The Scoop on Happiness in Church
I believe summer nights should end with ice cream. And I don’t just mean frozen desserts; I mean ice cream. Frozen custard counts. Same for gelato. In a tight spot, exceptions can be made for frozen yogurt. Please don’t bother me with sorbets, sherbet, popsicles, Italian ice, or snow cones–all sophisticated ways of smuggling frozen […]
Good News for the City
We know that gospel means good news, but what does that mean? The gospel has too often been reduced, personalized, and spiritualized so that it’s merely about acknowledging sin, accepting Christ, and securing a spot in heaven. This is tidy; but it’s not easily found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Paul focuses in on a different […]
No Laughing Matters: Why We Ought to Laugh
Hopefully we can agree that we’re anxious, worried, and preoccupied with worst-case scenarios that are unlikely to materialize. We are told we are in an existential crisis, journeying in uncharted territory, and voting in the most consequential election of our lifetime. It all feels heavy and dark. We’ve become apoplectic about the apocalyptic. It might […]
Is It Possible to Vent without Gossiping?
We all need someone to talk to. And if we don’t talk about the things that bother us, we often internalize our angst in ways that can become debilitating and dangerous. But how do we talk about the things that bother us without being slanderous or gossipy? Many of us go to safe spaces. A […]
Sabbath Won’t Just Happen
It feels impossible to find time to meet. Check your calendar for openings, notify me of availability, and see what might look good in the next few weeks. Six months later we are in the same place. Sync schedules, pivot to Google Calendars, and submit a Doodle poll. Nothing. Our calendars have less empty space […]
Preaching Politics? 6 Thoughts from the Book of Daniel
“Did I hear you say that you’re preaching on politics?” “Yes, I’m looking forward to this series.” “Hmm. Good luck.” Scary, huh? There are two things that make for impolite conversation: politics and religion. I recently decided to take on both at the same time. It felt necessary. If 2024 goes like previous election years, […]
Pray for Reign in Africa
They told us not to expect much rain in Botswana during June. It’s their winter: the dry season for a country that is already dry. Miami will see as much rainfall in two months as Botswana will see in a year (18 inches). Complicating this, Botswana is one of the 44 landlocked countries of the […]
Household Gods: On Our Tendency to Worship Family
Have you noticed that parents have been acting a bit crazy? The parents getting ejected at youth baseball games for harassing the umpires; The parents losing their minds at school board meetings. The parents schlepping their kids around suburban hotels that exchange uniformed weekday business travelers with briefcases for weekend uniformed children with soccer balls. […]
