Packing Our Fears
We pack our fears. Load too much heavy stuff into our packs, just in case.
It’s the backpacker’s …
The Pig in London and the Lamb in Israel
When I was twenty years old, I wanted to spend a summer abroad, but as a college student I could barely afford ramen noodles. I found work on a communal farm in Israel. For a bit of manual labor, they …
Curiosity in Calling
Much of our life is designed to be navigated by curiosity. We certainly were curious when we were younger. For many of us, our curiosity was pushed aside by practicality and busyness, making …
We Are Strangers in a Strange Land
“My wife’s ninety-year-old mother died last Thursday and we mourn. Someone reminded me that when we grieve, “we do not grieve like those who have no hope.”
I grew up in a family that camped. My …
Do We Practice Godless Faith?
I recently met an elder who was whose faith brought him great distress. Three years ago, his small but growing church received tithes that exceeded two hundred thousand dollars, for the first time …
The History of the World is a Long Story of Bad Answers
My wife’s and my first home was a trilevel, with only two of the floors completed. We decided to finish the third floor ourselves, creating a family room, office, and second bathroom. I had done lots …
What’s in Your Hand?
Over the weekend, after running along part of the Trinity River Trail in Ft. Worth, I recovered by reading from my Daily Bible, Exodus 3-4, about Moses’ call to …
Gazing on Beauty
Most of my life I failed to appreciate beauty. Oh, I loved the look of sails on the sea and snow on the mountains, but mostly I liked sailing those sailboats and skiing those slopes.
Fifteen …
What’s So Bad About Works Righteousness?
The week before Christmas I heard the best argument against Christianity I’ve heard in years.
I met with a professional woman who had worked seven years for near minimum wage in the …
When Your World Has Been Shaken By Betrayal
Continuation of Sidelined by Betrayal (click here for Part 1)
What do we do when we have been betrayed (or at least it feels like it) by a friend or a ministry – when our whole world has been …
Sidelined by Betrayal
What causes us to become sidelined with our calling, with the life we were created to live that brings life to others? Among the possible reasons, one that appears most frequent and devastating …
When “Good” Christians Do Bad Things
I hate the presidential election season, the rhetoric, emotional responses, hushed conversations, and mud-slinging candidates. I especially hate those damned, political phone polls! Don’t worry, this …