The Depth Chart of Scripture Engagement
I’ve read or studied every book of the Bible at some point. I’ve had several enthusiastic January 1 starts. I’ve also had several February 3 flameouts. The closest I ever came was years ago during a two-week solitude retreat where I read and studied Scripture all day, every day—moving from Genesis through Israel’s history alongside the prophets. To this day, I’m still living off insights I received during those weeks.
Putting the New in New Year
It’s one of those lists that once you think of your first entry, several more freely flow. New heart. New thing. New covenant. New creation. New life. New song. And if you were to take this little exercise one step further by searching “new” in Scripture, the results give you a sense that you are looking into the very nature of God. He does new.
An Over-Promised Peace?
I’ve been parked for the past few weeks on the phrase “and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased,” actually viewing it with a bit of a critical take. Ever since that silent night, there has not been peace on earth.
The Virtue and Gift of Waiting
Waiting experts tell us that the average person in the U.S. will spend over an hour each day waiting: on red lights, in traffic, on hold. In fact, the average U.S. person will spend 43 days over a lifetime waiting on hold.
The InWord Turn
We have an announcement to make, but first, a little quiz on a song you probably know from Sunday school (shortened for brevity): The wise man built his house upon the _____; and the rains came down and the floods came _____; and the house on the rock stood ____. The...
Freedom and the Rich Young Man
This is the second of two posts on a faith subject that is short on teaching coverage but long on faith maturity: freedom. Spiritual freedom is one of the most under-taught gospel disciplines, particularly in light of the featured space that freedom is given in...
Freedom and the Parable of the Talents
This is the first of two posts on a faith subject that is short on teaching coverage but long on faith maturity: freedom. Spiritual freedom is one of the most under-taught gospel disciplines, particularly in light of the featured space that freedom is given in...
Nic at Night leads to Good Friday Coronation
Many years ago I became intrigued with a particular Pharisee named Nicodemus. I was doing a slow-grind study through the gospel of John, both for personal reasons and in prep for an InWord study series. When I hit John 3:16 it dawned on me that there was a moment when...
Can We Be Like Ralph and Sam?
Will you still respect me on November 6? Current polling and social media rancor would suggest that that is a big ask. Our country is evenly divided with precise 50-50 splits nationally as well as in bellwether states and regions. I have deep-thinking friends...
Life Lessons from a Small-Town Miracle
Maybe you’ve read the book, Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen. Although the New York Times bestseller was published in 2003, I only recently discovered it in my search for some beach reading by a favorite writer, Bob Greene. The book is a World...
Did God Protect Former President Trump?
Much of the support directed toward former President Trump in his survival of the assassination attempt includes a sentiment that reflects God’s “protection” of the former President. I’ve also heard “divine intervention” and “God’s providence” attributed to the failed...
Lenten Reflection: A Selfishness Observed
Growing up in a Wesleyan movement, I was not raised in a culture of practicing the Lenten season. The thought was this: “One should constantly be living in a state of sacrifice and there should not be anything extra to sacrifice during a season.” I respect that, but...
The Book of Job: A Valentine’s Day Moment?
I was exploring in Job last week and came across an oft-forgotten (at least by me, anyway) moment in Job’s life that provides a pre-calamity window into his persona and faith. Curiously, it also provides a teachable moment as we think about Valentine’s Day. Job 1:4-5...
Bible Reading VS Bible Engagement
Tis the season of New Year’s resolutions. Funny thing: As I’ve listened to TV and radio personalities share their New Year’s resolutions, I’ve been hearing, along with the usuals such as better fitness, better nutrition, getting up earlier, resolutions like this: “I...
Advent 2023: Wait For It
Waiting. As ingrained as it is in the gospel message, I’m surprised waiting didn’t make the cut for a Matthew 5 beatitude. It would have had a nice, beatitude-esque cadence. You can hear it easily: Blessed are those who wait. Think about it: Israel had to wait on the...
What Can We Learn from a Deconstructor’s Story?
He was a nationally known worship leader. He held company with the top spiritual leaders of his era. Dishearteningly, he went through a serious deconstruction of his faith and made a public profession of his process. You may not recognize his name, but you may be...
Atomizing and Applying 2 Peter 1:5-8
I am in the middle of a random mash up between the book of 2 Peter, which is a letter to the early church, and the book Atomic Habits (tag line: “Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results”), which is a New York Times Bestseller. Through completely independent paths I happen...
The Waiting Life: Scanxiety
Nervous waiting. It’s the worst —that period of time when we are waiting on an outcome that is going to cause change or bring a disruption. It’s a combination of two things none of us really like: waiting and anxiety. And the worst of it all: it is a part of life. In...
He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not?
If we’re all honest, there are probably times when we don’t feel loved by God—times of loss, or heartache, or disappointment. Sometimes it can feel like it’s a game of “He loves me, He loves me not.” When the news is good, when the promotion comes, when healing...
Asbury Outpouring 2023: My Experience and Testimony
The final steps and line entering Hughes on the right; the trickle of people exiting Hughes on the left. I’ve long had a soft heart toward Asbury University and things of revival. As a youth pastor in the mid-1990s I led a few trips to Ichthus, a weekend Christian...