Happy Saturday! Here’s an inspiring video from the Wounded Warrior Project, one of the organizations we’re supporting through Journey4Hope. What struck me: Just because you can’t do it like you did it before doesn’t mean you can’t do it. (If you can see the video, click here.) Have a great weekend!
Continue readingAuthor: Rich
On Being Sent
Have you ever been sent by someone? The folks in charge of missions at my church have adopted Journey4Hope as a mission. So I’m not just going; I’m being sent. That means they’ll provide prayer support and some help with logistics—all very needed and much appreciated. But there’s another implication that has me reeling in […]
Continue readingAbsolute Truth
What do you know for sure? I’ve been writing a lot lately about questions and mystery and uncertainty. I think those are good things, but I always seem to go a bit too far. A lot of Christians seem to know everything about everything, and I think I overreact by asking questions just to poke […]
Continue readingThe Bible: Who’s The Audience?
Note: This article continues our Wednesday series about the Bible. You can check out previous entries here. Have you ever thought about the original audience for the writers of the Bible? My answer a couple of years ago would have been, “Who cares?” Turns out that I need to care if I really want to make […]
Continue readingGod Isn’t A Puzzle
Do you think you understand God? Becky and I enjoy jigsaw puzzles. Every Christmas our dining room table disappears beneath a jumble of odd shapes. We grumble and fuss and finally celebrate as that last piece completes the picture. The result usually remains for several weeks; we actually just removed this year’s version. We have […]
Continue readingSacrifice
Happy Monday! I’m beginning today with a perplexing word-of-the-week… Sacrifice I’ve never really understood Lent. It’s that 40-day preparation for Easter that begins this week on Ash Wednesday. My particular church community doesn’t emphasize Lent, so my impressions of it come from folks who seem intent on letting everyone know what they “gave up for Lent.” […]
Continue readingGod’s Fingerprint
Happy Saturday! Mathematics reveals the fingerprints of God. I hope you enjoy the beauty and mystery. (If you can’t see the video, click here.) Have a great weekend.
Continue readingA Question About Service
Has a question ever told you something important about yourself? Last time I said I love questions (God And Tough Questions). That doesn’t mean the questions are always comfortable or that I’m happy with my responses. Encouraging real questions means embracing uncertainty and imperfection. When you work with adolescents you learn that you often have […]
Continue readingGod And Tough Questions
What do you do with an uncomfortable question? I love questions. It wasn’t always so. As a newbie teacher, questions terrified me. I believed I should know every answer, that “I’m not sure” was a sign of weakness. I needed to be the expert, and experts know everything, right? I’m not thinking of the sort […]
Continue readingThe Bible: Chapter And Verse?
Note: This article continues our Wednesday series about the Bible. You can check out previous entries here. Do you ever think about the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible? It’s pretty obvious that the Bible’s chapters and verses weren’t part of the original manuscripts. We’re so accustomed to them that we take them for […]
Continue readingGod Is Not A Story Problem
This is a follow-up to Friday’s article (Crushing Creativity And Curiosity At Church). How do you “learn” about God? Remember “story problems” in math class? Story problems were supposed to show that you could “apply” what you “learned.” You had to determine the key words and produce the right answer to an inane question. Story […]
Continue readingLearn
Happy Monday! I’m curious about your thoughts on this edition of word-of-the-week… Learn It’s a simple word, especially for a guy who spent thirty-five years as a teacher. Everybody learns, right? What’s the big deal? It’s sad to admit that for about half of my teaching career, I didn’t have a working definition of what […]
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