Restoring Institutional Trust and the Cleansing of the Augean Stables

From time to time, institutions sway and even collapse, and it is only then that we recognize their value and significance. At the family level, Thanksgiving at grandma’s house becomes an institution that holds a family together. Institutions are like that: little centers of gravity for social cohesion. Their absence results in a dissolution that … Continue reading Restoring Institutional Trust and the Cleansing of the Augean Stables →

How I Got Comfortable Asking People for Money

When I first started pastoring – wait, I suppose I should mention that this post isn’t about panhandling. This is specifically about teaching on giving at church, which tends to be perceived as asking people for money. When I first started pastoring, I studiously avoided the topic of giving, even though our church was at … Continue reading How I Got Comfortable Asking People for Money →

The “God’s Plan” Fallacy

I recently had a conversation with some believers who were describing a series of events that had unfolded, concluding with something like, “we could tell that this was God’s plan.” The potential fallacy involved here is not in ascribing “God’s plan” to the series of events that have taken place. The fallacy involved is in … Continue reading The “God’s Plan” Fallacy →

The Hands that Broke the Bread

One of the conflicts that Jesus had with the Pharisees was over the idea of eating with unwashed hands. Most common people ignored this rule, as the labor involved in acquiring water as well as the necessary utensils for washing hands would be hard to come by unless one were wealthy. So Jesus and his … Continue reading The Hands that Broke the Bread →

Merry Christmas, GDA

“We could have been homeschooling”, I reflected while dishing out the annual cash to the kids for the GDA Christmas store. There would have been no kids Christmas concert. No classroom parties. No teacher gifts to buy. And if that had been the the way that 2024 faded into 2025, we would have been ok. … Continue reading Merry Christmas, GDA →

It Doesn’t Work Without Flesh and Blood

Communion Meditation – December 2024 Joh_6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Just as there are boys who falsely think that kicking a ball or shooting a gun in a video game are equivalent to kicking a real ball or … Continue reading It Doesn’t Work Without Flesh and Blood →

The Election is Over. Now What?

We are three days past the elections here in the United States. Now what? Specifically, what can Christians learn and what do Christians need to do in this moment? I thought of some reasons to be thankful, some reasons to be hopeful, and some challenges that lie ahead of us. I am thankful that the … Continue reading The Election is Over. Now What? →

Communion Meditation

October, 2024 Isa 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. One of the results of mankind’s fall into … Continue reading Communion Meditation →

Shepherd’s For Sale: A Book Review

Meg Basham pulls no punches in her recent book, “Shepherds For Sale”. With a background in journalism that includes several years with World Magazine, contributions to the Wall Street Journal, the Telegraph, First Things, and National Review, she currently writes on cultural issues for the conservative media company, the Daily Wire. Following a viral article, … Continue reading Shepherd’s For Sale: A Book Review →

Christianity with Cataracts

Most Christians no longer have a biblical world view.