Our Chaos is Why Christmas Exists – Revisited

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – […]

Classic Post Encore: The Unsung Hero of Christmas

Merry Christmas! While we celebrate the incarnation of Christ Jesus, I want to ask you to consider the example of a man who was indispensable to the Christmas story — Joseph the carpenter. Meet Joseph When we first meet Joseph in the Bible, he is defined in terms of his relationships — as the son […]

Classic Post Encore: The Advent Conspiracy – A Cure for Grinches?

Christmas is just around the corner.  Despite the holiday-themed TV ads that began in early November and the radio stations that started playing Christmas music around the same time, it’s possible you may have missed it.  As a friend of mine observed, “Christmas seems to come earlier every year.” If the crass commercialization of the […]

What God Thinks About Money — Updated

“Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” – Proverbs 28:8 (NIV) In a recent post, I explained why I’m skeptical of cryptocurrencies — even though I am optimistic about the potential for blockchain technology and its offshoots to create genuine […]

Re-post: To Lead is To Love is To Serve

The anatomy of marriage

“Marriage is the graduate school of service.” – Pastor David Chadwick I’ve made no secret of my belief in marriage. Mrs. Booth and I have been married for nearly 32 years, with the struggles and joys that come with being married that long. It has been and is a great thing and I love being […]

Get the Facts or the Facts Will Get You – Part 2

Why the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a big deal

“Don’t be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God. Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re only being cute and inviting sacrilege.” – Jesus in Matthew 7:6 (MSG) In Part 1, I presented an unintentional review of NBC’s live performance of Jesus Christ Superstar (I […]

Get the Facts or the Facts Will Get You – Part 1

Easter and Jesus Christ Superstar call for a resurrection

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) Like millions of my countrymen, I spent part of Easter Sunday watching NBC’s live performance of Jesus Christ Superstar — the rock opera that tells the story of the last week […]

Re-post: What If You Couldn’t Lose?

Restoration is at the heart of Easter

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 (ESV) I owe a number of debts to author John Eldredge. His collaboration with the late Brent Curtis, The Sacred Romance, revolutionized my perception of the character and […]

What God Thinks About Money

How about some foundational principles?

“Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.” – Proverbs 28:8 (NIV) In a recent post, I explained why I’m skeptical of cryptocurrencies — even though I am optimistic about the potential for blockchain technology and its offshoots to create genuine […]

Re-post: Truth-fetishism and Confirmation Bias

It's a trap!

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31 – 32 I have noticed that our society has an obsession with “truth.” I don’t believe it started with politics, but this is the arena — […]