Today, the Tennessee Senate approved House Bill 0615, which designates the Bible as its state book. I think that’s a well-intentioned mistake. While the Bible speaks to every person in Tennessee and to all the world […]
Tag: Bible
8 biblical truths about politics
The biblical perspective on politics is multi-faceted, calling us to engage in the care for communities while refusing to put much fear or hope into political outcomes. 1. Political engagement is important. The Old Testament is […]
A basic Bible-reading guide
There are lots of plans for reading through the Bible. Each has its merit and I invite you to try several. The most important thing is to actually do some and to do it as […]
Plugging the holes in our spiritualities
A friend texted me recently about a deeply frustrating conversation he’d had with a client earlier in the day. His language was colorful. Workplace frustrations are a common experience of pretty much everyone who has a […]
Is Christianity a militant faith?
As a kid, I grew up singing “Onward, Christian soldiers” and “I’m in the Lord’s army.” There seemed to be no hesitancy in using militaristic imagery to describe our faith. This was no Cold War […]
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 […]
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 […]
Do you know your God?
Just a couple weeks after I became a pastor, my family and I were invited over to dinner by a family in our new church. Things seemed to be going well until I was asked a […]
Ignoring the wisdom of the past at the expense of our future
I’m not a curmudgeon. I don’t get sentimental about the supposedly good old days. I don’t gripe about kids these days. This world has always been a marvel and a mess. Kids have always been […]
The Dreary Passages — finding God in the dull parts of the Bible
I love the Bible. But not all of it. I know I’m supposed to, but there are parts that I struggle with. And the parts I struggle with most are the parts that cause my […]
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 […]
A trinitarian view of being human that corrects our either/or approaches
I was reading an excellent article, nodding all the way, until I got to the point where the author made a distinction between two types of people and then sided with one of them. From […]