We live in a consultant and coach crazy world. There is an expert on every corner offering to help you for a small fee. Peter and Paul want to be your gospel coaches, free of charge, but sadly very few will take them up on their offer. … More Wise Gospeling
I’m excited to share a series of chapter summaries by my fellow doctoral graduates from the book we published together called Wise Church: Forming A Wisdom Culture in Your Local Church. Today’s chapter is “What is Wisdom?” … More What Is Wisdom?
“The problem is, many of the people in need of saving are in churches, and at least part of what they need saving from is the idea that God sees the world the same way they do.” -BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR … More Quotables: Barbara Brown Taylor
Have you considered how strange it is how many soon-to-be parents decorate their nursery with wallpaper depicting sanitized scenes from a global catastrophe that claimed countless lives? We would hardly place our baby in a Hiroshima themed nursery surrounded by images of mushroom clouds in a crib with a mobile of little gas masks going round and round to put junior to sleep. … More Waters of Wrath
I kicked off the series with the first Bible verse that actively snuck into my daily life, and senior yearbook photo caption! While my good buddy pledged his undying love to his high school sweetheart that wouldn’t last, I gave a shout out to God and stumbled onto a verse that would have lasting impact! … More New Podcast Series: “LifeVerses”
The Spirit is on the water, and the waters of chaos are no match for Him. God hovers over it all with a gracious gaze and readiness to partner with us in pushing back all the crud of life on this spinning ball of organized chaos we call Earth. … More Waters of Creation
“We’re living in this moment where we think of pastors as these guys or gals leading religious organizations, preaching on a Sunday for one-hour, but for most of history they’ve been spiritual guides walking with people in a more personal way.” … More MainStreet in the News
From a piece for the local newspaper While the pandemic was bringing many churches to a screeching halt, MainStreet Covenant Church was on the move in 2020—to the lake! MainStreet has moved their ministry to the shores of Lake Minnetonka at St. Martins By the Lake Church in Minnetonka Beach after 7 years in their … More MainStreet: “Gone to the Lake”
George Packer’s recent article in The Atlantic called, “How America Fractured into 4 Parts,” argues that Americans no longer agree on the country’s purpose, values, history, or meaning. Is he right? And how do Packer’s 4 Americas map onto the church? … More Four Americas Walk Into A Bar
Here’s what I’ve been reading, watching, listening to lately for anyone interested. What’s on your summer reading list? … More What I’ve Been Reading, Watching, Listening to Lately
Keri and my oldest son, Peter, planted a garden this summer. Unfortunately, our garden is 500 feet away from our water spigot! By the time the water travels all that distance, it has lost most of its pressure. … More Water Buckets & Extension Hoses
My Father’s Day highlight was performing “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” by Owl City with my son and for my dad in the fourth row. :) … More Father’s Day Duet
What sets good dads apart from the rest is that, while flawed and always falling short, they keep showing up and giving their best. Even on the bad days, when they’re empty and feel like they have nothing left in the tank to give, they show up anyways. … More Not All Heroes Wear Capes (Father’s Day)
If people could open up my mind and peek into my thought-world, they’d find an amusement park full of wild ideas rising and falling like rollercoasters, a hyper-colored circus full of spiritual insights roaming like elephants a under the big tent, and outside the box ministry visions shooting across my mind like clowns out of a cannon. … More A Mustard Seed Future For the Church
I love the Geico commercial where a guy who is putting down chalk lines on a baseball field starts daydreaming that he’s swerving through the mountains on his motorcycle singing, “Build Me Up Butter Cup.” He snaps out of it to find curvy chalk lines all over the baseball field. He asks, “Do you think anyone will notice?” … More “You Had Just ONE Job!”
This weekend I graduate from Northern Seminary as a Doctor of the Church specializing the historical context of the New Testament. This moment has been a long time in the making. Like 18 years! Here’s the story. … More Writing Your Dreams in Ink
Like Jesus, every preacher should have a story of being pressed into a corner and seeing fire in the eyes of an offended congregant after a sermon, unless they are in the ear-tickling business. … More How A Preacher Gets Thrown Off a Cliff Then & Now
Here’s a throwback video from 10 years ago with a basic truth we need to be reminded of regularly. I was preaching mostly to myself in this video. … More Throwback Thursday: “Wind”
After a long time apart, or online, it’s time to come back together for fellowship and worship. This summer is a great opportunity to place weekly worship and Christian fellowship back into your life as “an anchor for the soul” (Heb 6:19). Here’s a preview. … More Welcome Back, Church!
A picture is worth a thousand words. I snapped this photo this weekend. It captures a classic “calm before the storm” moment, the sun setting as the storm sets in. … More The Sun vs. The Storm
There are moments in our Christian walk when we hear the rooster crow, and realize we have blown it in our attempts to follow Jesus’ Way in our interactions with others. Let me share a story of a day when I heard the rooster crow. I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. … More Grace in a Hot Tub
Thus, Paul’s personal presence and teaching authority were weighty for sure—not due to his own superior wisdom or human capabilities, but by virtue of his claim to carry around in his body and ministry the indwelling presence, power and message of Christ by the Spirit. … More Authority, Presence & Embodied Example in Paul
In this section of my thesis, I touch a hot stove, hinting that part and parcel to the wisdom tradition of Jesus and Paul and most teachers through the ages is the acknowledgement that God gives to the church certain individuals with a special calling and training to be sages and wise experts in the spiritual life. This rubs many Americans the wrong way. … More The Intern – Scene One
I can’t explain my appreciation for and fascination with Bob Dylan. Like a good IPA on a summer day, it was an acquired taste that came slowly and gradually. … More Happy 80th Birthday, Bob Dylan!
“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” LUKE 15 Just a reminder that I am breathing new life into many old devotionals with my Daily Illumination Audio podcast. It’s a lot of fun to “perform” these old stories in audio format. This past week, for example, I shared this piece on Chasing Lambs. … More Chasing Lambs
Kingdom Harbor 