Finding Masculinity in the Most Unlikely Place
For a video version of this blog, go to this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/cLk86ijlNE4 Every boy is trying to find it. Every young man is trying to capture it. Every man is trying to own it. It’s that elusive quality of masculinity. On first glance, we think this is about gaining certain virtues and skills associated […]
Three Gifts Needed to Enter Manhood
For a video version of this blog, go to my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/3eFPTxv4Xoo Men in our culture are in trouble. Masculinity is in crisis mode. The signs are everywhere. Men are confused and wavering. The stats on fatherlessness are alarming and growing. So is the sexual violence that seems to be aired everywhere. Everyone […]
Entering the Great Story
Every time you step into a movie theater or pick up a book, you are entering a story that’s not your own. What happens next is why we love stories so much. We get caught up in the adventure and swept up into the lives of the characters. I once got so mesmerized with a […]
The MOST Tragic Verse in the Bible
Unlike the last post, this verse offers no immediate hope, so I call it the most tragic. I know this is a judgment call, but for me, the verse evokes such a deep well of sadness. Ironically, it also opens the deeper well of God’s compassion. It does so by revealing His heart, one that suffers. […]
One of the Most Tragic Verses in the Bible
When I read this verse, something in my stomach drops. It is heart-rending, describing realities I see and feel. It comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah where God speaks to His people about their frantic pursuit of other nations to save them. Here is the verse: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, […]
Ancient Paths for Seeking God (Pt. 4)
This is the last in a four-part series describing some tried and true ways Christians have drawn close to God through the centuries. For this fourth post, I want to look at a path that taps into our most powerful mental capacity, the imagination. Because of it, we are able to dream, create, and discover. […]
Ancient Paths for Seeking God (Pt. 3)
This is the third in a series of four posts on ancient ways Christians have sought God. The path described in this post turns the focus to our lives. Of course, we need to read the Scriptures to grasp how God works, but this path invites us to read our lives to see how He […]
Ancient Paths for Seeking God (Pt. 2)
This post will feature another ancient way of seeking God, one that is both subversive to modern culture and counterintuitive to our inner life. We assume that we always need to come to God with our words and thoughts. Scripture certainly urges us to pray this way. But sometimes good friends can be together without […]
Ancient Paths for Seeking God (Part 1)
In the last few years, I have discovered some well-trod paths for seeking God and enjoying His presence. Some are centuries old. Others are millennia. I have found them so valuable that I want to share them in the next few posts. This first one is called lectio divina. Lectio divina is the Latin term […]
The Worst Way To Gain Followers — and the Best
Whether it’s musicians, authors, churches, entrepreneurs, businesses, or politicians, everyone is interested in gaining a following. Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and email lists become critical to this in our social media age. There is nothing inherently wrong with growth per se, but I am struck by how much of our thinking here contrasts to Jesus. […]