Pandemic Pastors
February 24, 2022
Why are clergy in such a funk? A long list of contributing factors surfaced in my recent communications with pastors. … More Pandemic Pastors
Viral Jesus For an Infected Church
February 11, 2022
I saw an ad today inviting leaders, content creators, and influencers to learn how to make their faith go viral. What if we instead focus on helping Jesus’ faith and ethics go viral? … More Viral Jesus For an Infected Church
Snowflake Spirituality
February 3, 2022
While Scripture affirms the value of comfort, it also makes clear that we require resistance, striving, pain, and suffering in order to grow in godliness. … More Snowflake Spirituality
Jesus-Centered?
January 26, 2022
Here’s a peace by Kurt Willems on a topic that I’m passionate about. What does it mean to be a Jesus-centered church? What are the alternatives? … More Jesus-Centered?
The Divine Bartender & the Power of Music
January 21, 2022
I came across a YouTube channel last night that left me in tears and reminded me of the power of music to reach people spiritually. … More The Divine Bartender & the Power of Music
Martin Luther King’s Last Speech
January 17, 2022
Give thanks today for MLK’s legacy. Watch these with your kids, teach them our history, celebrate our progress and lament our continued struggles. Keep our eyes lifted toward the mountaintop. … More Martin Luther King’s Last Speech
Who is Amanda, really?
January 11, 2022
Who is Amanda?” The reader might be wondering. Amanda is indeed a fictional character I created. Yet, a bit of Amanda lives in most of us. Let me try to describe her a bit more. … More Who is Amanda, really?
Christmas Snow (Isaak’s Painting)
January 11, 2022
This is my second grade son Isaak’s painting. I think it’s majestic and speaks to me on various levels. I wonder what message it sends to you? Even better, what Scripture might it evoke? … More Christmas Snow (Isaak’s Painting)
New Year’s Letter: St. Peter’s Last Words
January 7, 2022
What if we could bring back impetuous Peter from the dead to be the keynote speaker at a New Year’s Church Leadership conference at MainStreet? Would our attendance spike if the famous water-walking apostle was filling the pulpit the next 8 weeks? Would we show up with eager ears and ready to take notes? … More New Year’s Letter: St. Peter’s Last Words
‘Spirit’ and ‘Truth’ for a New Year
December 31, 2021
The past year revealed many Christians being animated by the wrong “spirit” and buying into lies and misinformation rather than the truth. Here’s some wisdom from Jesus for the New Year. … More ‘Spirit’ and ‘Truth’ for a New Year
Are You Fully Awake?
December 29, 2021
Many complain about God’s apparent hiddenness and silence. Meanwhile, I wonder how many burning bushes I miss each day as I go about my business with earthbound vision. … More Are You Fully Awake?
Christmas on Mt. Mystic 6: Morning Star
December 28, 2021
Last night as I drifted off to sleep, my eyes beheld a uniquely bright start through the skylight window above my bed. Above my deep and dreamless sleep, a not-so-silent Star went by and was waiting for me this morning to teach me one more lesson before heading home this Christmas Eve. … More Christmas on Mt. Mystic 6: Morning Star
O Morning Star, Rise in Us this Christmas!
December 23, 2021
O, Morning Star, rise in our hearts this Christmas Eve, show us the Way to live in your light and display your glory each and every day. Join us for Christmas Eve worship at 6PM. … More O Morning Star, Rise in Us this Christmas!
Christmas on Mt. Mystic 5: The Cloud
December 20, 2021
In the fullness of time God came again to His people. No longer cloaked in a terrifying tornado, this time His presence dwelled in a teething toddler. His radiant glory, instead of flashes of lightning across the eastern sky, now shone from the eyes of a humble baby in a manger. … More Christmas on Mt. Mystic 5: The Cloud
A Holy Huddle and a Game Winning Play
December 17, 2021
I don’t know about you, but it sends a shiver down my spine to think that there was a strange moment on a mysterious mountain long ago and far far away where three heroes of history huddled up to discuss my deliverance! … More A Holy Huddle and a Game Winning Play
Christmas on Mt. Mystic 4: Unexpected Visitor
December 15, 2021
I drifted off to sleep reading a copy of A Christmas Carol by Dickens and didn’t sleep well, expecting to be awoken by three spirits ready to lead me on an inner journey. I was relieved to wake up to the bright sunshine of Mt. Mystic rather than the gloomy darkness and shadowy streets of Dickens’ 19th century London. But my relief was short lived. … More Christmas on Mt. Mystic 4: Unexpected Visitor
Words of Wisdom: Plato
December 14, 2021
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” -PLATO (428-348 BC) compare to… “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
People (with Guns) Kill
December 13, 2021
I find this new trend in Christmas photos deeply disturbing for anyone who follows the non-violent Messiah who came in fulfillment of Isaiah’s hope and vision of the Day when people “shall beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4), or in our day “guns into garden tools.” … More People (with Guns) Kill
Christmas on Mt. Mystic 3: Dazzling Light
December 6, 2021
“What if all of my quiet times with God could be so electric and real? What if my prayers felt less like a floppy paper airplanes crashing into the carpet, and more like bright bolts of lightning flashing across the sky?” … More Christmas on Mt. Mystic 3: Dazzling Light
He Chose Them, And Us Too!
December 3, 2021
In today’s Mount Mystic Meditation, I want you to reflect on what it feel like to be “chosen” for something special. Can you think of a time you were selected for some special role, or reward, or experience, or trip? Likewise, how does it feel to be overlooked and watch others get chosen ahead of you? … More He Chose Them, And Us Too!
Advent Podcast Series
December 2, 2021
In this podcast series, see how the Beatitudes of the Kingdom were anticipated in the unlikely cast of characters who make up the Nativity Story. … More Advent Podcast Series
Seeing the Kingdom of God
December 1, 2021
Many Christians’ faith is more about reaching a destination (Heaven) and avoiding another (Hell), than it is about adjusting our eyes to the light of God’s Kingdom and contemplating His divine glory now. … More Seeing the Kingdom of God
Christmas on Mount Mystic 2: Arrival
November 30, 2021
Well, here I am in the cozy surroundings of Eli and Sophia’s log cabin. A neighbor down the road, a carpenter by trade, was sent by Eli to prepare a fire for when I arrived. All I had to do was strike one match and the fire was burning warm and bright. The crackling and glow are already calming my restless soul. … More Christmas on Mount Mystic 2: Arrival
Christmas on Mount Mystic 1: Invitation
November 29, 2021
Amanda answered the phone to hear the voice of her great uncle on the other end. She is exhausted and at the end of her rope at work and the end of her patience at home.Uncle Eli and Aunt Sophia offer her a retreat at their cozy cabin on Mt. Mystic during the weeks leading up to Christmas. … More Christmas on Mount Mystic 1: Invitation
Uncle LuVerne’s Accordion (Thanksgiving 2021)
November 25, 2021
I carried the casket of my uncle LuVerne yesterday and watched it be lowered into the ground. The somber day transported me back into childhood as I remembered happy memories of Thanksgiving on the farm with all the aunts and uncles and cousins. … More Uncle LuVerne’s Accordion (Thanksgiving 2021)
Kingdom Harbor 