Pilgrim's Road Trip
Please check it out: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pilgrimsroadtrip/2013/02/doesthatbaggage/ I’ll be posting there, and adding links to those posts here. A new adventure begins! Read more
Please check it out: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pilgrimsroadtrip/2013/02/doesthatbaggage/ I’ll be posting there, and adding links to those posts here. A new adventure begins! Read more
In yesterday’s post (click here), I introduced Don and Kathy Groesser, a couple with three young children with whom we worshipped two decades ago. A lot has happened in our respective lives since then. In the case of the Groessers, they became a family of 14. Their convictions about allowing God to plan their family led them to the margins of the Evangelical world as they connected with the homeschooling/large family subculture. Once they arrived at those borderlands, their faith... Read more
Over the years, I’ve written about some of the odd or unhealthy trends I’ve witnessed in Evangelicalism. I’ve annoyed a few people along the way, but have also learned that there are a lot more people who want to ask questions and share their own experiences. They may not always comment publicly, but I get emails and messages that tell me that I am not the only one with questions about the emperor’s clothier. I can’t not ask those questions.... Read more
We live as exiles. We’re called to be pilgrims. I am journeying through Scripture chronologically in order to explore our exile experience. I’ll also offer some helpful thoughts about how Christ can reshape that identity and reorient our journey so we live as pilgrims. To read earlier posts in the series, go to the “Blog Categories” pull-down menu in the right column of this screen and click on “Pilgrim’s Road Trip”. * * * * * * * Who doesn’t... Read more
When you’ve been all over the Evangelical map, picking up random pieces of mismatched baggage along the way (Where did I score this hideous olive pleather tote bag, anyway?), you have two choices. You and your ugly luggage can head for the nearest exit ramp in hopes you can find a flea market where you can sell the lot of it, hoping to make enough profit to buy yourself a Happy Meal. Or you can recognize the baggage for what... Read more
The only “chocolate” was a platter of brownies next to the churros and fruit on the dessert table. There was no gimmickry of a spa- or scrapbook- or coffee-shop day for the lil’ ladies, no pastel-and-lace floral table coverings, no synth-y “special music” for the occasion, no excruciating ice-breaker games, and no motivational speaker whose purpose was to ambush our sentiments instead of feeding our minds and stretching our souls. Instead of kvetching too much about the old paradigm, I’d... Read more
Though my husband and I are still attending a congregation in our former neck of the woods, a good 40-45 minutes away, we do wonder if it makes sense to continue to do so. Our move last summer placed us in an area home to the main campuses of two well-known megachurches (Willow Creek Community Church and Harvest Bible Chapel), satellite campuses of these churches as well as least two other franchise-generating multi-site churches. There are a handful of smaller churches... Read more
We live as exiles. We’re called to be pilgrims. I am journeying through Scripture chronologically in order to explore our exile experience. I’ll also offer some helpful thoughts about how Christ can reshape that identity and reorient our journey so we live as pilgrims. To read earlier posts in the series, go to the “Blog Categories” pull-down menu in the right column of this screen and click on “Pilgrim’s Road Trip”. * * * * * * * This is... Read more
The last time a Pope resigned, Martin Luther hadn’t been born yet and leeches were still a standard form of medical care. Pope Benedict XVI gave his two weeks’ notice today (just weeks after he began twittering!), and the world has erupted into prayers and conversations about who will be next to fill St. Peter’s sandals. I am sure there’s politicking and all sorts of murmured conversations taking place among those filling slots in the upper levels of the church’s... Read more
I’ve had some pretty terrible leaders. I’ve served under leaders who were burned out, on power trips, coddling a secret life of sin and corruption. I’ve had leaders who were living illustrations of The Peter Principle, and others who got their training in the Benito Mussolini School of Management. A good, long look in the mirror shows me the face of someone who has been a terrible leader, too. Left to my own devices, I tend to make fast, unilateral... Read more
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