August 2009

No Doubt?

When do we stop being spiritual seekers? Certainly, through a faith commitment to Jesus, we move from the theological category "lost" to the category "found." But does the seeking ever truly end? Should it?

I've often heard it said that Job was a hero because, though he suffered greatly, he never questioned God. Oh really? I wonder if people who ...

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Spiritual Casualties of Gender Wars

Earlier this summer, in her excellent post "Weary of the Gender Wars," Nancy Parkhurst Leafblad presents a compelling portrait of how she was unwillingly conscripted into a war not of her making when she followed God's call into ministry. This article carries on from her ideas.

Nancy Parkhurst Leafblad describes how she found herself in a war she never wanted, ...

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Over-Trained and Overwhelmed Leaders

Since I'd heard some buzz about the book, I was happy to accept the invitation for GFL to part of its "blog tour" along with our sister site, SmallGroups.com. After reading the following passage from chapter 17 of Sticky Church, I became even more excited about sharing this with you all.

In it, author Larry Osborne describes "a common trap," and certainly ...

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What Not to Wear

You are about to read a post about women and clothing. It probably cannot get more stereotypical, but before you cringe and click out of this window, I beg you to come along. This is about the community of God—not the power of the pedicure.

I once exchanged ideas with two male seminary classmates. Graduation was near, and as we chatted about the students moving ...

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Displaying God's Splendor

I am a Texan through and through. It has for years been my dream to move back to Texas, but I'm pretty sure that will never happen.

So I decided to bring Texas to Florida—to my family room. I have acquired several genuine Texas items, including an old tin Texas flag, bluebonnet coasters, a wild horse sculpture, a lone star paperweight and many others.

But ...

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The Art of Rebinding

I recently had my Bible rebound. I've had it for more than a decade, and it's literally travelled tens of thousands of miles with me—physically and spiritually. Its pages provided comfort during the long dark winters in Alaska, hope during times of transition when we returned to Colorado, and wisdom for various steps along the way. In the end, I spent a $123 ...

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When We Can't Agree to Disagree

The idea that men and women are created differently, in ways that complement each other, sounds okay. But often, this "equal but different" thinking results in a hierarchy that can lead to distortions of truth, or even emotional and physical abuse.

For years, I thought that as with many theological side issues, sincere Christians can agree to disagree when it ...

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Ministry in the Moment

Lately I've been struck at how full my life has become. Between family, friends, church, home and job as a hospital chaplain (complete with a pager that seems to go off when it's least convenient), my calendar doesn't have much white space. I am, in a word, busy. As a churchgoer, I've heard countless sermons on the dangers of being busy. But lately I'm ...

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