When I was a kid, there was a group of boys on our short, dead-end street who would play together. Among the many outdoor games we’d play was, of course, follow the leader. And Greg Smith […]
Tag: discipleship
Farewell, Gordy
The day after we lost Jan Peterson, we lost Charles Gordon Strom, a father figure to me whose influence at a pivotal time in my life has left an indelible mark. My first encounters with […]
Putting on Christ
My body loves to gain weight. I know I’m not alone in this. But if I don’t exercise, I’m in trouble. And when I do exercise, I generate vast quantities of sweat. Buckets of sweat. […]
True fans & true disciples
A friend of mine went to Washington State University and has been a fan of their historically terrible football team ever since. This year, they’re having a remarkably successful season, but that hasn’t been the […]
A back-to-school prayer
Jesus, as you sat in synagogues and walked Galilean roads, you were called “good teacher.” As our Teacher, watch over and inspire school teachers this year. May their words be true yet humble. May their guidance […]
Theology for everyday life
Too often there is a disconnect between what we believe and how we live. There’s Sunday worship and there’s the rest of life. We know there ought to be a connection between the two. In […]
Following the Jesus who follows us
Do we follow Jesus or does he follow us? The question is less simple than it lets on. One of Jesus’ signature quotes is, “Follow me.” Simple. Direct. Unmistakable. Evocative. He looks an individual in […]
When God dumps out your toy box … it must be time to play!
You can always tell what toys my kids are into, because they’re all over the house. I do a lot of cleaning up of the toys behind my kids. But they just keep dumping them out again. […]
A reflection on reflection
Albedo. It’s not a common word, but it’s a common experience. It has to do with reflectability — an object’s ability to reflect light. Every night, when the earth has turned away from the sun […]
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. […]
Of love and technique
My three boys and I love soccer. I played as a kid and have coached my boys during their early years of playing the game, stepping aside when I got to the limits of my coaching […]