A phone call. A text. A reminder to get in touch with that one person about that one thing. A promise to check in about something. An errand. A delivery. A note. They seem small. But when we neglect them, we neglect the people attached to them. [Click title to read more.]
Tag: church
I’m Conflicted About Sermons Focused On Books and Movies
I worry that we're walking into the dangerous habit of assuming that reading/watching something "Christian" is the same thing as learning what is actually in the Bible, or dwelling on Christ's teachings, or developing our own critical thinking abilities. [Click title to read more.]
Guard Your Time As Fall Approaches
Be wise with your choices and thoughtful with your time. Devoting your time to God doesn't always mean overloading your schedule with church activities. [Click title to read more.]
What We Miss When We Romanticize The Early Church
I often think our modern church is guilty of romanticizing the New Testament Church. And yet it strikes me that we only ever seem to romanticize those warm, cozy moments when believers are hanging out together in small rooms. [Click title to read more.]
Shibboleths and Gatekeepers
The only word necessary to cross the great ford that separates us from God is the name of Christ, and anyone can say it. May God spare us from becoming self-anointed gatekeepers over minor and insignificant issues. [Click title to read more.]
The Dangers of Being Easily Influenced (By Really Good People)
When we let ourselves be too easily influenced by other Christians - even the really, super-good ones! - we run the temptation of idolizing them. And then we're crushed and brokenhearted when it turns out that they're not perfect after all. [Click title to read more.]
Your “Comfortable” Is Someone Else’s Blizzard
In fact, sometimes - without even intending to - I expect that other Christians will always respond to situations or think the same things or share the same feelings or hobbies or preferences that I do. And that's hardly the case! [Click title to read more.]
Dissecting The Church Clique
That word, "clique" - people don't like it. And they don't like being described with it because they associate it with cattiness and backstabbing. But that's not the way I mean it here. When I say "church clique," I'm simply referring to a group of Christians with a shared history whose culture (often unintentionally) is more insular than inclusive. [Click title to read more.]
Sometimes God’s Grace Weighs Heavy On Me
It's true that Christianity is simple, in the sense that it's easy enough to grasp and apply. But oh, sometimes it is hard: not to apply the good news to ourselves, but to live in the light of grace as it impacts others. [Click title to read more.]
Making Room For Discomfort In Church
We as believers need to make it possible for people to express, to discuss, and to interrogate their discomfort without punishing, ostracizing, or condemning them for doing so. [Click title to read more.]
Samaritan's Song 