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...]
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...]
Back to Fishing
John 21 records a very interesting exchange between Jesus and Peter. Peter and some of the other disciples had been out fishing all night and they had caught nothing. That morning, Jesus called to them from the shore (although they didn’t know it was Jesus at the time). He urged them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. And when they … [Read more...]
The Power of Perspective
We tend to view things from our own perspective. So when it comes to the wave of racial tensions that have rocked our country in recent weeks, we tend to perceive things in predictable ways. If you are white and live in the suburbs, you are sympathetic to the police officers. If you are a person of color living in the urban center, you are … [Read more...]
A Call for Tough Love
Every parent has experienced heartache as they have watched their children make destructive choices. King David certainly experienced his share of heartache as a parent. His son Amnon had developed an unhealthy and inappropriate attraction toward his half sister, Tamar (David’s daughter from another wife). Amnon ultimately gave full vent to his … [Read more...]