What is the relationship between sexuality and spirituality? In many ways, sexuality has become its own spirituality. And in the process, it has coopted church music and biblical language to articulate it. Ray Charles has […]
Category: Worship
Death by packaging
We’ve got a packaging problem. A recent article in the venerable Atlantic suggests that those plastic coffee pods that make Keurig brewing machines so convenient and popular are adding tons of the non-recyclable, non-biodegradable plastic K-cups […]
When "skipping church" isn't skipping church (and when it is)
I love the meme that accompanies this post because it points to several mistakes about what it means to be the church while intending neither. 1. The first mistake is equating being in a building with church. […]
Is my God really just my dog?
I love my dog. Ebony comes when I call her. She goes to her bed when I tell her to. She’s always excited to see me. She does tricks when I offer her a treat […]
John Daker, preaching, and when you don't know the words
A few years ago, John Daker took my home by storm. His failed attempt to sing a medley of songs as a fill-in singer on a local public broadcast station was truly hilarious. And so, […]
Re-membering — the relationship between community, worship & covenant
One of our sanest writers is Wendell Berry. His contribution as a Christian essayist to the environmental movement has been unique and profound. His poetry, especially his Sabbaths collection, is evocative and wise. But it’s his […]
Church is about a community to serve, not a service to attend
Relationships are both the means and the end of this life. We were made for community, and yet it is the most difficult thing we ever do. The biblical account confirms this. After an amazing […]
How to read the Bible, part 4 — Live — I live a life of active response to the God who speaks.
What we’re after is a life well-lived. Not just well-thought. Not just well-talked about. Not just well-reflected on. Not just well-prayed. These are all good things and a full life includes them. But a life […]
How to read the Bible, part 3 — Pray — I speak back to the God who is speaking to me.
It’s only polite to listen to those who speak to us. It’s also impolite to remain silent when someone has just tried to engage us in a conversation. When someone speaks to me, I respond. […]
How to read the Bible, part 2 — Engage — God is speaking … to me.
Once we’ve done the first step of Bible reading — listening to the God who speaks — we move on the the personal step: engaging. The second step in what is known as lectio divina is […]
How to read the Bible, part 1 — Read — God speaks. We listen.
There are four steps to the process of Bible reading referred to as “sacred reading” or lectio divina. The first of these is lectio, which simply refers to reading. As followers of Jesus, we know that we’re […]
What is the most lasting effect of preaching?
Far too much attention has been given to the sermon as an event. I don’t deny that it is one. I am named after one of the greatest preachers ever. Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 […]
Preaching that leads to praying
Preachers gather compliments, most of which are merely polite: “Good sermon, pastor.” But one of the ones I cherish most was both simple and sincere: “You’ve taught me how to pray.” Early on in my […]
What the preacher should do when the sermon sucks — three tips for before heading to the pulpit
What does a pastor do when it’s Sunday and life has intruded so much during the week that there hasn’t been a chance to write a sermon? Or the sermon that has been written sucks […]
How to end the worship wars for good — part 2
We’ve already noted the need to move from a focus on experience in worship to an encounter with God. Experiences are great, but when we make them the goal and/or measure of worship, we become […]
How to end the worship wars for good — part 1
I’ve written elsewhere about the need to move the focus of worship from experience to encounter. If we gather to meet Our Triune God as a community, rather than to have a transcendent experience as […]
The purpose of worship — from experience to encounter
In a 2005 interview with Christianity Today, Eugene Peterson said, “Do we realize how almost exactly the Baal culture of Canaan is reproduced in American church culture? Baal religion is about what makes you feel […]
Informed but unformed — regaining the purpose of preaching
I was satisfied. The preacher had provided extensive background to the biblical text and I had learned so much from it. The historical context. The use of certain language in the text. How Jewish and […]
How has Easter become the most predictable Sunday of the year?
I don’t get sunrise services on Easter morning. When I look back over my life of church stuff, I can’t remember a sunrise service that I liked. I never wanted to get out of bed. […]
Worship that misses … on purpose
If every song and scripture connects with you in worship, it might be time to try another church. If what is included in worship is only as wide as your current experience, there’s a real […]
Do we "owe" worship to God?
I came across an ancient Persian poem by a poet named Hafiz, written in the 1300s. It made me think of worship. Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, “you […]
A picture of our torn up praise
Awhile back, I came across a song by the band Phosphorescent called “A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise” and it has intrigued me ever since — not the song, just the title. Doesn’t our […]