When I lived in South America I went to an open market and I got a good deal on a Nike jacket. I immediately had my doubts that it really was a name brand jacket. This was tipped off by the cheap price, the pushy sales person, and the slightly skewed swoosh. I ignored my…
As I write this, summer is coming to an end. If listen closely you can hear the kids groan as they think about going to school and you can hear some parents cheer when they imagine their children’s energy being spent on something other than picking on their siblings and destroying the house. Summer is…
I just finished reading Peter Enns’ book, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It. It was an easy, enjoyable read. I have rarely (okay never) read a book covering biblical history and biblical interpretation that has actually made me laugh out loud. You would have thought I…
One of the great joy killers during the Christmas season is expectations. Many of us have such high hopes for how the Christmas season is to go down. Stress and disappointment come when reality doesn’t match our expectations. The truth about Christmas, and about life in general, is that what actually happens is rarely what we expect.…
There are very few guarantees in life. Businesses guarantee satisfaction or your money back. The things you buy come with guarantees that they will last a certain amount of time. Politicians make all sorts of promises that this or that will happen if the people elect them. Marriage is supposed to be a relational guarantee…
It’s been a tough week so far. I have been disturbed by what is going on in Iraq. The violence inflicted on adults and children has kept me awake at night. The spread of the Ebola virus in Africa has been scary to watch as well. It has been heart wrenching to see the young and old dying from…
One summer while I was in college I worked as a ministry intern at a small church near Philadelphia. I did some teaching, preaching, event planning, working with youth, among other things. I also led a small group bible study during the week and the book of James was the topic. On the very first…
If I were to ask you who the greatest figure in early church history was after Pentecost, who would it be? Many of you would name Peter, Paul, maybe even Stephen or John, but I would bet that very few would think to mention James. James was however one of the most influential leaders in…
Jesus said that the main reason he came was “to serve, not to be served.” This was unheard of in his day and in his place in the Greco-Roman world. All gods were known to demand service from their human peons. Jesus’ mission was different though. God sent his son to serve, show love, enact…
The word “church” is used in our culture to refer to the building where Christians gather, in reference to different Christian denominations, and also to refer to the Sunday worship event. But the biblical word “church,” or “ecclesia,” carries a different meaning. In the first century, the word was used, even among non-Christians, to refer…
What is the central mission of the Christian church? We know that we are to be a people that are to “love God” and to “love our neighbor as ourselves” as we learn from the Jesus Creed. We also should know that the community of Christ is to be a people of the Jesus Prayer.…
Every week the global Church gathers for communal worship. They gather to sing songs of praise, read from the Scriptures, fellowship with the Saints, break bread, hear an exhortation from the Word, and without a doubt Christians always pray when they gather together. And the prayer that is prayed the most in worship services around…
