Holy and Forsaken God, We come into your presence knowing that you felt utter desperation and loneliness. You felt isolated and forgotten. You felt unimaginable pain. So you are not unfamiliar with our struggles. And that brings us comfort. That brings us hope. For those in our congregation who have been wrestling in the long…
Living Redeemed
personal struggles with Christian living
Exercise and Practice
This thought was waiting for me in my email inbox this morning, as I finished day one of working out again: Here is a traveler. He has launched out on a long journey. He comes to the first inn, and there he remains forever. His reason? He has been told that many travelers have come…
Finding Faith at the Lunch Table
If I think back to the first moment when faith sunk in deep into my life, it would be sitting around a lunch table at Simpson College. I wasn’t actually a college student then, but a sophomore in high school participating in our Youth Annual Conference. It was hosted there at the college every year…
Good News and Good Works
I’ve had some conversations recently about the work of Imagine No Malaria from folks who are concerned that we are doing good, but we aren’t sharing the gospel. My first response to that question is to seek out and share more stories about how lives are being changed and, yes, saved, because of the work…
Praying… and sometimes ceasing
I have never really been able to establish a good routine when it comes to prayer. Just like most other disciplines in my life (exercise, healthy eating), a practice like prayer has come in fits and starts. One step forward, two steps back. Usually a week of exuberance and zeal is interrupted by a trip…
Dear "Sign Guy"…
As I drive north on 380 from home, there is a field right by the interstate that has a homespun billboard. For five years, I have been disappointed by the trite, sometimes offensive, and always partisan slogans that grace this sign. Maybe part of my disappointment is there is no opportunity for relationship or conversation.…
Praying on an airplane
Friday I took an early morning flight home. I had been in Nashville for a few days to train some new field coordinators for Imagine No Malaria and get refreshed myself on the latest info. But that flight came early. My cab arrived at 4. I was done with socializing around 1. So… yeah, not…
Honey Badgers, Anxiety, and the future of the church
At our conference Orders Event a few weeks ago, we talked a lot about being anxious. The talk was from a systems theory perspective and focused on how pastors need to be non-anxious participants in the system to effectively lead change and help the system to be healthy. I’m not going to comment on the…