Unity in the Body of Christ

For the past two years I have spent most every Thursday between 10:30 a.m. and noon with a group of pastors to pray for our community of Antioch. It's an odd group, composed of quite few Baptists, some independent church pastors, an Ethiopian missionary, a worker with international students, and me. As I look around … Continue reading Unity in the Body of Christ →

Is anyone surprised?

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com You scored as Evangelical Holiness/WesleyanYou are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables … Continue reading Is anyone surprised? →

Listen To The Children: A Sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23

Click here to read Matthew 2: 13-23 I don’t want to preach this sermon. You see, I find myself this morning still in the throes of Christmas. Yesterday, when I logged on my computer, I looked as always to my Google Talk chat window to see who was online. I saw that my friend Jordon … Continue reading Listen To The Children: A Sermon on Matthew 2: 13-23 →

Sunday’s Christmas Message

Wrestling With the Christmas Blues… A Christmas message from the pastor…. Christmas time is a wonderful time isn’t it? The lights, the colors, and the time with family all add up to great feelings of warmth in our hearts, as we connect with the meaning of our God given lives . . . right? Aren’t … Continue reading Sunday’s Christmas Message →

The Republicans Find Their Obama – New York Times

The real reason for Mr. Huckabee’s ascendance may be that his message is simply more uplifting — and, in the ethical rather than theological sense, more Christian — than that of rivals whose main calling cards of fear, torture and nativism have become more strident with every debate. The fresh-faced politics of joy may be … Continue reading The Republicans Find Their Obama – New York Times →

Holding All Together – A Sermon for Christ The King Sunday

Text: Colossians 1: 9–19 Have you ever broken something precious and known the sinking feeling that comes when you see it in pieces on the floor? That was the feeling I had as I ran into the kitchen after hearing the shattering of glass on the floor. Someone had been trying to get something off … Continue reading Holding All Together – A Sermon for Christ The King Sunday →

A Word on Excess for Thanksgiving

Not to be too depressing on Thanksgiving, but Sam and the Cool People Care folks offer a good word for today.

Giving From Our Poverty — A Sermon on Stewardship

2nd Corinthians 8: 1–15 I could see it rising from the Kansas prairie long through the windshield of my rental car long before I got there. It stood as a beacon against a vivid blue sky, surrounded by the shells of new buildings that would soon become posh shops and trendy restaurants. I had come … Continue reading Giving From Our Poverty — A Sermon on Stewardship →

The Great Secret of Forgiveness

Many people think that forgiveness is about the person or people who have done a great wrong. Can THEY be forgiven? But the great secret of forgiveness is that it is about the person or people who have been wronged. Forgiveness is the path to freedom from being dominated by the harm that has been … Continue reading The Great Secret of Forgiveness →

A Most Excellent Homeboy

One of my podcast addictions is the show Word For Word, produced and distributed by American Public Radio. This program takes the best speeches and presentations made around the country and rebroadcasts them. Word For Word is how I have been able to recently listen to Sam Harris, Ted Sorenson, and many, many others. Today … Continue reading A Most Excellent Homeboy →

Responding to the “Golden Compass”

In the past couple of days, I received several e-mails that go something like this: Warning to the parents, grandparents, kids and grandkids! The Golden Compass, a movie coming out 7 December 2007 is a children’s movie based on a series of books with anti-religious themes written by Phillip Pullman, a Proud athiest. The … Continue reading Responding to the “Golden Compass” →

The Whole Armor of God — A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10ff

I woke up yesterday morning, and quickly found my heart heavy. It was just like any other Saturday morning. The girls were watching Saturday morning cartoons. Kay was in the kitchen, scrambling some eggs for the kids, and I stumbled out, hair askew, body creaking, and made my way over to the computer to check … Continue reading The Whole Armor of God — A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10ff →

Thinking about doctrine…

Doctrines are not alien formulations which we must adhere to but the documentation of the most profound human experiences which, transcending time and place, are handed over from generation to generation as a light in our darkness. —From Reaching Out by Henri J. M. Nouwen In several previous posts I have offered critique on the … Continue reading Thinking about doctrine… →