Blog

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

Jesus’ critics You would think that someone like Jesus–whose life and work has literally impacted hundreds of billions of people throughout world history–would have been welcomed with open arms during his own day from every sector and corner of life. The reality is, while a great many did embrace him, there were plenty who didRead more

It’s been said that all people understand and interpret the world and the life they lead through the lens of a story. Our stories give meaning to who we are and where we come from. They include things like our interests and personality, our career choice, where we live and work and make our community,Read more

On the morning of the third day following the death of his greatest friend, one of the disciples woke up and anxious fear gripped his thoughts.   ​I had a dream last night that Jesus died. I had the same one the night before. Each morning I wake up with this awful feeling that the dream I had beenRead more

What might it have been like for the eleven remaining disciples on the Sabbath day following the death of Jesus?  Close your eyes and imagine you are one of the eleven. You’re attempting to put the pieces together as you try to understand why Jesus had to die. Take a deep breath.  Now open them.Read more

Suffering well It’s not easy to suffer well. To get through a painful experience or a season of painful experiences. The ones who do are often people who used their time of suffering to serve and help others who were suffering in similar ways or had experienced some other kind of suffering. If we allowRead more

Did Jesus just call that woman a dog? Yes. But there’s more to the story. If you’re curious, read on. (Blog based on The Gospel of Matthew 15:21-28 & The Gospel of Mark 7:24-30).    The woman with the demonized daughter Like many of the stories of Jesus, what seemed like a chance meeting turnedRead more

Change Most churches, at least on the surface, teach that being a Christian involves an ongoing process of change. Changes like character development. Changes like growing productive daily habits. Changes like healthy behavioral patterns. Changes like meaningful church involvement. All good changes, right? But what about theological/spiritual beliefs? Should these ever change or evolve? That depends aRead more