Journeying home from a walk in the woods, I took an alternate route and came to a place where I had to cross a stream. Too wide to jump, I found a spot where others had made a bridge. There were broken branches, pieces of full trees, all now mostly rotted. I put my foot lightly on one log but … Read More
Why We Don’t Talk About Bruno or Money
You may or may not have seen it but “the Disney movie Encanto took the world by storm with its visually stunning animations and emotional music. The visual aspects of the movie propped up a powerful story of generational trauma… the movie features songs written by Hamilton genius, Lin-Manuel Miranda. One of those songs, ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’ quickly … Read More
The Colorful Beauty of Our Time-Traveling God
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to … 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
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
Five Strategies for Fighting Lust
Although I’ve written previously about God’s essential role in changing us from the inside out, I want to share five practical strategies that have helped me the most in fighting lust: Foresight: Make choices in moments of strength to prepare for moments of weakness. For example, if you are tempted to look at porn at a certain time of day … Read More
A Critique of Gothardism, Part 4 of 5
As an exercise in discernment, this series critiques the teaching associated with the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), Advanced Training Institute International (ATI), and specifically their founder, Bill Gothard. His teaching includes a myriad of distortions and this post addresses examples under the fourth of six main areas (listed at the end of Part 1): A misuse of “the … Read More
Together for Change in 2019
As you prepare for the new year, look through the list below and choose three favorites. Consider asking someone close to you to do the same. Then share your top three with each other, answering the following questions and concluding your time in prayer: Why are these your favorites? What implications do they have for 2019? How will you do … Read More
What White Birch Trees Teach Us About Life
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary… Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it, then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD… (Psa. 96:6,11-13a, ESV) I wrote the … Read More
Why the Sea Restores Us
The ocean, like no other place on the planet, is God’s gift to teach us how to make peace with the two realities we struggle most with: constancy and change. Let me explain. Two months ago, Pam and I enjoyed the gift of a week of vacation with some friends who have a condo in Bonaire (an island off the … Read More
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