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by Brian Niece
Something Beyond Nothing?
The God We Don’t Yet Know
most recent posts
A Prayer for Times of Chaos
My soul sinks, my heart skips beats, my breath is short and labored. Life swirls erratically around me, chaos calls to chaos. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] But now, right now, I must rehearse everything I know of you: You called Abraham, You wrestled...
On Truth and Power
Jesus-followers are to speak truth to power. Yet, there comes a time when power must embrace truth and act truthfully. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] Take our US American government as an example. How can our representative form of government be an...
Confessions :: If I Could Just Be a Christian
I was reading recently where Gandhi was once asked why he was not a Christian even though he spoke highly of Christ. Gandhi's reply: "I would become a Christian, if I could just find one." [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] Ouch! Immediately we might want to...
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...
Sabbath As Resistance :: Book Review
I'm a recovering workaholic. Which means I always tend toward working too much. Walter Brueggemann has been another clarion call for me to recenter in the practice of Sabbath. Sabbath Means Saying "No" to the Culture of Now Brueggemann's latest book "Sabbath As...
Christianity After Religion :: Book Review
I recently finished "Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening" by Diana Butler Bass. Here's a brief review. The End of the Church? This phrase may sound alarmist, but Bass does a fine job of casting this as an end to...
Big Question :: Was Christ’s Passion Providence or Choice?
BIG QUESTIONS are 2-minute video talks on life, God, faith, theology, discipleship, and walking with Jesus. 2-minute Video Talk Big Question #1 :: Christ's Passion from Brian Niece on Vimeo.
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.
God’s Love for “Others”
In this season of Lent, approaching the remembrance of Christ's cross event, I've been reading The Gospel of John. It will rock your world, if you’ll let it! John paints the cross as a scandal that cannot be endured. And yet in this scandal of the cross we discover...
The Prayer of Examen
The Prayer of Examen was formally introduced by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 1500s. [featured-image single_newwindow="false"] ex·a·men (i??z?m?n) noun "a formal examination of the soul or conscience" Last week in my faith community, we practiced a version of this...
Living Like God’s Kingdom Is Here Now
What if we lived like the God's kingdom was already breaking into this world? I've spent the last few weeks exploring the details of The Lord's Prayer. Imagine if we actually lived like our prayer "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"...
Toward Unity :: A Follow-Up
This is a follow up to my recent post "Not About People :: A Brief Theology of Worship." It speaks more toward unity than worship. Opening Statements I'm a communicator. I'm a pastor, preacher, and writer. I value the gifts of communication God has granted me. I'm...