As we near another presidential election, I find that my primary concern is not how this election will impact the country but how it will impact the Church of Jesus Christ. Of course, as a resident of the United States of America, I have concerns about our leadership, the economy, foreign policy, and so on. […]
Being a parent of young children means that I read a lot of children’s books. One character in these books that has fascinated me is Amelia Bedelia. Amelia Bedelia’s quirk is that she takes words at their most literal meaning. For example, she sprays the guest of honor at a baby shower with a hose […]
As I worked on my sermon for Pentecost this last week, I was struck by Peter’s interpretation of what had just happened. The people in Jerusalem hear the disciples speaking in tongues and ask, “What does this mean?” Peter responds by quoting from the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour […]
Reading fiction should be part of every pastor’s job description. Most pastors read often, but if a pastor’s reading consists only of Bible commentaries and leadership books, then their reading is anemic. A good novel is more helpful for the work of pastoral ministry than over 99% of “pastoral leadership” books on the market. Fiction, […]
“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…” These words from U2 have had a profound impact on my understanding of the life of faith. For years I heard these words as a song expressing a lack of faith. As Augustine famously said, “My heart is restless until it rests in thee.” I would hear […]
Last week I went to see Dune: Part Two for the second time. Being a parent of young children, going to the movies is a bit of a rarity. So for me to go see a movie twice in a theatrical run is as big of a compliment as I can give it. Dune: Part […]
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them” Matthew 18:20 (CEB). Few of us believe this anymore. Many of us will say we believe it. Jesus said it so of course we confess it to be true. But the reality is that few in the western world believe these […]
These past couple of weeks I have been watching rug cleaning videos on youtube.1 I understand this may sound like watching videos of paint drying! Why sit and watch a twenty minute video of someone cleaning a rug? Yet the experience is surprisingly satisfying. The rug cleaner begins by unrolling the rug. We see all […]
“Out of the mouths of babes and infantsyou have founded a bulwark because of your foesto silence the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2 It is difficult to watch a movie with young children. Friday night is movie night in our house. This last week we watched Candleshoe (a good little movie that I had […]
Over these past few weeks I have been preaching on Lazarus from John 11 and 12. After sitting in Lazarus’ company these past few weeks, I have come to believe that it is likely that Lazarus had a mental disability. Granted, we do not possess enough data to arrive at any kind of certainty. If […]
The Local Pastor 