“I’ve got two bikes in my garage.” “Great. You should come and ride with us.” “Problem is, neither of them work.” “Maybe that’s not the problem,” I thought to myself. “Maybe the problem is that they’re hanging in the garage. A bike only ‘works’ if you get it down, pump up the tires, and ride […]

Four friends carried a paralyzed man to see Jesus. They were pretty determined. According to Mark the four friends fought through a large crowd, lugged their friend onto the roof, cut a hole, and lowered him into the room where Jesus was eating dinner. Lots of lessons in this familiar story, many sermons, tons of theology. […]

Someone asked the other day if RELENTLESS GRACE is a self-help book. I laughed. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the most sensitive response. I knew what he meant, but I chuckled at the notion that I somehow “helped myself” through the darkness of that horrible experience. RELENTLESS GRACE isn’t a story of self-help, it’s a […]

I cranked my first handcycle 19 years ago – in March, 1999. I’ve told the story before. Two blocks, thirty minutes. After a decade of inactivity, it wasn’t exactly a triumph. I’ve also said God used the handcycle to inspire hope, to help me look forward rather than back. Maybe you wonder how that works. […]

“The truth is more important than the facts.” Frank Lloyd Wright Wait…what? Is this iconic architect offering yet another argument for “alternative facts?” I don’t think so. I can’t imagine fact-free architecture. Buildings are constrained by science, gravity doesn’t care whether you believe it. Ignoring inconvenient facts doesn’t stop the structure from collapsing. Frank Lloyd […]

I listened – briefly – to a simplistic argument in which a Missouri politician attempts to assign blame for human trafficking. Leaving aside the goofy specifics, I’m struck by the focus on fault-finding. It’s like we believe we’ve solved a problem by figuring out who’s at fault. Blaming, finger-pointing, asking WHY? … all ways for […]