The Label Christian
Recently I lost my baggage but in many ways I’m still struggling with labels. Growing up I began with the label Baptist. I remember the little church we used to go to as a six year old kid with the big sign that said, “Foothill Baptist Church”. I didn’t really get what Baptist meant until I saw my first baptism …
Losing My Baggage
Recently I took a trip and I lost my baggage. It wasn’t the airline’s fault like it usually is. I voluntarily lost it. I let it go. Something inside of me realized that I just didn’t need my baggage anymore so I left them behind. It’s really frustrating losing my baggage because I have lived with it for so long. …
We Love You Ken Silva
Recently Ken Silva, of Apprising Ministries linked to my site. His post was critical of a post I had written on Bernard Clairvaux’s Four Degrees of Love. His link completely ignored half of my post, instead choosing to focus on the part that would fit his judgment. I couldn’t respond on his site because, well…Ken has turned off the comments …
Books About Submission
A guy I read just posted a list of books about leadership, male headship and submission. Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (John Piper & Wayne Grudem) Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs (Emerson Eggerichs) This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence (John Piper) Rocking the Roles (Robert Lewis) And my bullshit detector went …
Reversing The Lie
This was so creative it made me really smile. (ht)
Four Degrees Of Love
This video (RSS See Embedded Video) is Dan Wilt reflecting on Bernard of Clairvaux’s Four Degrees of Love. Clairvaux, who was entrusted with the title “Doctor of the church” developed an understanding of love in degrees or depths. First Degree: The love of self for self sake. Second Degree: The love of God for self sake. Third Degree: The love …
A Suffering God
This is a 2005 TED Talk by Tom Honey on God and the tsunami. Tom explores our historical perceptions of God. It seemed appropriate after the last two posts. He specifically address the mechanistic determined God that controls all things. And he suggests that this version of God leaves us cold. He suggests an alternative and finds God in the …
The Arbitrary Nature Of Blaming God
It’s easy to blame God for everything, isn’t it? Over the last couple of years I’ve been exploring the nature of suffering and our responses. Much of the criticism inherent in suffering is the question of God’s role in response to it. We want God to rush in and save us from suffering, and then question him when He doesn’t. …
When Is Euthanasia Compassion?
I truly believe in the value of life…but this last week hit me with a question. This weekend a member of a good friend of mine’s family died from a 20 year battle with cancer. And as I spoke words of consolation to him, he said something to me that caught me a little by surprise. He said, “I prayed …
Rob Bell’s Telling Of The Beatitudes
A modern telling of the B-attitudes.. 140 characters at a time via @realrobbell Blessed are those who don’t have it all together. Blessed are those who have run out of strength, ideas, will power, resolve, or energy. Blessed are those who ache because of how severely out of whack the world is. Blessed are those stumble, trip, and fall in …
