I originally posted this two years ago at my own blog, and as we are sharing reflections for Holy Week, I thought it would be fun to share the experience with all of you. Tonight at church we did a Passover Seder in place of our normal Bible study on Thursday night. I have participated in a seder before, but this night was special. We are hosting the community Good Friday service tomorrow night to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and tonight we played the parts of his disciples as they gathered the night before he was to die. I told our people that I make a pretty poor substitute … [Read more...] about Christ, Our Passover Lamb
Practice Praise When Possible
When we moved to the Black Hills as Mission Service Corps(MSC) Missionaries back in 2003, I managed to find a job at a local call center in Rapid City as a way to help make ends meet. It was an inbound customer service center affiliated with GE and I started out in the department that took service calls from people who had appliances under service contracts or warranties. I won't bore you with the details, but those who have spent any time whatsoever in customer service of any kind, know that people generally only call such a place to complain about things. It is a service line you might … [Read more...] about Practice Praise When Possible
Some Things Really Are Universal in the Church
When the lead editor is away the assistant editor will play. I might take some grief for this, but if so, I will take it with joy. Just so everyone knows, I am not pointing fingers in any particular direction. I found this clip, courtesy of a different clip from the same group that our local ELCA pastor had posted on Facebook. I was simply struck by how many of the issues these guys have apparently argued about that are similar to things that crop up around here as well. It turns out there are some things that really are universal in the church I guess. Although I am fully … [Read more...] about Some Things Really Are Universal in the Church
Are You Selling Something?
We have had a couple of discussions about depression and tough times around here this past week and it reminded me of this piece I wrote for our local Pastor's column a couple of years ago. For years, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Jesus’ promise to his disciples in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” This promise goes against the grain in modern society. God didn’t promise you an easy life, or a cushy anything this side of heaven. If we believe Jesus, … [Read more...] about Are You Selling Something?
Grace for the Journey and Wisdom from the Battles – A Review of “Surviving Sexual Brokenness” by Thom Hunter
Since getting reacquainted and in the loop at SBC Voices, I have come to appreciate each time Thom Hunter shares a new post. His writing is always penetrating and frequently takes a tack that few will ever ponder or dare to do, usually because it is born of personal and often painful experience of the sort that few are willing to share about transparently with others. This is the main reason that I jumped at the offer to review Thom's book, Surviving Sexual Brokenness. If I were required to describe the book using a single word, I would go back to that same idea: transparent. This isn't … [Read more...] about Grace for the Journey and Wisdom from the Battles – A Review of “Surviving Sexual Brokenness” by Thom Hunter
You Probably Heard that Love Is, but Faith Is a Verb Too
Author's note: This post was adapted and reworked from a post I wrote for my personal blog: Jeofurry's Jesus Journey. For those who would want to ask, Jeofurry is an old, but unique, nickname I was given in HS. A few months back in our Thursday night Bible study, we were working our way through Hebrews and the end of chapter 10 into the beginning of chapter 11. Most believers remember Hebrews 11 as the "Faith Hall of Fame" or some similar moniker. But we sometimes forget the faith embodied by those mentioned there. It wasn't perfect or flawless. The men and women cited there were … [Read more...] about You Probably Heard that Love Is, but Faith Is a Verb Too
A Crackpot Idea from a Cracked Pot
I read a pretty broad range of things, so I don't remember where I saw the link to the story, but the headline caught my eye. Why the BBC's new face of religion believes God had a wife. It is sort of a morbid curiosity type of thing, but I had to see what in the world could have possibly given anyone this idea. You can read the article if you want, but it is typically skewed as only a major media religion piece can be. The upshot is that some piece of pottery that was found from the 8th Century BC has a statement about "Yahweh and his Asherah." The inscription is a petition for a … [Read more...] about A Crackpot Idea from a Cracked Pot
Understanding the Science or Making the Throw
Dave wrote such a nice piece about Pujols a week or so ago, that I thought I would return the favor and play up a Yankee analogy. I was sitting around watching SportsCenter and they were talking to Mariano Rivera, the historically great Yankee closer. During the segment, they showed a feature by the "Sports Science" guys about how Rivera's pitches work and at one point there was a split screen and it honestly looked like Rivera was stunned to see the mechanics behind his own pitch. When the announcer asked him if that was really how he did it, Rivera's answer was telling. He said, "I don't … [Read more...] about Understanding the Science or Making the Throw
Can a Really Big Screen Hide a Really Big Problem?
A week or two ago, I stumbled across an article entitled We Are the JumboTron Generation and it got me to thinking. The post contends that how we watch sports live has changed, due in part to giant video boards and the media overload we experience at games now. The JumboTron is a staple of modern professional sports venues and even most of the major college venues as well. I am sure there are plenty of ritzy high schools that might have them too. The problem stems from the change that they have inspired in our culture. Before Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, the JumboTron encouraged … [Read more...] about Can a Really Big Screen Hide a Really Big Problem?
Learning a Thing or Two from the New Perspective on Paul
There has been a push in recent years to rediscover the Jewish side of Paul. He was, after all, a Pharisee who trained under Gamaliel, and it turns out that if you start to see his writings from a rabbinic Hebrew mindset they begin to make a lot more sense. The traditional view on Paul has placed him in a sort of Greek philosophical box and this messes up our understanding of him more so than even his contemporaries dealt with at the time. This has led to a host of theological presumptions that are so widespread, they aren't even questioned. We never dream that the words of Peter could … [Read more...] about Learning a Thing or Two from the New Perspective on Paul