"Conscience, Judas" Nikolai Ge (1891)This painting by Russian painter Nikolai Ge is of Judas Iscariot standing alone as the soldiers take Jesus away.  Seeing him wrapping his robe more tightly, you can't help but sense the descending darkness.  Viewing this painting, my mind immediately goes to this passage...When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. WhileContinue reading "Judas, the betrayer, was at last … all alone"

One of the crucial aspects of Lent -- the 40 days prior to Easter -- is paying attention to who we really are.  "From dust you came and to dust you shall return." During Lent, in particular, we say, "Yep, that is absolutely correct."Paying close attention, however, does not then mean severely judging ourselves andContinue reading "We don’t judge ourselves during Lent but we do pay very close attention"

When Lee Grady's "Fire in my bones" column appeared just before Valentine's Day in Charisma Magazine it caught my attention.  Especially the title: "10 Men Christian Woman Should Never Marry."Well, the piece went viral, with now almost 2 million views.  Holy Cow!  That never, ever happens with articles on Charisma Magazine, regardless how good orContinue reading "Article still going STRONG a month later: 10 Men Christian Woman Should Never Marry (This thing has wind under it’s sail — Wow!!)"

When we read the Scriptures, there is a difference, a big difference, between reading for information versus reading for formation.  Yes, we do need both. ... Using the story of King Uzziah in I Chronicles 26 as a backdrop, retired physics professor John Stanford, in about 100 words, succinctly tells us the difference in thisContinue reading "The huge difference between approaching the Bible for Information versus Formation"

When I make my daily to-do list I write down my appointments, what I need to pick up at the store, what I need to do at the bank ... that kind of thing.  Then I think for a minute and try to put down some of the things I most want to achieve.  ThatContinue reading "A to-do list and a what I want to achieve list are very different"

The inimitable Rich Nathan ... insightful, wise, clear, compelling: Joshua 1 provides at least 5 lessons for Christian leaders and church planters.Lesson 1 for leadership success:"Make sure you are called!"— Rich Nathan (@RichNathan) March 12, 2014Lesson 2 for leadership success from Joshua 1::"Find a great mentor!"— Rich Nathan (@RichNathan) March 12, 2014Lesson 3 for leadershipContinue reading "One wise pastor"

I just finished reading Ann Arbor Vineyard pastor Ken Wilson's book: A letter to my Congregation -- an evangelical pastor's path to embracing people who are gay, lesbian and transgender into the company of Jesus.It is very thoughtful... Wilson is smart, gentle, kind, respectful and, from all indications, deeply shaped by his love of theContinue reading "A Vineyard church pastor puts his stake in the sand!"

Last night at the Art Theatre in Champaign with Jennifer and hundreds in recovery from the Champaign-Urbana community, I viewed the powerful The Anonymous People, a documentary on the history and strength of the millions-strong Recovery community in the United States. The showing came as a result of the inimitable Veronica Valli, whose blog, especiallyContinue reading "The Anonymous People movement is growing! May their number increase 10-fold!!"