Category: Uncategorized

Last night the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City awarded it’s annual Heisman Trophy  for the most outstanding player in college football to Jameis Winston.  In this decision the Heisman Trophy reached a new low in selecting honorees. Up until a month ago, Mr Winston was facing the possibility of rape charges for an…

Growing up in and around traditional church in the 1980’s and 90’s I remember people talking about those who were at church every time the doors were open.  Our family probably fit that category at that time.  It was like a badge of honor we wore.  If there was something going on at the church…

Last week, one of the students I work with at our local high school wore a t-shirt for the punk band Bad Religion to school.  I didn’t think much of it until one of the other staff members brought it to my attention.  The logo on this shirt featured a skeleton dressed in a nun’s…

This past week, the Leadership Journal e-newsletter included an article with a new take on bi-vocational ministry or missions.  The majority of the article was about a friend of mine who planted a church in Minneapolis.  A key component of his strategy was to buy a coffee shop in the community he planned to plant the…

Lately I’ve been a short book titled The Cure by John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, and Bill Thrall.  Using a combination of story and prose, they build an interesting picture of how to live in grace versus a life of religious self-effort.  The authors use the image of two rooms to describe the choice we have in…

At our Diakonos Community Gathering last night, we were discussing the stories of Jesus’ encounters with Nicodemus (John 3) and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4).  All of us grown-ups were trying to sound so sophisticated with our comments as we delved into the “mysteries of God.”  Elaina, our second child, sat quietly next to…

In our Diakonos Community Gathering this Thursday night we’ll be continuing the first segment of the Journey to Jesus process developed by Robert E Webber.  This week we’ll be looking at Jesus’ encounter with two different people in John chapters 3 and 4. As I prepare for this discussion, I can’t help but notice how…

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I…

This weekend I’ve been pondering the significance of how we live our lives over what we do for a living. This past Thursday there was a shooting at a business in Minneapolis.  The next day I learned that one of the victims was a family friend during my teen years in Green Bay, Keith Basinski.  Keith…

Like most people, my Facebook news feed has been overtaken by links to political blogs and statements regarding this upcoming election.  Many contain strong statements or “proofs” of why one candidate or the other is “bad for America” or “someone a follower of Jesus would never vote for.” (I have both Republicans and Democrats as friends.) …

 “But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!” Jeremiah replied, “You won’t be handed over to them if you choose to obey the Lord. Your life will be spared, and…

This evening our city is hosting a meeting to discuss ways to resolve the problem of abandoned properties. (http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/vacant-homes-a-danger-for-indy) Last fall a list was published that had Indianapolis ranked as the second “emptiest” city in the United State in terms of abandoned properties: http://www.wthr.com/story/15976887/indianapolis-near-top-of-emptiest-us-city-list.  In spite of all the positive headlines this city received over…