I've been thinking lately about the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke's Gospel (10:25-37). At the same time, I've been reading the newspapers (usually the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times) and listening to podcasts like Honestly with Bari Weiss and Truth Over Tribe. Can I just say this? The world is… Continue reading American politics, neighbors, and enemies
Category: love one another
Love
Show yourself beautiful
Why congregations need to show grace to their leaders. Satan and his demons will do anything to silence the Church. When external persecution is impractical for whatever reason, they exploit human frailties within individual churches. Leaders, especially pastors and priests, find themselves in complex moral, social, and cultural battles on a regular basis. The Church… Continue reading Show yourself beautiful
What does grace look like anyway?
A tiny peek at one chapter of the book, Defaulting to Grace Subscriber Content Subscribe to get access Read more of this content when you subscribe today. Log in What does grace look like? How do we begin to show grace toward our brothers and sisters in Jesus? Where do we begin? We cannot begin… Continue reading What does grace look like anyway?
Subscribe for bonus content
Defaulting to Grace is going to be a book! To celebrate, I've decided to share bonus content to subscribers only. You may already follow me through WordPress, but I invite you to subscribe (free), too. As a subscriber, you'll be first to know about the publication process and timeline along with some sneak peeks at… Continue reading Subscribe for bonus content
Going missing
"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25). The COVID-19 pandemic added to a building cultural sense that regular church attendance… Continue reading Going missing
The Transformational nature of grace
There is a tree on one of my running paths that I just love. A large branch covers the boardwalk and every year it gets just a little lower, a little heavier, and a little broader. I have dozens of pictures as the tree transforms through all four seasons. It is a little different every… Continue reading The Transformational nature of grace
Love, grace, and testimony
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through… Continue reading Love, grace, and testimony
The saddest tweet
Started a new job at UPS today. And after a decade of getting exhausted, hurt, and having bad boundaries in church work, I never expected to be this happy to be a cog in a machine12:42 PM · Sep 21, 2021 I read this tweet the other day and it made me reflect on the… Continue reading The saddest tweet
Where is your identity found?
We live in strange and awful times. Wars abroad, divisions at home, a global pandemic in its second year, and more vitriol spewed on social media than pictures of kittens and bad puns combined. People are quick to speak, slow to listen, and adept at jumping to conclusions based on incomplete information. And that's just… Continue reading Where is your identity found?