Pursuing a holistic expression of Christian faith that is true to the Bible and applicable for today’s world.
Consider the Importance of Church Attendance I often write about the importance of being in meaningful community with other followers of Jesus. I also lament that churches frequently fail to provide significant community. While many churches offer superficial community, few are able to provide a deep, nurturing, caring place. I long for this level of […]
As I consider biblical Christianity, I feel a strong pull to community, a place where significant spiritual connections occur. This should be our experience at church, the reality of church, but it seldom is. We need true Christian community. A friend read my updated home page on this website and asked, “Where do we find […]
Celebrating When Less is More I read a lot of magazines. For some I pay a subscription, others are free, and a few just show up. It used to be most magazines came out every month, but with increased costs, decreased advertising, and other publishing pressures, many magazines have wandered from a once-a-month schedule: they […]
It’s Your Job to Spiritually Feed Yourself Have you ever heard someone grumble about church by saying, “I’m just not being fed”? Perhaps you’ve even said it. I have. However, we’re not talking about physical food, but spiritual sustenance. When we say this, we sound so righteous, but what we’re really doing is complaining that […]
Acknowledge What Jesus Did A phrase I’ve heard often in church over the years is “celebrate communion.” Yet what I witness seems nothing like a celebration. Instead, it is the most somber, solemn of affairs. It feels even more crushing than a funeral. Wait, communion is a funeral of sorts: Jesus’ funeral. Yes, communion commemorates […]
Does it Really Matter What Time it Is? When I was young, my grandmother promised to buy me a watch when I learned to tell time. With Mom’s help, I did learn, but I wasn’t fast. Not content to give approximate times, I’d carefully count the dots between the major divisions and announce the exact […]
Pursue Christian Community As a child, my parents told me we went to church to learn about God. The sermon was when I learned about God, so I assumed the rest of the service was unnecessary. I deemed everything outside the message as obligatory filler and tuned it out, waiting for the main event. According […]
Let’s All Get Along Why can’t we all get along? Living in peace and harmony are lofty goals that most everyone agrees with. Aside from wacko militants, no one says, “I want to live in constant conflict with my neighbor and quarrel with those around me.” No one seeks to start a fight with others, […]
Be Careful of the Word You Sing The song said, “We lift up our hands.” Except for my wife, no one else in the church service moved, not even me. It seemed disingenuous to only raise my hands when the song told me to. Shouldn’t I have already been doing that? We all sang the […]
It’s the People, Not the Place that Matters When visiting a church with family, the minister prayed, “God you know we need a new church building.” I recoiled at his claim. They don’t need a new building; they merely want one. There’s a difference between needs and wants, something we must distinguish. What this church […]