Advent encompasses the four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of waiting, not only for the first coming of Christ as a baby but also for His coming again as a king. This first advent meditation is about that baby. One of my vivid memories of visiting London comes from a visit to the […]
This is the third in a series of four posts on ancient ways Christians have sought God (view Part 1 and Part 2). The path described in this post turns the focus to our lives. Of course, we need to read the Scriptures to grasp how God works, but this path invites us to read […]
» This is the second post in a 3 part series. View Part 1. « This post will feature another ancient way of seeking God, one that is both subversive to modern culture and counter-intuitive to our inner life. We assume that we always need to come to God with our words and thoughts. Scripture certainly urges us to pray […]
In the last few years, I have discovered some well-trod paths for seeking God and enjoying His presence. Some are centuries old. Others are millennia. I have found them so valuable that I want to share them in the next few posts. This first one is called lectio divina. Lectio divina is the Latin term […]
Men in our culture are in trouble. Masculinity is in crisis mode. The signs are everywhere. Men are confused and wavering. The stats on fatherlessness are alarming and growing. So is the sexual violence that seems to be aired everywhere. Everyone is pointing out symptoms or pointing fingers. I want to point to something else. […]
Sometimes in my classes to students or adults, we would take up the topic of famous movies. I would first have them guess the most popular movies of all time. Then I would reveal the top four based on ticket sales, adjusted for inflation: #4 is Star Wars #3 is Titanic #2 is Avatar #1 […]
The idea of resisting God may seem ridiculous at first. After all, how can something created resist its Creator? How can the lesser push back against the greater? But the testimony of Scripture and the stories of our lives attest to the fact that we do in fact resist God. I want to state it […]
One of the constant conversations I have with men is the stress they feel at work. They are expected to do more on the job with less help. They feel pressured to email and text on weekends. Margins for rest erode. Time to re-create is pushed aside. And one of those things pushed aside is […]
What makes you feel strong? Where do you go to find strength to walk through life? For men, the strength issue is a massive one. I saw that first hand when taught high school. Here I watched young men looking for their strength in all sorts of ways: aggressively pumping iron, hyper-focusing on athletics, bullying […]
When I used to teach high school freshman Bible, one of my favorite activities happened during the section on trust in God. Instead of just discussing it, the boys would go and experience it. I would take them to the auditorium stage and have a courageous volunteer stand with his back facing the front of […]
