The Importance of Reading Scripture Out Loud
It is a fascinating fact of intellectual history that, in antiquity, reading was not the silent, solitary endeavor we assume today, but rather an event of the spoken word—aural, communal, performative. Words in text, in other words, were not merely for the mind but for the ear. Consider the account in Acts 8:30. Philip, upon […]
What Prayer & Fasting Does for Us . . . and Beyond
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NIV) Who doesn’t want to be […]
A Year of Fear & Formation
“We also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint….” (Rom. 5:3-5) I was outside constructing a duck pen when my wife, Abigail, told me she was pregnant with our fifth child. I said the right things in response, but […]
Could the Way You Approach Change Be Short-Changing Your Results?
Several years ago I bought a guitar. It was a relatively cheap $250 guitar. I called a friend of mine and blurted out excitedly, “I bought a guitar! I want to learn how to play guitar!” There was an awkward silence after my declaration of elation. “No… No, you don’t,” he replied, sounding so […]
