The end of the age has come. No, not the rapture, but the end of Facebook. There I said it… finished. As of today, I am shutting down all Facebook communication. “Why?” you ask. I’ll gladly answer. I’m convinced that the God revealed in Jesus desires that Christians avoid becoming convoluted by the world. We Christians often look more like “world-lians” and today I’m done representing the wrong team. As evidence of my sincerity, its “goodbye Facebook” and hello “Faithbook.”... Read more
As I sat in the bed of the mud-splattered truck driven by a Burmese man who called himself “James Bond,” I made the last part of the journey to a refugee camp on the Thai/Burma border with a very palpable nervous anticipation. This was a last-minute, only semi-planned trip – and I quickly realized I was in way over my head. I suppose I expected a small city made up of tents with international aid workers running around like... Read more
photo © 2010 FotoKatolik | more info (via: Wylio) ENFP. My personality profile. Among other things, for those who are familiar with the Meyers-Briggs Personality Assessment, you recognize these letters as indicating an unstructured personality. So when it comes to incorporating spiritual disciplines into my life, I’ve gone through several phases. I find that they cycle to some extent. When I was in high school, there was the underlining stage. You know this one. You discover the bible for the... Read more
Last week I posted an article called “You Might Be an Evangelical Reject If…” Many of you read with laughs, perhaps at the picture I created in PowerPoint (as I know zilch about graphic design) or at the clearly tongue-in-cheek nature of the article as a whole. Yet some folks resonated on a deeper level. For you, it spoke into a deep part of your encounters with many evangelicals in local churches. You know rejection and as fun as it... Read more
A recent ruling by the High Court in Britain condemned UK banks for mis-selling Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) when offering mortgages for individuals to buy property. The court took the view that customers had agreed to take on the extra cost involved because they believed that they might not be granted the loans if they were to refuse. There is little evidence that banks overtly told customers that this was the case but the methods employed in the transactions left... Read more
Dallas Willard is a stud. Every time I have heard him speak, I want to hear more. His vision for the kingdom of God and for the transformation of the people of God is awe inspiring. In the following video, Dallas is interviewed by John Ortberg. They discuss what Dallas believes to be the biggest problem in the church today: the central message is wrong! I couldn’t agree more. The message of “repent and eventually someday you know that when... Read more
photo © 2008 Courtney | more info (via: Wylio) Integrity. It’s a word that word in the church that is the outflow of a life defined by Jesus Christ. He is the one whose own integrity we aim to imitate. In so many ways, we often fall short. Integrity. It’s also a word that Christian guys hear over and over again at camps and retreats. This is more than appropriate because it’s a word that often fails to find actualization.... Read more
I wish it were otherwise, but, unfortunately it’s true. Everything within me resisted this realization. But, the time has come to admit it: I’m an Evangelical reject. The more I write the clearer this sad truth becomes. This blog, as much as it’s served as a place to flesh out ideas I believe to be central to expressing the euangelion (gospel [hence, evangelical]) in our day to our culture, also continues to damage my reputation in the evangelical circles that... Read more
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13.2 I love this verse. If you grew up in youth group like I did, you may have heard it used to talk about encountering angels that were in disguise. The logic was: You never know… that homeless man asking for money… that stranger who is in need of help… might actually be an angel who is undercover. Well, I’m not... Read more
photo © 2006 evan courtney | more info (via: Wylio) “They are the most wonderful mystery, body and blood.”- Gilead, Marilynne Robinson I remember the first time I took Communion at the Anglican church that I now attend. It was a revelation to me. It was a grave, joyful matter, and as I swallowed my bread dipped in wine I felt blessed by that bread and wine in a way that I never had before. It was more than just... Read more
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