The Untapped Power of Prayer
“I’m praying for you” is a familiar phrase that you have either given to someone, or they’ve given to you, with the intent to bring comfort. While it is encouraging to know that someone is thinking of you along with their own list of requests to the Lord, those four words can be the extent […]
Discomfort, a Missing Ingredient in Discipleship
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:15-16, NLT) As dean of discipleship at our school, I had the privilege of taking our seniors on a mission trip to Puerto Rico. The trip was amazing—but not […]
Auschwitz and the Agnostic
It was in the spring of 2007, if I’m recalling correctly, that I first traveled to Slovakia. I was younger then, though not so young as to believe I had seen enough of the world. I had not. And it was there I met Miro. He was about my age, but the soundtrack of Miro’s […]
Refusing to Believe: A Retelling of Jesus’ Appearance to Thomas
Young John escaped the ravenous agnosticism tormenting the other disciples by insightfully seeing meaning in the evidence Jesus left in the tomb: the nearly undisturbed shroud meant Jesus had levitated through it, and the carefully folded headband lying apart meant Jesus had finished housekeeping before departing. It didn’t impact Simon Peter that way, however. And […]
What Does the Bible Say About Grief?
Let’s start with a little bit of Bible trivia. Do you know what the shortest verse is in the Bible? It’s John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” I’m willing to bet you already knew that one. Now, do you know why Jesus wept? The answer: grief. Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, and Jesus was grieving the loss […]
What Do You Say When Someone Dies?
What do you say when someone dies? When things get real, it can quickly get uncomfortable. This is why a lot of us like to keep conversations light. Why we tend to back out of conversations that get heavy. Many of us would rather keep it at the level of “How you doing?” “Doing great!” […]
Somewhere Between Now and Not Yet
A little perspective: Sitting at the coffee shop doing some studying and sermon writing is sometimes a mixed bag. It’s great coffee, and away from some of the distractions of my office, but it’s also a public place with other customers. And sometimes it’s a place where young mothers congregate with their two-year-old children. Did […]
God Is My Strength: Reflections on God’s Faithfulness During a Dark Time
“The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like deer’s feet, And has me walk on my high places.” (Hab. 3:19, NASB) How was your high school experience? I did not enjoy mine at all. I was bullied over my skin color and disparaged by my teachers for not being as smart as […]
