Byron Borger, with his wife Beth, owns Hearts and Minds Bookstore, a Reintegrate partner. It’s time for his annual Favorite Book Awards! Out of the many books listed in the posts on his “Booknotes” blog, here are some that Reintegrate readers should know about. For Byron’s whole review of all the books he loves, go to the Hearts and Minds Booknotes page. ALL BOOKS NAMED ARE ON SALE FOR 20% OFF at Hearts and Minds. You’ll find a secure order... Read more
An Emmanuel Apologetic What if we moved our apologetic away from reasoned arguments toward telling the story of the Gospel by the way we work for the common good? What if we so dramatically laid down our lives for the sake of those around us that they couldn’t help but notice and ask, “What is up with you?” Way back in 2005, when I was a heavy blogger at Vanguard Church, I wrote a series of posts on how we... Read more
Hi Bob, It’s me. Bob. I know! Right? Freaky that I’d write to you from the future! No, I don’t have a TARDIS for traveling through time. It’s just that the community at The High Calling decided to write to our younger selves to give you some advice as you grow up. I’m writing you while I’m in my mid-50s. Yep. You made it past half a century! But you nearly didn’t. In 2006, you will nearly die. You will have a severe... Read more
“The priesthood of all believers did not make everyone into church workers; rather it turned every kind of work into a sacred calling.” – Gene Veith, summing up Luther’s position in God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life, p. 19. Read more
This is an article I asked Skye Jethani to write back when I was a content editor for The High Calling website. It is so good, it deserves a reprint. The High Calling is now a part of the Theology of Work Project. CALLING ALL STATIONS For years I served as a teaching pastor at my church, but then left the pastoral team to pursue a calling outside the institutional church. For the first time since graduating from seminary, I... Read more
Last month my employer-issued laptop slowed to a crawl. Every keystroke was followed by a two second delay, making it impossible to type words correctly or fix their misspelling. Every mouse click generated a multi-colored spinning wheel. In frustration I clicked other tabs, wishing one of them would work, which only froze my computer. I finally pulled off the information highway when my sputtering Mac was passed by an Amish buggy. I took it to the Help Desk to be... Read more
My doctoral mentor, Steven Garber, did his doctoral research on how people were able to sustain spiritual growth from college through their twenties. He wrote about this research in a profound popular book called The Fabric of Faithfulness. He describes his methods and findings: “Each person responded to a series of questions that asked them to reflect on their ‘cares and commitments’ at this point in their lives, and what had happened during their university experience that gave ‘shape and... Read more
Designed to Work Hands. Hands that can hold a wrench or a paintbrush or a guitar or a scalpel or a child. Eyes. Eyes that can look through a telescope to study the glory of the heavens and through a microscope to investigate the intricacies of cells. Eyes that can gaze upon that which is beautiful and that which is ugly. Eyes that can see what is right and what needs to be corrected. Ears. Toes. Biceps. Knees. Nostrils.... Read more
Anyone who knows me knows that I have been experiencing one physical malady after another. It just keeps piling up. So I have grown to hate this body. But what’s the alternative? Some Christians pine away for a future existence in a disembodied “heaven.” They are just biding their time, hoping that their passage to that better life will come sooner than later. Maybe, I thought, I should be one of them. But mysteriously and oh so graciously, God led... Read more
The best way to do evangelism is simply to ask questions. Spiritual conversations are best when we are genuinely interested in other people enough to ask them questions. How can you offer something that meets a need without asking them what is going on in their life? POSSIBLE STARTER QUESTIONS: Do you have much of a spiritual background? Where would you say you are in your spiritual pilgrimage? What is your concept of God? Is He a reality to you... Read more
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