Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
Look for Ways to Honor God In his letter to the Christians living in Rome, Paul talks about people who attempt to live life according to a bunch of religious rules, that is, the law. The result is that God is disrespected, not so much by the people themselves, but by those on the outside […]
Happy Easter! Easter is a celebration, not of chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies, but of the greatest event in history. Christians everywhere know what this is, and we use big words and confusing terms to explain it. Most people outside our circles don’t have a clue what we’re saying. Sometimes we don’t either. On Good […]
Who Are You? I started writing as a teenager. As an adult, many of my jobs involved writing, but I never thought of myself as a writer. Writing was something I did, not who I was. That changed about five years ago when I realized writing was an ongoing thread in my life. I had […]
Institutional Church or Organic Church There are two types of church in the Bible, and there are two types of church today. In the Old Testament, there is the temple. At the temple, the priests lead worship and guide the people, as instructed by God through Moses. The Levites provide support to keep things functioning […]
Embrace Biblical Spirituality Biblical spirituality studies the Bible to inform our spiritual practices to make them relevant in today’s world, which has moved beyond a modern mindset. That’s where the postmodern part comes in. Postmodern biblical spirituality considers the Bible as an authoritative narrative to reclaim a spiritual understanding that resonates with contemporary spiritual seekers. […]
Every Day I Poke a Stick into a Hornet’s Nest. It’s Like Playing with Fire Not a real hornet’s nest, of course, but something far more dangerous: I confront people’s unexamined assumptions about God, the Bible, and church. I feel called to do this. It’s like whacking at a spiritual hornet’s nest. I know, I’m […]
The Myth of Self-Sufficiency The ideal in the United States is personal self-sufficiency. But this is a myth, an unattainable pursuit that will eventually leave us broken or alone—or both. John Donne understood this. He said “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” We need others; […]
I ran track throughout high school, earning four varsity letters in the sport. I relished the comradery and loved the competition. We won many more meets than we lost, which was a great bonus. As a sophomore, I ranked number five in points on my varsity team. My future as a track standout looked bright. […]
Be Careful What We Sing at Church The tempo was upbeat and the song was inviting. Though new to me, I picked it up quickly. On the third time through the chorus, I started really contemplating the words—and I stopped singing. Really, I did—right in midsentence. The words were wrong. Though it’s technically illegal for […]
Meeting in Jesus’s Name Jesus says that whenever a few people get together in his name, he will be there. Isn’t this what church is? Jesus shows up when we collectively meet and treat him as the main attraction; this is the church at its most basic and purest level. Though we typically think of […]