One of the purposes of this blog is to promote honesty and “constructive conversations” in your sphere of influence. With that in mind, and reflecting on the first Presidential debate, I thought I’d share a section on “The Art of Conversation” from a subscription-only list-serve I’m on. It’s a very practical piece from one of my favorite ministries, Axis, that … Read More
Getting Involved in Spiritual Transformation, Part 3 of 4
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:3, ESV A verse like the above can seem so inaccessible in a year like 2020. Like one friend said after last week’s post, “How do you cultivate delight … Read More
Getting Involved in Spiritual Transformation, Part 1 of 4
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” Psalm 1:1, ESV In his final book As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Eugene Peterson pointed out that “Psalm 1 stands before the whole Psalter as a kind of prologue. It was likely written last. … Read More
What I Learned from John Stott, Part 2 of 3
Being at an evangelical seminary can be confusing. You’re constantly sorting through difficult exegetical and theological questions, as well as learning different denominational and historic understandings of various doctrines. The experience can leave you either, on the one hand, longing for the comfort of dogma (i.e. “Maybe I should become a Roman Catholic…”) or, on the other hand, desiring greater … Read More
Civility Again: Why We Need to Say More About How We Say Things
I was grieved this week. Not only because children were being separated from their parents as a result of the new “zero-tolerance” policy at the U.S.-Mexico border—something that has been opposed by major evangelical organizations for weeks, but because I saw relationships severed due to the emotional and ugly rhetoric on both sides. We so easily villainize each other and Christians … Read More
Recovering the Lost Art of Civility
Believe it or not, my biggest challenge in my role as Executive Director of Church Outreach and Engagement at Care Net is to de-link pro-life efforts from politics. If I can’t do that, I can’t gain a hearing among those who most need to hear my message about how to offer compassion, hope, help, and discipleship to the abortion-vulnerable. Sadly, … Read More
Reflections on the March for Life
A person is a person no matter how small. – Dr. Seuss Last week marked my one year anniversary with Care Net and my second year participating in the March for Life. It was the 45th march protesting and marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the now infamous Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion through all nine months of … Read More
Why I’m More Interested in Conversion Than Collusion
One of the greatest joys I’ve had to date is baptizing new believers into the Christian faith—especially my children (that’s my son, Timothy, above!). Experiences like that—especially given the disheartening state of politics—are far more compelling than Hillary’s email server, collusion with Russia, or Donald’s tweets. It’s not that I don’t want justice to “roll down;” I do. It’s not … Read More
Finding More Hope in Prison Than Politics
“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast [rejoice] in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast [rejoice] in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, … Read More