October 2016

  • When are you living for?

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    We’re all conscious of time. It’s finitude and speed. Sometimes languishing and always passing, faster and faster as we age. There’s something about having less real estate left to cover which increases our velocity. We all have thoughts about time and how we live our lives. And we’re all focused somewhere: past, present, future. When are you…

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  • Climbing Trees

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    Did you climb trees as a kid? I never did. I wasn’t a climber. Maybe it was my fear of heights or insecurity about upper body strength. I’m guessing it has more to do with my being a pretty chill kid than anything else. So I didn’t climb trees. But that didn’t mean I didn’t…

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  • Drawing the bad hand – When both of your choices suck.

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    I wrote over a thousand words, trying to rationalize decision-making in the midst of bad choices. And it was all very sensible. And an utter crock. Because sometimes, we’re stuck with complete and total junk. Some of you might be thinking of the election. That’s fine. But there are many more choices that are far…

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  • Money – evil or blessing?

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    As a Christian, I hate talking about money. I remember walking into a Roman Catholic church years ago. My girlfriend at the time was Catholic. And lucky us, the priest preached about giving to the congregation. We came back two weeks later and heard another sermon about giving money to the church. Not just a little.…

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  • Just do the right thing.

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    If we whittle down our faith, we are left with two base ideas: what we believe and what we do. There is nothing more traditional in Christian faith than arguing over which one is better. Betting on God. Blaise Pascal made my favorite case for belief. Unlike most apologetics, which argue the case for God’s…

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  • Can we build a wall? Refugees, immigration, and hospitality.

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    I crossed our northern border into Canada often in the mid-2000s. As an American student at a Canadian seminary, I remember the border patrol finding that idea confusing. “Why would you go to school there?” Growing up in a border state, going to Canada was simple and easy. We’d flash a driver’s license and go…

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  • I’m going to go find God in the woods.

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    I find God in music and conversation. I’ve never found anything divine in doctrine. But once in awhile I find conversations about doctrine can be holy. A big part of ministry today is spiritual rehab. For those suffering from Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome and those fleeing a toxic world of discipline and sin management. Or the abuse…

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  • Is Jesus cool with MMA? Self-defense and the gospel.

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    I’m not sure what Jesus would think of modern sports, but I know the Prince of Peace doesn’t dig on violence. And considering his critiques of Rome, I’m guessing mixed martial arts isn’t his bag. Any fights in cages where people come to watch people pummel each other would probably be too Roman and not enough…

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