Hey Friends, I made a couple of tweaks to the intro to the “Irreplaceable” playlist (see Spotify link at the end of this post) and thought it best to re-publish it as part of this series. If you have any favorites that aren’t on this list, please let me know. Also, in sharing them, I would love to know how … Read More
The Irreplaceable Book Launch, Part 2
Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads— is now just three weeks from release! Over the weekend, we finished edits and designed the cover. Over the next two weeks, we hope to finish all formatting issues and get it ready to upload for printing. Also, here’s the description that will be uploaded to Amazon’s site: Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads … Read More
The Irreplaceable Book Launch, Part 1
Irreplaceable: Recovering God’s Heart for Dads— in many ways, a summary of my life’s work and the most important thing I’ve published to date— is a month from release! In anticipation and to share in the excitement, here are a few of the endorsements that have come in over the last few weeks: Greg Austen has been a fierce advocate … Read More
What Does Following Jesus Look Like?
What does character and internal beauty look like– especially for a Christian? In truth, it is the same for men and women, and there is no better mirror of what internal beauty and godliness looks like than the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. Here Jesus gives his disciples eight characteristics to pursue or that evidence being in a state of blessing … Read More
Concerns with Catechesis, Part 2 of 2
“I’d rather focus on heart than head, the practical rather than the intellectual”—Sometimes, especially in reformed circles, there is a tendency to elevate head knowledge—including catechesis—over topics like relationships, healthy marriage, vocation, emotional health, or a heart for God. That’s why for some “attention to doctrine is sometimes actually avoided, lest it induce contention and cold-heartedness and thereby diminish devotional … Read More
Concerns with Catechesis, Part 1 of 2
Not everyone is a fan of catechesis—or even intentional Scripture memorization—and in what follows, I’d like to address seven common concerns, four this week and three next, concluding with a personal confession and some practical guidance: “Catechesis is brainwashing”— British philosopher and author A. C. Grayling said that “Religions survive mainly because they brainwash the young.”[1] Is he right in … Read More
The Case for Catechesis
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes … Read More
Getting the Rest We Need
Even extraverts need regular times of solitude to stay spiritually healthy. Ian Marcus Corbin, philosopher and research fellow at Harvard Medical School, reminds us: “…Befriending oneself is a prerequisite for becoming a true friend to others. We do this by sitting quietly alone, coming to terms with who and what we are, forging some order out of the riot of … Read More
Listening Conversations and Diverse Friendships
Listening is rudimentary to being a good human; it’s one of the most fundamental forms of respect. Further, it’s a basic signifier of our humility. And our wisdom: Proverbs tells us it’s only the fool that utters all his mind[1] and “He that answers a matter before listening it is a folly and shame to him.”[2] The fundamental loss of … Read More
Responding to Culture Shifts
One of the many things I’m grateful to my mom for is passing on some of her dad’s books and correspondence to me. My grandfather, Ralph Whitson Seaman, was a Lutheran minister with excellent diction, a gift for learning languages, and a fascination for words. He also had a good sense of humor. At that time, his denomination and others … Read More