That was the recent sermon/discussion series at one of my favorite churches on the planet: Journey in Dallas. If you, too, would like to engage in the book of Revelation in a way that goes beyond unbiblical eschatologies, may I commend to you, Painting Revelation, a wonderful DVD with discussion guide by painter and teacher Debby Topliff. It’s top notch, and will help you approach this beautiful book of the Bible aesthetically, not propositionally. Read more

I’m just home from an intense three-week stretch of travel. The most shocking part of the whole trip was taking the red-eye home from LAX: I left 78 degrees and returned home to -19 degrees. However, you won’t catch me complaining about the cold, cuz I Love It! Now, some highlights in reverse order: Last weekend, I was at the incomparably beautiful Pepperdine University in Malibu. I spoke at a Friday morning chapel service, had lunch with some faculty and... Read more

As I’ve been speaking, I’ve seen people sweat, and I’ve seen their blood pressure rise. Heck, I’ve even had Phil Chalmer’s Posse stand up and shout me down. But never before have I given a talk that has sent a woman into labor. Congratulations Abby and Jake! Read more

My friend, Christian Smith, has finally published what he and I have talked about on occasion. The misuse of stats by evangelicals — particularly those involved in youth ministry — is appalling and needs to be called what it is: devious and deceptive. Read more

In order for Tanner to earn a “Group Activity” badge for Cub Scouts, we joined his den at MonsterJam a week ago. Yes, that’s the “sport” where monster trucks race each other around in circles and run over smaller cars. I had a few surreal moments therein: -The Metrodome was nearly full — probably 50,000 people — leading me to seriously reconsider my contention that Minnesotans are generally more intelligent than the rest of the American population. (No, the election... Read more

60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. People in Minnesota plant gardens. 50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in Duluth sunbathe. 40 above zero: Italian & English cars won’t start. People in Minnesota drive with the windows down. 32 above zero: Distilled water freezes. The water in Bemidji gets thicker. 20 above zero: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt. 15 above zero: New York landlords finally turn up... Read more

I began this long, slow war of words in May. In that time, I’ve made some important progress. I nailed the introduction, and the acknowledgements. I wrote the dedication and the Table of Contents. Some look past those accomplishments, but we must not lose sight of these important footholds in the writing of a manuscript. About 50,000 words have been cycled in and then out of the theatre of the book — they now reside stateside in the “First Draft”... Read more

…when I’m in Norway? [UPDATE: Oops, I meant Sweden. Yeah, I know the difference. Really, I do.] Read more

Did you know that Ken was a radio DJ? Yeah, that’s pretty cool. He has a good radio voice. Read more

I found it refreshing to hear some of Ken’s story: his past as a rock musician — he’s written dozens of original songs — and high school football coach. We also shared some fondness for the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont, where he lives and where I went to college. Read more