We had been through some tough stuff leading up to the Keilah incident. In fact, we’d been navigating formidable stuff our whole lives. We were the like people who came from Nazareth! We were the public school kids! We were a society of distressed, indebted, bitter souls. There were approx. 600 of us. And at […]
I recently received the following email from a former member of ecpc… “I am planning a dinner activity for my husband’s ordination reception. My hope is to have a slideshow playing with “trivia questions” that everyone getting ordained must know. Would you consider helping me?” – Former Member of ECPC Below you find the questions […]
Here’s what Paul said to the church community in Corinth, “I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made […]
Our primary conversation partner tends to be our phone. Doomscrolling. Social media binging. Fox News fretting. CNN hysteria. NPR self-righteousness and victimizationism. Etc. We need to limit our conversations with these outlets. They are toxic. They are not constructive. They do not cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, or self-control. We cannot […]
God has taken on flesh! This is inescapably scandalous and offensive, but it’s true. That which is from the beginning (i.e. God) has become human! All the gritty details of being embodied apply to God! Just think of all the regular maintenance your body requires: everyday you have to brush your teeth, digest food, use […]
I briskly traversed through the Gospel of Mark this morning. I normally progress ploddingly through the Γέγραπται, but sometimes it’s helpful to conduct a sprightly trot through a gospel in order to obtain a better sense of the surplus and sundry instances of Jesus offending people. It is absolutely vital that we come to grips […]
The Holy Spirit has been compelling me to see that the most optimal context for making disciples is the OUTDOORS (e.g. constructive conversation around a fire pit, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, spelunking, etc.), and in the everyday mundane chores, and ORDINARY routines and rituals of normal life. As it pertains to THE ORDINARY, I commend […]
Imagine the movie trailer for 1 Samuel 18. It would be epic! Here’s what it would entail: Stout friendship (like Frodo & Sam)! Selflessness and sacrifice (like Spock in Star Trek 2, “The Wrath Of Kahn”)! Intense battle scenes (like “The Last of the Mohicans” and “The Battle Of Thermopylae #300”)! Dancing women brandishing tambourines […]
Eliashib is the first guy mentioned in the wall rebuild, in the days of Nehemiah. He and his priestly brothers risked their lives to build the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem at an extremely perilous moment in Israel’s history. And the crazy thing is, most people would be hasty (and probably pretty sloppy) if they had […]
I was recently asked to create something (anything) ex nihilo (out of nothing). I couldn’t do it. In order to create anything, I require pre-existing matter and materials (even I myself require Someone else to create me!). There is only one person in the world who can create ex nihilo …the Holy Spirit. He is […]