You’d be hard-pressed to find a more concise, yet complete, definition of a Christian as this one from Eugene Peterson: “To follow Jesus implies that we enter into a way of life that is given character and shape and direction by the one who calls us.” Here’s the full context: “To follow Jesus implies that […]
Quote – Jesus is God’s Guarantee
Another solid reminder from Richard Rohr: “Jesus is our guarantee of God’s promise.” Rohr is a Catholic priest, pastor, writer, thinker and counselor. He comes from a different tradition of the Christian family than I do, and he’s on the extreme edges for some. But his clear and compassionate writing has been life-saving for me. […]
Quote – Justice & Neighborliness
The Christian community is having a significant resurgence thinking about what is meant by justice. It’s important because justice and righteousness are the same greek word. The church has been really clear about our call to righteousness. We meant being holy. But the word is the same as justice. What does that mean? Rick Mckinley […]
Quote – Christian spirituality can be deadly.
Another gut punch from Pete Scazzero. The disconnect between discipleship and emotional maturity has left a church full of people who hurt each other. We’re in denial about our junk. We pretend to be OK. We avoid talking about our pain and grief. The result is dishonest, inauthentic relationships. If you haven’t read Scazzero, you […]
Quote – Don’t Be Afraid
This is just truth, and framed in Buechner’s famous wordsmithery: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” God doesn’t make life shiny and perfect. We are not protected from every possible bad thing. The world is complicated. Great and horrible. But we are not alone. Great work from Buechner: […]
Quote – Turning Toward our Pain
We do great damage to ourselves and others when we don’t deal with our grief. The only way to healing is through it. Jesus gave us that example. Pete Scazerro put it this way: “Turning toward our pain is counterintuitive but the heart of Christianity is that the way to life is through death.” Pete […]
Quote – Vocation & Passion
What should I do when I grow up? What is my calling? Buechner nails it: “Vocation is where our greatest passion meets the world’s greatest need.” What an insightful way to think about what matters most to us! Frederich Buechner is a creative writer, pastor and theologian. He’s an exceptional thinker and writer. If you […]
Quote – Jesus Entered our Drama
There is no part of your life that wasn’t taken up into Christ. All of our experience! This, from Jesus: A Theography: “Jesus entered the drama of human existence and experienced the whole gamut of humanity so He could transform it.” Len Sweet and Frank Viola wrote a deep and powerful book called Jesus: A […]
Quote – Don’t Take it Personally
Seriously, this is one of the most important and freeing things you can learn about life, from the writer D.M. Ruiz. “Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.” The more personally we take other people’s reactions, the more we get distracted […]
Quote – God’s Patience with the Pious
I read this and thought, “I know, right?!” George MacDonald was always one for insightful and scathing quips. “I understand God’s patience with the wicked, but I do wonder how He can be so patient with the pious.” George MacDonald was a Scottish preacher. Widely influential (Known as an influence of Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, […]
Quote – We know the truth by the heart.
This one makes me think. ” We know the truth, not only by the reason, but by the heart.” – Blaise Pascal. Pascal was a scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. You’d expect him to be fully on the side of reason. But his experience led to something else. It’s important to cultivate our heart, our intuition, […]
Quote – Our False Sense of Shame
Shame is a powerful force in our lives. It’s often used to manipulate us. It keeps us isolated. It makes us believe that we are completely alone. It is the belief that we are fundamentally flawed or wrong in our core creation, and that is in contradiction to the Imago Dei within us. A.W. Tozer is […]
Quote – Don’t Cautiously Avoid Sin
So much energy and time is poured into efforts to avoid sin. What would the world look like if we spent all that time and energy actively doing good? I’m struck by Bonhoeffer’s take on this: “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.” Bonhoeffer is […]
Quote – Justice is a Manifestation of Love
We often get caught on the prongs of this debate: Is God love? or is God Just? It’s a false binary. God is love. Everything God does is an expression of God’s character of love. If you find yourself arguing about some kind of distinction between God’s love and mercy, or the Old Testament and New […]
Quote – The Summary of Biblical Faith
Concise and to the point. Brugemann is a voice we need in this season of the church. “Steadfast love, righteousness, justice, mercy, compassion. These words are a summary of biblical faith.” – Walter Brugemann Walter Brugemann is a widely respected theologian and Old Testament scholar. The guy is full to overflowing with wisdom. His stuff […]