I have been following the reports about the Oklahoma tornado since it happened yesterday. The more I watch, the sadder I get. As I’ve seen the images, my mind has involuntarily weaved together scenarios of the lives that have been decimated. I’ve pictured the lives of those little children who woke up yesterday morning, got…
Tag: Christianity
Sermon Video: The Calamity of Sowing the Wind
I’m always a little taken aback when I stop long enough to think of how easy it is to engage in trivial pursuits in life. Hosea calls it “sowing the wind.” Do you ever find yourself engaged in trivial pursuits? Trying to attain things that ultimately don’t matter and can’t bring lasting satisfaction Does your…
Video: The Calling of Parenthood
Sunday, I dealt with very touchy issues related to parenting at The Gathering. These included the challenges of parenting and the pain that comes from the inability to have children, along with the dangers of engaging in extraordinary means of impregnation, such as IVF. My goal was to deal with these issues from a biblical,…
Children and Salvation: Is It Ever Too Early?
My six-year old was saved Monday. Well, at least that’s what he told me when he came home from school. As it turns out, a children’s ministry from a local church holds a voluntary Bible club with the kids after school every so often and so, during that time, the salvation bracelet was given to…
Come and See
As someone who has studied apologetics extensively, I know and have used all of the logical arguments for the existence of God, the deity of Christ and the reality of miracles. I have talked with people about the rationality for believing in the reliability of Scripture and the resurrection of Jesus. As a natural skeptic,…
Culture Warrior
I hate that term. I hate the concept, too. “Culture Wars.” Who came up with that anyway? I mean, I understand the thinking: “Our Country is going to hell and it’s our responsibility as Christians to stand up and prevent it!” I think that’s what bothers me the most. Is that really our calling? Is…
Reflections on a Boston Massacre
I have been heart-broken to see the images and hear the stories coming out of one of my favorite adoptive towns. Boston is a city that I spent a lot of time in during my eight years in Massachusetts and a city that Karen and I came to love immensely. Yesterday was just the latest…
Conflicting Times: Handling Relational Challenges
Conflict happens. There is no way around it. If you care about someone or work closely with someone, you spend more time with them. If you spend more time with them, you have more opportunity to annoy each other or miscommunicate. If you have more opportunity, conflict happens. So, the question is not whether or…
Monday Morning Rewind: A Passion for ‘The House’
The following is from my message yesterday at The Gathering. You can watch video on Demand here. What is your attitude towards “the House”? I’m talking about the Church. Not the building…the people; the Body for which Christ died? Over the years, the church has been largely defined by individuals or groups who have led…
Have You Met My Friend? His Name is Todd.
Todd is a dear friend of mine with some of the most amazing talent I’ve ever personally experienced. A singer-songwriter with a gift for identifying the most important things in life and putting them to music, Todd can have you laughing one second and crying the next.
Giving Pause: Taking Action When Conviction comes
Something happened to me Sunday just before I got up to speak at The Gathering. Clearly, the Spirit of God was working through the time of worship and I had the impression that we needed to pause…I knew I needed to pause. Things weren’t right. Earlier that morning, I had gotten upset with my 12…
Luck and The Providence of God
Luck is a big part of our vocabulary. I wonder if it’s a part of our theology? Is there such a thing as luck? When we say we’re “fortunate,” are we saying the same thing, but in a less secular way?
Saving Daylight, Part 2: Loving Well
Over the last few days, my thoughts have been consumed by a lovely lady within our church who is nearing the end of her journey on earth. I’ve thought about the relationship she has had with her devoted husband for 63 years and the love they have shared. I’ve thought about how over the last…
Saving Daylight
(You can watch the message from March 10, 2013 here, called….yeah, Saving Daylight) What are you doing with your time? If I were to ask you where your time is spent each day, unless your life is simply consumed by just one or two things, you probably would have a tough time accounting for all…
I’m Journibling Romans
No, I didn’t misspell it. I’m actually Journibling. It’s supposed to be a combination of “journal” and “Bible” in which you become a scribe, actually writing out the text of Scripture, giving you an opportunity to think through what you are writing and also, by writing, a greater shot at retention. It’s a pretty cool…
On Presidential Politics: The Aftermath
It was once told to me that if you have a pastor you don’t like, don’t waste time complaining. Instead, pray for the one you have that he’ll become the one you want. This will prevent you from dishonoring Christ, leaving too early or causing problems within the church. I think that is very good…
Quiet the Chaos
Do you ever get to that place where you get so busy and so stressed that all you want to do is climb in a corner and hibernate? Or cry? Or drink five Monsters and end it all right there? You feel like you’re at the end of the thread that’s hanging off the end…
A Deal-Breaker
As a pastor, I don’t officially endorse candidates. I am a registered Independent who makes every attempt to take a biblical approach to issues related to politics. Though I try to refrain from talking about specific candidates and believe it is wrong to turn a church pulpit into a political “stump”, it is my responsibility…
Accountability Is Not Hate
There is a new article in Newsday today that reports on a group of illegal aliens who are protesting being called illegal aliens: A small group of immigrants gathered in Woodbury Monday to protest the use of the word “illegal” to describe those who have entered the United States without documentation. “By saying illegal, they’re…
Bragging for Fun and Profit
My message Sunday was on Humility where, among other things, I talked about a not-so-rare disease called “Twitter-itis,” the condition that causes one to retweet whatever flattering thing was said to or about them on Twitter to their own hundreds or thousands of loyal, adoring followers. The problem is that this is a disease we…
Plan B
I like a backup plan. Sometimes I feel I need a backup plan. OK, I always feel like I need a backup plan. Maybe you do, too. After all, who’s gonna jump from an airplane without at least two rip cords, right? The question I want to ponder a little bit is this: Is…
