When you read an advertisement, the first thing they want you to see is what you’ll get out of the deal. You could have this car or this house or this service for less money than you think (or at least as much as they think they can get away with). They don’t hide the product or service. When you visit the website of a well-run organization, you’ll easily find its mission statement. Not just a slogan, but a carefully crafted statement of purpose explaining why they exist. It directs and focuses the energies of every department—again, assuming it is healthy and well-managed. In the Christian faith, we are not…

This year our church is trying something a bit adventurous for our annual Easter drama. Instead of ending the Easter story with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we’re telling the story of what happens next: how the Gospel of what Jesus did went out into the world, as told in the book of Acts. Much happens in Acts, and if you’re not familiar with the big picture, it can seem like it’s just one thing after another. But there are important themes you can trace that can help keep you oriented through the amazing events that happened in the first century of the life of the church. The Key…

It’s been a year since my last post, and this was intentional. Last fall I poured all of my effort into doctoral studies once more, but after growing sufficiently disappointed with the school, I chose not to continue my studies there. It was a painful decision after putting so much work into returning. This year I have been taking time to lament that in silence, seek God’s wisdom and direction, and return to volunteering in the areas I had given up. Professionally, I have continued working part-time at my church and returned to adjuncting and course design work on the side. This fall, I had planned to resume writing and…

One of the biggest changes in my thinking this past year has to do with my philosophy of ministry. The change was building up slowly, but it didn’t truly confront me until listening to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Just about every episode related to my experience in ministry, but as someone far away from the action and the movements tied to it, affected as though by waves from a massive ship over a great distance. But I did feel convicted in one area: the desire to fix the church. You see, before I had even set my sights on ministry, I had the sense that the church…