interpret success as a sign of failure. Neither would I interpret failure as a sign of failure. Nor would I interpret success as a sign of success. Then what do we do? We discern. We discern what is true. What is honest. What has integrity. What is real. What is compassionate. Discernment is the scarcest commodity in the world. It was in Jesus’ day. It is now. Read more
When it comes to human nature, some consider me wildly optimistic while others revile me as morbidly pessimistic. When it comes to people, I consider myself a realist: we are capable of great good; we are also capable of inestimable evil. Miley Cyrus continues to be demonized while Robin Thicke is beatified. When I posted this popular cartoon last week, “The Public Stoning of Miley Cyrus”, the comments confirmed to me that sexism, misogyny and rape-culture is alive and well... Read more
It would be easy to blame others for our cages. The truth is that we are responsible for ourselves. Yes, their expectations are hard to ignore. But we have taken these and used them to define our lives. The result is that they confine our lives. Want to hang out with other people breaking free of their cages? I invite you to join The Lasting Supper. Read more
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I know for a fact this happens because, um, because, uh… somebody told me. Those who pretend to be immune from sexual thoughts are… well… they’re not having fun! Read more
The other day a pastor sent me a letter. It’s the kind of letter I rarely ever receive from pastors. It was encouraging to me because I know there are such pastors out there, quietly working in the trenches out of the limelight. Here it is in part: “Dear David, thank you for your post which gave a response to Lillian Daniel. This was some weeks back… it takes me a while to reflect on things while most people have... Read more
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