I have always struggled with motion-sickness. When I am on a car or a plane or a boat, my whole world seems to be spinning and I am always on the edge of nausea. I find myself longing to put my feet on solid ground. Some of us feel this way in relationship to our current culture. The solid Judeo-Christian values of our culture have eroded. Marriage … [Read more...]
Radical Ordinary Hospitality
The church clearly has an image problem. For a variety of reasons, many in the culture view the church with a great deal of skepticism—if not outright disdain. In her book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key, Rosaria Butterfield captures it per- fectly when she writes, “Let’s face it; we have become unwelcome guests in this post-Christian world. Our … [Read more...]
An Honest Look at Our Sin
Jesus was crucified next to two violent felons (Luke 23:39-43). One of them was saved and received eternal life on his dying day. We look at this account as an exceptional and staggering demonstration of grace. But I would suggest to you that this is essentially the story of every individual who experiences the grace and mercy of Jesus. There is … [Read more...]
Confession and Healing
The Lenten season is a time to contemplate our sin in light of the cross. Unfortunately, confession of sin is an increasingly rare occurrence in the church. It seems that we are more concerned about the sins of society than we are the sins of the church. We rightly lament political corruption, the redefining of marriage, the wanton violence of … [Read more...]
Don’t Confuse the Church with a Political Party
We are living in one of the most politically-divisive times in our nation’s history. But I want to assert that those types of political battle lines have no place in the church. We must not allow ourselves to be hijacked by a political agenda. We should certainly speak to the issues of our day (i.e. immigration, civil rights, etc.). And we ought to … [Read more...]
The Church’s True Situation
It is easy for followers of Jesus in our day to be unsettled by the advances of a secular culture. Our freedoms are eroding. We find those who hold to a biblical standard of marriage and sexuality are portrayed as oppressive bigots. But when we are tempted to be depressed or defensive, we should remember what Jesus said about the true situation of … [Read more...]
Guarding Against Self-Reliance
When David became king, God gave him a series of sweeping military victories. After one such victory we are told that David hamstrung all but a hundred of the horses he had captured (1 Chronicles 18:4). This practice seems unwise. Horses and chariots were a major military advantage. Iron was the revolutionary military technology of the age. Why … [Read more...]
A Hard Message to a Soft Church
The book of Revelation contains seven letters that Jesus directed to seven local, first-century churches. Reading these letters forces us to soberly consider what Jesus would say to us and how he would evaluate the churches that we attend. Each of these seven letters involves a call to “overcome” or to “be victorious” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17; … [Read more...]
A Place of Belonging
Our church facility is going to undergo a major transformation over the course of the next few months. One of the major improvements will be in the area of accessibility. This was one of the driving values behind the project from the very beginning. A number of our families have pursued special needs adoption and we have entered into a vibrant … [Read more...]
Abortion – A Protection for Women?
The New York state assembly voted this week to allow abortions into the third trimester up to the very point of birth. While delegates cheered as the vote was announced, I found myself deeply grieved at such a callous disregard for life and such a raucous celebration of death. Luke’s gospel reminds us again that life begins at conception. Mary was … [Read more...]
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