> storytelling
Your Story Matters
Maybe you’ve been told, directly or indirectly, that your story doesn’t matter. That’s a lie. The Story of You means something.
Why Suffering Yields Newness
I haven't met many people who like suffering. If anything, our frailty, pride, and sense of self seeks to avoid suffering. But maybe the willingness to alleviate and evade all suffering at all costs is misguided. I've been thinking a lot about newness, new birth, new...
On the Gift of Nothingness
Recently, while reading through Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth), one of my favorite sections of Hebrew scripture, I remembered how nothingness can be a gift. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] What if we really viewed life as a gift? This is the only conclusion we can...
The Outsiders’ Lament
[callout]This post also appears on ALTARWORK.com.[/callout] This isn't ideal: to be the outsiders, to be outside of your inside; yet here we are, some by choice, others by circumstance; all of us, sadly, by purloined precedent. This is not the practice He inspired,...
They Kill the Prophets
Jesus is recorded as having said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you ..." (Luke 13.34). It's not too hard to see why prophets are rejected, even killed. We prophets are hard to tolerate for too long. [featured-image...
The God Who Takes Risks
The God who takes risks has no fear of surprises. It’s God’s own riskiness that leads to his creation unravelling.
On the Living Word and the Written Word
I love God’s Story, Scripture, the Bible. I do believe that this text holds divinely inspired words. I’ve devoted the majority of my adult years to the study and interpretation of this text (and will continue to do so). But God’s Story is not my final authority;...
Choosing Kindness Over Proving I’m Right
I like to be right. Confidence in my knowledge and skills comes naturally (perhaps, too easily). Being kind on the other hand ... Yeah, I'm not good at choosing kindness. It took a piece of children's fiction to show me that. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"]...
Sacrifice of Comfort // from the archives
*This post first appeared September 18, 2007 // At that time, we had just one child and one on the way ... Seems so long ago ... A week ago, on a breezy Monday night, my family and I joined some friends outside a store to give away something: free hugs. It was part of...
Who Is God?
Do you ever find yourself groping for words when you try to address the question “Who is God”? Let’s be real: many of us would rather not have to be bothered with answering this question. And yet, we need to be able to articulate what we think we know.
A Story of Hope
The purpose of any good story is to show us where we fit into it. In many stories we find ourselves as the main character. But the story of hope at Advent shows us we are not the center. And it is in that displacement that we have immeasurable hope. [featured-image...
No One Trusts You Unless You Share Your Wounds
Attempting to engender discipleship in the local church context can be an exercise in futility. Heck, even trying to be a disciple outside of the hourly corporate worship gathering can seem overwhelming. As I am trying to experiment with ways to focus on...