This piece I wrote several years ago was published in the Youthworker Journal. Hope you find it encouraging. -JB “You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and … More Encouragement for Self-Doubting Leaders
Matt 11:2-3, 15 “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?…He who has ears, let him hear.” I suffer from what I call “The Yellow Brick Road Syndrome”. I want to be Dorothy … More Yellow Brick Road Syndrome (by Mike Fox)
Here’s a Daily Illumination spring classic from 2006! Do I look younger? Drip, drip, drip. Tweet, tweet. Can you hear the sounds of spring? What a messy time of year! Mud and slush. Scraping the bottom of your shoe off on the sidewalk or with a stick before coming into the house. Hopping and skipping … More Just Give Me the Flowers
It is so easy to place God in a box. But again and again we find that God cannot be confined to our little categories. One large way we have managed to push God’s penetrating presence out of our world is by the way we think of and imagine Heaven. I think Heaven can be … More Rethinking Heaven 2: What? When? Where?
I was standing on the dock putting gasoline into the boat the other day. I happened to read the bright yellow warning sticker as I slowly poured the 5-gallons into the tank. The sticker read: WARNING: Leaking fuel is a fire and explosion hazard. Inspect fuel system often. My mind began searching for some Christian … More Warning: Explosion Hazard
Repost from Spring 2010 but I’m in the exact same place personally. -JB “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119). It’s perhaps my favorite time of year. I’m sitting in the backyard, listening to the lively noises … More Springtime Feasting on the Word
“Boys get an alarmingly low average of one half-hour of direct face time with their dads per week, but over 40 hours of screen time (Internet, TV, and gaming total).” – From Fuller Youth Institute article entitled “Guys and Gaming“ by Brad Griffin
WHY ‘GOING TO HEAVEN’ IS NOT THE ULTIMATE CHRISTIAN HOPE. What happens when a loved one dies? Their body is laid to rest while their eternal soul goes to be with the Lord. This is true, but not the end of the story. It seems that for many this is the natural process: Our physical … More Rethinking Heaven 1: Out of the Platonic Fog
Reposted from July 2012. -JB This July the City of Mound celebrates her centennial. It’s a time to look back and remember the people and places that have shaped our shared history. As a pastor called to start a church in Mound where I grew up, I’ve been fascinated by the beginnings of other local … More The Spiritual Legacy of the City of Mound
Hello friends and blogosphere! I’m back and with a completely revamped website! Have a look around. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was actively engaged in writing and interacting with the greater blogosphere. Indeed, it was a different life. So much has changed. I have not actively blogged for about 3 years. Since … More Hi Readers! I’m Back.
A couple weeks ago my sermon got pretty personal. I shared honestly about my feeling distant from God, a bit “cold” in my faith, and in need of rekindling. I shared how I retreated from my routine to a sacred place in my life — an old oak tree back in the woods at Bethel … More Under the Oak
Remember Drivers Ed class? Remember Behind-the-Wheel? In the “Student Driver” series, Jeremy shares some of the profound similarities between learning to drive and the road to discipleship. Jeremy writes from the unique vantage point of both a certified Driving Instructor and a pastor. This excerpt is called “Fatal Distractions.” Buckle up!
Tee off on the course of life and let the game of Golf guide you closer in your walk with God. In the “Golf & God” series Jeremy teaches you how to keep your faith on the fairways, avoid living out of bounds, make the most of life’s sand traps, stay out of the water, … More Golf & God: Spiritual Links to Life with God
One divine melody permeates the grand narrative of redemptive history. In The Father’s Song series, Jeremy guides us through the biblical narrative–from Genesis to Revelation–with “ears to hear” the penetrating God-beat keeping everything in sync. This excerpt is called describes the 40-year stubbornness of Moses and Israel in the desert. I spent several years substitute … More Moses & the 40-Year Band Rehearsal
Cabin fever anyone? Wanna get away from it all this summer? Imagine the phone rings and it’s Jesus himself saying, “Are you tired? Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” (Matt 11 MSG). Who would refuse such an offer? Well, the offer is there! … More SUMMER SERIES: Cabin with Jesus
We celebrated a milestone March 30 – Charter Sunday. We will be officially received into the Evangelical Covenant Church later this spring/summer. What a ride! Thanks to all our supporters who have invested in this dream that is now a reality and impacting lives.
“Many go to church looking for a spiritual carwash to give our exterior life a little shine for the next 7 days. And, sadly, many churches are all too happy to provide just that. But what we really need is a spiritual repair shop where we can open the hood, take an honest look at … More QUOTABLES: Carwash or Autoshop?
“Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders, but that’s babysitting. Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones. Then they manage the resulting distress.” -Ronald Heifetz, Harvard Professor of Government
I’ve caught a little Beatles fever on the 50th anniversary of the British invasion. I enjoyed the CBS Grammy tribute last night. So, I’m trying to do the ridiculous, the impossible, the utterly absurd: choosing my top Beatles songs. Here are some of my favorites — typically happy, acoustic driven numbers. Ask me tomorrow and I’ll … More My Top 11 Beatles Songs
This is a repost from a couple years ago. -JB The Christmas story is all too familiar for most Christians today. We’ve seen two dozen pageants, have basically memorized Matthew and Luke’s accounts of wise men, shepherds, overbooked inns and barnyard manger scenes. The problem with familiarity, as Dallas Willard puts it, is that “Familiarity … More Merry Parachoresis! A Christmas Reflection
What do we make of the story of the wise men following a magical star from the East to the newborn king in Bethlehem? Sound a bit far-fetched and fairytale-ish? I used to think so as well. Many deny the possibility of a supernatural explanation to begin with. This is unnecessary. If God can bring … More The Star of Bethlehem: One Theory
A while back I picked up and read a couple lesser-known Christmas reflections written by C.S. Lewis compiled in the book God In The Dock. I found his little rant called “What Christmas Means to Me,” written back in the 1950s(!), quite spot-on accurate as I nursed a stomach flu on the couch all day … More “What Christmas Means To Me” (C.S. Lewis)
