Category: New Beginnings

Are people who follow Jesus somehow different from everyone else? It’s sort of a trick question, right? We’re supposed to be different. We’re supposed to be set apart. 1 Peter 2:9 says we’re “… a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession …” I don’t know about you, but there’s not […]

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Do you think God can use you? Actually, that’s sort of a silly question. Of course God can use me or you. He’s God; He can do whatever He wants. The real question is “WILL God use us?” I’ve been thinking about this question in the context of my bike ride project. If you’re a […]

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Recent weeks have taken me to some extreme fear, overflowing gratitude, and tremendous guilt. It’s been quite a roller coaster ride–and I don’t like roller coasters! Check out the story in the latest edition of Rich’s Semi-Regular Newsletter.

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Do you ever hit yourself (or others) in the head with religious platitudes? Joe’s pretty frustrated. His team at work pointed toward this big evaluation day for weeks. Everyone bought in, did a little extra, took some real pride in a job well done. He said you could feel the excitement, the sense of teamwork […]

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Have you ever asked that question? So I’m talking to a friend about Journey4Hope and he says, “I prayed about this and I believe God wants me to jump in and help.” And my skeptical bone starts tingling. I wonder a lot about my skeptical side, that part of me that tends to look a […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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Is your faith creative and curious? In my first year of teaching I encountered a high school freshman named Jerry. Jerry sat in the back. He slept if possible; otherwise he worked hard at being disinterested. When forced to actually participate he’d offer wrong answers to even the simplest question. Jerry’s young teacher sadly wrote […]

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“I’m sorry.” Why are those two little words so difficult to say? I made a mistake. I need to apologize. It’s not that hard. So why is it so hard? Maybe there’s a better question. Why is it so hard to say I’m sorry and really mean it? Or even better, what does it mean […]

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Can you fill a room with darkness? Imagine yourself in a semi-dark room. How can you make it darker? Can you rent a darkness generator and pump more “dark” into the room? You can’t, because darkness isn’t a real thing. You can’t “create” darkness—you can only exclude light. You make the room darker by shutting […]

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