I recently had a very interesting conversation with a young man. We met because he had mocked a belief that I and many others share, so I invited him to talk to me about what his beliefs were on that subject and others. As we talked I learned that he believed that the entire Bible hadn’t happened yet and was …
Prayer Like Summer Rain
I would like to start this post out with a confession. I have read (or tried to read) many, many books on prayer. I have listened to many, many sermons on prayer. And for some reason most of them have, at some point, rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t know exactly what the problem is. I don’t know why …
Reclaiming Halloween
I am on the side of Tim Burton when he says that the two best holidays of the year are Christmas and Halloween. Sure, Easter is great, Thanksgiving is tasty, but for me there’s just nothing else that comes close to Christmas and Halloween. (And if you don’t believe me, stop by my house sometime. Still don’t believe me? Ask …
Joy in the Holding
So here I am, in another chemo treatment. I’ve had an IV hooked up to me for several days now, and one bag of glorified poison trying to take out my bladder for the better part of 24 hours. (It hasn’t succeeded.) The doctors and nurses are once again beside themselves with my attitude, and with the lack of side …
How to Love Democrats
I tricked you. This post isn’t really about Democrats at all. It’s about Muslims. But I couldn’t let that title pass. Also, FYI, the title could just as easily be “How to Love Republicans.” It’s not about a particular political bias at all. I just happen to know a lot more Republicans than Democrats. So I ask that you not …
Meeting Us Where We’re At
God never changes. So why does it seem like He does? Why does a God of compassion seem so bent on bloodshed? Why was He so adamant about the strict, strange rules in the Old Testament? Why did the temple become such a huge project and the center for Jewish life when God didn’t even want it in the first place? …
There is Peace
The little boat flailed as thunder cracked the skies and lightning electrified the raindrops. The waves thrashed and writhed like children on a temper tantrum as panic crawled down the throats of the boat’s crew and gripped their guts. Turning to their master, the bedraggled crew cried out, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Why did they have to yell at …
Coauthoring Our Destinies
How much input do we have over our own destinies? Or, rather, how integral a part do we play in determining our little segment of the cosmic story? One man feels like he is called by God to change a nation. So he goes and, with God’s help, he does it. Did he have a choice in following the call? …
Why did Jesus Die at the Passover?
They came with swords and clubs and torches, led by a traitor. They called themselves holy men, and they had come to stain their hands with the blood of a teacher. A shadow the color of death was drifting over the land. It was the same day, but 1,500 years prior. A vicious, tyrannical ruler held a foreign people in …
St. Patrick’s Day: More than an Excuse for Guinness
The invaders had ransacked their way through the village, and now they were just outside. The family scrambled to escape, but the time for that had long since passed. The marauders shattered the front door into a cloud of splinters. The teenager’s mother screamed, pressing as far into the corner as her body would allow. The boy barreled towards the …