I was struck today while rereading the parable of the lost sheep, that traditional notions of evangelism in the modern iterations of Christianity often get the concept wrong. If you are unfamiliar with the story Jesus tells in Luke 15, here it is in the language of Eugene Peterson's The Message with the context of … Continue reading The “Ninety-nine” doesn’t exist →

“Old King Cole was a merry old soul,And a merry old soul was he;He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,And he called for his fiddlers three.Every fiddler he had a fiddle,And a very fine fiddle had he;Oh there's none so rare, as can compare,With King Cole and his fiddlers three.” In … Continue reading The King’s Herald. →

As someone who has attempted stand up comedy and is always looking at the intersections of faith and culture, Stephen Colbert's response to Dua Lipa is a beautiful example of how our faith should be woven into the textures of life. Lipa inquired as to how comedy and faith overlap to which Colbert responded, “So, … Continue reading The Native Language of Heaven →

Home is where one starts from. As we grow older The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated Of dead and living. Not the intense moment  Isolated, with no before and after, But a lifetime burning in every moment And not the lifetime of one man only But of old stones that cannot be deciphered. … Continue reading Attempting to decipher old stones… →

Biblical writers often used sports metaphors to help us better understand the Christian’s walk with God. For example, in 1 Corinthians 9:24, the Apostle Paul writes: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” Paul explains that the … Continue reading The Imperishable Prize →

There is nothing that I can do, say, or think, that will make Jesus love me any less or more. He loves me unconditionally. This is the gospel. The Bible is a source of wisdom and instruction, but more wisdom than instruction. I take every word seriously as the collective guidance of people throughout history who … Continue reading Empty hands and palms turned upward. Affirmations for a New Year. →

As an educator, coach of rhetoric and debate, and full-time van driver for my debate team, I’m honored to listen and learn from young people as they mature into leaders and influencers. On occasion, there are students who emerge as exceptional leaders and for the past three years I’ve been honored to be associated with … Continue reading A Plus Sized Gospel →

Like millions of Americans, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the latest instalment of The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. In my estimation, with just a few exceptions, the movie was near perfect in its storytelling, performances, and plot execution. It also provides great content for deeper contemplation, but if you (for some strange reason) haven’t … Continue reading A more forgettable version of me. Lessons from Spider Man: No Way Home. →

One hundred eighty-seven minutes. This is how long former President Trump remained publicly silent, while at the other end of Pennsylvania avenue his supporters were attacking our Nation’s Capitol. Reports are now emerging that then President Trump ignored pleas from his staff, family, and even some Fox News pundits, to stop the riot. He refused … Continue reading 187 minutes…Will Evangelicals remain silent on Trump? →

Perhaps Alfred Lord Tennyson was thinking about the hubristic optimism that often precedes human tragedy when he wrote, “Our little systems have their day;  They have their day and cease to be:  They are but broken lights of thee,  And thou, O Lord, art more than they.” This stanza from In Memoriam A.H.H. came to mind after … Continue reading The Sky is(n’t) falling. Thoughts after watching Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up.” →