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
Eugene Peterson captures the thought of preachers as they look out on the congregation each Sunday: “Every Sunday I look across this congregation and wonder, prayerfully, what is going on. I know most of you pretty well. But there is a lot I don’t know. I am here every week with the conviction that this … More QUOTABLES: View From The Pulpit
“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on? Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” Jesus was a wise sage, steeped in the ancient wisdom of the Jewish Scriptures, who formed a community of learners who welcomed his message. His message offered a new Way to be human, an alternative Way to … More Walk Up the Street to a New Life
On a 103 degree afternoon 13 years ago today I wore a black suit and tie. I stood between two tall, healthy trees sweating bullets. It wasn’t the oppressive July heat but the nervous anticipation for what was about to take place. I was about to behold my bride adorned in her wedding dress for … More “I get to marry her? Really?!”
“When a preacher opens the Bible and interprets the Word of God, a mystery takes place, a miracle: the grace of God, who comes down from heaven into our midst and speaks to us, knocks on our door, asks questions, warns us, puts pressure on us, alarms us, and makes us joyful again and free … More QUOTABLES: Bonhoeffer on Preaching
The question of the evangelist should be: “If you don’t die tonight, what are you going to do tomorrow?” And the answer should be: “I’m going to trust Jesus with all my life, with everything, and that will allow me to live in the Kingdom of God.” -DALLAS WILLARD
I wrote an end of the year reflection in December, doing some introspection. Its the final chapter in my Soul Artisan book. I thought I’d risk sharing some of it here. -JB Planting the church almost killed me. There are parts of me that still haven’t recovered 6 years later. I think I’ve been burned out since … More The Me God Made Me to Be
“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare…. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. … More Everything IN the Lord
From the Babylon Bee, a Christian satire site. Attendance, Parents Shocked By Daughter’s Lack Of Faith April 7, 2016 Fullerton, CA—Local father Trevor Michelson, 48, and his wife Kerri, 45, are reeling after discovering that after 12 years of steadily taking their daughter Janie to church every Sunday they didn’t have a more pressing sporting commitment—which was … More Parents Shocked by Daughter’s Lack of Faith (Babylon Bee)
When it comes to how followers of Jesus ought to engage in politics, I’m an Anabaptist. Anabaptists believe in following Jesus’ radical ethic laid out in the Sermon on the Mount, and keeping the church separate from earthly power and politics. Here’s Greg Boyd, another Anabaptist thinker, giving 12 reasons to keep the kingdom of God … More Gotta Keep ’em Separated (Greg Boyd)
SERMON 3.25.18 – The Prayer of Jesus & the V-Shaped Life This is an example of the kinds of sermons I’m preaching these days. They are thick, juicy but too long! There’s at least 3 different sermons packed into this one. Don’t tell my congregants, but I really am setting a goal to shorten them … More SERMON: The V-Shaped Life
by Pete Scazzero Limits are often the last place we look for God. We want to conquer them, plan around them, deny them, and fight them. We attend leadership conferences so we can step out in faith and break through the limits before us. The problem is that when we fail to look for God … More God’s Gift of Limits
This is a classic piece by N.T. Wright re-examining the meaning of some biblical texts in their Jewish context that have been hijacked by other interpretive schemes over the years. From Bible Review, August 2001, reprinted at NTWrightPage. Little did Paul know how his colorful metaphors for Jesus’ second coming would be misunderstood two millennia later. … More Farewell to the Rapture (N.T. Wright)
I tend to be a bit forgetful at times. I’ll walk upstairs to get something but forget what it was when I arrive. I’m still in my 30s but I swear my short-term memory is fading! The obvious solution for this affliction is to write things down, make lists, or plug it into my iPhone calendar. … More The Palms of His Hands
We’re on a steady incline up the great mountain that is Psalm 119, scaling the heights of God’s Law and the glimpsing the glory of his promises along the way. Each peak is 8 verses, so let’s tackle another this morning — Psalm 119:49-56. Reading the Bible is kind of like watching a tennis match. … More The Theme of My Song (Psalm 119:49-56)
“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
I recently gave a lecture on Reading Revelation Responsibly based on the great book by Michael Gorman by the same title. Needless to say, trying to cover the entire Book of Revelation in 90 minutes is a lofty task. I began with the following illustration: What if a silver DeLorean drove up to your house, the … More Revelation for Today
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
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” -Jim Elliot, Christian martyr killed while bringing the gospel to the Auca Indians in the Amazon Jungle in 1956.
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)
I’m a big fan of both U2 and Johnny Cash, so I can’t believe I was unaware of this song. Powerful lyrics and performances. Thanks for sharing, Phil. Enjoy! Written by Bono (U2) Peformed by Johnny Cash I went out walking through streets paved with gold Lifted some stones, saw the skin and bones Of … More The Wanderer
“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
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” -DIETRICH BONHOEFFER The creed of contemporary Christianity offers “A God without wrath [who] … More QUOTABLES: The Cross in Our Culture
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.” … More QUOTABLES: The Hobbit
Jeremy Berg 