Yesterday was (for me) N.T. Wright Day, the long awaited day when I had the opportunity to both meet and listen to N.T. (Tom) Wright lecture live in person. In looking forward to this event I felt like a 14 year-old girl preparing for our …
Read MoreLent 2014
It is time to change the mood. It is time to pull back. It is time to rethink, restart, repent. It is the season of Lent. I am preparing myself for Lent now for the seventh time. I have been practicing Lent since 2008, when …
Read MoreSo what do I tell a new Christian to do? (Cyprian’s 120 Instructions)
“The grace of God ought to be gratuitous.” – Cyprian (third-century Christian bishop) I am a Discipleship Pastor, which means I am a Pastor Pastor, because the entire pastoral vocation consists in guiding people in the way of faithful Christian discipleship. I have often wondered what …
Read MoreA Eucharistic People
The heart of Christian worship is the celebration of communion, otherwise known as “the Lord’s Supper” or “the Eucharist.” All other elements of Christian worship are tangential to eating the bread and drinking from the cup in a proclamation of Jesus’ death. Jesus’ body was …
Read MoreSubstance and Evidence
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 KJV) Faith is a human attribute. Faith is an essential human attribute. God has no need of faith because nothing is unseen for him, but we earth-bound creatures …
Read MoreThe Peace Prayer of St. Francis
This prayer was not written by St. Francis of Assisi. It was not written by Pope Francis. It first began to circulate during World War I. The author is unknown, but early copies of it were on a card in honor of St. Francis, so …
Read MoreN.T. Wright on the Ordination of Practicing Homosexuals
The acceptability of homosexuality is becoming one of the defining issues of our day. Gay marriage has become a polarizing cultural issue with current trends showing a rise in the support for the legalization of same-sex unions. A recent ABC News/Washington Post survey showed 58% …
Read MoreBig Piney Trail Hike: March 15-16, 2013
When searching for the “best trails” in Missouri, I came across a number of blogs and reviews describing the Big Piney Trail, including a write-up in Backpacker Magazine. I was looking for a loop to hike over two days, with one night of back country camping. I wanted to …
Read MoreMaking Disciples not Just Decisions
Recently I listened to a representative from an evangelical ministry make a broad appeal to pastors and church leaders to sign up for their next event to introduce non-Christians to Christ. I was familiar with their overall strategy and I was familiar with the specific …
Read MoreFrom Hate to Healing: The Story of Lundan and Eliphan Gomango, IET missionary in India
Lundan lived deep within the forest, in the village of Kharbana just outside of a highly populated coal mining town. Lundan lived with hate in his heart and he lived with a painful skin disease. “My skin had grown as thick and rough as that …
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