If you want to take a crash course in prejudice, you have to see the new movie "Crash."  I've included a picture of Thandie Newton and Matt Dillion in one of the most powerful scenes in the movie.  It's a scene where a White prejudiced cop (Dillion) rescues a Black woman (Newton) from a burningContinue reading "Racial prejudices run very deep!"

This picture is an artist's rendition of young Samuel going to Eli in the middle of the night after it was actually God who called him (I Samuel 3).  After going back to Eli three times [thinking he'd heard Eli's voice ... when it was acutally God himself], Eli told Samuel: "Go and lie down,Continue reading "Hearing the voice of God"

Two years ago, I read Lauren Winner's first book called Girl Meets God.  It's a fascinating book about how a feisty Jewish girl slowly makes her journey toward Christianity.  Now Winner, though not yet 30-years-old, has come out with her second book called Real Sex.  While Winner is far from perfect, and openly confesses herContinue reading "Real Sex in the 21st Century"

I always love to hear where people were raised.  I like to hear about their parents and if and where they went to church when they were younger.  One thing I always discover.  No one's parents raise them perfectly, nor were they raised perfectly by their parents.  Parents have their their baggage and unwittingly passContinue reading "Making peace with your parents"

I have found the perfect church, at last.  It's pictured here on the right, and is the very kind of church for which I have longed.  Wouldn't you just love to be part of it?  Well, look closely.  It's a Lego church.  Unless you're a Lego, there is no perfect church.  There are only churchesContinue reading "Finding the perfect church!"

Driving to an early morning meeting at 6am today, I recalled one my favorite prayers and begin praying it over my family and over the leaders of our church."For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of hisContinue reading "A Prayer that works for family and church alike"

Pictured here is Rich Nathan, the senior pastor the Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio.  This week most of our staff and several interns have been at the national pastors conference being held at the Columbus, OH, Vineyard. What a place this is.  It is a congregation of about 7,000, and the building is fantastic. JustContinue reading "National Vineyard Church pastors conference"

My Friday April 29 religion column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, Champaign, Ill., is titled:  "Dad taught lesson of respecting all women."Indeed, my dad taught me valuable lessons about honoring women.  On more than one occasion I heard my dad apologize to my mother in front of all five children.  The women who worked for himContinue reading "Dad taught me a lot about respecting women"