Read part one here. True fiction for church leadersPart 2: The board put the PR machine in high gear – the machine Jeff had painstakingly assembled in the name of Excellent Communication – to massage the message they’d be giving the congregation about Jeff’s impending departure. Frank made sure Jeff understood that his generous severance…

If you’ve ever been involved in church leadership, the following work of fiction might read like a true story… (Part 1) Jeff was parked in his ancient recliner, wearing a shapeless pair of gray sweats and an “In It To Win It” T-Shirt. Sections of the morning’s super-size paper surrounded his chair, forming a moat…

Slices of StoryChicago: 1. “Weakness brings liberation. Confession transforms” – Dave Gibbons2. “Propositions will not save you.” – Chris Seay3. Note to self: Get that Frederick Buechner book already (Telling The Truth: Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale) since it keeps coming up in conversation.4. “We censor our stories when we only talk about…

Listen to the Quiet I love the sound of a house full of kids. (Well, most of the time, anyway!) As my children neared adulthood, I wondered how I’d handle the echoing silence of an empty nest. Perhaps “wondered” is too mild a word. I feared the silence. I was mourning the end of my…

With a title like Can God Be Trusted? (FaithWords/Hachette), I imagined the content of Father Thomas Williams’ book could be summed up in four words: Yes. So do it. The plain white cover of the hardcover volume didn’t do much to convince me that the book was going to be anything more than a restatement…

The series below was originally posted in early July of this year, but one of the posts has been hacked, so I’m reposting the set of three here and deleting the original series. Enjoy a fresh perspective on this Scriptural account. THREE DAYS (part 1)After the rumored resurrection of Jesus son of Joseph, the strange…