Who Are You? A Servant
What do you do for a living? That is often one of the first questions we ask when we meet someone new. The answer to that one question provides many…
Category: Series
Who Are You? A Son
There is a certain family resemblance shared between me, my brother, my dad, and his brother. Get us all in the same room and there is no doubt that we…
The End of One Thing, The Beginning of Another
Metaphors break. They have their limits. Put too much weight on them and they snap like a power line in an ice storm. The problem with the guitar string metaphor…
God’s Intentional Tensions – In but Out
Hang around Christian circles long enough and you’re sure to hear several catchphrases. Some of them feel good or give us something to say when we don’t know what…
God’s Intentional Tensions – Security and Grace
The other day I drove to work through a gray blanket of fog. I could see far enough ahead to drive safely but normally visible landmarks were hidden from view.…
God’s Intentional Tensions – Who Chose Who?
One day Jesus told a parable which likened the Kingdom of God to a wedding feast. This parable of Jesus is found in Matthew 22:1-14 and contains our next intentional…
God’s Intentional Tensions – Free Will
Who is really in charge? Who is responsible for my actions or the actions of others or the whims of nature? The second of God’s intentional tensions is the pull…
God’s Intentional Tensions – Already, and Not Yet
My musical instrument of choice is guitar. Although I love the sound of a well over-driven Stratocaster or Les Paul, I choose to play a plain-old Martin acoustic. There’s just…
More: Love
In the previous six articles, we have examined Jesus’ “you have heard it said, but I say” declarations. Each clarified or corrected some point of Law or common understanding. In…
More: Joy
I’m conflicted over a recent event. A few days ago a pastor shot a robber who had broken into the church and collected some laptops. What happened is a…
More: Integrity
Do you mean it? Do you really mean it? We use many different methods to get across the simple idea that we mean what we say and that our promises…
More: Contentment, Commitment, Christlikeness
Picture a man and woman dancing like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers in those old movies. The man is snappily dressed in a tuxedo; every button polished, every hair in…