Response to “The Ugly in Christianity” at the Huffington Post
There is an article floating around on the Huffington post that has caused a bit of a stir among Church of Christ members because it is about the ugly side of Christianity and by that the author means...
View ArticleRegaining Our Certainty in Churches of Christ
We used to be a certain bunch. We were certain about pretty much everything. We were certain about our doctrine. We were certain about our identity. We had things locked down tight to a fault. Part of...
View ArticleHoliness and Low Church
In the Old Testament there were all sorts of reminders of God’s holiness and his holy requirements for his people. There were holy places and spaces…holy things and holy people. The temple was holy and...
View ArticleOldfangled Ideas that Become “Progressive”
Some new ideas are actually very much old ideas. Over time new ideas spring up that squelch out what people had thought for centuries or even millennia. Given enough time and enough influential people...
View ArticleGod Sets the Agenda
As we read through scripture we listen for what is near and dear to the heart of God. This will not always align with what is near and dear to my heart. The distance between those two things is a...
View ArticleVision and Discernment
“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” – Prov 29:18 (NRSV) “Without vision a people turns wild; but happy is he who...
View ArticleChristianity’s Biggest Problem is the Same Now as it Always Has Been
Here is my latest post over at Wineskins. I hope you will take a moment to read it and think about how our culture affects your faith. Christianity’s Biggest Problem is the Same Now as it Always Has...
View ArticleReadiness and Showing Up
Readiness is an act of faith because it presupposes we expect God is up to something. When we lose our focus, lose our vision and lose our energy to engage in what God puts before us it may just show...
View ArticleRestoring the Divine Image
We were made in the image of God – Gen 1:26. We know that Jesus is the image of the invisible God – Col 1:15. As Christians we get the image of God in us restored – Col 3:10, Eph 4:24 and 2 Cor 3:12-18...
View ArticleDo the Next Right Thing
Somethings things get complicated. It gets hard to make what seems to be the best decision. If you do this, someone gets hurt. If you do something else, someone else might get upset. It can drive you...
View ArticlePast, Present and Future Components of the Lord’s Supper & Our Spiritual...
Past “This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.” – Exodus 12:14 “and...
View ArticleThe Cost of Overcomplicating the Gospel
The more we expand the Gospel to include things it didn’t include in the New Testament the more we lose heart and hope. The more jots and tiddles we include under the umbrella of “gospel” the less sure...
View ArticlePsalm 51:5 Does God Create “In Utero Sinners”?
“Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” – NRSV “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” – NIV “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,...
View ArticleBeing Direct
Every eldership I have ever worked with I have told up front that I will trust them and that I expect for them to tell me anything I would need to know including any criticism that they are directing...
View ArticleGetting to Know Jesus
More and more I feel the desire to get to know Jesus better. I have known about Him my whole life. I committed my life to being a disciple of Jesus years ago. I remember him every week around the...
View ArticleReceptivity of the Tax Collectors, Sinners and Others Who Understood Their...
Those most expected to respond often don’t and those who are unexpected appear out of nowhere. I have seen this countless times in ministry where you are praying for God to impact the congregation...
View ArticleRe-envisioning the Manger: 7 Common Misconceptions about the Nativity of Jesus
A few fun facts about the ancient world and the birth of Jesus. 1. Mary wasn’t necessarily about to give birth any moment on her way to Bethlehem. The classic image of Mary riding on a donkey about 11...
View ArticleChristian Weapons
Paul constantly reminds us of the challenges of living in this world and the resistance we constantly face due to the principalities and powers of darkness that are exerting their influence in the...
View ArticleWhat Do We Know About Joseph?
The New Testament doesn’t give us an awful lot of information about Joseph but we do know a few things from what we have in Matthew, Luke and John. First, we know that Joseph was Jewish and a...
View ArticleEmbracing God’s Gift Rather Than Twisting Our Blessings
These words from Hosea have resonated with me for nearly 20 years (Hosea 11:1-11), “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the...
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