Being Childish

There is a short but familiar story in Luke 18:15-17 where we see Jesus receiving little children. Right before that, Jesus finished his his parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector with the words “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but whoever humbles themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14b) and then almost as …

Dealing with Silence

I recently watched "Silence," the latest Martin Scorsese film, based on the novel written by Shusaku Endo. It was a deeply troubling movie. The film portrays the fictional story of a 17th Century Jesuit Missionary from Portugal named Father Sebastian Rodrigues (played by Andrew Garfield) who sets sail for Japan in 1640, determined to help …

(Not So) Merry Christmas From the Pope

Today, Pope Francis addressed the Vatican in his annual Christmas address for the bishops, cardinals and other staffers who live and work in Vatican City.  Rather than offer up a pithy "Merry Christmas" and how-do-you-do, Pope Francis offered up what we in the preaching biz call an "epic verbal smackdown." Not an angry rant or …

Attending a Church With 50 Members is Good For You (You Just Don't Realize It)

If you talk to church leaders – it won't matter what tribe you ask – they will likely tell you that attendance is down in their local congregation. Very few churches these days report numerical growth and many are in steady decline. That's bad news right? The problem with this issue is that there is …

A Distracted Mind

This week I've been learning about Spiritual Reflection at a one week intensive course at Lipscomb University. We talked about a study done by two Harvard researchers who wanted to track the connection between where your attention was focused, and how happy you were. So they developed an iPhone app that contacted 2,250 volunteers at …

Beyond Betrayal

"Hosea and Gomer" by Cody Miller. Hosea 3:1-5 1 The Lord said to me, “Go, love your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen …

Why Christmas is a Good Time to Grieve

I won’t be trite or fancy with this topic because there are many people I know and love that have a tough road to walk at Christmas time. What I mean by the title is this: the Christmas story, properly understood, is a great comfort to those who are grieving. Blogger Jon Bloom puts it …

This Pope is the Best!

Have I mentioned how impressed I am by Pope Francis? When he was first named pope last March he made it clear that, with him as Pope, things were going to be different. Once the conclave had decided, the Master of Ceremonies came forward with the traditional papal red cape trimmed with ermine. Pope Francis …

Being an Agent of Hope

I read sobering article in the Globe today by Richard Wagamese.  He is a author and journalist who was born and raised a member of the Wabasseemoong First Nation in Northern Ontario. He wrote in The Globe about his struggle to run  a story telling workshop for teens in a Northern BC reserve.  He found …

Book Review: Caring Beyond the Margins

It would be an understatement to say that the conversation between the Christian community and LGBT community has gone poorly over the past few years. Grace and understanding are both in short supply, which is why a book like Caring Beyond the Margins is so important. Guy Hammond, founder and executive director of Strength in …