I try to keep this blog more on the impersonal side, but there are certain times when you need to be personal and reflect on your background, even as you think toward the future. I grew up with idyllic Thanksgivings on the coast of Maine. In grammar school, we didn’t merely hear about the cherished first Thanksgivings of the pilgrims. We lived them. The fall foliage was beautiful. The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at school were delicious. The time with... Read more

I was planning on writing today about Christian groupies and why they exist. But then I popped in Saving Private Ryan, and realized that I wanted to write about something else. I wanted to write about courage. Then, in a dash of inspiration, I realized I wanted to write a poem commemorating those who died to build and make strong our country and world. I guess, then, you could tie this all in to Thanksgiving, and then you have a... Read more

The very thought that I might have groupies had not occurred to me, but thank you, Al, for pointing out that frightful prospect. 🙂 Perhaps these qualifications will be helpful in identifying whether all three of you who are groupie candidates do indeed qualify. You know you’re a groupie if you hang on every word that your hero speaks. It’s one thing to listen to what a wise person says. It’s another thing to treat every word that said wise... Read more

One would think that in the Christian world, we wouldn’t have evangelical celebrities, because we’ll just cotton to Christ. It’s not so, however. This week, we’re going to looko at some distinguishing characteristics of Christian groupies. We’re going to ask questions like: How can I know if I am a Christian groupie? Why do Christians tend to become groupies? What are the benefits and downsides to groupie-dom? These are important questions, and they demand important answers. Check back here throughout... Read more

I refuse to bend to the common practices of the blogosphere (which is the going-away favorite for dorkiest word ever invented) and post cute things like photos or poetry on my blog. Instead, I do moralistic blathering. And who wins? We all win, that’s who. In all seriousness, and it’s abounding, I want to ever so briefly resume our discussion of the need for Christians to be normal. I’m arguing that it’s evangelistically expedient to do so. This prompts a... Read more

“We are a generation of wimps raised by mystics. Such are many Christian men today. Exaggerated piety, deficient manliness, and outright cowardice have conspired to bring about the current state of affairs. “ There’s the teaser to my article. I think it’s a solid read, and you can find it here. Those who read this blog will find me saying familiar things, though you’ll want to look at the review in order to get acquainted with Manly Dominion, an excellent... Read more

Good comments on normalcy and evangelism, dudes. I appreciate your words and agree that it is tough to strike a balance between being set apart and being a normal person. But it’s in the tension that our faith is worked out, and we are grown and matured as believers. We’ll always be wrestling with that tension, and we’ll always be growing as we wrestle. I don’t have much time to post today, but I have enough time to let you... Read more

It is not necessary to be normal to be a faithful evangelist. It is, however, helpful. We are strangers and pilgrims as Christians. We are strange and alien, though, not because of our clothing style but because of our doctrine. This is the way it should be. We are called everywhere in Scripture to be awed. Nowhere in Scripture are we called to be odd. I covered the importance of normality last week. I’m moving on, and now we’re talking... Read more

I don’t usually pull material from the comments section onto the main posting section, but I really liked what Brian had to say about finding grace in normality: “Even in normalcy, God teaches us and gives us grace. Tonight, God delivered to me a lesson in humility – a thorn in my flesh, named the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He reminded me that our hope is not in wins and losses, but in Him.” Excellent point. I was reminded of this... Read more

Before I break into my half-baked discussion, let me just say that I have been given some of the most thoughtful “commenters” around. To all you who read this blog and write in with a comment, thank you. You often add a bit of brightness to my day, and you consistently make me and the other four people who read this blog think. Both of yesterday’s comments–from the newcomer Brian, very insightful, and the original Consumed commenter, Al, always erudite... Read more