Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! I’m guessing that most of you are familiar with the story of Jesus’ resurrection. After his death, Jesus was put into a tomb, and a giant stone was rolled in front of the entrance. Three days later, disciples go to the tomb, but find that it has been opened and Jesus … More The Rest of the Story
It was late at night and our caravan of cars was driving back to the camp where we worked in northwest Wisconsin. I was probably 20 or 21 years old. We’d been to Duluth for our “end of the summer” camp-staff banquet. My good friend, Brent was driving, I was riding shotgun, and 3 other camp counselors were … More Created to Tell Stories
My watch tells me a lot about myself. It’s a smart watch…and every day, it tells me if I’ve moved enough…if I’ve stood enough…and if I’ve hit my exercise goal for the day. It will tell me my heart rate…it will evaluate the quality of my sleep, and it will tell me exactly how many steps I’ve … More Created to Worship
Last spring, Lori and I were in Fort Lauderdale, doing the best we could to absorb, in just a few days, enough sunshine and warmth to compensate for the Minnesota winter we’d just experienced. (Remember lastwinter?) One afternoon, we decided to take a boat tour through the canal system that ran from the ocean, to where the … More When We Are Raised Up
Humans want to be included. In fact, we have a fundamental need to be accepted, welcomed, even wanted. We long to be invited. We hope to be included. We want to belong. And so we gather. We get together in groups, or neighborhoods, or clubs, based on things we share in common. We gather in stadiums (Skol!), in arenas, in homes, … More The Day the Sky Was Torn Open
In his book, The Easy Yoke, author Doug Webster tells a story about a young, energetic and idealistic seminary student in Philadelphia. His name was Ted, and he was studying to be a pastor. In fact, he dreamed about being a pastor. It’s all he’d wanted to be since seventh grade. He was motivated. He had energy. He had enthusiasm. His first seminary class was called “How … More When Broken Dreams are Mended
Grace and peace to you, from God our creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who calls us to prepare the way for love. Communication is instantaneous. Once upon a time, it wasn’t. People of a certain age: Do you remember a thing called “long distance?” Do you remember waiting until after 9pm to make a call, when the phone … More Those Who Dream…Prepare the Way
In our Old Testament reading for today, Joshua, the son of Nun, the successor of Moses, the weary warrior, stands before the people of Shechem with a Word from the Lord. He clears his throat, cups his hands, and says in a voice loud enough for all to hear, “Thus says the Lord, the God of … More Fill the Lamps
Admiral James Stockdale was the highest-ranking American POW held during the Viet Nam War. He was a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton from 1965 to 1973 and during his imprisonment, was tortured over twenty different times. In an interview, Admiral Stockdale was asked, “Admiral, how did you make it? How did you survive so long in such … More 100%
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the TV show Shark Tank. Anybody else? (Come on…admit it!). This show has pretty-much no real redeeming value, but, there are occasional moments when in an attempt to avoid my “to-do list,” I’ll watch an episode…or two. For the uninitiated, Shark Tank is a show where budding inventors and entrepreneurs … More Where Does the Time Go?
Test Driving Theology 