Religious or Spiritual?

I am convinced that it isn’t the Christian faith that is hard to sell, it is the takeover of Christianity by religion. Here’s what religion looks like:

The belief that if you get it wrong God will kill you, so you’d better and other’s had better be perfect.
Religion is ultimately serious. Of course spirituality… »

Death Penalty

Sometimes I admit to liking a little controversy or conflict.  It’s the habitat of youth.
I am against the death penalty.  My wife and I can’t discuss the topic civilly, so we don’t discuss the topic at all. She has experienced violence in her life that has shaped her views.  She also… »

Red

My mother sent me a picture of my dog when I was about 15. His name was Red. He was a big old fat Red Lab. I loved that dog. He followed me everywhere I went. I feel bad that I didn’t take better care of him. A… »

Three Thoughts on Education

There is some correlation between educational development and spiritual development.  How people develop in the spiritual arena is still left unexamined to a great extent.
There are systems that lend themselves to consistent growth and those that are less effective. Some are not effective at all.
It is believed by some… »

Dissonance

I have a friend with perfect pitch who hates the D chord on guitar.  Position one as they call it isn’t quite in the perfect pitch.  There’s something about the fret board on most guitars that leaves a little dissonance.
I like dissonance.  Dissonance is the feeling that things just don’t match or line up. Something… »

Names

One of the names kids called me when I grew up was Pinky. I have red hair. Well its grey, blond and red now. Carrot Top was a favorite for my teachers. My favorite name was Butch. I love the name. I wish I had never dropped it. I have… »

Certitude

We live in an age that is committed to certitude. We love the scientist who can tell us for certain where the swine flu will pop up next and how to cure it. It makes us nervous when they have sketchy ideas and hopes but no certainty.
Who knows for sure how… »

Time Travel

My wife and I viewed the movie “The Time Traveler’s Wife” last night. It’s a great movie about a child who is in a traumatic car accident and has a genetic mutation that causes him to travel through time. There is one caveat; he has no control over where or when he… »

Amazement

Amazement is a reaction to life I enjoy. Things often just amaze me.  I have been thinking about things that have amazed me that I’d like to master. 

A friend of my can go to the wrong reference in the Bible and still act like it was part of his message.  … »

On being missional…

I have been doing a good bit of reading on the missional church literature.  Many of us have been trying to make their point for years. A friend of mine Jerry Cook has written a book titled, “Monday Morning Church.”  And he has been harping on the point that the church… »

A Portfolio of Passion…

There is a lot of talk about Passion. I have a number of feelings about passion that I don’t hear often. One of the big questions that leads to success is what do you see as the outcome of your life? What is the real scorecard I have for my life?
I am getting… »

Batteries

I have a friend who years ago convinced me his granddad, who was a Pentecostal preacher, could charge up batteries by faith. It intrigued me so much I went to one of his miracle services. There was lots of dancing and twirling, tambourines and a good bit of screaming in tongues. It was quite an… »

Dogs and Cats

Some people like dogs. Other people like cats. And then there are those that like both. Collecting pets, I have discovered, is an addiction to some. My brother’s neighbor has six dogs and 23 cats. Have you ever noticed that animal addicts rarely have money?
Some people like Fords. Other people like Chevys. Some like foreign… »

Preparation

I think there is an important part of life that precedes all great advances. It is a preparation phase. Usually one has a great deal of hope and trust before a surprising work of God. Being of Wesleyan persuasion I believe all dynamic advances are part of the healing aspect of salvation. We must be… »

Time Flies

The writer of Ecclesiastes told us “to everything there is a season.” Everything has its time. We are entering into a new season of time. We have a new year with a new clock. What are we to do with it?
Times have four basic meanings for us. Time is a gift,… »