“One of the few clear differences between Christianity and Judaism is the former’s entertainment of the idea of singleness as the paradigm way of life for its followers. . . . Singleness was legitimate, not because sex was thought to be a particularly questionable activity, but because the mission of the church was such that … More QUOTABLES: On Singleness
Dear Beloved, I use that salutation purposefully, knowing how strange it must sound to contemporary ears: “Dear Beloved?” We live in an age of quickly shot-off emails and spontaneous texts that begin with an informal “Yo” or “Hey”(if there’s any salutation at all). But let me tell you why I use “beloved” in my weekly … More Beloved
What if we’ve only preached half the message of the cross for most of the history of the church? What if the message of the cross was meant to be more than a momentary transaction at the foot of Christ’s cross? What if the evangelization of the world prior to Christ’s return requires a community … More American Disciples at the Cross – Part 3
On the one hand, we have a loveless Truth wrapped in verbal explosives running around blowing things up and worsening the divide. On the other hand, we have a soft, squishy inoffensive Love parading herself around as the best way forward for society, but she forgot to pack the Truth when she set out on her journey. … More Tossed by the Waves (Eph 4:14)
“My husband was laid off work over a year ago and has not been able to find a job. I guess unemployment and its financial impact is our current cross to bear.” “Our marriage has been rocky for many years, and I don’t see signs of improvement at the moment. I guess this is our … More American Disciples at the Cross – Part 2
My sermon this past Sunday made a case that the church, by and large, has embraced one cross and avoided the other. The message of the cross must be two-fold: 1) Bowing in humble repentance at the foot of Jesus’ cross where Christ won the victory and where we receive forgiveness of our sins, and … More American Disciples at the Cross – Part 1
Billy Graham preached to over 215 million people in more than 185 countries in his lifetime. His impact for Kingdom work is significant. Late in his life, he was asked how he would go about making disciples if he was the pastor of a church. His response is recorded in Robert Coleman’s book, The Master Plan … More Who are Your Twelve?
A repost from February 2012. “You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world, but you do have to know a few great things that matter and to be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable … More A Life Worth Living (John Piper)
A repost from 2011. Doubting Thomases abound among God’s people. In fact, if we’re honest, we all play his part many times over in our walk of faith. Yet, some among us are given the spiritual gift of faith, or supernatural insight, discernment and so on. Some in the church are given dreams and visions, … More Spiritual Eyesight & Doubting Thomases
I was recently asked a good question: What do you think about the popular practice of “mindfulness” and “meditation”? Here’s my initial response. I’m not sure what kind of “mindfulness” you’re critiquing. Eastern meditation seeks to empty our minds, to be mindful of our own “inner divinity” and mindful of the Oneness that permeates all … More Q&A: On Mindfulness & Meditation
I have been deeply influenced by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and have sweet memories of reading his ‘Cost of the Discipleship’ book for the first time in college. I have his portrait framed and hanging above my desk — he watches over me as I write this (along with other formative influences). To underscore my admiration, I lobbied hard … More Bonhoeffer & the Cost of Discipleship
I worry we’re preaching the love of Christ while ignoring the wisdom of Christ. I worry we’re raising up a generation of Christians shaped by the shallow and spineless gospel of the Beatles: “All you need is love, love, love.” Yet, take away wisdom and all you have a bunch of “foolish lovers” driven along by fluctuating emotions and trendy causes. Love must be accompanied by wisdom. Wisdom guides us to love rightly. … More What Keeps Me Awake? Pt. 3
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from.” Psalm 121 There she sits, windows all aglow, full of warmth and perched high upon Berg Mountain: our cozy home. But here we all sit at the bottom of the hill, tired from travels, cranky with coughs and sniffles, stranded in our mini-van, … More Cold Snowdrifts to Warm Fireplaces
A friend in ministry just texted me a light and fluffy Friday afternoon question: “I’m laying out a vision for Discipleship with my people on Monday. What are 3 awesome things about being a disciple? What are 3 awesome things about making disciples?” He might as well have asked me to sum up the mystery … More Aching & Yearning for the Kingdom
A good reminder for a New Year. A repost from about 9 years ago. -JB Somewhere along the way, largely in the wake of the Enlightenment’s enthronement of human reason, Christianity morphed into a rational quest for right knowledge and head beliefs. Discipleship naturally became a classroom exercise with teachers, Bible curriculum and eager (and … More Life’s the Curriculum, You’re the Assignment
From the DI archives — December 2009. I love fresh starts. Clean slates. New beginnings. Therefore I love New Year’s day. It’s a time to take inventory of our lives’ rhythms and priorities, make necessary adjustments, or those pesky “resolutions” and all the rest. For the Christian it is a time for inward reflection on … More “Shackled” for the New Year (James 4:13-17)
From the DI archives. -JB Are you tired of Top 10 lists? Are you tired of talk of resolutions? I like most top 10 lists but find the resolutions to be a bit too predictable and repetitive. Here’s one such list. According to their research, here are the top 10 New Year resolutions for the past … More New Year’s Idolatry
By Mike Fox On my desk at work I have a scripture-a-day calendar. When I get to work in the morning, one of the first things I do is tear off yesterday’s verse and look at the new verse. I never look ahead. I look forward to the surprise. Last week one of the verses … More “Here I Am!” (by Mike Fox)
I was alone at the church this Wednesday, preparing a large table for our second “Agape” gathering — a new monthly celebration of the Eucharist. I found my soul anxious and my spirit restless. I was physically tired, but mostly suffering from fear of disappointing others and myself. Whenever I put my hands to some … More Justifying My Existence
“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” -Ghandi “Have a safe trip!” we say as they drive out of the driveway. “Safe travels!” we say as we drop them off at the airport. “HAVE A SAFE SUMMER,” the school sign reads as kids leave for summer break. Such commonplace … More Don’t Let Fear Win
I have enjoyed reading through many of Menno Simon’s writings this week. A great website has made them available to us at http://www.mennosimons.net. Here’s an excerpt from a letter called “A Kind Admonition” that spotlight’s a key focus of Menno’s teachings: the new birth that results in a new life shaped by the example of … More “A Kind Admonition” by Menno Simons
The cute little ghosts and goblins, witches and vampires knocking on your darkened door with disappointment that you’re not home are NOT the evil we should be placing in the crosshairs of our spiritual warfare offensives. Doesn’t the Bible itself warn us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”? So, why do some Christians get so bent out of shape over these cute children disguised as angels of darkness? … More My Annual Halloween Rant
Like a rock band with a new released album, we all tend to live our lives trying to climb up someone else’s chart, always comparing ourselves to those below and above us. We obsess over our outward appearance and reputation, neglecting to care for our inner selves. … More Music Artists & Soul Artisans
I compiled a sampling of sacred texts below that can help us be more loving and wise in our interactions on social media. If only all Christians would seriously consider these words before they send off that tweet or make that comment on a friend’s post. These are just a few of the hundreds of … More Texts for Taming the Tongue
WWJT? “What would Jesus Tweet?” I’ve been asking this question this week as I watch people wax bombastic on their Facebook pages or Twitter feeds. There’s a lot of shouting past one another and very little listening (not to mention loving). Strong opinions abound while grace and civility are in short supply. So, how might … More Social Media & The Sermon on the Mount
Kingdom Harbor 