Category: everyday Christian life
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Who Do They Say That You Are?
You’re the smart one. You’re the lazy one. You’re the pretty one. You’re the useless one. Those kinds of messages from our respective families of origin form us. I’d heard throughout my childhood that I was ugly, and responded by (a) becoming promiscuous to prove them wrong (b) seeing a deformed image of myself every…
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A Lot of Evangelicals Have “Unhitched” From the Old Testament
Andy Stanley’s recent sermons contending that we must “unhitch” from the Old Testament in order to get to know Jesus brought a wave of response from the Christian online world. Some were supportive, noting that he was just trying to introduce his hearers to Jesus. Others recognized in his words the ancient heresy of Marcionism,…
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I’m Not A Good Enough Conductor To Orchestrate This Story
Just over a year ago, I had the honor of speaking at the Deeply Rooted event in Chicago. I talked about pilgrimage and exile, subjects in which I’d immersed myself for months, and lived for much, much longer. After I speak, there are often a few people who wish to talk. One woman, Amanda Cleary…
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Weary In Well-Doing?
Another horrific headline screams bad news this morning. More than 50 souls and counting lost their lives to the evil actions of a domestic terrorist armed with a stash of assault weapons. As I write these words, the injured count from this incident in Las Vegas is past 400. The ground in this country is…
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Job, Meet George Bailey
It’s A Wonderful Life: Love it or loathe it? Few people are neutral about the film. Either they celebrate it as an affirmation of life and the power of community, or they scorn it as a sticky-sweet bit of sentimental rubbish. I am unapologetically in the former category, and this summer has reminded me why that…
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When A Parent Is “Left Behind”
There has been much written about the exodus of Millennials from the Church. But I haven’t seen much discussion about the effect of that exodus on those they’ve left behind; specifically, the parents who sought to pass on their faith to their children both at home and via involvement with their local church. This was…