I am absolutely convinced that one of the major themes of Jesus’s teaching was that the kingdom of God comes not through the regularly relied upon means, but when we are able to allow our imaginations to run wild with hope and love and joy that leads us to the impractical, the implausible, the complete surprise. The kingdom is always a surprise. The kingdom is always a creative leap into the absurd. The Jesus way means taking a flyer –... Read more
The Supreme Court is hearing a case in which two Jewish women sued their small town for opening civic events with overtly Christian prayers. They took offense. It’s an interesting case, if you want to read about it there’s a good article here. Let me say up front that I’m not a fan of Christians who take pride in “praying in Jesus’s name” at public events at which it is obvious that people of other or no faith are part... Read more
At my church we’re doing a series on four great saints of the church. They don’t have to be actual canonized saints, just someone whose life can teach us something important. Week one was the life of Corrie ten Boom. Her memoir The Hiding Place, and the movie based upon it, have been around for decades and are still being read and watched. Most of us understand the atrocities of a Nazi concentration camp. We know what happened there and... Read more
The secret to life is in understanding that you can only find your life by losing it, and that you lose your life when you try to find it. The secret to life is knowing that if you want to live, you have to learn how to die in a thousand tiny ways – to yourself and to others – every day. When I see middle school students leaning into this reality, it makes me happy. I once heard Andy... Read more
I continue to be convinced that Monday Morning Confessional can be a really important weekly ritual. I know that these confessions are fairly benign, and partly for entertainment, but confessing here on Mondays is helping me to exercise an important muscle. Confession is a learned habit. The ability to confess lasts about as long as physical fitness. If I do not continually cultivate the discipline of confession in small ways (that seem insignificant), then I will not be able to... Read more
I laughed so hard watching this video, I had to make it a Friday Funny. I have to confess that were I the guy in this video, I would be freaking out at least as badly as her producer was. I would scream like I had pig-tails. Happy Friday everyone! Read more
I’ve seen this video pop up on Facebook over the past few days. The headline reads, “These Kids Finally Say What They Really Think About Mom. And Her Reaction? Priceless.” I’ve resisted watching it because I was sure that it would be sentimental emotional manipulation. I finally clicked on it today because it was posted by a person I know to be fairly non-sentamental, and was pleasantly surprised. The clip is a little sentimental, but mostly I think the headline... Read more
I’ve taken some flack for commenting on Mark Driscoll’s antics now and then. Each time I criticize what the megachurch pastor is saying or doing, I get emails and comments telling me I should just let it go. The problem is that I can’t just let it go, because I think Mark Driscoll represents something truly dangerous to the heart of the gospel. Driscoll is distorting Christianity and he has a huge, devoted following. Like it or not, Driscoll is impacting... Read more
I confess that I sometimes cuss during football games and basketball games, but only if I really care who wins. I confess that I never feel the need to cuss during baseball games – and it’s not for lack of caring; yet more evidence that baseball is the morally superior sport. I further confess that I cuss in the car, but only if I’m in a hurry, and only if I’m not praying at the time. Car praying is a... Read more
Everyone who has a child knows that sometimes their over-reactions or emotional lows can become pretty absurd. When that happens, humor can be helpful. This dad has got some game in that regard. The mother of the child wrote this in the comments: “My 6 year old daughter had been in her room wigging out for about an hour, and there was no talking her down. I was getting fed up, so my husband decided to lighten the mood. For... Read more
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