Every time you get a new phone, it takes you a while to figure out how it works; a new laptop requires multiple calls to the IT department to help you learn the new system; each professional conference you go to reminds you how much you DON’T know. It’s like there’s a conspiracy forcing you…
Usually you associate life & death choices with the surgeon, the paramedic, the firefighter, the air traffic controller, or the soldier. One choice means the difference between someone living or dying. No doubt, those are high pressure, important and sobering moments when something – life itself – hangs in the balance. Most people don’t see…
In the milieu of heated debates over the issue of pluralism and universalism, singularity and efficacy of the work of Jesus there is a truth that gets lost in the shadows. Some say that there may be many ways to get to eternal life with God (pluralism). Some say all will find their way ultimately…
“Is the container big enough?” They all stood around wondering if the tank would hold all the liquid about to be poured into it. They decided they would try their best to expand the tank to accommodate the total amount. So in their own effort, they stretched and built what they hoped would be a…
Recently TIME Magazine asked the question “Does it still matter?” referring to the U.S. Constitution. How could the founding fathers ever have considered contemporary issues like immigration, national debt, naturalization, sexting, modern warfare? With such dynamic issues tied to a completely different kind of world than the early fathers experienced, are the principles they framed…
500 pieces all over the dining room table. That’s how it starts. The puzzle box is opened and all the pieces get poured out in a jumbled pile with no order. How in the world does this form a picture? It’s just a bunch of broken pieces representing an apparently hopeless task of restoring the…
30 years ago I was a different person than I am today. I dressed differently, I ate differently, and I valued different things. Even my very nature has become changed. My approach to people is different and how I treat folks has changed. In 30 years I have been deeply influenced by a person with…
There’s been a lot of talk about how denominations are no longer viable; they no longer serve a purpose; they no longer have any influence. I understand the critique, but I don’t buy the conclusion completely. To the extent that denominations are trying to keep the same profile and role they had in the…
Many years ago while attending a theological conference on Holiness at Asbury, I recall hearing a statement made around the lunch table that, “the Holiness movement has lost its ability to renew itself and the Church and has become merely a repository of historical information.” I bristled but did not speak, since I was still…