I have decided to take a pledge. Now, I’m not normally a pledge taker, but for the sake of my sanity I am willing to make this one exception because I think my own peacefulness might just hang in the balance. I’m calling it the “no-cable pledge.” Here it is: “I pledge that I will not watch MSNBC, FOX News, or CNN or any other cable news network until after the election.” I want you to take the pledge, too. Here’s... Read more
I confess that a lot of pastors I know take Mondays off, but I have never been able to do this. Monday feels like the main day for me to try and make some headway on my constantly over-long to-do list. I confess that today’s list seems daunting and demoralizing, so I may not get that much done today. I confess that I’m trying to grow new grass in the bare patches of my yard. I confess that I’m not... Read more
Over the past few years I’ve found Richard Rohr to be such a helpful guide in my quest to grow up and actually be a follower of Jesus. As a Protestant, it’s been important for me to find people from the Catholic faith to teach me the things that God has preserved for his people through their tradition. The practice of contemplation – largely preserved and practiced by the monastics – is challenging me. Contemplation is really a way to... Read more
I’m a Kansan born and bred. I graduated from a state school (K-State), and even cheer for the Jayhawks now and then (not when they play K-State, of course). But I’m feeling a bit embarrassed of my state officials today. Slate is reporting that there is a birther initiative to consider taking president Obama’s name off the ballot in Kansas on the grounds that he’s not really a citizen of the U.S. Here’s an excerpt from the article. Evan McMorris-Santoro... Read more
I just watched the 14 min trailer for the film at the center of the violent protests which claimed the life of Ambassador Stevens. I’m not a film critic, but I think it’s safe to say that this is terrible stuff. It reminds me of the Monty Python Life of Brian stuff in that it’s low budget with elements like obvious fake beards & low-tech effects – but it’s not meant to be funny. What’s even more disturbing is that... Read more
I read an interesting bit of research this morning from the Gallup organization on whether or not people feel as though they get to use their strengths throughout the day as a normal part of their working life. The research was a part of all of the Strengths-Finder stuff they’ve put out over the years. Lots of businesses and churches use the Strengths-Finder tools and language to improve productivity. Over half of the people they surveyed (5000+) said that they... Read more
I’m on retreat and was reflecting on my baptism. Here’s what I wrote: I was six years old when I prayed the prayer I was told would allow me to become a Christian. It was a Sunday night in the little church I grew up in. Our children’s Choir was rehearsing on the stage because we had a program the next week. Twenty of us were sitting in those little indestructible wooden chairs while we practiced our two part harmony.... Read more
At Redemption Church our staff doesn’t read leadership books, we read about theology and scripture, so we can be formed by a story and tradition untainted by contemporary church leadership paradigms. Right now we are reading Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination. For the next few weeks my Tuesday blog entry will deal with this book and its implications for church leadership. Chapter 01 – second half The contemporary notion of what it means to be a prophet bears little resemblance... Read more
Since the move to Patheos a lot of new readers have found their way to Paperback Theology. I thought it might be a good idea to explain Monday Morning Confessional a little bit. Confession is an imprecise yet powerful spiritual discipline. It’s one of those practices we have to just force into our routine by sheer discipline. We do it whether we feel like doing it or not, and every once in awhile – by the grace of God –... Read more
They don’t teach this method at Seminary – at least not that I ever encountered. I’m reading the book of Nehemiah every week for seven or eight weeks while I preach through it at my church. It’s been pretty interesting to read the story of the exiled community returning to find their city in ruins and then dropping everything to rebuild the walls. We’re doing chapter 05 tomorrow, it’s the story of when some of the leaders of the community... Read more
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