Are you the same person? Grab a pad of paper and pen so that you can write things down, or get out an electronic device so that you can type out your responses instead. We’re going to take some time to compare and contrast our past selves to who we are now. In order toRead more
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Asking questions, Authentic Christianity, Christian hope, Following Jesus, God in the questions, Learning and growing, Spiritual journey | 0 comment | 28 July, 2021 | 3
You remain a Christian. You’ve just changed. Perhaps your framework for understanding the Christian faith has changed. Perhaps your understanding and interpretations of various Bible topics and passages have changed. Perhaps some of your spiritual habits have changed. I too have changed. My understanding of my faith in Jesus has changed. To be clear, IRead more
American history, Bible, Biblical violence, Christian hope, Escapist theologies, Following Jesus | 0 comment | 30 May, 2021 | 6
The author of this blog reflection acknowledges that the wars and conflicts in the Middle East in general and in Palestine in particular are complicated, often nuanced, with varying interpretations within both the Jewish Israeli and Arab Palestinian communities. This reflection offers a perspective that is often neglected or unheard of by Americans and AmericanRead more
Asking questions, Authentic Christianity, Following Jesus, God in the face of Jesus, Jesus, Learning and growing, New humanity, Power & authority, Sacrifice, Servant project, Spiritual journey | 0 comment | 23 April, 2021 | 8
The Secret What if Jesus and his message are far better than we currently realize? And what if so much of what gets passed on as the truth about Jesus and his message is actually a watered down version of it (at best) or a complete perversion of it (at worst)? And what if oneRead more
Ever since the first century, when the early Christian movement began, there has been a preoccupation among Christians about who is on the “inside” and who is on the “outside” of the faith. It has often shown up in conversations discussing who are believers and unbelievers, righteous and unrighteous, saved and unsaved, Christians and non-Christians.Read more
American history, Authentic Christianity, Following Jesus, God in the face of Jesus, New humanity, Power & authority, Religious tolerance, Sacrifice, Servant project, Stories | 0 comment | 18 January, 2021 | 6
In light of the violent riot at the US Capital on January 6, 2021 and those who lost their lives, I offer this prayer. Pray with me: God of creation, Our nation is in crisis. We are more polarized than ever. Neighbor is suspicious of neighbor. Hatred, aggression and violence have escalated. Even thoseRead more
Hope… It’s something we could all use a little more of right now. Life in the middle of a global pandemic and in a divided country has been very discouraging for most of us whether you identify as a Christian or not. This is where hope comes in. It’s in the worst possible circumstances thatRead more
By what it is not We often come to know what leadership is by first seeing it modeled poorly, even horribly. And then when the real thing shows up, it shines a light on what has been missing all along. This is true on the job as it is within our faith communities. When weRead more
I still remember that tragic Tuesday morning. It was my second year in southern California and an undergrad student of Life Bible College in the Biblical Studies program. After parking my car (I lived off campus), I walked toward my first class of the day. The entrance doors to the building were locked. Posted upRead more
If you had the opportunity to sit down and ask Jesus what his political views are, what do you think he’d say? Since the 1st century, Christians from around the world have interpreted Jesus’ life and teaching differently, sometimes very differently. In fact, Christians have even gone to wars over these differences–consider Catholic and ProtestantRead more
