What’s the Right Christian Response in Big & Small Moments?
One of my former pastors encourages people to ask “what is the right Christian response to this?” when faced with conflict. It’s not just conflict, though. It’s an appropriate question for all matters of life. Being able to press pause for questioning an...
A Review of An Outlaw Makes It Home by Eli Jaxon-Bear
Even unlikely hero’s can experience a hero’s journey. In An Outlaw Makes It Home: The Awakening of a Spiritual Revolutionary, author Eli Jaxon-Bear frames a memoir modeled by Joseph Campbell’s the hero’s journey. In so doing, he details, in vivid...
The Art of Christian Living – World but Not Worldly
I tried to find the origin of the phrase, Christian Living. I failed. It’s not overly surprising to me. However, I have seen it in many avenues over the last several months, so I thought there was a chance. But the art of Christian Living may be one of the most...
Reforming Discipleship – A Review of Discipled by Jesus by Robert Gelinas
What if your church is doing discipleship wrong? Is that a question you’ve ever considered? I doubt many of us have. And that’s okay. But the reality is, discipleship is serious stuff. That being the case, we should give serious and proactive thought to how we are...
Keeping the Sabbath is Not Part of a Holy Checklist
What seems like an age-old debate is whether or not Christians should work on Sunday. It would seem that doing so is in direct violation of the fourth commandment of “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8). While I cannot even begin to present a...
How Being Charitable May Not Mean What You Think it Does
My earliest memories of the concept of being charitable go back to probably first or second grade. I had attended mass with my mom. Afterwards, they handed out unassembled boxes to the churchgoers as they left. Mom explained to me that we were expected to go home,...
Overcoming a Hostile Culture – Review of Dancing in No Man’s Land
The hostile culture of the U.S. is pretty obvious to anyone who pays even a bit of attention. There are warring factions on multiple sides of virtually every topic. Unfortunately, one seemingly can no longer live in peace. That’s because choosing a side also means...
The Fatal Flaws Found in The Greatest Of Sinners
I am the biggest sinner. That’s not a title I wear with any sense of pride, however. I wear the title with shame and humility. But the bigger question, though, is why I am the biggest sinner? The answer to that is rooted in the study of Edwards’s resolution...
The Christian Walk And Its Life Transforming Nature
The idea of a Christian Walk is bandied about in many ways. It most often alludes to how a person is maturing – how they are growing and developing – as a Christian. When people speak of the “Christian Walk,” they usually follow it with a church word like...
Hell on Earth and the Webs in Which We Exist
“Chad, every day can be a literal hell on earth, and it will never even begin to compare to the joys of heaven.” A good friend of mine shared this little bit of wisdom with me many years ago, and I have not once forgotten it. It’s been a refrain of perseverance during...