Creation, science, Genesis: it’s time for a conversation

Last updated on: September 28, 2011 at 11:09 am By Richard Dahlstrom

I was privileged to attend what I affectionately called “Science Camp” this past May, which was actually a gathering of pastors, theologians, and scientists, brought together for the purpose of discussing the intersection and interrelatedness of our various disciplines. It was one of the great weeks of my career as a pastor as fellowship, stunning creation (via Gulf Island beauty), and intellectual stimulation blended together for a life changing experience. My theology, though, was challenged profoundly. Having grown up in... Read more

The flu… losing weight, losing stuff, finding peace

Last updated on: October 10, 2011 at 1:44 pm By Richard Dahlstrom

I had the flu last week. By Friday, my day off, my plans for a short overnight backpack trip were scuttled because the week old virus clung (and still clings) to me, sapping my strength and leaving me with no weapons to fight back other than rest and water. As I was walking up the stairs on Friday, there were stacks of books in need of my care, shouting “read me,” “file me,” “return me,” “share me.” There were papers... Read more

Seeing and Hearing God – Joyfully – Beyond Church Walls

Last updated on: September 19, 2011 at 6:25 pm By Richard Dahlstrom

One of the best parts of the Christmas story is when we encounter those two old folks named Simeon and Anna waiting, waiting, longing, looking for Jesus. They’re the one’s who see him for who he is when Mary and Joseph bring him in for dedication, while the religious elite miss him entirely. I’ve preached on this text more than once, always trying to make the point that we need to read our Bibles with a view towards looking for... Read more

Seeing and hearing God – joyfully – beyond church walls

Last updated on: October 25, 2011 at 12:37 pm By Richard Dahlstrom

“Individual Morality” = Oxymoronic half-truth

Last updated on: September 14, 2011 at 10:55 am By Richard Dahlstrom

A recent NY Times editorial exposes the reality that emerging generations have almost no sense of ethic and morality because, as they’ve been taught by our culture, “morality is a personal, individual matter.” It appears that, aside from the most obvious moral issues, such as the wrongness of rape and murder, 18- to 23-year-olds have no consensus on issues like cheating on a test, driving drunk, or cheating on one’s partner. When asked about the rightness or wrongness of situations... Read more

“Individual Morality” = Oxymoronic Half Truth

Last updated on: September 14, 2011 at 10:55 am By Richard Dahlstrom

A recent NY Times editorial exposes the reality that emerging generations have almost no sense of ethic and morality because, as they’ve been taught by our culture, “morality is a personal, individual matter.” It appears that, aside from the most obvious moral issues, such as the wrongness of rape and murder, 18-23 year olds have no consensus on issues like cheating on a test, driving drunk, or cheating on one’s partner. When asked about the rightness or wrongness of situations... Read more

Totalism: a dangerous playground

Last updated on: September 12, 2011 at 7:22 am By Richard Dahlstrom

A quick look at Jesus life, and one realizes that his most difficult audience wasn’t the folks who, today, would be living on the streets, or spending time in the bars. The morally dubious, the sick, the marginalized, the people who today the church seems to have a difficult time reaching, were the very people most responsive to the presence of Jesus. Resistance and challenge to Jesus authority, on the other hand, came from the people who knew their Bibles... Read more

What time is it, Lord?

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 10:28 am By Richard Dahlstrom

(This is part of a larger article, to which I made a contribution, in Relevant. You can read the contributions from some friends of mine, here) As the 10th anniversary approaches, I’m saddened by the debates about how to remember 9-11, and pray that we’ll use this marker to simply align our priorities with God’s priorities of justice, mercy, and intimacy. Here’s my offering of remembrance, with a prayer offered at the end that isn’t in the original article.) Sept.... Read more

What Time is it Lord?

Last updated on: September 9, 2011 at 10:28 am By Richard Dahlstrom

(this is part of a larger article, to which I made a contribution, in Relevant Magazine. You can read the contributions from some friends of mine, here) As the 10th anniversary approaches, I’m saddened by the debates about how to remember 9-11, and pray that we’ll use this marker to simply align our priorities with God’s priorities of justice, mercy, and intimacy. Here’s my offering of remembrance, with a prayer offered at the end that isn’t in the original article:... Read more

Be Still: Reflect Glory

Last updated on: September 6, 2011 at 9:56 am By Richard Dahlstrom

It’s been the theme of the summer as I’ve been privileged to travel and teach: “Turn and Behold”, derived from a favorite passage from II Corinthians 3:16-18, where we’re promised that transformation isn’t our responsibility, but rather a byproduct of our falling in love with Jesus, of learning to continually turn and behold the glory of the Lord. He’ll be changing us, we’re told, “from glory to glory”. This realization that God will be changing me simply because I’m in... Read more