As of today, I am fully underway in pursuit of a Doctor of Theology Degree at Northwest Nazarene University. These past couple of months I have been working on the introductory course (“Introduction to Online Theological Research”). Today I begin my first “real” course: Theological Method and Contextualization. This is why I have not made […]
I feel most at peace and at home when I am in the hills. There is childlike joy that leaps inside me when I walk a mountain trail, awaiting the mystery that lies behind each bend. When someone tells me they “get more” from a day on the lake than a day in church, I […]
The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of Jesus’ most famous parables — if not one of the most well-known passages in the whole Bible. Even those who are completely biblically illiterate have heard of the good Samaritan. “Good Samaritan” is part of our cultural consciousness. We have good Samaritan laws. We refer to […]
Controversial opinion: I think Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are a bad idea. Of course it is good to honor our father and our mother. But this should be done on a regular and active basis, not forced into a particular day that probably does more to serve commercial interests than it does to serve […]
There is a difference between being accessible and being available. Accessibility is the ability to be accessed. For a pastor to be accessible means that their door is always open, their phone is always on (and they always answer), they are always willing to say, “Yes,” when you request their time and presence. Pastors today […]
I recently read The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr. I will keep the review brief: I did not like it. Oh, there were things of value in the book: helpful truths and reminders, important insights, ideas worth some further thought. Yet all of these can be found in better books with less problems. My main […]
“The Bible is clear.” This is a statement I hear on a fairly regular basis. On its own, I do not find the statement inherently problematic. There is much that is “clear” about what scripture teaches. Love God. Love people. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” One would have […]
“The crowd is untruth.” – Søren Kierkegaard “Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they told him, ‘Everyone’s looking for you!’He replied, ‘Let’s head in the other direction, […]
Why did he let me go awaybeyond the sea and failing skyto places cold and deep to stayand wait upon his graceful eye? You let me go and then refusedto let me get away from you.You let me run and watched, amused —as if you knew…as if you knew the sea and distant country too.This […]
I am not usually quick to give advice. The problem with advice is that the giver of advice does not have to live with the consequences of that advice. What works and has value for me may not work for someone else in another situation. Human beings are each unique. There is no cookie cutter […]
The Local Pastor 