• Transformational, not Transactional

    Transformational, not Transactional

    The last Wednesday of June, I participated in the Warp and Woof podcast with Dr. Mark Eckle and Dr. Clyde Posley. The topic of discussion for this program was Transformational Relationships. We discussed the need to walk with a person long enough to see sustainable change in their life instead of just providing quick goods and…

  • Thoughts on the Future

    Thoughts on the Future

    As I was at a prayer meeting at one of the churches near here tonight I spent some time reflecting on the future for our society. The prayer guide that we were using started with a time of prayer for our leaders, both political and spiritual. I’m not typically a doom and gloom prophetic type…

  • Allowing Others To Count The Cost

    Allowing Others To Count The Cost

    I’m sitting here this morning thinking over the passage we will be reading at the Diakonos Community Simple Church Gathering tomorrow morning. Our theme for the day is “We Die With Christ.” I’m particularly struck by these two illustrations presented by Jesus: “Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of…

  • We Can’t Handle The Truth

    Lately, I have been enjoying the new version of the for King and Country song “O God Forgive Us” that includes a rap bridge by hip hop artist KB. The single varies from the original album version that simply has Joel and Luke sing the verses and chorus followed by a monologue expounding on the…

  • Have We Forgotten Who The Battle Is Against?: Barriers to Kingdom Collaboration Part I

    Have We Forgotten Who The Battle Is Against?: Barriers to Kingdom Collaboration Part I

    We have refused to find common ground around our goals which are the same. This divisiveness only benefits the real enemy, Satan, who can keep people trapped in a life of hopelessness while those who seek to help them fight each other.

  • Random Thoughts on a Bridge That Is No More (Revisited)

    Today marks the eight-year anniversary of the collapse of the old 35W bridge in Minneapolis.  Hard to believe it’s been that long.  On this day, I commonly revisit a post I had published on my old blog to reflect on what happened that evening.  Today I wanted to republish that post on this blog as…

  • Lessons From An AA Meeting

    This morning a friend of mine who works daily with friends without homes in Indianapolis invited me to join him at an AA meeting in order to help me better understand the program as I look to get more involved with connecting with those entering recovery programs.  Sitting in a room full of addicts in…

  • What "Home" Are We Living For?

    By faith he (Abraham) went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God…. These all died in faith, not having…

  • Getting Beyond the Dogma of Personal Reponsibility

    James Tissot [Public domain],via Wikimedia Commons Yesterday my friend Robert Charlock submitted a letter to the Indianapolis Star regarding the need for a Homeless Bill of Rights in Indianapolis.  The self-righteous on-line comments of those who assume poverty is usually the result of personal choices quickly emerged: “How many brought this upon themselves? When having a…

  • Atypical Christmas Songs: #1 Cry Of a Tiny Babe

    This is the continuation of a collection of posts I’m doing this year about some of my favorite “Christmas Songs” that most people may not think of when they think of  Christmas.  This is a re-post of a blog from 2012 about my all time favorite song in this category.  Merry Christmas! One of the things I…

  • Guest Post by Tina Longard: Christmas: The Heart of the Battle of the Ages

    One of my favorite writers lives under my own roof.  I really liked a couple of pieces Tina has written lately and asked her permission to include them on this blog as a way to share them with others.  The first is a reflection she wrote early in the Advent Season, after one of our…

  • Atypical (and modern) Christmas Songs: Baby Boy

    This is the continuation of a collection of posts I’m doing this year about some of my favorite “Christmas Songs” that most people may not think of when they think of  Christmas.  They’re not in any particular order and I’m not sure how many I’ll come up with, so I wouldn’t exactly call it a…