In honor of Black History month, I want to share a piece I wrote last fall in the midst of all the NFL players taking a knee, but did not publish out of fear of ruffing some feathers. But sometimes feathers need to be gently ruffled. Sometimes we need to have our eyes opened and … More Taking A Knee for Black History Month
I was entering my senior year of college, finishing up a B.A. in Biblical & Theological Studies and a minor in New Testament Greek. But I was never going to be a pastor! I had absolutely no desire to lead a church. I was 21 years old with a deep hunger to study the Scriptures … More Me & Billy G – First Job (Almost)
I’m an artisan. It’s taken me about 38 years to admit it. My right brain has been trying to get my attention for years. I’ve been too busy doing important left brain stuff to notice. Or, perhaps I’ve been doing a lot of right brain stuff and giving the left brain all the credit. … More Right vs. Left Brain Pastor
This is the first of a series of personal tributes to Billy Graham as we celebrate and remember his life. I snuck away from a leadership conference in Chicago awhile back to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes — checking out the local used bookstore. My eye caught the front cover of a Billy … More Me & Billy G – A Face in the Crowd
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
Isn’t it interesting the early church never developed into anything resembling the rabbinic model of education and organization? Paul was a Pharisee who studied under the great Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem, and yet the style of his teaching and apostolic ministry never resulted in training up Christian rabbis to pass on Jesus’ interpretation of Torah to eager students. Just read Acts and the Epistles and you find nothing rabbinic in shape about early Christian education. … More Jesus, Sages & the Mishnah
A Christmas gift to myself this year was a collection of Sunday Sermons from the ancient Church Fathers. They are arranged according to the Church Calendar with about 5 or 6 sermons each Sunday for that week’s Gospel text from the likes of Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine. This first Sunday in Lent I read … More Ancient Sermon on 40 Days of Lent
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
What keeps me awake at night is wondering if all of my pastoral efforts are actually producing disciples. Are we just keeping people busy with programs and gatherings, or are people being gradually (and imperfectly) formed into Christlikeness? I felt Paul’s exasperation lately over his beloved church when he wrote, “Oh, my dear children! I … More What Keeps Me Awake? Pt. 2
The United States has a love affair with Eros; I’d say our society as a whole is worshiping at the temple of Eros — and not just once a year. Consider the numbers… … More Love, Marriage & Singleness at the Apocalypse
Every Christian should want to know what keeps their pastor awake at night. What is his/her greatest longing and burden for his/her congregation? I’ve been asking myself this question a lot as I prepare for the next year at MainStreet Covenant Church. It’s year seven or so in the life of this church. The excitement … More What Keeps Me Awake? Pt. 1
Like the angels ascending and descending on Jacob’s ladder, the person who “abides” or “dwells” in Jesus by faith will experience the grace and peace of God ascending and descending in our lives on a regular basis. We’ll experience grace as Heaven’s promises descend into our valleys of despair and need. … More Where Thou Dwelleth?
We don’t think attaining “the blessed life” has any correlation with faithful obedience and diligent devotion! If Jesus was obedient for us, then we can lazily float away our days on a inflatable lounger in the pool of cheap grace. … More Climbing Mt. Everest (Psalm 119)
“Of all the disciplines theology is the fairest, the one that moves the head and heart most fully, the one that comes closest to human reality, the one that gives the clearest perspective on the truth which every disciple seeks. . . . But of all disciplines, theology is also the most difficult and the … More QUOTABLES: Karl Barth on Theology
“If you feel or imagine that you are right and you suppose that your book, teaching, or writing is a great achievement . . . then, my dear man, feel your ears . . . . You will find that you have a splendid pair of big, long, shaggy ass’s ears.” -MARTIN LUTHER
In this series I’m sharing some of the Scriptures that have most radically influenced my own life and faith. Read full series here. I love the moment in The Lord of the Rings when Samwise turns to Frodo and asks, “I wonder what kind of a tale we’ve fallen into?” The two hobbits perceptively realized that their … More LIFE VERSES 9: Acts 17:17
Remember that awful season of life when you were floundering around in Nowheresville, with no direction or purpose, feeling stalled and stuck? Waiting on God, or anyone for that matter, is rarely fun. This week’s lectionary features both Isaiah 40 where “those who wait upon the Lord will rise up on eagles wings” and Jesus’ … More Juggling Tuna, Waiting on God
I’m a typical guy, so I know all about “selective hearing.” Just ask my wife. We (especially men) have ways of tuning certain things out and tuning in others; I don’t always know why and its not always intentional. Please forgive us, wives! Just as “selective hearing” can put a strain on a marriage, so … More On Eagles’ Wings & Selective Memory
“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” -Jesus My politics actually haven’t changed all that much over the years. When I go to the polls every two or four years to give “caesar” my opinion on how best to run this particular “kingdom of the world” called America, I still … More Church & Politics: A Jesus-Shaped Approach
Influential pastor and teacher, John Piper, got a heated response from some recent comments made in an interview regarding women as pastors and seminary teachers: “If it is unbiblical to have women as pastors, how can it be biblical to have women who function in formal teaching and mentoring capacities to train and fit pastors … More Women Pastors & Professors Who Shaped Me
“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
There’s no shortage of corruption in places of power today. So I found this warning from Henry Ward Beecher from the 1860s interesting. Though, the main illicit behavior he was attacking was leaders spending their spare time gambling at casinos. If only that were our biggest problem today. “Our land has little to fear from … More Beecher on Corrupt Government
During Advent in 2013 we examined Psalm 23 in a sermon series entitled Who’s Your Shepherd? It remains one of my favorite series we’ve done to date. I contended that when we let God be the guide, or shepherd, directing our lives and influencing our decisions, He leads us to green pastures of the “abundant … More MainStreet Memories: Who’s Your Shepherd?
Once every few years, I’ll wander back to the upstairs of the Bethel University library and retrace my steps back to that holy ground where the light of historical curiosity once split the sky and blinded my time-bound vision long enough to glimpse Eternity through ancient eyes. … More Longings, Libraries & Ancient Portals
Jeremy Berg 