Reading: Colossians 1:24-29 (Use the Logos app in the left column to look it up!) Watching the Olympics this week I'm always amazed at the use of the word "glory" to describe what the athletes are doing and the medals they're getting for it. Last night we watched Shaun White sail an insane distance above …
"Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." – Genesis 2:7 Last Wednesday night we had several things going on at the church. Our preschool was having their winter program, while we had a couple …
Ashes to Ashes – A Meditation for the First Day of Lent Continue Reading »
Check out the sidebar for a photo album with more snapshots from the Korea trip.
I'm sitting in the Tokyo airport waiting for the next flight that will move me farther towards home, but wanted to take a few minutes after consuming a Big Mac to kind of give a wrap on the trip. I'm sure it will take me a few days to process it all. Needless to say, …
A North Korean soldier watches our group as we visit the DMZ–the heavily guarded border between North and South. This is a land under constant tension. We were instructed to make no gestures or point at the North Koreans as incidents have occurred in the past. Having spent a lot of my life in the …
Day 3 (or is it 4?) of my trip to Seoul, South Korea to visit churches and experience Korean culture with my classmates in the Beeson Doctor of Ministry program. A few highlights so far: * We've spent the last two nights at Kwanglim Methodist Church's retreat center "Prayer Mountain." It's a beautiful facility in …
Sitting down to lunch and had an open wireless connection so I thought I’d update via my iPod. We visited a missionary cemetery this morning that contains some of the first Western missionaries to Korea in the 19th century. It was inspiring to think about these people who followed God’s call and spent their lives …
Awaking to our first morning in Korea. Had a great Korean dinner last night after arriving at the hotel–bulgogi beef cooked right at the table. Flights were very smooth and made to feel quick due to lots of movies. Starting our journey today by going to Prayer Mountain. More posts as I get internet access.
Some of you know that I have been dealing with a cold over the past week. I don’t tend to get sick very often, thankfully, but when I do it usually hits me pretty hard. I spent the day home on Tuesday blowing through boxes of tissues and coughing so hard I thought I might …
via abcnews.go.com I find it fascinating that people are upset about this as a church-state issue and not so much as a complete reversal of Jesus' nonviolent ethic of the Kingdom. Putting Bible verses on gun scopes? Pat Robertson claiming Haiti deserved their fate? It's little wonder the rest of the world thinks Christians are …
U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret ‘Jesus’ Bible Codes – ABC News Continue Reading »
Ask most pastors which they’d rather do—a wedding or a funeral—and most will tell you they’d take the funeral every time. There are a lot of reasons for that, but I like to explain it terms of focus. At a funeral, everyone is focused on their own mortality, so their attentiveness to spiritual things is …
One of the courses I just finished up for my doctoral program was focused on “Advanced Church Leadership,” which involved reading a whole stack of books on the topic of what it means to be a leader, successful leadership strategies, managing change, the life of the leader, etc. We read a lot of books written …
I’ve been reading a really interesting book over the holidays that seems appropriate in a year when we either begin or end a new decade (depending on your point of view). The title is Your Flying Car Awaits: Robot Butlers, Lunar Vacations, and Other Dead Wrong Predictions of the 20th Century, written by Paul Milo. …
STORY HIGHLIGHTSJesus wasn't poor, Rev. C. Thomas Anderson claimsPreacher: Donkey, wise men's gifts, expensive undergarments prove Jesus was wealthy Professor: "torturous interpretations" and historical naivete make Jesus rich Televangelists have built megachurches by equating piety and prosperity via www.cnn.com Annnnddd…here's the annual "let's look at some fantastically shocking angle on the Jesus story" article. I …
Passions over ‘prosperity gospel’: Was Jesus wealthy? – CNN.com Continue Reading »