Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, reports a promise of God: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them…” (42: 14-16). Is it possible to take this seriously? Is it possible to follow paradigms no longer, old or new, borrowed from other institutions, books, or leaders, but to become truly innovative and creative in the way God is: ex nihilo (from nothing!), to cross all boundaries and stretch wide the corners... Read more

Unless we radically change the way we do, or are the church, we are in trouble. We are doomed to the endless cycle of human invention, even if it is ingenious. The problem is that we only think inside the box. It is the mind’s predicament to limit itself to the only categories it knows. It collects what the eyes see and the ears hear to assemble thoughts. The mind can only conceive of things it creates with the raw... Read more

Our church feels like it is on to something important. For years, we have lingered in the shadow of the valley of death, or so it seems. Not that there haven’t been good times. There have. But they have been small oasis along the long journey of attrition. There feels like a fresh breeze, a new stirring, a suspicious tremble of life. I’ve been cautious to say anything because I’ve said things before, like “We’re coming around a corner!” After... Read more

I like this prayer: “Dear God, I have no idea where I’m going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself… and the fact that I think that I am following your will Does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. I hope I have that... Read more

There’s something about the Baal Shem Tov (1698- 1760), a Jewish mystic and rabbi who founded the Hasidic movement, that has been an inspiration, model and even a guide for me. Here was a man steeped in Torah and Bible, deeply knowledgeable and wise. Thousands flocked to hear him teach and to receive instruction from him. He was like no other in wisdom. I suppose that it could be said that he was profoundly deep. On the other hand, he... Read more

I watched the tail end of one of my favorite movies last night: Babette’s Feast. I absolutely love that whole feast sequence. I was powerfully moved by Babette’s selfless generosity to do what she loves doing: being a chef. She generously and sacrificially spent all 10,000 francs of her lottery winnings to give 12 people the feast of their lives. I believe in divine timing. Just that day I was wrestling with being a pastor. Lately, it has been a... Read more

Jeanne Murray Walker in her essay, “Breaking the Illusions: What Playwrights Owe to Actors,” in the journal IMAGE (summer, 2005): “Kafka said that art is like an ax that chops through the frozen sea within us” (p.88). This is why I write, play, and listen to music. This is why I paint and look at art. This is why I write and read. This is why I watch movies. This is why I teach and listen to teachers. When we... Read more

“This is eternal life, that they may know you” (John 17:3). This verse got me thinking the other day about the fullness of life in the here and now. Then I read Chambers sometime this weekend, and he also says that knowing God in Christ is “one amazing, glorious NOW!” This is the fullness of the moment, doxology, benediction, blessing, abundance, right now, this second. I didn’t preach yesterday. My good friend and co-pastor Doug Mawer did. But I lead... Read more

Listen to this passage from N. T. Wright’s, What Saint Paul Really Said: “A brief word about love. Paul does not mean that all Christians should feel warm fuzzy feelings for each other. That romantic and existentialist reading of agape does not begin to capture what is really going on. The critical thing is that the church, those who worship God in Christ Jesus, should function as a family in which every member is accepted as an equal member, no... Read more

The August 10th entry in Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest is a commentary on 1 Peter 4:19, a difficult verse to read, understand, and live: “Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good…” Chambers says, “Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God’s will—even if it means you will suffer—is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he... Read more