The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel, in conversation with the monk Thomas Merton, said that the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me”, is first because it is the root of all sin (Merton, A VOW OF CONVERSATION: JOURNALS 1964-1965). So, I’m thinking that idols aren’t so much about worshiping and serving a different god, but about over-emphasizing just one aspect of the one true God, creating a whole new god out of that one feature. God is... Read more

Morning! In my efforts to improve my own blog, I’ve been doing some research online. I came across ProBlogger, Darren Rowse’s personal blog, LivingRoom. This is his own description of his site: “Welcome to LivingRoom! Pull up a bean bag, grab a coffee and chat with us for a while about Emerging Church, Blogging, Faith and other General Silliness from South of the Equator.” I identify with much of what he says in terms of what the church and ministry... Read more

Thanks John for your thoughtful comment on today’s earlier blog. On our way to Kansas City for the conference I wrote about in yesterday’s blog, I bought the book LINCOLN by David Herbert Donald. When I read the following passage, it timely grooved with the insight I received upon hearing from the Cambodian pastor: “From his earliest days Lincoln had a sense that his destiny was controlled by some larger force, some Higher Power. Turning away from orthodox Christianity because... Read more

This post is in response to a few comments made on some previous posts. Comments like I am a church-basher, a cynic, overwhelmingly negative, and a deconstructionist. I am very, very grateful for the variety of comments being made, and I invite more. In fact, I am going to launch a contest soon in which all those who comment on one of my posts will be entered into a draw to win one of my original paintings! Stay tuned. Here’s... Read more

In 1997, my wife and I went to a conference in Kansas City, Missouri. During a pastor’s luncheon, the host introduced a pastor who was visiting from Cambodia. The pastor had just heard that his church elders had been lined up and shot by a death-squad. Now he was desperate to hear from his family. Could we please pray for him and his family? I watched the pastor. I was so impressed by this man’s austere faith that it triggered... Read more

I have come to learn that questions are more about the questioner than the questioned. I remember back when our church went through a major church-split in 1997, I started allowing interaction during my teaching sessions and as well as discussion. Much to the chagrin of my friends, many of the questions were obviously adversarial, exposing the anger of those asking the questions, as well as their disdain for me. It then became so clear to me that questions are... Read more

“I am done with Great things and Big things, with Great institutions and Big success, and I am for those tiny invisible molecular forces, that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many soft rootlets, or like the capillary oozing of water, but which, give them time, will rend the hardest monuments of men’s pride” (William James, VARIEITIES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE; quoted in Eugene Peterson’s, LIKE DEW YOUR YOUTH, p. 34… an awesome... Read more

I’m up early drinking coffee and getting my message ready to teach at our church. I’m teaching from Psalm 142. As Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” That touches on the theme this morning. Here’s a painting I did recently, which is available in my EBAY STORE. This is the kind of art I’m doing right now. My art is about space, room, unclutteredness, distance, perspective, and freedom. I’m beginning to realize that this one... Read more

One of my mottos, (I believe I invented it?), is “authenticity with accountability”. This is something that I try to practice in my life, and especially in how I pastor a church. I love authenticity in people, and I believe my most intense passion is to see people set free to be authentically who they are. I love watching people liberated, especially from the oppressive bonds of religion and the religious spirit. In fact, I think this is the most... Read more

One of the pitfalls of ministry, even life in general, is worrying about what other people think. Especially worrying about what other people think of you… the pastor, priest, minister, rabbi, or person that you are! I know several people oppressed by the expectations of others. I am sometimes among them. Do we have the courage, everyone, to break free of the expectations of others and live as fully liberated human beings? I like this passage: “The meek man is... Read more