There might be some data somewhere to scientifically verify this but I am not aware of it. but talking with pastors I know I think there is circumstantial evidence enough to say worship services the Sunday after Christmas is consistently poorly attended. I struggle with this, how is it possible that people can spend a... Continue Reading →
Gloria in excelsis Deo
I love "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and I love the scene where Charlie Brown finally breaks down and asks if anyone knows what Christmas is all about. You know the scene, Linus replies, "I do Charlie Brown" and then recites Luke 2:8-14. It is a poignant part of the drama, where all the decorations and... Continue Reading →
Christmas Paradox
This week I have been thinking about Zechariah's song (Benedictus) in Luke 1:68-79. Today I noticed just how much political language is in the first four verses of this song. 68 “Bless the Lord God of Israel because he has come to help and has delivered his people.69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in... Continue Reading →
Ripples in the water
I know it's not new but recently I've seen several people making the comment, "you don't have to explain yourself to anyone" usually with the attached phrase "if they can't accept you then they can leave". I have found this statement very unsettling, I think because it is usually attached to major life decisions. I... Continue Reading →
Karma keeping the Hate.
I find it disturbing how many Christians (particularly those under 40) talk about Karma and desiring karma to visit others. Our pop-culture references to karma bear very little resemblance to the actual Hindu belief (at least as I have heard it taught). Our culture thinks of karma as a recompense for slights, "you wronged me... Continue Reading →
Forgiveness goes before
I recently wrote a reflection on forgiveness (here) and in a discussion about that post I found there is one more thing which needs to be said. Ans since I ended that post with a line from Relient K it is only fitting to begin this one with a line from their "Be my escape",... Continue Reading →
Forgive like Jesus
I don't know how many people have followed the trial of Amber Guyger; I had not until today when I saw the reaction of Brandt Jean. For those who might not know Amber was convicted of killing Brandt's brother Botham. In a somewhat surprising move, and at the sentencing hearing, Brandt extended forgiveness and a... Continue Reading →
Soul Survivor
I don't normally review books here, but Philip Yancey's Soul Survivor is not simply the best book I've read this year, I added it to the list of books I feel every Christian should read. At its core this is a story of Yancey's own growth in faith, told through the lens of biographies of... Continue Reading →
Do You Speak…
Did you know there are 856 languages spoken in the island nation of Papua New Guinea? The entire nation is the size of California and has about 7 million people. Think about that, on average only a little over 8,000 people can understand each other in their native language. Among the reasons there are so... Continue Reading →
Poli-ticks
I saw this picture recently and my first instinct was to lash out at the person (who somewhat frequently posts on political topics). But before I did my Greek training kicked in and I started thinking about the real meaning of the term (affairs of the city or we might say society). Suddenly it jumped... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 