Foster Parenting and Being In, Not of, Relationship
Shortly after our foster daughter came to live with us, one of my friends asked, “How should I refer to her? As your daughter, or as your foster daughter?” I'm learning that the answer isn’t quite that straightforward.
Radicals, Centrists, and the Postures of the Kingdom of God
Centrists and moderates often have a bad reputation. They’re often accused of not really taking a position on today’s most important issues. I’m not here to defend centrists today. But I wonder if this entire conversation might be missing the point.
Hoping for a Year of Positive Politics
We are now less than one year away from the next Presidential election day, and I suspect the coming months are going to be filled with the most bitter, contentious, and polarizing politics our nation has seen in the past century or more. Yet I'm hopeful that we can have a season of positive politics…
Why do church online?
Jeff Reed invited me to be on a panel discussing the “why” of church online. We tackled the big questions about what it really means to be the church in an online context, and identified the strengths and weaknesses of building relationships through digital channels. These are my detailed responses.
“Mind Over Matter”
I used to think I could conquer the limitations of my body by exercising my mind. I thought my body was working against me in my pursuit of God. But if God made my body and called it “good,” why would I treat it as corrupt?
One Thousand Words a Day
I made a goal for myself to write one thousand words a day, and sometimes, to meet my goal, I have to repeat myself.
Sabbath: Resisting the Weight of the World
The call to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy is a call to remember that God is the one in control. Every day, I need this reminder that I can trust others to serve while I rest, and that the manifestation of God’s kingdom in the world does not rest entirely on my shoulders.
How My Mom Showed Me God
My mom came in, saw my tears, and sat next to me, asking what was wrong. So I opened up to her – something I don’t do well – and shared why my heart was tearing. Her words to me changed my life. I think about them often, and even when I’m not consciously thinking about…
Love Like Christ
Loving a person is different than not hating them. In my own life, I find that my indifference – or my activism solely from behind a computer – keeps me from truly loving like Christ.
Wild Goose Festival: An Uncomfortable, Sacred Space
As I type this, I am sitting in a Barnes and Noble in Asheville, North Carolina. In about an hour, I will head to the airport and fly back home to Kansas City, but in the meantime, I am working to process the overwhelming multisensory experience of the Wild Goose Festival I just left. This…