Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you, so let’s just praise the Lord… I get a bit dizzy thinking about that song. In truth, it’s never been one of my Sunday School favorites. That said, of all the metaphors Scripture uses for […]
Category Archives: Culture
A House Divided – Dear Church, Part 3
I am a C. I am a C-H. I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. I have C-H-R-I-S-T in my H-E-A-R-T and I will L-I-V-E E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y! Did you sing along to that Sunday school classic? It’s a fun one, but who knew as a kid that Christians were actually so divided? Generally, it has been understood that those […]
The Entertainment Driven Church – Dear Church, Part 2
Oh when the saints go marching in, Oh when the saints go marching in. Oh how I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in! My church growing up would play that song every Sunday as the kids got up to leave for kid’s church. I would walk down the short […]
When the Church Fails: Dear Church – Part 1
Here is the church and here is the steeple, open the doors and there’s all the people. Do you know that little hand motion? I do, because I grew up in the church. As a little girl I loved attending Sunday services. As an adult, I realize it can be complicated. Don’t get me wrong, […]
Counterfeit Christianity
Sacrifice is found at the heart of the Gospel. We know it. We see and celebrate it in the Easter story, but what does it mean for the Jesus-follower? Can we really follow in the footsteps of a savior who came ready to suffer and sacrifice and not be willing to do the same (Mark […]
I Pledge Allegiance to…
I grew up in a Christian home that was also very political. We watched presidential debates the way most people watched summer blockbusters – with our favorite snacks and a giddy sense of anticipation. Loving God and country as a Christian meant wanting the values of society to align with biblical values, and that’s not […]
Sharing the Gospel in a Noisy World
Jesus left us with a job to do – share the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20). Proclaiming the Good News is a task rooted in love and watered with urgency, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, many fear the commission of evangelism. What if I offend someone? What if I don’t know the answer to […]
What We Can Learn From Nehemiah’s Prayer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian during the time of the Nazi regime, once said, “It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians.”[1] The idea of spiritual isolation is one that does not affect many who, in modern societies, are at liberty […]
The Truth
Why are you a Christian? There are probably many answers that people could give in answer to that question. Some may hold to their faith because it’s the tradition of their family. Others may have had an experience which has led them to believe in God. I’ll never forget when I heard, what I consider, […]
Heavy Hearts: A Christian Response to Suffering – Part 3
It’s easy, when speaking of how things went wrong in the world, to mistakenly believe that God was somehow surprised by these events. Since God is all-knowing, this can’t be an accurate understanding. While God chose to give humanity free will, and while it was (and is) his desire for us to willingly choose him, […]