Nearly 35 years into my marriage to Bill, our shared commitment to the Lord has given us a life together that has been formed by Scripture. But our story at this point is more about the existential ache found in the book of Ecclesiastes than the youthful passion in the Song of Solomon. The Bible’s instructions to husbands and wives about obeying, serving and submitting to one another do not come with an iron-clad guarantee of happiness, though I daresay... Read more
Rosh Hashana, which means “Head of the Year”, begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 24th. God prescribes its observance in Leviticus 23:24–25: “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.’” Jewish tradition links this first day of the Hebrew civic calendar with the commemoration of God’s creation of the... Read more
It’s my privilege to share the second of three posts written by Dr. Ingrid Faro, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Scandinavian School of Theology discussing the Old Testament view of God. (Click here to read Part 1.) If you’ve ever wondered if the God of the Old Testament is different than the One found in the pages of the New Testament, this post offers a helpful discussion that references ISIS, Job’s “comforters” and Mafia bosses as it explores the... Read more
I’d once been lost. But somehow on the way to being found, I’d picked up the idea that my new life in Jesus had no space for my pre-Christian regrets. I perceived my lingering regrets as if they were a bad hangover from my sin, a byproduct of my troubled past. I’d been forgiven. Regret was an anchor to my past and had no place in my new life in Christ. If I didn’t know what to do with the... Read more
“There is something comforting about being overworked. If work is the meaning of our lives, then more work equals more meaning. Our work ethic even extends to our time away from work. We like to say that we work hard and we play hard. But 24/6 is not about working hard and playing hard. it is about working hard and stopping. In that rhythm, the work takes on more meaning, and the stopping takes on holiness.” – Dr. Matthew Sleeth... Read more
A couple of years ago, I found myself sitting in a room with a bunch of really bright individuals who were dreaming of putting together a daylong practical theology conference for women to be held on the campus of Trinity International University. I didn’t know most of them, but as we met to dream together a little more, then worked and prayed together, the unexpected bonus for me was getting to know the women on the planning committee. There is... Read more
Recently, I received an email from someone in search of an article I wrote for the now-defunct Discipleship Journal magazine. They couldn’t find it online, and wondered if I might have a copy somewhere. It won an honorable mention in the 2007 Evangelical Press Association fiction category, and as I re-read it, it occurred to me that the words of this parable might be relevant to many of us as we jump into the busy routines that go along with this... Read more
I’ve written a lot about the relationship between those at or beyond midlife with the local church. (Click here, here, here and here.) We Boomers and older Gen X’ers have shaped modern evangelical church culture. And many of us have grown increasingly disenfranchised from the very subculture we helped to create. While some have found fresh meaning and energy to serve in their second adulthood, nearly half of those who responded to an informal survey I ran on this blog a... Read more
We home schooled our children from 1992–2004. During those years, home schooling was not yet mainstream. Like many other families worried about running afoul of truancy laws, we paid our yearly dues to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) in order to ensure we’d have access to legal help if we needed it. Their conservative, home-schooling dad lawyers, including Doug Phillips, were regulars on the home school convention speaking circuit. When Phllips left to launch Vision Forum, I understood... Read more
At a social event last weekend, I ran into C., a woman I used to know when our kids were young. C. and her family were long-time, active members of a well-known megachurch in our area. Her nest had been empty for a couple of years now. C. and her husband were in the midst of relocating from this area to more temperate climes, delayed only by the sale of a home that has languished on the market for many... Read more
Pilgrim's Road Trip
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