What does Advent mean? It means that death, disease, despair, drug addiction, homelessness, murder, hate, war, orphanhood, poverty, hunger, thirst, tears, & grief have an expiration date. These are not the original intention for the world & won’t see the dawn of the new creation. What does Advent mean? It means that dimly burning wicks will not be extinguished; it means that faith, assailed by doubt, will survive, that love assaulted by fear will prevail, that the corridors of power will never be where ultimate justice shall arise & will lie in ruins. What does Advent mean? It means that... Read this post

I love baseball. There is a romance to the game, but as every romance eventually does, it too rips out your heart and laughs at your pain. People unstruck by the romance of baseball don’t get the grief, and I understand that. Those who have been struck always do… and it’s something we share together despite our disparate loyalties to our various teams. I love baseball even though it has not loved me very well in return for most of my life. Yes, one year, in 2016, I was privileged to experience the euphoria of my team winning the final... Read this post

While theologians of all stripes have ceaselessly struggled over the central meaning and message of Ecclesiastes, the variety of topics occurring in somewhat discernable patterns is not in dispute. From the brevity and apparent absurdity of life to work and the leveling experience of death, Qoheleth’s ‘strange and disquieting’ voice has, while confounding sages, also strengthened the faithful in the face of life’s transience and uncertainties. Perhaps commentator Michael V. Fox is right to note these very qualities are the reason that Ecclesiastes is liturgically read on the last day of the Feast of Sukkot, people in temporary dwellings rejoicing... Read this post

June 10, 2020 Beloved Christ Community Members and Friends,Grace and Peace. The extraordinary outpouring of grief, protest, and anger over the murder of George Floyd while being arrested by Officers of the Law in Minnesota has rightly captured the attention of us all. This act of violence followed other notable racially-based killings and led to yet more violence, including the death of an African-American police officer defending people and property from rioters. This is a moment in which we can affirm our Faith, stand shoulder to shoulder for the truth with all who have and continue to suffer from such... Read this post

A few years ago my Kentucky friend Ray Bagwell buried his father, a man from what we call ‘The Greatest Generation.’ His name was Bill Bagwell, though he was just called ‘The General’ by his friends around town. There’s a chapter in Bill’s life that deserves telling and will do your soul some good. When Bill was 17 he signed on with the Navy and left his home in Texarkana, Texas to be stationed at Pearl. That was 1936. We know what happened at Pearl in 1941. By 1942 Bill was fighting in the Philippines, and when it fell to... Read this post

Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. – Isaiah 26:20 The ER doors closed behind her and I returned to the truck, hoping it wasn’t the last time I’d see my wife. She not only had an already compromised immune system, but she also had every symptom of COVID-19 and we’d been sent to the hospital for her to be tested. The tell-tale raging fever, cough, shortness of breath, and headache signaled that she too was a likely victim of a menace which,... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Monday, March 30th Grace and Peace to you! You’ll have heard by now that the Covid virus may well have paid a visit to our home too. Like many, we are experiencing isolation and quarantine. We are in something of an exile. What shall we do in such places? It seems to me that three options present themselves to us when we find ourselves exiled from the people of the covenant and living a strange new life. Psalm 137 describes the option of despair. “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Wednesday, March 25th Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post

I desire mercy, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. – Hosea 6:6 The thought of canceling worship or closing churches causes me deep distress. But I have to ask, “Why is that being done? Is it persecution?” No. “Is it government overreach?” Some say so. But… Why is the Government insisting on closing churches in many places, as in the UK tonight, and perhaps here very soon? Why have we voluntarily said ‘No’ to large gatherings for worship, foregoing our fellowship, even in smaller groups? Here is why: We love our neighbors. Right now, the glory... Read this post

Personal and Family Devotions Monday, March 23rd Grace and Peace to you! Throughout this crisis, I’ll be sending you devotions/studies with some readings and questions, along with some links for songs and hymns. I’ll try to include some great quotes too (Hey, I love quotes!) to help us discover wisdom from the past to live well right now. These are unprecedented days for us with the unexpected rushing at high velocity into our lives. These are not unprecedented experiences, however, in history, making this a season in which we can draw on the experiences of those who’ve gone before us,... Read this post