As you approach the very end of your Bible, you’ll encounter a passage that has been a longstanding source of comfort and hope for weary souls: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I […]
Category Archives: Articles
My 6 Favorite Reads of 2017
Each year, I give myself a reading goal and work hard to meet it. Not because I want to be legalistic and bind myself to some arbitrary bar of achievement. But because I find that a steady, disciplined commitment to spending time in the company of books can often lead to an unexpected array of […]
Where It All Begins
How can we as a church embrace a more comprehensive approach to spiritual formation and discipleship? That was the question I posed at the end of this past Sunday’s sermon in an effort to spark some creative thinking about what it might look like for us to become more diligent caretakers of creation. After seeing […]
A Very Different Question
You’ve probably been in a situation before where you’ve been asked by a friend or coworker about your church. And more likely than not, one of the questions that might have accompanied such a conversation would have been one like this: “What sorts of things are you doing in the church?” Unless you’re brand new, […]
When You Feel Like a Tourist
Ben Gibbard is a brilliant songwriter. He does just about everything in his craft well. But perhaps what he does best is this: taking that vague, undefined emotion you’ve never quite been able to describe, and then describing it for you in a way that leaves you saying, “Yes! That’s it!” Pull a random Death […]
The Spiritual Discipline of Eating
After returning recently from a visit to some ministry partners in Italy, I’ve been asked multiple times about the highlights of my trip. And although there are plenty of great things I could share, what has consistently been my number one answer is this: the meals. If you’re a fan of Italian food, you might […]
5 Questions about Patriotism
For the past couple weeks, I’ve had an article in the works about the great kneeling debate that has been swirling around the sports world. But then this weekend happened and everyone went bananas, so I scratched that article and decided to go in a different direction altogether. Yesterday as NFL players protested and the […]
Doing Church without God
What comes to your mind when you think of the church? Are there any images or analogies that you tend to gravitate toward? In his book A Light to the Nations, Michael Goheen suggests a few ways that the average Christian might think of the church in our current cultural climate. Perhaps you can relate to […]
The Paradoxes of Church Membership
If you’re a church member, have you ever stopped to think about how weird you are? Because you are. Very, very weird. But don’t take it personally. It really has nothing to do with you. (You’re totally normal. I promise.) Instead, the weirdness has to do with the nature of church membership itself. Most of us […]
Mayweather, McGregor, and Our Modern Hypocrisy
[Note: The following article contains strong language some may find offensive.] The sports world is abuzz with hype surrounding the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. And the fact that the two fighters are in the middle of a “world tour” to promote their impending showdown certainly adds fuel to the fire. On […]
