At the end of a long and full year, reflecting on what has been and looking forward to what will undoubtedly be another long and full year, these words from Eugene Peterson have been framing my thoughts: It is essential to distinguish between hoping and wishing. They are not the same thing. Wishing is something …
A few weeks ago, I got to attend an event honoring Eugene Peterson, author of The Message translation of the Bible and many other books that have shaped who I’ve become. One of the questions he was asked was about the Trinity, and I loved his answer. He told a story about how when he was …
Been reading a lot on the relationship between being and doing. Naturally, this was the passage that showed up in today’s devotional: Matthew 7:13-23 (from The Message). Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for …
[Part 2 of a blog adaptation of Sunday’s message at The District Church: “Come Follow Me”] The second part of our recently-started series title is, “Marks of a Disciple.” The Greek word for disciple in the New Testament is mathetes, which means learner. In Jesus’ day, Jewish disciples would follow their master around, learning how to be like him—how to …
My April 15 sermon podcast had technical problems, so here it is in abridged blog format. Easter is the most important time of year for a Christian, because at Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ because the death and resurrection of …