Augustine wrote that some people in order to find God will read a book. He maintained however, that God has already provided a “big book” to teach us – the book of created nature. “Look carefully at it top and bottom, observe it, read it. God did not make letters of ink for you to recognize him in; he set …
This year Lent begins on Valentine’s Day and ends on April Fools Day, a little challenging in perspectives for those of us that like to adhere to the church calendar while still observing some of the practices of our secular culture. On Godspace, we have chosen the theme “For Love Of The World God Did Foolish Things” as our Lenten theme using …
Now that Christmas Day is over many of us feel let down because the day we have been anticipating for so long has passed. The malls strip their elaborate decorations and junk their remaining Christmas stocks with huge 50-70% off sales. Christmas wreaths and trees are thrown out for the garbage collectors and our frenzied activities give way to a low grade …
We are heading into what for many church planters is the busiest time of the year. Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas are almost here. What is meant to be an exciting celebration of the awe and wonder of Christ’s coming in human form to dwell amongst us, has instead become a season of overwork, exhaustion, and burn …
The recent mammoth floods in and around Houston as a result of Hurricane Harvey has left us all reeling. The overwhelming images of devastation and suffering that we see bring us to despair. Relief workers struggle relentlessly to handle the unimaginable onslaught. Deprived of sleep, subsisting on an inadequate diet, confronted by unimaginable horrors, some quickly break down and many …
“I’m so lonely. I don’t have any friends who understand what I am doing.” I don’t know how many times I have heard variations of this statement from young church planters who feel isolated and overwhelmed struggling alone in a hostile environment. Some leave their fledgling churches feeling they have failed in their vocation. Others struggle constantly with depression, anxiety …
So many of us are so busy and tired that we’ve entirely forgotten what peace and rest feel like. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak at a church in Texas called Austin Mustard Seed, and I spoke on rest and Sabbath. It was a great opportunity to refresh my own understanding of what it means …
It is hard to believe that we already into May. Most of us have our summer vacations planned and the kids activities organized. Churches are expecting less people in the pews and less money in the coffers. Few seem to think about how they will prepare their congregations to grow their faith over the next few months. Some of you …
It’s time to get ready for Earth Day. This important celebration April 22nd, is often neglected by our churches, but I think should be at the forefront on our yearly rhythms. God created us from the earth and for the earth. In Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, theologian Norman Wirzba says: When we become strangers to the earth …
Lent is here. It begins with Ash Wednesday on March 1st and ends with Maundy Thursday on April 13th. Last week I updated all our Lent, Holy Week and Easter resource lists, reread posts from previous Lenten seasons and started to think about what I want to do this year. Lent is often seen as a time of giving up; we focus …