Category: Personal

Funding the Jericho Inn: A MainStreet Update

November 20, 2018

Jesus’ mission prioritized the marginalized and neglected people of his day. He didn’t send out his apostles—i.e., “church planters”—saying, “Go ye therefore to the sprawling suburbs and invite the upwardly mobile dual income families with children.” He said, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Luke 14:21). Would you try growing a church with such folks? … More Funding the Jericho Inn: A MainStreet Update

David Johnson: 38 Years of Divine Electricity

November 15, 2018

The bleachers squeaked like crazy. It smelled like a locker room. It got hot and stuffy on Saturday nights in the summer. We were packed in like sardines as upbeat guitars and the 90s choruses of “Trading My Sorrows” and “Shout to the Lord” echoed throughout the Robbinsdale High School gymnasium. As the last song … More David Johnson: 38 Years of Divine Electricity

The FULL Serenity Prayer

October 25, 2018

My pastoral counselor prescribed for me the daily practice of praying the famous Serenity Prayer for the next couple weeks. While this prayer is usually associated with recovery groups, it has much broader application for many other personal afflictions. I discovered two new things as I accepted this assignment. First, I was asked to look … More The FULL Serenity Prayer

Driftwood: A Psalm

August 21, 2018

The fog is heavy and blinding. The accusing voice is loud and convincing. The waves crash against my ramshackle frame. The wind tosses my beleaguered self to and fro. I’m driftwood, water logged yet still afloat. I need the Sun to burn away the fog. I long to hear the Good Shepherd’s Voice. I listen for … More Driftwood: A Psalm

The Weeping Pastor

August 2, 2018

“You’re name is NOT Jeremy!” the large, black man shouted into my ear with his thick Caribbean accent. His hands were heavy on my shoulders as he stood over me as I sat helplessly in a chair in a dim-lit room. “Your true name is Jeremiah! You are the weeping prophet!” he continued in his … More The Weeping Pastor

A Desert Prayer

April 26, 2018

I need to drown again in the regenerating waters of my baptism. I’m drowning on the world’s air and gasping for water this week. I preached about abiding in the Christ on Sunday, and have spent the entire week making sand castles in a God-forsaken desert. … More A Desert Prayer

Blogging Aloud in the Streets

February 19, 2018

My daily posts are my attempt to parade Lady Wisdom’s attractive figure across the busy intersections of Facebook with its whistling pedestrians casually scrolling about, passing the time, spying on old friends, watching silly cat videos, reading nasty meme’s and tripping over all the political trash littering the streets and ditches of the social media landscape. I only hope that occasionally someone will hear Lady Wisdom’s cry and stop to listen. … More Blogging Aloud in the Streets