I’ve Stopped Praying for Safety—And You Should Too
Growing up, I remember more than one man who, when appointed to lead Sunday morning’s closing prayer, would always conclude the final benediction along these lines: “and keep us all safe until the next appointed time.” What innocent-sounding heretics we are. Maybe I overstated that. But I want your attention. There’s nothing wrong with praying […]
God Does Not Give Us a Spirit of Fear
A meaningful conversation is like lightning. You never know when it is going to strike. On the way back from Dairy Queen, I had a conversation that changed the course of my life. “What do you want to do with your life?” Martin asked. Martin was the camp director at the camp I was helping […]
Be Courageous
I have always admired those who show courage. My heart quickens to the story of the man or woman who, because of God-given conviction, goes against the crowd and peer pressure, stands up, and does the right thing. I want to be like that man or woman—and I trust you do, too! In my early […]
Theology in the Wild: Why Theology Matters in the Messiness of Ministry
(What follows is the manuscript of a talk that I gave at the 2023 Spire Conference for church leaders in Nashville, TN.) Those who put together this conference asked me to speak on the topic “Theology in the Wild.” I should confess that the very first question that came to mind was that if you […]
Courage in the Storm (Part 1)
I have two irrational fears. The first is boats. The other one is snakes. Now, to be fair, I only hate three kinds of snakes. I hate big snakes, and I hate little snakes. And I hate sticks that look like snakes. Second, I hate boats. Here’s why. When I was a young boy, my […]
